The King's Bastard

King Rolen's Kin #1

by Rowena Cory Daniells

Byren never wanted the throne. It was destined for Lence, his twin brother, older by seven minutes and the rightful heir to Rolencia. But the royal heir resents Byren’s growing popularity, and in the court of King Rolen, the shadows are thick with enemies plotting revolution.

Darkness stirs across Rolencia and untamed magic of the gods wells up from the earth’s heart, twisting the minds of men with terrible visions. The touched must learn to control their gift – or die. Disharmony stirs within Rolen’s household, and as magic, madness and political machinations threaten to tear Rolencia apart, King Rolen’s children must do all they can to restore their father’s kingdom...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Adult, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy

456 pages, Paperback

First published June 29, 2010

About the author

I write the kind of books that keep you up all night.

I write the kind of books that got you reading fantasy way back when. I also write gritty crime-noir with a touch of paranormal under RC Daniells.

I am unashamedly a Genre Writer!

Reviews

[Rowena Daniells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having spent years writing this series, The Chronicles of King Rolen's Kin, I hope someone reads them. This is book one.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would actually rate this book closer to a 2.5 but I rounded down. I found this book to be incredibly mediocre. Even though I read the entire novel (it took me a long time as I really had to push myself to finish it) I have no interest in reading any of the other books in the series. There were a lot of parts where the book dragged, and I also never became attached to any of the characters. There were a few interesting elements to the book, and the author has a pretty colorful imagination, but these elements were not enough to make me want to read more from this author.

[Liviu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Soap opera with swords and magic King Rolen's Kin has energy but it is marred by soapbox world building and 600 pages which are 200 too many; take any ingredient of soap opera - jealous brothers, innocent lovers, scheming relatives, steadfast women with a secret passion, doddering patriarchs - transpose it into a pseudo-medieval setting and you get this novel.

I really liked the writing style which kept me turning the pages despite the ludicrousness of some of the plot points and the silliness of many of the characters' actions not to speak of a very shallow world building at least as people/countries/geopolitics go, while the nature parts - creatures, landscapes... - are much better done, though 600 pages of that is still a bit too much.

In a way this is the equivalent of pulp in sf, but fantasy evolved quite a lot even in the more traditional offerings with much more careful world building, believable plot and characters' actions, but sometimes pulp is still fun at least for a while.

I will probably read the next two volumes since I want to see what happens next with the surviving characters and I hope the narrative energy will hold my interest for another 1200 pages of soap opera...

[Jason Gray · Rating 1 out of 5]

First off I should say I'm usually pretty easy to please when it comes to reading and other entertainment. I can accept implausible or even impossible things as long as it's enjoyable.

I hated this book.

At first I enjoyed, thought it had potential to be really good. And as far as the writing goes it was written well (except for the author's insistence in using -t instead of -ed for a lot of past tense words, I assume that's an Australian thing).

What ruined my enjoyment of this story is that the protagonists get crapped on CONSTANTLY. I'm all for bad things happening and the good guys winning out against adversity but they NEVER win! Not once did anything go right for these people. It was one sh*tstorm after another and every time they would come up with some good plan to set things right something would ruin that and it would get even WORSE!

The infuriating thing about it is that in almost every case if one of these idiots would have taken two seconds to say, "no shut up and listen..." and actually EXPLAIN something to people who are supposed to be close friends and family things could have gone so much simpler.

But fine, I can accept they were too scared or prideful or whatever to do that. That doesn't mean that everything in their lives had to go to sh*t! I got the impression that the author HATED her protagonists.

From start to finish there is not a single time that anything goes right for the protagonists. Even when something does seem to go right it eventually gets twisted into some ridiculous hurtful device against them.

By the end of the book I found myself hoping they would all die to save them from the ridiculous misery and save me from having to ignore every subsequent book in this series.

I may have been more willing to accept the tremendous amount of terrible events if the book had been marked as a tragedy. I'm assuming this book is just a setup for the subsequent books, that eventually the protagonists turn things around and come out on top. Am I willing to suffer through another 600+ pages on a hunch, after reading this tragic fantasy tale? No.

The books I'm used to reading have a bit of a roller coaster of events, a decent balance of good and bad events and situations for the characters to go through before ultimately coming out on top or at least making headway toward that end.

This one was a constant plummet with no hope in sight of the heroes ever coming out of it.

[Shaitarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Real rating: 3.5 stars.

Well, this was quite a turn around. I honestly through at one point I was going to DNF this book, but while I was thinking 'one more chapter and then I write this off as a failure' it grabbed me by the throat (metaphorically speaking, obviously) and wouldn't let go. So congratulations, author, I don't know how you pulled that off, but you did!

The story itself is perhaps a basic one: our main character, Byren, is the second eldest son of the king, his twin brother, older by all of seven minutes, is the heir. Byren, disliking the demands and duties that he's seen kingship make on his father, is quite content to be the 'spare'. So when a mad old seer predicts he will kill his twin, he laughs in her face. But alas, things quickly start to go wrong.

His brother's new adviser drives a wedge between the twins. Meanwhile, his little sister Piro is desperately trying to conceal her growing power with the strange magic known as the Affinity; anyone who reveals this talent is either banished to the Abbey or killed to prevent their power becoming a channel for evil. During the betrothal of the king's heir to the princess of a rival country, an attempted assassination is foiled and court plots are revealed as events rapidly spiral towards war.

Okay, so this book had twists and turns, and although the refusal of certain characters to believe the bleeding obvious about the bad guys made me want to shriek with rage, it kept me reading (as my husband pointed out, they don't have the advantage of having read similar plots for years to help them - very true).

The winter setting, with people travelling on skates over frozen canals, made for a pleasant change from the usual 'medieval-Europe-that-wasn't' a lot of fantasy lands still seem to live in, although presumably with spring the land will revert more back to type, though hopefully it will retain some of its uniqueness thanks to the mountainous setting that makes up much of the landscape.

The religious/magic setup wasn't totally unfamiliar, but different enough from the majority of fantasy to have a pleasant unusualness.

It sounds like I'm damning with faint praise here. I honestly enjoyed it and will probably read the sequels in the near future (because when you already have eight or nine uncompleted fantasy series on the go, starting another is the correct thing to do).

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review isn't going to be what the book deserves, because it's been well over two months since I finished the book and it's always hard to remember the things that you wanted to say at the time. Which is a shame, because I really enjoyed it and want to give it the review it deserves.

Rolencia is a relatively young kingdom, once an area of warring chieftains united several generations ago by warlord Rolence. The spars that make up the kingdom are still led by warlords though, and some of them chafe at having to swear loyalty to a king, but there is strength in numbers and the neighbouring kingdom of Merofynia, as well as the Utland raiders, are a greater threat.

Byren was born only seven minutes after his twin brother, Lence, and he's always been happy to be the younger brother, to hunt Affinity beasts - creatures of untamed magic - and offer sound advice when needed. With a younger brother, Fyn, promised to the elite warrior monks, and a sister, Piro, nearly old enough to be married off to a warlord in exchange for greater loyalty, the succession seems secure. But when a bastard cousin, Illien, arrives with tales of tragedy and becomes a close advisor to the king, Byren starts to realise that all is not as it seems with his cousin. Lence begins to resent and distrust Byren, the more popular son, and King Rolen himself begins to listen to worrying advice. Byren himself is spooked by the prophecy of an old woman who tells him he will turn on his brother, and the once-happy family starts to turn on each other.

