This book had great characterization, excellent story telling, and made me want to keep reading. I will continue to read from this author and look out for their new releases.

Triplet sisters touched by the stars, raised to be queens….but really raised so their mother can rule all of the lands.

I liked the sisters and the men they fell for or were betrothed to. The empress always seemed evil and out for her own gains, nothing good for anyone else.

Leopold’s mother was a horrid queen and her brother was a horrid king. So basically all of the adults in the story were awful and the teenagers did a better job of running things.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me access to this digital advanced copy to read and review.

Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz were always destined for great things. It's the main reason Empress Margaraux never lamented her lack of sons. After years of training in languages, politics, seduction, and espionage, the girls are finally ready to serve their purpose upon their sixteenth birthday when they will each be married.

Working from within their new homes, each girl is part of a carefully honed plan that will bring the continent under Margaraux's control. Daphne has always known she would be the only daughter to become her mother's heir and she brings that committment with her to Friv where her plans are upended almost immediately thanks to a brewing rebellion. Rebellious Beatriz travels to Cellaria where magic is outlawed and she begins to wonder if she may be more than star-touched as she demonstrates a propensity for summoning stardust. Sophronia has always been the softest of the triplets, but she doesn't find the happy ending she hoped for with her bethrothed in Temarin where mismanagement threatens to topple the kingdom before Margaraux ever can.

As the triplets settle into their new roles, each girl knows her purpose. But with treachery at every turn each sister has to decide if following their mother is the best course of action or the worst mistake they can make in Castles in Their Bones (2022) by Lauren Sebastian.

Castles in Their Bones is the first book in a new trilogy. The story alternates between close third person narratives following the Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz. All main characters--and most of the continent--are cued as white.

With numerous twists and plenty of betrayal, Castles in Their Bones is filled with drama and action as secrets are revealed and loyalties are tested. With very different personalities and goals in their new lives, the three sisters offer interesting perspectives on how to move through the world and claim what agency is available to them. Although dense with world building, Sebastian's writing is fast-paced with short chapters and a cliff hanger ending that will drop more than a few jaws.

Castles in Their Bones is the start of a series that promises to deliver drama and action with plenty of backstabbing along the way.

Possible Pairings: The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad, Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Rule by Ellen Goodlett, This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi, The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson, The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski, Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte

Castles in Their Bones is a well woven fantasy novel. I found the triple perspective of the triplets both interesting and distracting so I’m a bit ambivalent about it but it was well written just a bit hard to follow. The mystery and political intrigue was fascinating and I love the fact that despite the differences between the sisters is intense they all are strong willed women with their own unique personalities and agendas. Despite being born and raised for the roles their mother intended they find their own footing in a high stake long game. If you like a well woven tail of love, despair, political power and savage rivalries this is the book for you.

What a stunning book! Once I got a handle on the different names of the princesses and the countries, I was set. That was truly my only challenge. In all fairness, it was a lot to learn initially.

Castles in Their Bones is the story of three princesses - - triplets - - raised by their mother (an empress) with the knowledge that when they all turn sixteen, they'll each be married to a prince of another country and will eventually become queen. They have each been raised for a purpose. Their mother is ruthless in her goals and the girls have always known that their futures were preordained.

Of course, their mother didn't take free will into consideration when she was calculating her plans. Each of her daughters does have a mind and conscience of her own. Will they each be able to follow through with their portion of the "plan?"

The atmospheric world and multi-dimensional characters created by Ms. Sebastian were well-done. This book was quite an enjoyable read with a storyline that keeps the reader enthralled. There are also a few well placed twists in the plot to keep things interesting. I was a bit surprised by the ending of this book and look forward to seeing what happens in the next book.

In the imaginary continent of Vesteria, three princesses celebrate their sixteenth birthday together and mourn their time together. They will be sent off to other kingdoms to marry princes. Each princess will go to a different kingdom and marry the ruler; Sophronia is marrying King Leopold, who treats her kindly along with his family and court; Beatriz is marrying Prince Pasquale and seems unwanted by him but she's meant to sway Lord Savelle, as her mother instructed; Daphne is marrying Cillian, who dies before she arrives, so the second heir, Bairre, takes his place in marriage. Each princess struggles with who to trust and in completing their set missions for their mother and her ultimate goals. They’re in more danger than they realize and start to see that they can’t rely on their mother for help or love.

