I love books with royalty especially if it includes assassinations, lies, schemes, and romance. I liked the difference between the sisters and their relationship with each other. I liked the twists and the ending. I like the political maneuvers, the magic in this world, and the thirst for power. I liked the pull the daughter’s felt between following their mother’s plan and doing what they thought was right. I look forward to the sequel.

CITB was a great read. From the book blurb you know these princesses are born to be sent out in to the world and bring kingdoms down for their mother, Empress Margaraux. It could have gone so many different ways but I found the sisters not just pretty predicatable puppets but sweet, smart, and worth rooting for.

And, the twist at the end! Oh my!

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

The Empress of Bessemia may have a country under her control, but she's nothing if not ambitious, and why else enlist a empryea to fall pregnant with triplets, if not to use them to gain dominance over the continent? The princesses Daphne, Beatriz, and Sophronia, now about to turn 16, know that soon they will be leaving home, marrying foreign princes, and setting in motion a plan years in the making, all for their mother's own gain. But as they meet their 'new' countries, and soon learn that their mother's goals may not align with their own, can they achieve their goals, or will they fall into danger, with no way out?

I've been waiting for this book for so long! I love Laura's Ash Princess trilogy, and when I learnt about this story, and the synopsis, I immediately sent in my review requests. As soon as I started my copy, I knew I needed to savour it, because it was just so good! Told in the pov's of the princesses, we soon learn that though they are privileged, their lives haven't been one of love or even affection, really. They were being raised as lambs to the slaughter - some more than others - and were only pawns in their mother's game. I'm going to admit, I warmed to Sophronia the most, with Daphne being the most aloof, and difficult to like. But by the end, I adored all three sisters, and the last 20% or so, I just devoured because I needed to know how they manage all the plans which are taking place simultaneously. The ending killed me, and I honestly don't know how I'll wait until book 2 is released! Such a fantastic story, with epic world-building, and amazing characters - a hit from Laura, yet again!

4.5/5

I don’t even know where to start with this review, but if there’s one thing you do this February, read this book.

This is the first book in a new YA series from Laura Sebastian (that released on Feb 1, so run don’t walk to your bookstore) and it’s ~stunning~.

CITB follows triplets Sophie, Daphne and Beatrix who were raised by their mother to cause the upmost destructive. The end goal? All the kingdoms they’ve been betrothed to will fall, and their mother will reap all the benefits. But someone’s got to have a kerfuffle don’t they? 😉

I really enjoyed seeing Sophie’s development throughout this book. And, Laura didn’t hold back on the tropes either 😍 I’m talking enemies to lovers(ish), found family, betrayal, “who did this to you” - I CAN’T WITH THIS BOOK.

I fully intended to get this review out on Pub day because I was so confident I’d finish it in time, but this book had so many moving parts and nuggets of information that you truly had to slow down and work your way through it.

There was nothing I necessarily disliked in this book, but there were a couple things that aren’t “no spoiler friendly” that knocked it down half a star for me.

But the biggest qualm I have with Ms. Sebastian? WHAT WAS THAT ENDING. I’ve never been so happy but so angry about receiving an eARC. You mean I have to WAIT? So yeah - please give me some time because all I now know is pain and suffering 🥲

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

Love, love, loved this book. Laura Sebastian is great at what she does. I was immersed from the very beginning and the ending did not disappoint. Even with 3 main POV's they worked seamlessly together. Can't wait for more!

Unfortunately, I couldn't click with this book. I found the idea behind it really interesting, but found actually following it to be difficult to do. The three sisters all going off to different lands, married quickly and with new royal families to follow all lead to there just being too many characters to track. I almost needed a map of who was who! I wish the author all the best, but this one wasn't for me.

Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian, 528 pages. Delacorte Press (Random House), 2022. $19. LGBTQIA
Language: PG (8 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Beatriz, Daphne, and Sophronia are triplet princesses who have been prepared for their arranged marriages since birth. After their sixteenth birthday, the sisters are dispatched to the surrounding countries to not only marry but also ignite wars that will allow their mother to take over the entire continent. However, the deeper they get into their assignments, the fewer things go according to plan and the more doubts arise.
For most of the book, there was so much deception that it was hard to see if any of the protagonists were heroes worth cheering on – instead, I became anxious about those being taken advantage of. I continued reading, despite seeing no possible happy endings, and found that Sebastian skillfully arranged the trials for each sister so that they had to stretch rather than rely on their strengths. And then, nearly at the end, I realized that I had become enraptured by the development and entanglement of the plans being carried out. Instead of being relieved to finish the book, I find myself wondering when the sequel will be available. The mature content rating is for alcohol use, innuendo, sexual harassment, and discussions of consummating marriage. The violence rating is for gun use, executions, and murder.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

The plot is well written, well paced and very well crafted. Every scheme in this plot were plan thoroughly and every twist will leave you speechless.