Years ago I read and loved Daniells' The Last T'En, a Fantasy-Romance novel that begins a trilogy, so when I came across a new book by the same author, I was eager to read it. It's more straight Fantasy this time, more epic, and just as enjoyable. The pacing is fast and tight, the plot well thought out and never dull, the characters nicely developed and the writing smooth. I haven't been reading as much Fantasy these days as I used to, but this book got me excited about the genre all over again.

While Byren is the main protagonist in this trilogy, both Fyn and Piro take turns to lead their own sections and we get their perspectives on unfolding events and the people around them. Each is a distinct character, a strong protagonist and both interesting and sympathetic, so that we end up with three heroes. Byren is a people-person, an athletic, active, good-natured lad, skilled, trustworthy - all good things, yet somehow he never came across as too good, too annoyingly perfect. He was an easy character to like, but Fyn and Piro were perhaps more interesting.

The supporting cast were equally as engaging, from the subtle villain of Illien, Lord Cobalt; to Byren's gay best friend, Orrade, who is in love with Byren (unreciprocated); and the girl, Elina, who didn't stay true. This may be lighter Fantasy fare than some other authors in the genre, but Daniells writes so well there are some lovely subtly to the characters that make them all that more alive and believable to me.

The world, too, was fascinating. Magic plays a part but is not the central theme; there's no faceless evil force to battle - that trope always makes me laugh. It does, though, immerse itself pretty deeply in the genre: political intrigue, which has long been a staple of the genre (and if anyone says "Oh like A Song of Ice and Fire" I'll smack 'em); untamed magic; aristocratic bastards; betrayal and corruption; war - both between humans and between humans and magical foe; and a generally uncertain, unstable climate. It's not because the story's original that I so enjoyed it - it's not at all original - but because it resurrects an older style of Fantasy that had become so old and tired and boring, and given it new life. As I mentioned before, I haven't been reading as much Fantasy lately, but I had such fun reading this that it renewed my appreciation for the genre an taken me right back to the golden days of when I first started reading it. In a sense, it's retro, and the more Urban Fantasy that gets published, the wider the glaring hole becomes in the Fantasy shelves: there's just not much in the Epic Fantasy sub-group being published these days.

Because of the huge delay in writing this review, I can't effectively bring up any particular scenes or more detailed themes to discuss, but at the very least I wanted to share with you how fun this book is, how imminently readable and enjoyable. It probably helped that I knew what to expect from Daniells, having read an earlier trilogy, and was expecting something fun and dramatic. I'm keen to read the next two, which are already waiting on my shelves.

[Matt Gilliard · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll admit that I bought The King's Bastard based on nothing more than the title. Insane, right? The cover did absolutely nothing for me. The shadowy color scheme and vaguely ominous backdrop took away from what could have been an intriguing figure I assumed was the protagonist. The back copy wasn't much better, leaving me wondering whether it was wise for the author to choose a concept that seemingly falls so close to the shadow cast by one of the giants of the genre. But the title is so close to an unfinished manuscript I spent some months on, that I had to check it out just for my own curiosity's sake.

The King's Bastard focuses on the family of King Rolen, whose reign over Rolencia is supported largely through his alliance with the warlords of the borderlands that stand between his kingdom and the rival nation of Merofynia, with whom he's kept an uneasy peace. Unlike in Merofynia, magic use is restricted in Rolencia. All who possess Affinity are pressed into mandatory service in one of two religious orders or be executed. But untamed magic is loose in the land, causing more and more mystical creatures to surface threatening the peaceful and largely orderly kingdom. We meet our protagonist, Byren Kingson, who's lack of real political responsibility as the second born son of his family makes him a natural fit for hunting the Affinity touched creatures. Hi-jinks ensue and Byren meets a rouge sorceress who foretells that he will eventually shed the blood of his brother, Lence, and thus become heir to the throne. With no interest in ruling Rolencia and a deep bond with his older twin, Byren dismisses the prophesy but fate and the heir's increasingly hostile and erratic behavior seem to be propelling Byren towards his prophesied fate.

Also taking center stage are Byren's younger siblings; Fyn and Piro. Fyn is Affinity touched and has been a novice at the abbey of one of the two gods of Rolencian religion. Halycon is the god of summer and his acolytes serve the crown, most notably as a militant order and in the production of food that will protect the nation's population during the harsh winter months. Fyn, now on the brink of choosing his path within the ranks of the monastic brothers, discovers that the political maneuverings and subsequent dangers of life at the Abbey are not so different than those that plague the more noble members of his family. The youngest member of the family, Piro is nearing an age where she will be expected to marry to strengthen the peace her father has managed to craft through three decades of compromise and swift retribution to those that would threaten Rolencia, but she has been hiding her own Affinity and that secret won't stay hidden for long.

With its surface similarities to George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, I really wanted to enjoy this first installment of Daniels' trilogy. The trio of young protagonists remind me of the children of House Stark, some of my favorites in the genre. But shaky execution and a lack of depth kept this story from really taking root and even less than a week after reading it, I find myself having a hard time remembering the things that I enjoyed, while its flaws are all too apparent.

I'll start with the characters. Daniels' manages to create a trio of characters that seem at first glance to be incredibly capable and intriguing, but upon further inspection seem to have little to no agency and are simply locked into a course of events that their station or stated character traits dictate. Despite growing evidence that that the future king is hot headed, self-important, and power mad, our principle protagonist, Byren, is dedicated to doing the right thing even if it means living in his brother's shadow. His love for his family and friends is important to him even when it stands to cost him dearly. While loyalty is to be lauded, Byren often takes it beyond all reason. Byren chooses to believe in Lence even when it is obvious that he has ill intentions not only towards Byren but to those he holds most dear. He runs all over the kingdom, cleaning up after his siblings and generally is forever reacting to the actions of others.

That by itself would be forgivable, but neither Fyn or Piro are any different. Fyn is forever being threatened, bullied, or framed and his only solution, despite being well liked and a capable warrior besides, is to plan to run away. Piro's case seems a little easier to take because of her gender and younger age, but her sole purpose in the plot seems to be to sow chaos wherever she goes, and she never seems to pay the price for it. Daniels' seems to think her thoughtless behavior and impulsiveness can be explained away, simply by pointing out that she in on the cusp of marriage every time she does something juvenile and foolish.

Most of the secondary characters suffer from a lack of development and come off rather flat. My main complaint is that Byren's love interest, Orrade's sister Elina, has virtually no redeeming qualities and is so under developed that when her fate takes a shocking turn, I couldn't bring myself to care. Byren's reactions seemed less authentic because I felt I was being told how much she meant to him without ever being shown a compelling reason why. Other characters seem one or two note caricatures at best, even cast members as important as King Rolen and Byren's brother, Lence.

