[I received an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review] 
 "If you're not a Sister of Kaia, then what are you?" 
 "An apostate. A mage without a school." Lyriana smiled, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "A bastard." 
 I personally find the figure of the "bastard" in literature rather fascinating, since it is often one of the most complex characters, rich of determination, courage and intelligence. In "Royal Bastards" these people are not only side characters, but the main ones, and seeing how they cope with their situation, how they felt about their status was really interesting. Also because it shows 
 different kind of "bastards": 
 of blood, but even for law or decision, and it's is not a so common thing. 
 It surely won't become one of my favourite books ever, but its perk is a 
 smooth and simple style 
 that allows to read it quite quicky and without getting bored. I was really curious to know how the adventure of the little gang would end, and even though the plot wasn't very complex and offered few plot twist, I enjoyed it anyway. 
 The 
 characters' development is a quality but also a flaw 
 at the same time. It was nice seeing them changing slowly and not in a rush like too often happens, but there is one of them that suddenly acts too much out of character, at least in my opinion. His action seemed a bit forced, like an escamotage placed there just to create the "biggest plot twist", that for this very reason didn't have the hoped effect. 
 Another little flaw is that there are some 
 episodes treated a bit too superficially 
 or even not mentioned at all, leaving me a little puzzled (such as the discourse about magic). Moreover, from my point of view there should have been some chapters reserved to the villains' POV in order to give an overall view of the situation. Instead the only one present is Tallia's, narrated in first person. 
 To some up, there are certainly many things that could be improved, but if you're looking for a 
 light reading 
 to relax a bit without struggling with dozens of names and complicated plot you should give it a try.