Likes/dislikes: I had a difficult time keeping the three princesses and their corresponding kingdoms straight. I like the premise of villainous deception and seeing the changes that took place within the princesses. I enjoyed the side characters of each prince and the diversity amongst the kingdoms.

Mature Content: PG-13 for kissing and drinking wine.
Language: PG-13 for 19 swears and no f-bombs.
Violence: PG-13 for a beheading.
Ethnicity: predominantly white.

Since Empress Margaraux gave birth to triplets, she planned to marry them off to princes in three different countries so that she could reign over them all. When they turn sixteen, Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are each sent to a different country to get married, with the promise that they will be reunited at home a year later. They have been trained to take down the monarchies using seduction, deception, and perhaps some magic. However, their mother did not tell them all of her plans. The three girls have to navigate around new countries and monarchies while dodging the tests that are put in their way.

I knew I would love this story because I loved Laura Sebastian’s Ash Princess trilogy. This one lived up to my expectations. The settings were descriptive and distinct. The three sisters were sent to different countries, and they each had to deal with a completely different situation with their new husband and politics at the palaces. There were loads of twists that I didn’t expect. The ending was shocking and I found it hard to believe that one thing really happened. I’m so glad I will get to read the next one soon, as it comes out next week!

Castles in Their Bones was a thrilling start to a fantasy series!

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for providing a digital copy of this book.

I think anyone reading this needs to take my review with a grain of salt. There’s a part of me that just feels like this story was not for me, but I think many people will enjoy it. Regardless, here’s my thoughts …

The premise was everything I want in a fantasy. Political entry, plots, manipulation, romance, magic, secrets, and add the fact that they’re triplets I was even more excited. And although I was very intrigued in the first 25% of the book, I felt like there was not a lot of character and romance development, which are two of the most important aspects for me when reading a fantasy.

First off because it’s a triple perspective, I found it very difficult to keep up with each individual sister’s plot line in the beginning. I feel like if we had more time with the sisters together to really understand their personality and character, it would’ve been easier to follow when they diverged onto their own path to each kingdom. Every time we are switching perspectives, I found myself asking which sister is this, which kingdom are we in, who is this person, marrying, etc. Although eventually I did get it I felt like I missed a lot in the beginning because I was confused. (I would also like to make a note that I was reading an ARC which contained no map and I feel like if I had a map, it would’ve been a little easier).

The romance… I was bored. There was one sister’s romance, that I was very excited to see develop, and I felt like I got very little and was unsatisfied by the end.

I don’t think this is a bad book, it just was a book that didn’t hold my attention, and did not meet my expectations. I will not be continuing with this series.

I would like to say thank you to Penguin Random House Canada for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely loved it!

I struggled a little bit to keep track of the girls and their SO's and what country they were in, but that's a me thing.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

I really enjoyed this fantasy novel. I liked the three sisters. Some parts were very surprising. Looking forward to the next book.

Political scheming? Sign me up! I love a good political story that also has romance and family in it is as well. This book had all of the above so I was nervous going into it as I had high hopes. Needless to say, this book did not disappoint. We follow three sisters of the crown, Sophroina, Daphne and Beatriz who were all raised to leave their homeland and head to their betrothed in other countries. Their mother, the Empress Margarux, has trained them to lie and bring down their monarchies as the Empress' biggest goal is to rule over all of Vesteria. They have spent their entire life preparing for this moment; each with their own task and their own wish upon the stars. Only the stars have there own plans as does their mother. Will they do everything they were set out to do? Or will they learn that they can't trust anyone in this world - including their family.

I really enjoyed the fact that we follow three different perspectives in this book. It did get a little confusing at first with the many different characters in this book. The world building was great though. I just wish that their was a little more scheming and dirty deeds in this book but I understand that it was YA. Will definitely be picking up the sequel as this one ended on a cliff hanger.