There are a few other inconsistencies that bother me about Daniels' writing. The first is that despite telling us time and time again that Affinity beasts are rare, Byren seems to encounter one every time he ventures outside of civilization. If they are rare, then by all means, let them be rare. They begin to feel like random monster encounters from a D&D game when used this frequently. More bothersome is Daniels' handling of the homosexuality of Byren's best friend, Orrade. Orrade is in love with Byren, and has taken to wearing a symbol of a traitorous warrior society that has a reputation of being composed of homosexuals. His identification with the notorious cult causes both he and Byren no end of heartache. Nothing wrong with any of this, after all ancient Greece is full of this sort of thing. The problem comes with the tendency for every person to focus on the "lover of men" label as being synonymous with being a traitor to the crown. Almost every character in the novel reacts this way, regardless of their relationship to Orrade. If Daniels really wants to explore homophobia, why not drop the attachment to this traitorous organization entirely and deal with it head on. The obfuscation doesn't help and feels like cheating to me.

There was a lot of promising world building that never seemed to bear fruit, and the secondary plot line at the Abbey was full of potential, but the flatness and lack of agency in the characters make it doubtful that I will return to the characters of The King's Bastard. Which is a shame, because I wanted to like these characters and the world they inhabited. I had hoped Rolencia would be a welcome vacation home from Westeros, but sadly it's not.

[Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid Fantasy with intense politics, a study in building anticipation. This book makes you care about the people in it

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

thoughts to follow...

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The cut and thrust of political manoeuvring is never as simple as the cut and thrust of real battle”

For the most part I don’t usually enjoy politics as a form of escapism. I’ve tried on multiple occasions to read The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan, for instance, but the further I get in the story the less and less I care about the characters. For me all the political scheming starts to wear a bit thin. When I read fantasy I tend to prefer action and shy away from anything overtly political although I realise that some readers enjoy these intricate machinations.

I’m glad to say however, that I’ve finally found a book that has made me revise my opinion. The King’s Bastard is the first in a new trilogy by Rowenna Cory Daniells published by Solaris. Surrounded by feuding warlords the story focuses on the country of Rolencia. King Rolen has managed to hold together a shaky peace for the last thirty years. In an attempt to keep the peace he has banned the unsanctioned use of Affinity, think mental powers derived directly from the earth itself. Only Rolencia’s monks and nuns have permission to wield Affinity after years of training.

The thing that elevated this book from just a standard by the numbers political fantasy was the characters. The royal family, particularly the four royal children Lence, Byren, Piro and Fyn are all forced down different paths that lead them too some interesting places. Lence and Byren are twins and the two oldest brothers. Separated by only seven minutes Lence is the King’s heir and driven by dreams of power while Byren is happy to be free from responsibility. Piro is their teenage sister on the cusp of womanhood and promised to a barbarian warlord to cement his loyalty. Piro is torn between her desire do her duty and her fear of being trapped in an arranged marriage. Fyn, born with Affinity, has spent his formative years in a monastery studying to become a monk and control his Affinity.

Daniells has created an interesting and believable world that gives the reader an in-depth insight into how Rolencia’s infrastructure works. In the summer, all the towns are connected via canals and in the winter the frozen canals are used as roads with skates and sledges. I liked the fact that the author has taken time to consider how things like this can impact the central story.

I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys an epic tale. There is a real sense that all the Machiavellian plotting is going somewhere. The book ends with many questions left unanswered which is exactly what I’m looking for in the first book of a trilogy. I’ve been successfully hooked by the author and now will definitely be returning to see how the story unfolds.

The good news is that there won’t be a long wait for the second volume,The Uncrowned King (King Rolen's Kin), is released this month and volume three, The Usurper (King Rolen's Kin), to follow in September. Though not strictly review related, I have to mention the cover art by Clint Langley as well, dark but really evocative stuff. The cover was the reason I picked up the book in the first place, and I am glad I did.

[Charlton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book turned out better than I first thought it would be.The author did a great job on world-building,and I really liked the characters.
In some cases didn't like.
The story is centered around one noble family,parents who were basically forced into marriage and their four children.Three boys and a
girl.One boy is supposed to take the throne,his twin a formidable fighter.The younger brother banished to a monastery because he has
affinity, which in this book is a type of magic.And the daughter who is kind of bull-headed when it comes to rules.And they want to marry
her off for the good of the kingdom.

Everything takes place in a unheard of land with unheard of beasts.It's always cold and they travel on frozen rivers.

[Mieneke · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Rowena Cory Daniells' first trilogy was initially published over a period of three months in 2010, I had only recently discovered the book blogging world and hadn't yet started A Fantastical Librarian. The books got a lot of buzz on the various blogs I followed and the books had definitely caught my eye. However, by the time I had my yearly Christmas book buying splurge came around, they'd been pushed aside by other new shinies and I never got around to them. So when the author contacted me to ask whether I'd like a copy of The King's Bastard for review, I jumped on the chance. And I'm glad I finally got to start King Rolen's Kin, because aside from some reservations, I really got caught up in this story.

Set in a secondary, medievalish world, one might complain that the foundations for the world of King Rolen’s Kin aren’t very original. Feuding kingdoms, check, magic users, check, magical monsters, check, and a polytheistic religion, check. And yes, this is all true, but at the same time, Daniells manages to infuse her world with details that make it seem fresh, such as the fact that these feuding kingdoms actually haven't been feuding for the past thirty years, to name a big thing, or the fact that a lot of the travel done in the books is done on skates, as it's set in the winter time, instead of on horseback, to name a smaller thing. This latter fact made my Dutch heart sing, as speed skating is the one sport the Dutch excel at beyond any other and I've been following it since I was knee high. But the fact of the matter is that this is a story of politics, power and ambition; while the world's physical properties are important to set the scene and create obstacles and advantages in how the story plays out, it is a backdrop in service to this political struggle, in a book such as The King's Bastard world building will be reflected far more clearly through the characters' realities and experiences. For example, Rolencia's magic is the untamed Affinity, thought to be the power of the gods, but what really shapes this magic isn't what it can do, it is the fact that it is forbidden to all but members of the Abbey. Rolencia's religion is kathenotheistic, with a god of Winter, Sylion, served by nuns and a goddess of Summer, Halcyon, served by monks—in itself an interesting division of devotion. Its ban on magic users not part of the Abbey shapes a lot of the story and the reactions several of our characters have to Affinity. Another such building block is this society's stance on homosexuality, to put it mildly, it doesn't approve, partly because of the connection to the Servants of Palos, a group that tried to depose the king decades earlier. While I could see how it functions as part of the plot, it made me very uncomfortable, which might have been the point. The various reactions to one of the characters' revelation that
he was gay not only run the gamut from easy acceptance to outright rejection, but the divide between them seems to follow the line between the good guys and the villains. The only more in-depth and conflicted reactions we see are those of the main characters, especially Byren.

The story is told through three points of view, those of Byren, Fyn and Piro, King Rolen's three youngest children. It is often the case when a story has multiple viewpoints and storylines, not all of them are as interesting or connect as well to the reader; in this case, the one I had the hardest time getting into was Piro's. While she definitely grew on me and by the end of the book I really enjoyed her point of view, her story overlapped a lot with Byren's, which at times seemed a little redundant, as we moved away from Byren when I'd really rather have stuck with him, even if Piro could reveal something to us that Byren didn't know. This seems a testament to how likable and well written Byren is! Fyn's story is mostly set away from the court and deals with the power struggle in the Abbey. I love me some political machinations in my fantasy and The King's Bastard had this in spades, not least in the Abbey, so I really enjoyed Fyn's story. But Byren was my favourite by far. At times a little oblivious to how his actions could be interpreted by others, regardless of his intent, he is a good-hearted guy, who genuinely wants to do what's right and who enjoys the life he's leading when the book opens up. Daniells proceeds to turn this life pretty much on its head and Byren has to move with the punches or be knocked out. He does so admirably, even if at times he falters. His friendship with Orrade is one of the cores of his story and while at times this aspect was a little frustrating for me, his loyalty to Orrade in the face of the latter's disinheritance and what he has to face was amazing.

