Bee Mini-Reviews ROYAL BASTARDS & HERE LIES DANIEL TATE

Royal Bastards

Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had trueborn children.

At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stablehand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.

Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.

Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.

The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey...

Excuse me while I try to collect my shattered feels and try to put myself back together whilst coming back from the dead because WHAT EVEN. This slayed me, honestly. I had so many feels and while this wasn’t perfect, I looooved it so very much. Because squad goals and banter and sibling love and YAAASSS. But it hurt my feels and my heart.

I adored the writing, the banter and the story. All of it. But my favorite part were the characters. They were all SO layered and well-developed and winning. Jax and Tilla’s sibling relationship was goals. Zell was adorable and precious and I adored Lyriana. Miles was a cupcake that everyone kept underestimating. I also loved the romance. There was a teeny tiny love triangle, but it didn’t bother me at all. Ultimately what kept me from giving this 5 full stars is a twist near the end that I found a bit stupid. View Spoiler »Like… Miles betrayed them because Tilla didn’t love him… That’s just a bit… no. Miles. No. I liked you. Why did you have to go and be stupid?? Also now that we’re talking spoilers… WHYYYY did Jax have to die??? MY HEART. It broke. « Hide Spoiler

Overall, I definitely recommend you read this wonderfully fantastic book. If you love YA Fantasy, it is a must-read for sure. One of my favorites of the year so far.

Here Lies Daniel Tate

A young, street-savvy runaway looking for a place to call home realized he might have conned his way into the wrong family in this fast-paced and thrilling novel from award-winning author Cristin Terrill.

When ten-year-old Daniel Tate went missing from one of California's most elite communities, he left no trace. He simply vanished.

Six years later, when he resurfaces on a snowy street in Vancouver, he's no longer the same boy. His sandy hair is darker, the freckles are gone, and he's initially too traumatized to speak, but he's alive. His overjoyed family brings him home to a world of luxury and comfort he can barely remember. In time, they assure him, he'll recover his memories; all that matters now is they're together again.

It's perfect. A miracle. Except for one thing.

He isn't Daniel Tate.

He's a petty con artist who accidentally stumbled into the scam of a lifetime, and he soon learns he's not the only one in the Tate household with something to hide. The family has as many secrets as they have millions in the bank, and one of them might be ready to kill to keep the worst one buried.

What the frikkity frak just happened? Someone tell me because I have no idea whatsoever. This was so mind-twisty in all the best ways but HELP I don’t know what I just read. But I loved this though! SO much. But also WHAT???

This is very hard to explain without giving spoilers. Hence this will be a mini-review. Also because I have forgotten how to word.

In short, this book is kind of brilliant. It’s full of twists and turns and it hooked me right from the start. It also is not divided into chapters so that pushes you to keep reading even more. It’s written gloriously and “Daniel’s” voice is SO engaging and you feel for him and you root for him the whole way. He’s not a good guy, you don’t even know his real name. And he’s a very unreliable narrator. But I looooved him and I wanted to just grab him and cuddle him because all he wanted was to be loved. To have a family. My heart broke for him.

I can’t really go much further into anything without giving away a lot. So I will just say that this was brilliant and I loved it and it’s very WHAT THE HELL when you finish it. But it’s worth it. Cristin Terrill, I will read anything you write from now on. Yes, even your grocery list. Send it to me and I will give it 5 stars.

Now I must go weep because that ending wrecked me.

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Bee

Bee (born as Bieke) is 27 years old and from Belgium. (No she won't send waffles.) She's a strange, nerdy and anxious creature floating around somewhere on the ace spectrum. Oh, and she also writes books as Nelly B. Jones. Or tries to anyway. You can also find her on Novel Ink.

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