I really like the three different POVs from three different princesses in this stories. Usually when there are so many POVs I tend to like one POV more than the other. But, this one is an exception because I'm looking forward to read all three different POVs.
The POVs give a lot of knowledge to the readers to know each princess character's with their specialties and what role they're playing along with a hidden mission.

I really like the sibling relationship of Daphne, Sophie and Beatriz have, despite the hate that one of them may harbor for the other sibling, they still love each other.
It's all because their mother is more like a tyrant than a parent. A war general than a mother.

I really love reading about the three princesses romantic relationship because each of them have a different romantic relationship with their love interest
One begins as an enemies turn to lovers, the other one fall in love with each other slowly and the last one has a sort of platonic relationship.
I'm looking forward to see how their relationship will grow from here!

Although, it took a while for me to understand the world building and to remember which princess marry which prince and lives in what kingdom. So many places and characters to know and to remember.
But, once you get the hang of it you'll devour this book easily!

There's a lot of questions swirling inside my head after reading that ending. One thing for sure I wanted the next book immediately!!!!

Overall, this book is very enjoyable and entertaining. Some of the twists and betrayals manage to surprise me and I'm really looking forward for the next book to get some answers!

If you enjoy reading fantasy romance full of betrayals with cunning and unexpected schemes then I highly recommend you try to read this one!

<b>Actual rating: 4.5⭐</b>

<i>A huge thank you to the author, Laura Sebastian, Delacorte Press and Netgalley for giving me this lovely ARC in exchange for my honest opinion, also thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours for allowing me to be a part of the book tour!</i>

It comes to no ones surprise that I enjoyed this book. I’m a big fan of Laura Sebastian and Castles in their Bones is no exception.

The whole concept of princess spies is what immediately sold me, I mean c’mon, how could you not be into that?? I don’t wanna say too much because I don’t wanna give anything away but let me tell you some notable points

This book has three points of view which I was a huge fan of. We get to read from each of the sisters, Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz which means we get to see the different kingdoms they are sent to. This added to the world-building which I really enjoyed (I’ll talk about this in a second). The different pov’s also helped the pacing. Since the chapters alternate between the sisters, I felt that the book was nicely paced. I was never really getting bored with a character because it was constantly switching. Fantasy can be somewhat tough and slow to read because of all the elements so I think the pace aspect was great.

In addition to the pacing, the pov’s help you get to know the sisters. You see how they’ve been treated throughout their lives and how they view their sisters. I felt that they each were distinguishable by their personality and really enjoyed all of them.

I thought the side characters were all extremely interesting as well. I felt like I was constantly trying to figure these characters out and Sebastian did a great job at distinguishing them as well.

Now a little tidbit on the worldbuilding. Each of the kingdoms that the sisters are in was different with their own characteristics. I thought Sebastian did a great job at differentiating the kingdoms and expanding the world. There’s a map at the beginning of the book for those that need a little visual, we love a nice map.

If there’s one thing I can say about Sebastian it’s that she knows how to right politics in fantasy books. I feel in love with the politics in her Ash Princess book and it just stepped up here. With the three different kingdoms plus their home kingdom, the princesses have to weave their way through the different politics and I loved it.

With all the twists and turns in this book, I thought this was a great first book to another YA fantasy series. There is no explicit romance in this book so I feel like it’s suitable for most readers. I’ll be impatiently waiting for the next book!

What a fantastic beginning to a series! If you love court politics there's no way you won't enjoy this. This book is filled with politics, scheming, magic, and a little bit of romance. The story starts out rather slow but it kind of has to since you're learning about three different cultures and so many different characters all at once. I was worried at first that having to keep track of three different countries' court politics would make it difficult to follow the story, but the author does a good job at flushing out everything without being info dump-y or confusing. The last part of the book is filled with crazy, heartbreaking twists and turns. The slow build of everything in the first half of the book makes all of the things that happen at the end much more impactful. Im so looking forward to the sequel!!

*Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC*

“A spellbinding story of three princesses and the destiny they were born for: seduction, conquest, and the crown. Immerse yourself in the first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the author of the New York Times bestselling Ash Princess series.”

I had a really hard time getting into this book. It didn’t have the usual world set up that makes the beginning of fantasy books a slog, but I think having three main characters with separate storylines caused the disconnect. The book felt very long and I only got invested toward the end when the sisters actually started building real connections in their countries. At one point it felt like a chapter was out of order, the events that it ended with seemed to happen after the next set of chapters, not sure what that was about. I did wind up liking some of the side characters a lot, especially the sisters’ counterparts. I do expect there to be more betrayal in the future. It was very cool that I did not predict the specific betrayals in this book and didn’t see them coming. For me, this was a 3/5.