Not all the characters worked for me though. Lence, Byren's twin, just made me want to throttle him. He seems to have a huge chip on his shoulder and we never really find out why. Cobalt's insinuations fall on fertile ground with Lence, but why is his ground so fertile, it can't just be overwrought ambition. But if Lence got on my nerves, I had a far larger problem with Lord Cobalt, the biggest villain of the piece. The ease with which Cobalt manages to manipulate all but the chosen few just baffled me. It actually became a bit irking that people would so easily believe whatever Cobalt does or says, unless it was all due to Affinity, which would be a cop out. While there was some explanation for the king, queen and Lence to believe Cobalt due to past dealings, this doesn't explain why others fall so easily under his spell. Hopefully we'll find further explanation in the next book. Despite my dislike for Cobalt, I had to admire Daniells' craft in the scenes where Byren tries to unmask him; she succeeded in getting across Byren's frustration, his feeling of impotence and rage so well, that I was ready to throw things every time I came out of one of those scenes.

And that is what I'll take away from the book the most, admiration for Daniells' craft. The story is enthralling and I loved the political machinations in it, but what's stayed with me most is the power of the emotions Daniells drew from me, whether it was anger at Cobalt's plots, frustration at Byren's inability to get through to people or sadness for things and people lost. The King's Bastard had a lot of familiar strands in its make-up, but it was unexpectedly powerful book and I really had a blast with it. If you're looking for a strong traditional epic fantasy series with lots of political scheming, King Rolen's Kin with its first book The King's Bastard is a great find. Look for reviews of book two and three later in the year, as book two is winging its way to me from The Book Depository as I type and I picked book three up a few weeks ago at the ABC. In addition, Rowena Cory Daniells' new series The Outcast Chronicles has just been launched, with its first book Besieged out from Solaris now.

This book was sent to me for review by the author.

[Torzilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read many fantasy books since Anne Bishop's Black Jewels Trilogy. Usually, these sorts of books are a hit or miss for me. The author either goes into too much detail about scenery and uninteresting facts, and thus makes the book drag on, or the author's tone and characters are too bland. Either way, I love em', or I hate em'.

Right from the start, the covers for this series pulled me in. A lot of fantasies have covers that I don't like, primarily because they have the tendency to appear too tacky. Others aren't interesting enough. As for this series? When I saw them on Tynga's blog a while back, they were the first things I noticed. Then I watched the book trailer (which is awesome!). Then I read the summaries. I was beyond intrigued at that point. When Rowena asked me to review the first book, I literally jumped on the opportunity.

There are three POVs in this tale: Byren's, Piro's, and Fyn's. Readers initially witness this tale through Byren's eyes. We learn that he is a kingson, which, in simple terms, means he is the second heir to the throne. We also learn that his twin brother, Lence, is the kingsheir, and that there is some supposed prophecy about Byren murdering his brother. I will be honest when I say that, for the start of the book, I wasn't too thrilled reading about Byren. His character was too much of a goodie goodie...

...But once I read about Lence, I suddenly found myself loving Byren! I also pitied the second heir, because his easily manipulated brother was a jerk. Especially to Byren's best friend, Orrade. Hell, Lence was a jerk to everyone in the story at one point.

The drama is what primarily kept me glued to the pages. There were times, I admit, where I was ready for the book to be over. But between Rowena's writing and the conflict threaded throughout the pages, I continued on. So the start is slow. It happens. What really matters is that I was captivated enough to continue with this story, and I'm glad I did. It was an entertaining read.

I thought I was not going to enjoy The King's Bastard due to the slow beginning with Byren. The lack of detail about Affinity and the animals at the start of the book actually frustrated me. What were all these foreign terms, and what did they have to do with the plot? More importantly: why should I even care? That happens to be my only complaint about this novel. It would have been nice if there was a bit more explanation about what Affinity is, what it can do, and if there are different manifestations. It's an interesting concept... and I want to know more.

It is with much relief that the wait for book two is only a month's time. This trilogy is being published one month apart. That means July 29th is the release date for The King's Bastard, August is the second, and September is the final book. It must have been hard for the editor and Rowena, but I think that this method will definitely pay off in the end. I'm already hooked!

When The King's Bastard finally concluded, I was both exhausted and disappointed. Exhaustion stemmed from the drama throughout the entire book. I wanted to scream with Piro and Byren when everyone around them was slowly manipulated. (If this was a movie, I'd definitely be screaming at the screen, telling the other characters that they're morons.) The disappointment was more because the book... well, ended. And because now I know I'll have to wait a month until I can get my fingers on the next in this series.

[Anastasia Pergakis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is what fantasy is all about! I was immediately sucked into the world created by Ms. Daniells. I fell in love with the main character, Byren, almost immediately and was rooting for him through the whole book.

I was so sad when the book ended - a cliffhanger that left me literally screaming to know what happened next. I felt the author left off at a bad spot of the plot line - almost in the middle of the climax. I would have preferred, even with things left open, to have it stop at a more quiet part of the story line, rather than the middle of the action. It was simply an abrupt stop.

However, I loved this book. It has a bit of everything in it - politics, magic, love, friendship, treachery, intrigue, adventure - and the list goes on! I couldn't stop turning the pages, wanting to know what happened to the main characters of the story, praying they didn't have one more bad thing happen to them. I highly recommend this book to fantasy readers everywhere -really anyone who loves a great book!

**Free copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review**

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more I read the more I loved it. I can't deny that it feels a bit like a fantasy soap opera but a good one.


Full review will follow ....

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After having two blogger friends tell me that they absolutely loved this series, I already knew this was probably going to be a hit for me too. But as always when I expect something awesome, I go in to it with a little caution. What if I’m expecting too much and the book turns out to be good, but still a little disappointing? Caution or no caution, this book would have wrapped me around its finger either way. It’s everything I expected it to be and more. My friends were absolutely right, this is an amazing book and definitely worth a read. It also deserves some more coverage, since the last and 4th book, King Breaker, came out just last year. Reason enough to spread word about this series.

Writing a review about a book that you really loved is always so much harder than writing a review about a book where there were several aspects that you can pinpoint that were flawed in your eyes. I enjoyed this book so much that it’s hard to not just write: “Read this, God damned, you’re going to love it.” But obviously I can’t do that, because that’s not very informative for you guys.

