3.5 stars rounded up. I actually really enjoyed reading this one, and I love the whole court intrigue vibe. The names in this one are a bit… well let’s just call them whimsical haha.

Anyways, I did expect a bit more upper YA but it reads a bit younger. Once I adjusted my expectations I found it to be quite a fun read. I think fans of her first series and fans of things like The Selection etc. will enjoy this series! I’m looking forward to continuing the story and seeing where it goes.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for my eARC copy in exchange for my honest review.

3 Stars

When I saw this book pop up on Netgalley, I decided to request it simply because the premise sounded interesting and up my alley. I ended up being somewhat disappointed, but that’s not to say that others will enjoy it.

It just ended up being mediocre, and nothing truly stood out to me. I wanted to give this author another chance to see if she improved since Ash Princess, which she did, but this just wasn’t for me.

Empress Margaraux has raised her daughters – Beatriz, Daphne, and Sophronia – with one purpose in mind: for each of them to become a queen in their own right. More than that, each queen will drive their new realm to the brink of devastation so that the Empress can claim them all as her own, creating one large empire for her to rule. Never have any of them questioned the plan, or the things they’ll have to do to help their mother achieve her goal. Until they each find a home (of sorts) in their new realms, with their new partners, and in new environments. Maybe they don’t want being their mother’s pawn to be their sole role in life. But what life can they build when every moment since birth has been leading to this?

I freaking loved this book. I blew through it, I couldn’t put it down, I had no idea what to expect, and I am APPALLED at the cliffhanger ending and the fact that I’ll have to wait who knows how long to find out what happens next – and if what the author wants me to think happened actually happened because I can’t bear it if it really happened.

Narrated by all three sisters, I was at first worried I’d get confused by the changing POV with their three new kingdoms and their three soon-to-be spouses, but each girl’s perspective and journey is so unique and personal that getting muddled wasn’t even an option. On top of that, there wasn’t one perspective I disliked or honored more than another, they were all very equal – very rare in stories that shift POVs; there’s usually an outlier.

It’s not the most complicated story, and I definitely expected something darker than what I got, but I somehow loved this book all the more for it? The tension, the plots, the scheming, the many layers of betrayal and playing both sides – I felt it all. I was equally invested in each taste of romance and most twists came out of absolutely nowhere, keeping me turning pages with increasing speed as the book went on.

I can’t overstate how much I enjoyed this read and I CANNOT WAIT for the sequel.

Trigger warning: sexual harassment.

Como vocês já sabem, essa resenha é em parceria com a Random House Internacional, de quem recebemos esse eARC (Advance reading copy: algo como “uma cópia de leitura avançada”, ou seja, o livro ainda pode sofrer alterações antes de ser publicado). Também lembrando que essa resenha terá um formato diferente: por ser um ARC, não haverão quotes, já como os livros podem sofrer mudanças em seu texto antes de serem comercializados. Gostaríamos de agradecer profundamente a Editora pela oportunidade de parceria.

Eu estou sofrendo (e não estou brincando, hein). Quem conversou comigo em qualquer lugar sabe que eu sou fã de carteirinha da trilogia “Princesa das Cinzas” da autora Laura Sebastian (Você pode ler minha resenha dos livros da trilogia separadamente clicando AQUI) justamente pela dor que a protagonista (Theo maravilhosa) passa, então eu fui confiante pra ler “Castles in Their Bones”, o 1º livro da nova trilogia da autora, esperando muito sofrimento no livro. Já conhecia a escrita da autora, gosto do ritmo da leitura e sei que ela não teve pena de seus personagens em sua trilogia prévia, mas eu confesso que NÃO esperei o que esse livro iria aprontar comigo não. Já fazem dias que eu terminei de ler e quanto mais eu penso, mais dolorida eu fico porque – óbvio que não vou falar os motivos, mas vou te falar que eu realmente não esperava. Não mesmo.