If you like girls raised to take down countries, interesting magic systems, or are curious if everything goes according to plan, this is the one for you.

I received a digital copy of this book free from Netgalley and Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.

Startouched, the three daughters of Empress Margaraux are born for their mother’s ultimate goal: Reigning the entire continent of Vesteria. Once of age, the sisters are married off to three different kingdoms. Sophronia to Temarin where weekly executions are normal, Beatriz to Cellaria where magic is outlawed, and Daphne to Friv where it’s cold and dreary. Armed with the skills of deception and seduction, bringing down the monarchies would be easy until they have a change in mind. Their betrothal means nothing but a duty to their mother. Of course, easier said than done, the three sisters encountered issues of the heart while in their respective kingdoms.

Having multiple perspectives can confuse readers if the voices and personalities of each character aren’t distinct enough. I didn’t find that to be a problem in Castles in Their Bones as Sophronia, Beatriz, and Daphne each possess a unique quality. Moreover, they are distinctively separated from one another based on the side characters around them and the setting. Sophronia enjoys economics and code-breaking, Beatriz is best with flirtation, and Daphne works with poisons and archery.

The concept of stardust and startouched children in Bessemia added another layer to this setting. While stardust is not rare and can be collected during starshowers, the ability to wish upon a star is far more valuable. An empyrea can bring down a star while wishing upon it but only in the worst scenarios. Each country has its own politics depending on the rule of the monarchies. Despite being separated for most of the book, the sisters obviously care and love each other immensely. Sophie, Beatriz, and Daphne find themselves in a bind as they started to know their own betrothed.

Once at Friv, Daphne received the news that her betrothed had passed on due to his poor health. Taking Prince Cillian’s place would be King Bartholomew’s bastard son, Bairre, who is pretty hostile and suspicious of Daphne from the start. From hiding in the shadows to being openly scrutinized, it’s no wonder that Bairre is guarded against Daphne.

Sophronia’s the most romantic of the three sisters. She paints scenarios in her mind even though she knows not to. Her first encounter at Cellaria is witnessing King Leopold’s ignorance in ruling a kingdom and Dowager Queen Eugenia’s hand in the game. In Cellaria, Sophie discovers that Leopold isn’t actually that bad, merely a puppet king. Things are dire with a burning every fortnight. Anyone found practicing magic or breaking the law is executed by fire.

Married to Pasquale, a man who has no eyes for Beatriz should’ve made her mission easier to accomplish. However, Beatriz soon finds herself wanting to protect the soft Pas and being attracted to the king’s cupbearer. Over there, Beatriz finds out something about herself that relates to magic.

In a series surrounding royals, there is no lacking of court politics, political maneuvering, quiet deceptions, and painful betrayals. With their mother’s skilled machinations, the sisters have to decide whether they want to follow their hearts or continue on down the path. By the end of it, I couldn’t believe what I was reading. Can I have book two already?

Triples born to take over kingdoms. Trained in seduction, poisons, hiding their true motives. When they’re sent to marry their enemy’s, will they hold to their mothers plan or will they forge their own path?
Wow give me the sequel right now!! This was amazing. My favorite pov was Sophronia’s. This book could be slow at times but overall very good. I cant wait for the sequel.

OH MY GOD! i loved this book so much! the plot, the characters and setting were just phenomenal. that ending though, wow! i can’t wait for the next book!

Castles in Their Bones is the first book in this young adult fantasy romance by Laura Sebastian. A mesmerizing story that is sure to sweep you away with mystery and intrigue. I recommend Castles in Their Bones to all YA fantasy lovers, especially those who love unique, well-built worlds with wild stories.

"Trust no one but me."

Three princesses born with the help of magic sent to other Kingdoms to marry their prince. Since birth they were destined for this. The empress raised her daughters to seduce, poison, and kill. They can handle this, right?

The goal is the same for all three. Marry the prince and bring chaos upon the Kingdom. The end goal is for the Empress to eventually have control of all of Vesteria. Once the goal is complete they are supposed to return home, right?

The world building Laura Sebastian does in this story is spectacular. The chapters alternate between the princesses. Each princesses chapters are a story inside the main story. They hold up great on their own but when they are woven together is it magical to say the least. If you like multiple perspectives, star magic, kingdom politics, and great story telling this is the book for you!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this eARC for review.

I loved and hated the sisters. I loved Sophronia, Beatriz I went back and forth on, and Daphne I hated more than I liked. I admit I sometimes have a little bit of a problem keeping where everybody was straight, but I think that was more me and my frazzled mom brain than the book. I loved how twisty and devious the sisters and the storyline was. I found my self becoming really attached to each sister, even Daphne. I will not give spoilers, but the ending left me shocked and so so sad. I am praying for a plot twist at the beginning of the book too like there’s no tomorrow, the ending could not be the ending. And I cannot wait to read the next one in the series. At first I was going to give this 4 stars, but then I kept waking up in the night to think about the ending, and I had to change it to a 5 star read.