‘The King’s Bastard’ introduces us to the life of King Rolen’s Kin, literally. The story is written from different points of view, all of them children of King Rolen of Rolencia. We have Byren, who has a twin brother Lence. Lence is the Kingsheir because he’s seven minutes older than Byren. Not that Byren minds. He’s a kind hearted guy who doesn’t really want to rule anything. Byren is what you can call the big guy with the heart of gold. His brother Lence and him are normally very close, but their characters are nevertheless very different. Throughout the book a rift grows between the two brothers. I really felt Byren’s heartache over this. I don’t have any siblings, so I can only imagine what it would be like to lose such a close connection as that with a twin. Daniells brought that across extremely well and also very gradually. The realization doesn’t hit Byren immediately and he’s in denial most of the book, which makes it even more sad. Byren isn’t the smartest guy around, let’s say he likes sword fighting more than history lessons, but he has good people skills, so he’s pretty quick to see through the lies of the intruder that is trying to mess up his family’s life.
Seventeen-year old Fyn is another of the Kingsons. He grew up in the Abbey of the monks of Halcyon, the God that represents Spring, Summer, Earth, Growth,… He was obliged to join the Abbey or be expelled because at a young age they found out that he had Affinity. Affinity is the magic of this world, it’s very subtle and kind of vague. People with Affinity have premonitions, can make certain predictions about the future, can ease people’s pain and feel the magic in the land and in the magical beasts that roam it. Fyn is a smart kid, not keen on fighting, though his family expects him to become the new Weapons Master now that he’s going through the rituals to become a real monk after his years as an acolyte. Life at the Abbey isn’t easy for Fyn, he’s bullied and even some of the Masters are turning against him. Luckily he’s got his wits about him and he’s ready to use them to save himself and his friends. Fyn was one of my favourite characters, because of his huge heart and the way he grew so much during the book. The Fyn we meet at the beginning of the book is very different from the Fyn at the end.
Then there’s Piro, at tirtheen the youngest and the only daughter. She’s cunning, smart and beautiful, but also full of life and mischief. She’s not one to follow rules and sit still like a good Kingsdaughter should do. She has a quick mind and luckily so, because she’s got a lot of obstacles to overcome during the book. Piro won my heart almost immediately, she’s such a brave girl and she’s smart enough to see the truth almost right away.

The story really starts when Illien Cobalt arrives in Rolenhold claiming that his father and bride were murdered by Utland warriors, savages, who stole all the jewels he was coming to gift his father to reconcile after a yearlong feud. Illien is the son of King Byren the Fourth’s bastard, Spurnan. Had Spurnan been legitimate, he would have been king instead of Rolen. Illien has a lot of charisma and hits it off with Lence almost right away. And the closer Lence and Illien get, the further Byren and Lence grow apart.

‘The King’s Bastard’ is full of hidden truths, cunning deceit and political intrigue. A story right up my alley. I got sucked into the world of King Rolen and Rolencia, with its mighty and imaginative Affinity beasts, its wintery landscape and the threat of war heavy in the air. It has enough action, magic, twists and revelations to keep any reader satisfied. Daniells writing is very good and succeeds in pulling you in almost right away. She also successfully incorporated a LGBT theme, that reflects our current society somewhat, though it is worse in Rolencia. It was interesting to see how different people reacted to the revelation of one of the characters that he is “a lover of men” and how much those reactions differ.

As a conclusion I can only say that I enjoyed ‘The King’s Bastard’ immensely and that I dug into ‘The Uncrowned King’, the second book, right away after finishing the first one. This is an Epic Fantasy tale that every fan should read in my opinion and it has solidly earned its spot on my top shelf.

[Theresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Byren and Lence are the eldest sons of King Rolen, and the seven minutes that separated their birth have dictated that Lence would rule Rolencia-- and Byren wouldn't have it any other way. But when a renegade power user tells Byren that he is destined to be King, he fights her awful prophecy in every way he can. It doesn't take long for a distance to grow between Lence and Byren, and he doesn't know if the rift was already there or if the seeds of discord were planted by the old seer.

At the same time, other cracks begin to appear in the peaceful facade of the kingdom of Rolencia. Political unrest brews despite the strategic marriage arranged between Lence and the daughter of a powerful warlord. Unusual amounts of untamed magic, known as "Affinity seeps" begin to appear, drawing magical, and dangerous, creatures toward human habitations. Even the churches have become more concerned with internal power-plays than spiritual matters. Further complicating things is the presence of the illegitimate nephew of King Rolen, Illien Cobalt, whose friendship with Lence seems to be increasing the distance between the two brothers.

"The King's Bastard" follows a template that is very common in fantasy fiction; an heir to the throne who is jealous of the younger, more popular sibling. Throw in some prophesy and magic and you might think you've read this book before-- and maybe you have, but that doesn't mean you won't like "The King's Bastard" as much as all the others. There's just something to be said for telling a good story.

The book follows the perspective of three of the four children of King Rolen: Byren, Fyn and Piro. While Byren deals with the secular threats to the kingdom, Fyn and Piro become caught up more magical intrigues. Magic users are required to serve the churches and Fyn has spent most of his life in a monastery. But Piro's ability didn't show itself until she had already been betrothed to a neighboring warlord, and revealing her secret may add to the unrest that already unsettling her father's rule.

The best thing about "The King's Bastard" is the pacing. I can't remember the last time I read a 600+ page book so fast. There are times the book walks a fine line between fantasy and soap-opera but somehow the author always manages to pull the book back from the brink of too many misunderstandings and overheard conversations. She especially does a good job of balancing more than one main character without confusing transitions-- you can put this book down and pick it up without any difficulty sliding right back into the story. I also like the balance struck between the political and magical aspects of the story and the inclusion of magical creatures such as manticores and leogryfs, known as "Affinity beasts" is an especially nice touch.

Bad things happen to the characters in "The King's Bastard" but not in a grueling or graphic fashion. We also know who the villains are, we just don't know how things are going to play out. If I had to come up with a short-hand description of the book, I would say it's kind of a less gritty version of "A Game of Thrones," which I liked because it has a lot of entertainment value without being overly complicated. I might have wished for an ending that didn't quite feel so rushed and slightly convoluted as it didn't quite match the excellent pacing of the rest of the book. But, overall, the book is a definite page-turner and I genuinely look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Blodeuedd Finland · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the reason why I love fantasy. It swept me away, it had me biting my nails and when I tried to do other things I couldn't stop thinking about it. It has been all I I have thinking about for the last few days.

Byren is the main character, a young prince who loves his family and country. But his brother doesn't care for his company any more, and is listening to bad advice. And when Byren is seen as a hero after killing a beast the anger grows in Lence. The other main characters are Piro, the youngest member of the family and she is hiding her magic so she will not be sent away since all those with affinity becomes nuns or monks, or are killed. Then there is Fyn, with little affinity he has served long, and no when it's time to become a monk for real he is not sure which path to take.

There is political intrigues and treachery around. Illian, the son of the late king's bastard has come to court and has soon charmed the king and Lence. He is spreading lies, and what his agenda is, I can only imagine. Oh how I loathe him from the start with his slick ways.

With Illian at court trouble start. There is also the subject of Lence not wanting to marry a foreign princess, a country that might just attack, trying to keep the peace along the warlords.

This is a book filled with adventure. Things seems to get worse and worse, and they have many personal battles in front of them. And beasts to killed. I was pulled into the story at once, Byren is a young hero that you just have to like. Piro is a little spitfire, Lence and Illian I disliked, and Fyn, well I am still unsure about him. He is nice, but I feel so sorry for him for having to become a monk just cos he is born in Rolencia.

The book had me reading fast to see what happened next, and aching when things didn't turn out good. Lies can hurt more than mortal wounds. This is a story that you can't put down, and when it ended I knew that I have to read more. There are two more books in this trilogy that is being published this year. Because in the end if was a fantastic start to a fantasy series and one of the best fantasy books I have read in years. It suited me perfectly.