Mas ok, parando de falar sobre minha grande impressão do livro, vamos do começo: Anos atrás houve uma guerra e o continente de Vesteria agora está dividido em 4 nações: Bessemia é o lar das 3 princesas principais do livro e governado pela Imperatriz Margaraux, que teve 3 filhas trigêmeas, e para selar a paz entre os países, deu a mão de cada filha a cada um dos príncipes herdeiros das outras 3 nações do continente: Beatriz vai para o sul, para Cellaria, se casar com o príncipe Pasquale; Sophronia se casaria com o príncipe Leopold, da nação de Temarin e Daphne deveria se casar com o príncipe Cillian, indo para o norte, em Friv. Essa foi a pior parte do livro para mim: assimilar que as personagens principais iriam para núcleos diferentes e com personagens diferentes com diversos nomess para decorar, mas acho que eu já resumi bastante para quem for se jogar na trama.

A trama começa na festa de 16 anos das irmãs que partirão no dia seguinte para encontrarem seus pares e se casarem, assumindo seus lugares como Rainhas e, principalmente, começar a colocar o plano de sua mãe em ação porque não, a Imperatriz Margaraux não prometeu as filhas para estreitar relações com as nações fronteiriças: ela prometeu as filhas para que elas enfraqueçam seus maridos das mais diversas formas para que possa invadir os outros países, reunificando o continente em um único e grande país sob seu comando, claro. A Imperatriz criou as filhas de uma forma quase militar: elas lutam, elas sabem falar as línguas dos países nos quais irão morar, elas sabem finanças, elas aprenderam a seduzir, a mentir, a enganar e a roubar, tudo em um plano que tem realmente tudo pra dar certo – mas as garotas têm personalidade distintas e claro que isso afetará no andamento do plano.

Beatriz é a irmã que nasceu com o dom da beleza, porque apesar das 3 serem trigêmeas, é a beleza dela que realmente se destaca e a única que responde a mãe de uma forma quase desafiadora. Sophronia é a a irmã doce, romântica, que tenta fazer o certo (e, confesso, minha favorita), enquanto Daphne tem algo a mais que faz se tornar a favorita da Imperatriz e acredita que um dia reinará ao lado da mãe por toda Vesteria, sendo a irmã mais dúbia (e acho que vai se tornar a favorita de quem ler porque ela tem muito, muito apelo).

Essa confusão de fixar na mente durante a leitura para onde cada uma das irmãs iam e seus núcleos foi, de longe, o pior ponto do livro (já falei isso, mas repito). Eu entendo totalmente que era necessário porque é mesmo o enredo da sinopse, mas foi difícil, confesso, e o que ajuda é um pequeno mapa (também com a localização dos países) quanto uma pequena árvore das famílias logo no começo do livro, os quais consultei bastante.

Logo cada uma estava em sua nação e então as tramas individuais começam: assim que chega Friv, Daphne tem uma grande mudança em seu plano já como o príncipe Cillian, que estava notoriamente doente, faleceu. Agora ela terá de se casar com o bastardo do Rei, chamado simplesmente de Bairre. Bastante dúbia, a personagem começa a se enveredar pelo gelado país de Friv com a desconfiança de seu agora noivo, mas sua inteligência é realmente sua aliada, a salvando diversas vezes do que poderia lhe acontecer.

Enquanto isso, em Cellaria, Beatriz conhece o príncipe Pasquale e fica claro que o casamento entre eles não irá dar certo (sem grandes spoilers aqui, já falei!), mas o relacionamento entre os dois vai se intensificando e ficando mais e mais forte, enquanto ela é apresentada aos primos do noivo, Nicolo e Gisella. As coisas nesta corte parecem mais complexas e mais dadas a tramas palacianas, coisa que eu simplesmente amo, prendendo bastante minha atenção já como era o tempo inteiro um querendo trair o outro, incrível de se ler (mas um pesadelo de se imaginar passando por toda aquela trama sem fim), principalmente da parte do Rei, um ser bastante asqueroso – o pai de Pasquale, o Rei Cesare, é irmão da Rainha Eugenia, mãe de Leopold…