4.5 stars/5 stars

I thought the writing was strong, but I wasn't really as engaged or compelled by a lot of the plot for this book.

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

I loved the premise of this book, but unfortunately it fell a bit flat for me. I couldn't keep any of the characters straight because they were all so similar. The three sisters all felt essentially the same to me, to the point that I couldn't remember what man they had been paired off with or which country each one had been sent to. There was minor differences in their temperaments or interests, but I felt like they weren't well written enough to where I could actually store them in my brain and use them to remember the story.

The story was also highly predictable, and the villain arc seemed flat as well. The romances were the cutest part, but then again they were very predictable and seemed forced at times.

It felt like the author was trying to do way too much with the story, but none of it was executed well.

If you liked her other books, you might want to check this out, it just wasn't for me!

Castles in Their Bones is such a beautifully written YA fantasy. The world-building is outstanding. The story follows three princesses who have been trained since birth to fulfill their destinies - to seduce, deceive, and bring down the monarchies of the princes they marry. Their mother made the plan, but did she tell them the whole plan? The story is well written with an enchanting storyline and well-developed characters that engage from start to finish. The world is atmospheric and feels real with vivid descriptions and rich imagery. Laura Sebastian has earned herself a spot on my auto-buy authors list. I cannot get enough. Highly recommended. Be sure to check out Castles in Their Bones today!

I tried so hard to finish this book, even got it on audio, but I kept getting stuck at around 55%. The plot wasn't moving fast enough, the narrators (the triplets) were pretty boring, and the love interests fell flat.

I loved Castles in their Bones! It kept me turning pages late into the night. The three different viewpoints from each sister kept the story moving along. Each sister had awesome character development. And that ending was so unexpected! I cannot wait to get my hands on Book 2!
Full review on YouTube

Three sisters trained to seduce, steal, spy, and topple kingdoms. Betrothed to princes from the three neighboring kingdoms, they are sent to bring down the very royal families they were sent to marry into, all so that their mother can bring in her army and conquer, claiming the entire continent of Vesteria for herself. Their three stories are woven together as the sisters seek to fulfill the missions on which they were sent, skulking about, lying, stealing, and having their consciences pricked as they begin to question what they have been raised to do.

The Castles in their Bones is a unique read. In the end, I enjoyed it. In the beginning, you are introduced to the sisters, but as soon as they go to the neighboring kingdoms, you have three different settings and three sets of supporting characters to keep track of. That barrage of characters and settings was a little difficult for me at first. The point of view jumps back and forth between the three sisters. At first, I also found that aspect a little hard to follow, but near the middle of the book, I finally got a grasp on all of the characters and could follow the constant jumping a little more easily. Because I was always trying to figure out who the next chapter was about and remember what had happened recently there, it took a little while for me to be pulled into the book, but eventually I was hooked and couldn't put the story down. I knew that there would be some unexpected twists along the way, but I have to say that I never expected where the story finally went in the end. Oh my!

The Castles in their Bones is definitely not a "nice" book with a happy ending, but it is an intriguing read, recommended especially if you like betrayal and some good twists and turns.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing a copy of this book for review. The opinions above are entirely my own.

I couldn't wait for this to come out and when it did I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters, loved the story. And fact wait for everyone to read this. They won't regret it

What an intriguing fantasy read! Three princesses who were born and raised to help their mother expand her kingdom using their strengths to marry into other kingdoms and help in their downfall. However, things aren’t as easy as expected once the princesses leave home. Away from their sisters and out from under their mother’s strict rule for the first time each of the princesses handles the stresses and challenges of their task in a different way.

I became so invested in each of the character’s stories. Each princess was unique and has a very distinctive voice which sometimes gets muddled with multiple pov’s but it was all done extremely well in this book. I found myself connecting with each of the sisters in different ways. There were a few spots where the plot moved a little slow for me but overall this story took me on a fantastic ride. It he end was so unexpected and I cannot even explain all the feelings I had for fear of spoilers. I wait to read the sequel!