Politics, magic, intrigues, love, and friendship is mixed in this amazing tale.

Blodeuedd's Cover Corner: Dunno really, I mean very fantasy, but he looks like a zombie.

Final thoughts: Hey, why are you sitting there? Go and read this book now. For you fantasy fans I recommend it. For the rest of you, if you want something good, look no further.

[Nerine Dorman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The King’s Bastard offers a lot of what I adore about epic fantasy: magical creatures, magic wielders and royal intrigue, as well as compelling characters, but it falls somewhat short of my expectations. Or maybe I’ve been spoiled by reading George RR Martin and others in this particular genre.

That being said, I’ll still go ahead and read the rest in this series because one thing Rowena Cory Daniells does is write characters I’ve fallen for … hard, in a gooey fantasy fan kind of way. And the only thing that truly bothers me about the story is the feeling that, at times, the plot offers little twitches and hiccoughs when events happen a little *too* conveniently or people behave in particular ways without giving (what I feel to be) sufficient motivation to warrant their actions.

And what’s not to love about Byren? He’s not only good-looking, but he’s a consummate warrior and hunter, and he truly is well-meaning (though a bit too naïve at times). In that regard he makes me think a little of Ned Stark, and much like the latter, his continuous attempts to do the right thing backfire… horribly.

Problem is Byren’s twin brother and heir to the throne, Lence, is convinced that Byren’s aiming to steal the throne from under his butt – a vicious rumour propagated by the lord Cobalt, their relative.

Then we have younger siblings Piro and Fyn. Both have what’s known as the Affinity – the ability to wield magic. Thing is, in Rolencia, all of those who have Affinity must align themselves with a religious order as all renegade power workers are considered to be evil. This is a problem for Piro, as she’s been hiding her Affinity for years. Not so much for Fyn, who’s got his own set of problems at the abbey, where the fact that he’s of royal blood drops him in the middle of countless intrigue.

Overall, what we have here is the beginnings of a fantasy epic that’s absolutely delicious. If you’re used to GRRM then you’ll see what I mean about this being a lighter version of the same, but with more magic. Though the ending of book one feels a bit rushed, with a small twist that to me felt a little too convenient, I still really, really need to know what happens next and Daniells is definitely an author who’ll be featuring heavily in my Kindle queue from here on in. Because, yes, I’ll be working my way through her titles, thank you very much. Great fantasy storytelling right here.

[[ J o ] · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the Kingdom of Rolencia, those who own a magic known as Affinity must either serve the Abbey, be banished or face certain death, but not all those with Affinity are known and some can hide it very well. The King's family are spread through Rolencia; the youngest son Fyn has Affinity and he is training to become an Affinity Monk, whereas the twin eldest sons are fighting to keep the land at peace and, frequent of late, each other. The only daughter holds a dark secret, but there is trouble brewing when their mysterious bastardised cousin Illien of Cobalt visits them, telling tales of his wife's and father's murder and betrayal at sea...

A semi-intriguing yarn that is pretty much standard epic fantasy: political feuds and families keeping secrets. Throw in unrequited love, children with varying special powers and hunger for power and you have a regular piece o' fantasy right in your hands.

This book did not start out well: the first half was spent setting the scene and rarely did something happen that was noteworthy. Things just seemed to potter along nicely. It was a very quick book to get through and, although the story was not terrible, it was rather tame. Toward the end the pace picked up as all the secrets began tumbling out, though it was all still rather tame. The rest of the series is not intriguing to me. It is generic fantasy and a quick read; there's not much to disappointed by if that is what you are looking for.


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[Shima · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book read too much like a soap-opera to me. The misunderstood good character, the manipulative bad character, the different one cast away by the family, the one who must hide a talent for the greater good, and so on. Also, and even though the story is entertaining enough, it has way too much political & court intrigue, which adds up to the “soap-opera” feeling.

I think the author could/should have done so much more with her “world”. Starting with affinity: you don't really get a clear picture of what it is or which “powers” it gives its bearers or why it is oooohhhh so dangerous. Then the different countries, which don't seem to have a distinct identity. Also the deities, you have goddess Halcyon and god Sylion, but why do men serve the goddess and women the god? These and so many other questions go unanswered.

Moreover, I believe the title is misleading. The book should not be called “The King's Bastard”, but “The King's Bastard's SON”

Finally, and this is me being picky, Rowena Cory Daniells seems to have some limitations when it comes to using adverbs. She uses them correctly on some occasions, but too often completely forgets they exist and uses adjectives where she should have used adverbs. If you're going to be a writer, please write correctLY (see what I did there?).

[Sachin Dev · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Kings Debut is a debut by Australian Fantasy Author Rowena Cory Danielles - Coming on the heels of a long list of impressive fantasy debuts from down under. Names like Karen Miller etc.

This was an effortless read as the narrative is simple,lucid and flowing. Clearly the authors strengths lies in plotting. Complete with a delightful system of magic, inspired set of magical animals, Rowena weaves a tale of high fantasy Layered with political intrigue and featuring an engaging set of lively three dimensional characters we grow to love, this book marks a strong new voice in fantasy.

call me spoilt, but having been fed on a steady diet of Joe Abercrombie and Steven Erikson, my eectstionso f anything that is called good. Is sky high. So this book falls in the middle of the road category. Definitely engaging Rowena has got a strong voice that shines through but her writing falls through when it comes to action prices.,

While I enjoed reading the Kings Bastard, don't think I am dying to find out the fate of the main set of characters. Will put in a detailed review in a days time. But just 2 or max 3 stars.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

All those rave reviews I've read about this book were spot on. One of the best fantasy books I've read in a while.

Big plus is a featured character is gay and dealt with well and is not a stereotype but a masculine hero. So very pleasant to find.

Maybe not quite as good as the Mark Lawrence books but leagues ahead of the Micheal J. Sullivan, Karen Miller or Gail Z. Martin books I've read in the last couple of months.

While there's a couple of major plot points built of very shaky foundations, they're not enough to distract from the fun, page-turning drama. Very satisfying reading!

Diving right into the 2nd book of this 4 book series.

Highly recommended to fantasy fans.

[Mads ✨is balls deep in the Animorphs reread✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best fantasy novels I've read in ages. It may not be all that well written but it's gripping as hell and a rollicking adventure. Pyro and Fin are excellent characters, and Byren makes a solid likeable hero. I've never read about a world quite like Rolenhold, with it's ice-skating nobility and warrior mage monks, so points for originality. Only two things let it down: the anticlimactic ending and the fact that Elina, the love interest, is shit in essentially every respect. I unashamedly shipped Byren with Orrie (so is that Orren or Borrie?) from page 20, and I ain't swopping sides any time soon.

[Heather Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! It is as close to perfection as I have ever read. The idea of ice skating as a method for moving armies was fascinating and the beasts were uncommon (I had never heard of some of them and had to look them up) or completely original to the series. In a genre saturated with elves and trolls (which I am not knocking), it was really refreshing to be able to discover a new world. The action is well-paced and the story line does not stall. The characters are wonderfully flawed. I recommend this if you are in need of a change of pace.