… Que é justamente o último núcleo de trama: Sophronia se torna a Rainha de Temarin, se casando com Leopold, com quem trocou inúmeras cartas ao longo dos anos e que a deixa confusa já como ele parece ser uma boa pessoa nas páginas, mas, para o povo do seu país, nem tanto: com taxas exorbitantes e execuções pública, Temarin parece ser a nação mais a deriva, tudo pela falta de experiência de Leopold que subiu ao trono logo após a morte do seu pai, o Rei Carlisle. Leopold é bastante apegado a sua mãe, a Rainha Eugenia, que tem forte controle sobre o filho mas que parece ser bastante gentil com a recém-chegada nora – mas será real? Acho que vocês já entenderam que aqui é trama em cima de trama, então só lendo para descobrir, mas confesso que foi o núcleo que mais me apeguei e sofri por.

Além disso tudo, há magia. Sim, há magia no universo de “Castles in Their Bones” e astronomia. Eu confesso que fiquei encantada com toda parte que as estrelas tem na trama. Para vocês terem ideias, nos votos de casamento, eles pedem a proteção das Estrelas (e isso é tão lindo que não sei explicar) e ainda temos o fator Stardust (pó de estrelas, literalmente) que é capaz de produzir magia e de mudar a coloração dos olhos de quem o consome, deixando de um tom prateado. E claro que há também em trama em cima disso, já como Cellaria não aceita nenhum tipo de magia em suas terras e também é claro que as irmãs aproveitam tudo que podem para conseguir alcançar seus objetivos – até entenderem que não sabem de todos os planos ao redor delas, levando a narrativa em direção a um final que me tirou o fôlego.

E aqui quero fazer um parênteses: eu adorei o livro, mas, pela confusão que passei no começo e por termos bastante momentos que parecia que a trama não estava avançado, eu estava crente que o livro merecia uma sólida nota 4. Então chegou os 2 capítulos finais e o prólogo e eu confesso que tomei um choque real porque eu JAMAIS esperei que a Laura Sebastian fosse fazer o que ela fez, e quando acontece essa “coisa”, você não pode dizer que está fora do que foi apresentado na trama porque era óbvio que quem provocou tal coisa definitivamente faria isso e até mesmo deu dicas durante a trama. A autora me tirou de minha zona de conforto em acreditar que iria ler uma fantasia na qual as garotas seriam badass e tudo iria dar certo, e eu ainda estou sem saber como colocar aqui nessa resenha o que eu senti porque realmente não esperei. Ah, o prazer de ser surpreendida.

Por enquanto não temos qualquer informação sobre essa trilogia no Brasil, mas como a trilogia “Princesa das Cinzas” foi publicada pela Editora Arqueiro, vamos manter as esperanças que esse livro chegue oor aqui. Não estou brincando quando eu digo que a trama é complicada, requer atenção no começo, mas o impacto que você tem com essas personagens não é pouco, o que me leva a realmente prestar atenção na autora Laura Sebastian para seus futuros trabalhos. Já o segundo universo que ela constrói muito, muito bem, que deixa o leitor curioso para entender como tudo funciona. Mas, como este livro terminou em uma nota tão alta para mim, eu estou preocupada com o que vem pela frente e a decepção que pode vir dai (aguardemos). Mas também estou curiosa, claro, até porque os outro 2 volumes da série não tem previsão de publicação e nem títulos divulgados, então só nos resta apelar às estrelas que nos ajudem para que os livros cheguem o mais rápido possível – tanto em inglês, quanto aqui no Brasil.

Three princess "built" to destroy the kingdoms they were sent to marry into and then one day have all the kingdoms rule under one, their own home kingdom. Sounds greats right?

Well.... The story is told from all the sisters POV, which I think should have either been longer. Some just seem to send so quickly when more could have been said.

Of all the sisters, only one was told she would rule everything when their mother died and the other two don't know about it. So right now, it's pop the champagne and enjoy their last night together before they set off to their new homes and get married and being their plans to rule everything.

Currently, I'm not sure if I'm loving this series, BUT I don't hate it. The start of the plans seems to being meh. One is married off the bat, one is waiting and the other just isn't marrying the prince she was supposed to. So okay, not bad and then BAM we are down to two sisters which is a twist I was certainly surprised to see. So I'm hoping the second book will really hook me in.