*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.*

Empress Margaraux trained princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz from birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence. The sixteen-year-old girls enter into marriage as the first step of Margaraux's plan to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria. Each girl has a wish from the stars as well as their skills. Their mother has plans, and they're not privy to all of them.

Each of the girls has their own personalities as well as the princes that they're meant to marry. All three have some roadblocks from the very start as they arrive in their new kingdom: a prince isn't what he seemed in letters, one has no interest in women, and one dies before the princess even arrives. Each princess still holds to Margaraux's plan and is resolved to make the most of their time in their new kingdoms. I liked the girls, and how they resolved to make the most of the situations they were in.

I liked the very different characteristics of each country, each with its own culture. Cellaria is at the extreme end with their aversion to any magic, which is derived from fallen stars. Others all use magic, but climate, culture, and trade are all different. The plans to take over each kingdom were intricate and the sisters thought they could deviate from their mother's plans. I liked Sophie the best, and her development over the novel made me proud of her, even though her mother clearly wouldn't be. We don't learn until the very end what it actually entails, which is horrifying. I hope there is another book to pick up from where this one left off, because I want more in this world and would love to see Margaraux's plan thwarted.

Castles in Their Bones is the story of three princesses, triplets who are sent to marry princes. However, the premise in and of itself is one of the most unique ones I've read. Instead of the marriages uniting the countries, the sole purpose of each marriage is to destroy the individual countries so their mother, Empress Margaraux can take over and essentially rule the land.

This book is without a doubt my favorite Laura Sebastian novel. The princesses each have POV chapters and their characters are unique. Trained from birth to be cunning and skilled in most everything the princesses still display a unique set of skills as well as individual personalities. As expected, when they arrive nothing seems to be as easy as they hoped it would be and the way they navigate their individual problems had me cheering for each one. In fact, I loved all three of them so much that I couldn't decide who was my favorite princess. More than that there were a lot of princess touches scattered throughout like delicious descriptions of their clothes. I loved that! The wannabe princess in me loved that! The world building and magic system is interesting and not too convoluted. As someone who is not a high fantasy fan, I appreciated that as well.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. I loved it and I can't wait to read the rest of this series!

⭐️Triplet Star-born princesses.

⭐️Raised in the art of treachery, seduction, and espionage.

⭐️Sent to three different kingdoms to marry three different princes.

⭐️There, not to reign, but to spark war from within so their Queen Mother can conquer the continent, thereby expanding her own rule.

What could possibly go wrong?


With buzz words like that, I was already excited to get my hands on this book early. Who doesn't like the idea of three trained from birth, tiara-wearing spies? I mean come ON. That said, I didn't realize how delighted, how absolutely captivated, I'd feel to be submerged in this world where political machination, betrayal, magic, and romance turned the wheel. I had such a magnificent time!

Castle in their Bones was engrossing and convoluted, to say the least. I loved the oscillating third person perspective. It kept the plot propulsive, ushering readers through the high stakes and the morally ambiguous complications each girl faced in her respective kingdom.

Daphne, Sophronia, and Beatriz were all engaging characters in their own way, too. All of them imbued with different strengths and weaknesses. I think I liked Sophronia best because of her soft heart, because of the backbone she grew when everyone least expected her to be strong, derivative, idealistic, pushing back against everything her mother had trained her and her sisters to do. Beatriz was wild, passionate. I felt for her the most because she seemed to feel the loneliness, the separation from her home and her sisters most keenly. Daphne was the most enigmatic of the three, though. She was obedient, almost to a fault, but she had a cold, calculating demeanor that seemed to make her a natural at manipulation and deceit. I'd say she's the most like her mother, which should prove interesting going forward.

What was so fascinating to me about the girls and their story was that they started out with a plan. With well-concocted schemes. They left their home, Bessemia, and entered the kingdoms of Cellaria, Temarin, and Friv believing they were in control of everything that would come to pass. Only, as it turned out, nothing was as it seemed. Not in their kingdoms with their princes, not with each other, not with the people they met at court, and certainly not with their mother...whose agenda might be more nefarious than they suspected.

To put it plainly: I didn't want to put this book down.

The twists and turns were well-paced. The kingdoms were all diverse in custom, location, feel, and fashion. The romance enhanced the plot instead of detracting from it. And given the cliffhanger at the end, which was fifty shades of rude, not because it was bad but because I was blindsided by the gawping surprise it knocked out of me, I'm already desperate for book two. I can't wait to see what sort of magic or manipulation the triplets have hidden beneath their dress sleeves next!

A hearty thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Delacorte Press for the ARC.