Jonathan French: The Grey Bastards

 Hi everyone

The Grey Bastards is Jonathan French's first book in The Lot Lands series.
I got my copy from Bol.

"Jackal is proud to be a Grey Bastard, member of a sworn brotherhood of half-orcs. Unloved and unwanted in civilized society, the Bastards eke out a hard life in the desolate no-man's-land called the Lots, protecting frail and noble human civilization from invading bands of vicious full-blooded orcs. But as Jackal is soon to learn, his pride may be misplaced. Because a dark secret lies at the heart of the Bastards' existence - one that reveals a horrifying truth behind humanity's tenuous peace with the orcs, and exposes a grave danger on the horizon. On the heels of the ultimate betrayal, Jackal must scramble to stop a devastating invasion - even as he wonders where his true loyalties lie."

This was very enjoyable. Dark,violent and grim but also full of friendship and humor. The hogs were my favorites and I loved the friendship between the half-orcs and their hogs. The camraderie between half-orcs themselves was great too. The worldbuilding and premise of the half-orcs as protectors were very promising.

I definitely feel like there were a few plotholes, things that didn't seem to really make sense, the worldbuilding could be grander and the plot a bit more believable but I didn't care too much.

Happy reading!
Helena