I'm rarely a fan of books with multiple POVs, as I sometimes have trouble following the jumps, however, in the case of Castles in Their Bones, there were so many elements I adore - royalty, secrets, wishes, sinister assassination and coup plots - that I knew I wanted to try it anyway and I’m so glad I did. Laura Sebastian has a talent for writing unhappy and displaced royals and she deftly wrote the alternating perspectives, keeping each triplet individualized. I was impressed with the way that not only was each sister so unique, with her own personality, strengths and weaknesses, but that each country location felt different and the scenarios they found themselves in unique enough that I always know where the action was taking place and whom I as the reader was following. This book is full of so many secrets, twists, turns, and betrayals I was on the edge of my seat for almost the entirety. Even though the Princesses had been raised to go forth and betray their respected counterparts, I still felt so badly for each of them as their situations unfolded and they grew into the strong, independent women they could be without their mother’s iron grip and still sound themselves wholly manipulated by her from afar. The revelations in the final chapters? I am more than ready for the story to continue in book two!!

everything i wanted in a historical fantasy with royalty! the characters were interesting and fairly unique, and the setting was great!! can't wait for the next one

3.5 stars, rounded up because of how much I enjoyed reading this book once I got past the slow and somewhat cringey first 20-30%.

I didn't think I was going to be into this one. The beginning is slow, and reads quite young - another reviewer mentioned that it feels on the younger side of YA, and I agree. The writing feels young and it doesn't quite match up with the dark themes, especially the last 20% of the book. Still, I found myself enjoying the story past the halfway mark, and as it rose to its quite dramatic crescendo after 80% I couldn't put it down.

I'm on a kick of stories exploring complicated familial relationships in fantasy, apparently - just look at the last two books I read. I thought this was going to be a lighter, frillier romp, and it was at first. We already knew that the sisters were meant to be weapons, and that their mother the empress was ruthless and power-hungry - but the plot exceeded my expectations. While the girls' machinations were a little simplistic initially, and I did guess a few of the twists in advance, the political drama continued to escalate until everyone was double-crossing everyone else, which made for a fun tangled web to unroll. Sebastian has proven that she's not pulling punches when it comes to writing quite nasty, self-serving characters and I'm here for it.

The ARC I read had a few continuity issues, like describing the sisters as having ink-black hair, then claiming Sophie was blonde while the others were dark, then mentioning Beatriz's auburn hair, and a few typos, like mentioning Bessemia when it was one of the other countries being referred to. I hope those errors were resolved in the final publication. I did find the names, both of the people and the places, a little too stereotypically YA-fantasy-cliche for my taste, and inelegant, but that was easily enough overlooked in favor of the fun and twisty political intrigue.

I did not think I'd be picking up the next installment, but now I'm surprisingly excited. Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the eARC! (Please send me the next one.)

Wow! What a good book! It was my first Laura Sebastian and it didn’t disappoint.
I was a fan of the flow of the story, the characters and plot!
It moved quickly and I was never bored
Thanks NetGalley for this eARC!

I have enjoyed Sebastian’s Ash Princess series a couple of times already and was so excited to see that she was building a new world. I unfortunately had a little trouble getting into this one
The three sisters in the novel all have their own personality sets and thought processes, yet I still had a hard time keeping them apart as a read. They all had the same tone and somber feeling to me that gave them no distinct personalities.
I had the same issue with the different settings that each sister had gone in to. It was said that each had its own characteristics (I know one is cold, etc) but I couldn’t tell you which was which. Sebastian struggled to create a completely immersive world that I could fall into and walk around in. Instead, I was constantly looking back to see who was speaking and had to create a cheat sheet to remember where they were.
On the whole, they story line was an interesting one where three sisters were trained to live out their betrothals, take control of their countries, and hand them over to their mother. It was a great idea, but fell quite short with lots of holes. These holes can play in with the ultimate twist, yet it comes off more as an unpolished reading than a truly masterminded plot.
I did like this story even though it took a lot to get through. I do plan to look for the next installment to see if some things are cleared up and more polished, yet I will not be jumping to grab it as I did this one.