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rowena Cory Daniells is an author I've had my eye on for a while now, ever since Besieged(the first book in her Outcast Chronicles) made my Waiting on Wednesday list back in May. So, when she reached out to me last month to ask if I'd be interested in reviewing both trilogies, I jumped at the chance.

The King's Bastard is the first volume in her King Rolen's Kin trilogy, and it packs enough unique touches (not to mention surprises) in the first dozen chapters to immediately make it one of those stay-up-late, can't-put-down, just-one-more-chapter kind of reads. At its heart, this is a story of conflict, the kinds of conflict that can divide friends and families, as well as empires. It's also a story of outcasts and undesirables, of the unwanted and the unneeded, an approach that serves to attract (rather than alienate) the reader.

In terms of plot, there's a lot about this first volume that will be familiar to any long-time reader of fantasy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. We have a King who has become complacent, leaving him blind to the cracks in his empire; feuding heirs to the throne (Byren & Lence), once friends who are being slowly driven apart by jealousy; a pair of younger siblings (Fyn & Piro) with a power and a future of their own, but no right to rule; and a Queen who is full of secrets, the heir to an unwanted legacy that threatens everything. It sounds very much like your standard medieval fantasy soap opera, but there are several elements that elevate it above the competition.

Even if the elements are familiar, however, the characters themselves are very well developed. Byren, Fyn, and Piro (our three POVs within the novel) are likeable, admirable characters to whom we can relate, and for whom we naturally find ourselves cheering. Lence, Cobalt, and Rejulas are equally unlikable, but characters with motivations that we can understand . . . even if we don't have to like them. Orrade is, by far, one of the most intriguing supporting characters I've come across in years, and I suspect the Queen may have more potential than we've seen so far.

Those conflicts I mentioned earlier? Rowena does a masterful job of balancing them against one another, using them not just to illuminate each other, but to force the reader into confronting their own prejudices. Rolencia is a kingdom where where being naturally touched by forbidden magic or sexuality is more worthy of scorn and derision than deliberately choosing to be cruel, treacherous, or ambitious. Ultimately, it is the shameful taint of his own family, along with the unrequited love of his best friend, that places Byren at the centre of so much conflict - and it's his own reaction to both that elevates him above his brother.

In terms of world-building, The King's Bastard offers a lot to appreciate, but it's the little touches, like armies skating upon the frozen canals or Affinity-touched beasts stalking the forests, that shine brightest here. There's no artificial attempt to create huge pantheons of gods and goddesses, or any needlessly complex allegorical story of creation. Instead, the mythology of the world is simple, effective, and genuine, intertwined with the presence of Affinity. Similarly, the genealogy is largely straightforward, forgoing the exhaustive family trees and legacies that often bog down these stories, in favour of just enough political marriages and well-documented bastards to add some necessary colour.

While I found the dialogue in a few scenes to be a bit too much like that of a soap opera, it generally works quite well. Much like the mythology, it comes across as genuine, with none of the grandiose speeches that so often seem out of place, inserted only to impress the reader. The narrative itself is solid, colourful where it can be, but also restrained where it needs to be. More than anything, however, it is the pacing that you really notice here. Rowena keeps the story moving, propelling the reader from one chapter to another. While this is by no means a light or insignificant read, it is a very quick one, which is always welcome when dealing with a 640 page tome.

If I were to have one complaint about the story, it's that the characters sometimes delay too long in delivering important information. On the one hand, it's entirely reasonable to expect that they might be distracted by urgent concerns, but there were a few instances where I found myself shaking the book because Bryen simply forgot to deliver some significant news. It's a minor quibble, and one that is largely limited to the beginning of the novel, but it annoyed me enough that I had to call it out. Having said that, Rowena smartly avoids relying on coincidence or deus ex machina to drive the climax of this first volume, which is refreshing.

All-in-all, a good, solid, page-turning read, and one that has a lot to offer for fans of traditional fantasy. I rarely read series books back-to-back anymore, but I'm already eager to get started in on The Uncrowned King.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

[Matthew Reads Junk · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't even finish it. Half-way through the book and it's still nothing more than poor foreshadowing and "suspicion". Each time you switch to another character's POV, it ends with "what if they find out my secret?" or "what are they plotting?" With nothing ever resolved, or any point to this whatsoever.

[S.B. Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review coming soon.

[Dominique "Eerie" Sobieska · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't see much if any of this dark fantasy here. TKB was more of a foundation to the story for book 2 and so on. None of that horror, disturbing themes. Tame would be the word.








At first, I thought this book had potential. But the characters felt bland and one-dimensional and are unable to deliver emotion in important instances. Everything is predictable from the characters, actions, plots and conclusions.

No one talks. So much information is being divulged yet no one takes the time to convene it to the appropriate parties. It becomes infuriating. I saw it as one of those parents and authority figures won't listen to children when there are problems. What happens then? The adults dies. The kids survive usually by running away. And they fight and win in the end and become better rulers than their parents. Yeah...

Our main protagonist, Byren, is the heir's twin brother. There are four things about Byren the reader is constantly reminded of.
One - He was born 7 minutes after his twin Lence. Too bad (depending on the context of the conversation.) Byren wants to live in the shadow of his brother as he is not interested in the throne. But this becomes a repetitive sentence in the 600 pages.
Two - He and Lence were always close but lately, his twin has been different.
Three - Byren always gets the shaft. He utterly can't get a break in this book. But this is the classic "the protagonist and "future savior from a prophecy" will get screwed over 24/7 only to triumph in the end." I love it when things go bad. The world is not an easy place to live in. But racking up continuously shitstorms even after coming up with plans to fix the previous shitstorm only made it worse for the "Byren will prevail in the end" plot.. arg..
Four - His doomed love interest (I'm not stupid). She has nothing redeeming, shows up at the start, middle and end of the book who is portrayed as "intelligent" and every man wants as a wife.

Second POV - Piro
Your classic future "warrior princess with secret Affinity magic".
She doesn't want to marry. She's a spitfire basically. Her purpose in the book? Create chaos all around her. And she never gets in trouble. Never. "Her reckless behavior is because she doesn't want to get married. Foolish little girl" This is how everyone in the book explains it.

Third POV - Fyn
Runt of the family sent away to the monastery because he was found to have Affinity. He is constantly threatened and framed so he decides to run away.

The plots are classic plots you see in every day books. If you've read more than 5 books and have the ability to formulate logical conclusions, nothing in this book will shock you. Nothing. The antagonists are easily painted. The family is doomed and you know it. Prophecies are being divulged left and right. Your foreshadowing and suspension factors are just sloppy. I hate prophecy books so much. Even more so when the book is filled with prophecies and seers just spilling the future fates to people and every single one of them say "it is only one of many possibilities. They could be wrong."
The most interesting thing in that book were the Servants of Palos but it was just a thing of the past whose only purpose was to be a reminder and one of the reasons for Byren to get the shaft.

Inconsistency - Affinity beasts are rare. I get that a fissure of sorts has returned but Byren encounters way too much Affinity beasts when he leaves the city. Felt like D&D random...
Inconsistency #2 - Homophobia seems to be only linked to the Cult of Palos. Felt like an easy way out from building a good story plot, background and character growth.