I loved this book so much. It was hauntingly beautiful and mesmerizing to read. I had a great time reading it.

A first in the series that will having you waiting for more! I very much get A Curse So Dark and Lonely and The Selection vibes. The main characters are all interesting and i never felt like one story line was dragging more than the others. The ending also had me both shocked and like I couldn't wait to see what happened next. If you are a YA fantasy fan who like a very character driven story then DEFINITELY pick this one up!

From the description, this sounded like just my kind of book but I didnt really get invested in the characters.

1. Compelling characters and multiple POVs:

Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz were very compelling leading ladies. It was great to see them grow as characters, especially as secrets start to unravel and the sisters begin to question certain things that they are confronted with. Also, given how the book is structured, with chapters alternating between the sisters, we get to know the sisters, as well as learn about the different courts in a way that feels well-paced and exciting. So, despite having to learn a lot of information, including character dynamics, court politics and things to do with the world in general, the book never actually feels info-dumpy.

2. Magic, royalty and political intrigue:

The story unfolds in the way of a dark fairy tale, with its mix of magic and royal intrigue. If, like me, you’re a sucker for books that fit the princesscore and royalcore aesthetics, you’ll love the setting of this book. And if you like your fantasy books with a lot of political intrigue, you’ll definitely enjoy all the schemes and conflicts that happen throughout the book. Things don’t always go according to plan and there are lots of twists and turns throughout the book, which keeps the story very engaging from start to finish. I also found the magic system, which is based on the stars, to be very enchanting. I can’t wait to see more of that in the next book.

3. Slow burn romance:

While romance isn’t the main focus of the story – that would be badass princesses doing badass princess stuff – I do enjoy a good slow burn romance and the book does deliver on that front. I definitely can’t wait to see how things evolve in the next book.

4. Final thoughts:

Overall, Castles in their Bones is a fantastic series debut with amazing main characters, a very interesting world and a mind-blowing ending that will leave you wanting to get your hands on the next book ASAP. It’s going to be a slooow wait till Book 2!

I need the next book in this series ASAP! That cliffhanger! All of the buildup leading to that point, only to leave me hanging until the next book comes out?!

If you're like me and sometimes get a bit bored in the middle of a book, take your time and get to the end because it's absolutely worth it in this one. The end left me speechless. And made me want the next book asap. I love when first book in a series leave me with this feeling.

In Castles in Their Bones you will follow three sisters, three Princesses that have been raised by their mother the Empress. Their father is dead and the Empress is cold, to say the least. She gave them a mission each and they are each sent in a different place to marry and seduce, basically. It's a bit more complicated than that but you get it.

Overall, this was a good YA Fantasy story that left me wanting more. I'm going to check out book two when it comes out, that's for sure. I only wish my mind didn't wander sometimes during the beginning/middle of the book.

<i>(Thank you for letting me read and review an ARC via Netgalley)

I've tried picking this book up a couple of times and every time I end up putting it down, so I am DNFing this @20%. Nothing I've read so far has intrigued me enough, and the POVs sounded very similar so I kept forgetting whose POV I was reading from.

Given how much I loved Ash Princess, it was no surprise how much I loved this novel as well. The writing was spectacular, each of the girls having their own distinct voice for each of their POVs (something that can be hard to differentiate sometimes), and each new twist kept me on the edge of my seat. Very excited to see what Sebatian does next.

I adored the Ash Princess series so this book was high on my “dying to read it” list. I was not disappointed at all. The enemies to lovers, marriage to bring down the kingdom plot reminded me a little of The Bridge Kingdom, but it’s still its own completely different story. Interesting twists, great pacing and great character development. The multiple povs works well. The names though. I need a pronunciation guide for them!

This was such a clever plot, I never knew what was coming next. It was so smart to have triplets because we get three different romance plots. Laura has really established herself as THE royalcore YA writer, and this is no exception. I look forward to the next book.