The magic system sounds interesting but is impressively underdeveloped and just sporadic. As one of my peeves where you can see the clear line between good and evil, magic in TKB falls under evil. In Rolencia where the story takes place, anyone found to have "Affinity" is sent away to learn and serve the monastery as it must be kept in check. So in Rolencia, it us a banned practice to have magical attributes and by law, you must resign yourself to the monastery to serve a God. But outside Rolencia, like Myrofynia, magic is out in the open and Rolencians see them as evil barbarians with corruption plaguing its people due to magical practices. Perhaps this system will be explored further in future installments.

I don't recommend it for dark fantasy fans. It doesn't feel like dark fantasy if you've read authors such as Abercrombie. Trust me.

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spotted this book many times at our local English bookshop. I'd always wanted to buy it but always got my attention swayed to some other book. On my trip to the states I went on a book-buying frenzy (which always happens in an English-speaking country where the wonderful book goodies are way cheaper than back home) and bought this one as well - knowing, that if I'd like it, I could buy the second and third installment back here. It did not disappoint, and the fast-paced story got me reading the book within a weekend (it helped that I had lots of time on my hands).

Funny enough, the most prominent protagonist (who happens NOT to be the bastard mentioned in the title) is the younger brother of twins, just like in the book I read just after this one. I LOVE me some twin stories. I'm an only child and since I can think, I'd always wanted to have a twin. I'm not really sure why, but yeah, I do love me some stories about twins. But I digress.
So Byren, the second of the two twins to be heir to King Rolen, is this nice warrior dude who has not really been to many wars but handled a few skirmishes. His best friend Orrie, who is also my favorite dude in the book, accompanies him everywhere. At the start of the book something happens to him that will make him reveal a secret to Byren, that changes both their lives. Byren's twin, Lence, henceforth called The Daft One, is constantly irritated by his bro and always gets jealous about nothing (seriously though, throughout the whole book I was really starting to doubt The Daft One's intelligence). Pyro, Their little sister, is a strongwilled teen who will be one of the strongest and most interesting female characters in the book. Orrie's family is not as royal as Byren's but their still quite well off, his brother Garzik a huge fan of Byren's and his sister Elina quite infatuated with the twins, but not telling (Elina is one of the flattest characters in this book though, I didn't like her. She's pretty much the opposite of Orrie in everything, which is basically why I can't stand her guts. The only thing I liked about her is how she stood up in the end for Byren and wouldn't have herself raped and beaten without a fight , but other than that, stupid and really really annoying bitch).
So, a prophecy appears (and I really do love them prophecies, as with the twins you can see that by the book I read right after this one) that shows the house of king Rolen will not have happy times ahead. And even though the book time and again explains that prophecies like that are only the most likely future, it does seem like pretty much of it comes true.
Without spoilering too much more, I can just say that the actual king's bastard is not only a bastard by definition but also in person, you'll soon see why. And while I hated his guts too, I've gotta say I loved to hate him. He's one of those villains that sneak up on you and you just know - well, not only because the characters do - their bad business. His influence was well written, although sometimes a bit dubiously so (as in, you wonder why nobody notices his crap and those that do either do too late or are so badly incriminated that nobody believes them - then again you do realize sometime quite late that there are more forces going on than you initially thought). I do have to say, the thing that probably bothered me most about the book was the "Affinity", the magic of that land (yeah, affinity instantly makes it more mysterious and gives you plenty of reasons to change the rule, doesn't it?). It was HORRIBLY explained. I mean, sometimes it was straight forward. Someone does divination, that was affinity, you know affinity includes divination. Then you have your idea about affinity, but along comes another affinity touched person who does something else super special and it's like: Oh, btw, affinity does that too. And this. And that. So just when some character conveniently needs some powers, go affinity! Another thing are the magical beasts appearing wherever Byren walks the ground - it's like Byren has some kind of home beacon on him that makes them beasts go coucou as soon as they spot him my theory is they sense Orrie's affinity - which we STILL have no clue what it really does, besides some foretellling - but that's only just a thought. At some point it's clear it was Illien's, the king's bastard's, doing, but really - he always gets to fight them huge beasties even though the author clearly stated they were rare. You wonder about that when one appears in every other chapter, and not only with Byren.
Another thing was the author's treatment of Orrie's problem. Since it would reveal too much about the story, I'm gonna put it in spoilers: so, turns out 'lil Orrie is gay. This doesn't bother me at all, I actually quite enjoy some gay characters in books - there should be more, I'll tell you that. Anyway, that's beside the point. Orrie carries a pendant that marks him a follower of Phalos or something like that. They used to be a heroic group of men who vowed not to touch any women, some of them clearly homosexual. While those have had a high ragard in history books, the order of phalos or whatnot has now become a secret organization who only want to see the king dead - you can see how this poses a horrible problem for Byren and Orrie. I'm not the first one to mention this but really, the connotation of homosexual HAS to be made with that weird secretive bunch of people that have the urge to make a coup d'état? WHY? WHY WOULD YOU WANNA DO THAT? I mean, sure, if you wanna show how the homosexuals are persued and not liked for what they do, then I'm not against that. It's only a parallel to what homosexuals have lived through and are still living through here. But why combine it with that secret organization? It takes away from the homosexual aspect because now the king goes like dang, I have someone who's gonna kill me in my house, me no likey. Which is, sencerely, quite understandable. Also Byren's reaction to the fact that his best friend is in love with him is rather weird. He constantly is weirded out by it and subsequently remembers he's actually best friend's with him. I can imagine it's weird to have your best friend coming out, especially saying that they love you, but it's like throughout the whole book he has a subconscious feeling Orrie is gonna throw his dick in his face. I would imagine the awkwardness staying a few days, but not whole weeks. If after a few days you're not ok with it, just say so and be done with it. I feel like the author tried to undermine Orrie at every turn, especially with Illien making Orrie report to him about Byren. But yeah, there are a bunch of things I didn't like about the topic. The general idea itself was surely interesting and poses a horrible dilemma for Byren, but I just can't get over the fact that it's made artificially more complicated because of that stupid secret organization - which, I would think, would not only accept homosexuals. If you are a secret organization, why name yourself like that? As I said, doesn't quite make sense to me.

That being said, the book as a whole was enjoyable and some characters I really really loved, especially Orrie and Pyro. Orrie has a wonderful sense of humor and Pyro is just this little tomboy of a girl who was just born into the wrong family in her opinion. They are really relatable characters and well written. However, some of the less important characters didn't get so much love, like Elina (super flatly written and I wanted to slap her the whole frigging time) or even Byren at times. I'd also would have liked more from the POV of The Daft One. His character was a total mystery to me. While we can see him through other people's eyes, his motivations are seldom explained and if so, they seem childish and petty. I think the book would've benefitted of his view, mostly to explain how the heck he ended up being so stupid. Especially his change of heart at the end bugged me. Ok, he did just murder Eline who came to safe Byren's life, but that action alone made him rethink everything? His intents are unclear for most of the time - unless you count his hatred for his brother - but really, just at the end he goes like, noooo bro, I just killed the girl we both fancied, lemme sacrifice myself for ya! That just doesn't sound right to me. Had we had more insight into his thoughts, it might have made more sense....
I give the book 3.5 stars, rounding it up to 4 and will continue with the second installment sometime in the future, because if nothing else, I do wanna know what's gonna happen with Orrie and Pyro. oh poor Orrie, you've just lost your whole family. I really hope Garzik survives somehow, because I kinda see you getting super mad and evil. Ah well. If so, I could totally understand.