This is the first book I've ever read by Laura Sebastian, but it definitely won't be the last!
When I first heard the synopsis of this book, I just knew I had to read it, and read it I did! It was so hard to put this book down, and when I did, I kept thinking about it.
I love the characters of this book and how developed they are, and I really like how this book is told from multiple POV, as I enjoy that when I read. I like how this plot was developed and unfolded and the story continued, and of course the twists left me on the edge of my seat. And the ending? Oh my God! I can't believe how it ended! I am definitely dying for the sequel and wish I could pick this book up for the first time again.

I had a bit if a tough time getting into this one. I had a hard time keeping up with the changing perspectives, but once I was fully in the book, it got a lot better. I love each sister and their stories! They are all so well developed and written. The world building is gradual but well done. This was a solid read and I am so glad I stuck with it!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

I had such a fun time reading this! I can already tell that I am going to like this series a lot more than the Ash Princess series. (I liked that a lot too, but this was a blast!)

Even though there are three POVs, they are all unique enough that I didn’t get any of the triplets confused for another. This is more plot based over romance (even though they all are in relationships), but it is a good amount for a PG-13 YA story (or if you don’t like romance that much). I think the pacing was good and the magic system was super intriguing. I can’t wait to learn more about it and see the girls again in the next book.

This one gets a solid 3.5 stars because I love the big idea and overall plot and was genuinely surprised by some of the twists Sebastian pulled off, but I'm afraid that I found the details of the story to be somewhat boring. It's not even something specific in the writing or the characters that I can point to as the reason why I just could not get into the story as a whole, it's just that it couldn't keep my attention for long. Thinking about the main points and big moments makes me excited about the story, but getting into the nitty-gritty of how we get to those points is where the story lost me time and again.
Three sisters raised to be their mother's weapons against neighboring countries leave their home to marry the princes they've been betrothed to almost since they were born. They leave home with strict instructions to destabilize their new country and, above all, not fall in love with their new husbands and countries. Of course, the realities of life are nothing like the training they received and the girls find themselves in situations that nothing could have prepared them for.
It's a story full of twists, reveals, betrayals, and entirely unexpected events that I can get excited describing in broad strokes but did not enjoy reading the details of. This is a bit sad because Sebastian takes some risks that really impressed me and hooked me into caring for the characters, it's just too bad I can't agree with how she went about telling the story.

Happy thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the twisty read!

Daphne understands, suddenly, exactly what she is – not a girl, not a princess, not a spy or a saboteur. She is a poison, brewed and distilled and fermented over sixteen years, crafted by her mother to bring ruination to whomever she touches.

Beatriz, Daphne, and Sophronia have been raised since birth to wed into the royal families of their neighboring countries – and then sow discord to bring them under their mother’s control. But the triplets find that when their loyalties are tested, it is hard to stay true to that vision.

One thing I often complain about in YA fantasy books is that the stories are too simple, the characters too cookie-cutter, the romance too overpowering. Perhaps it has turned me unfairly against them, because there are definite stand-outs in the genre as well, and Castles in Their Bones is one of them.

Despite juggling three storylines, each with their own characters and plots, the author does a good job of keeping everything both distinct and engaging. The relationships between Beatriz, Sophronia, and Daphne and their mother were quite interesting and showed the real variance in their natures. I also enjoyed the various friendships that the princesses developed – especially that between Beatriz and Pas, as well as Sophronia and Violie – and how those influenced their plots.

A moment of whole-hearted appreciation, also, for how the romance was handled. I love romance but dislike when it gets in the way of the story in books where the story really ought to be the focus. Therefore, I was really pleased with how the romance was handled here. It’s present in every storyline, but is used as a subtle flavor that enhances the plot instead of overpowering the dish.

However, while I did think the political machinations were definitely more complex than one generally gets in YA fantasy, I thought the princesses did a fair amount of blundering with their schemes – but despite being raised as weapons, I suppose they are still sixteen after all. The plethora of twists at the end of the book did have me on the edge of my seat though – and I am definitely going to be reading the next book in this series!

WOW!!! This book was so stinking good!!!! I loved the settings, I loved the plot, the pacing was great, and the twists were SHOCKING!!! I absolutely can't wait until the next book!

Book Review: Castles In Their Bones by Laura Sebastian

Castles In Their Bones is a young adult fantasy novel about three sister princesses sent to nearby lands to secure royal marriages for their power hungry mother and what happens when they arrive.

Sophronia (Sophie), Beatriz (Triz) and Daphne are triplet princesses born only minutes apart. They are also touched by star magic and part of a plot their mother has built to overpower nearby kingdoms and become the Empress over the entire land. The first part of her plan is complete and each sister is sent to marry her Prince or King and secure a foothold in each country. But the sisters are immediately faced with complications as new royals in foreign courts and they each struggle with completing the tasks their mother demands but also with following their own moral compass.

Although each sister is in a completely different land it was sometimes difficult to keep them all straight in my head. I don’t necessarily think it was due to any mistake on the author’s part but more of having three girls the exact age sent to kingdoms that weren’t all that different in geographies or custom (one country was slightly colder and the other didn’t allow magic but that was about it). The sisters each had their own personalities but they often ran together in my head and it took some effort to see them as separate entities. I also thought it was strange to have a book featuring triplets but only have a single princess on the cover. I think having all three with their “star touched eyes” would have been more powerful from a marketing perspective.

This was also a fairly chaste novel considering two of the three sisters are married but the romance is limited to some flirty moments and kisses. It was also mentioned many times that the sisters worked with courtesans to learn the art of seduction but none of them necessarily used it to their advantage. Although many may argue that it is not appropriate in a young adult novel with teen heroines to have spicy scenes it could have used a little more heat and tension. There are also dangerous and deadly political machinations afoot but much of the action was saved for the last twenty percent of the book. Although, I’m very patient with a slow burn style fantasy I find that waiting to increase the danger and adding reveals only at the end is risky when some young adult readers are used to action and romance throughout the entire plot and may give up at the halfway point. For me, the plot felt a little bland and vanilla for most of the book but I will add I was not bored or uninvested I just wanted more oomph.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read but personally I would like to see some more action and romance in the next book in the series. But I am very curious to see where the sisters end up and what happens next in the sequel.

3.75 stars rounded to a 4

Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian promises to be a fascinating series. The plot that 3 sisters all are married off at the same time for the good of their family's prospects is nothing new; though their missions are a bit more gruesome than average marriages. Each tasked with a different mission, the ultimate goal is to bring down the kingdoms around their kingdom and destabilize the whole region. As they move through their missions though it becomes obvious that not everything is as it seems and there might be more game afoot than any of the girls realize.

Three princesses, three betrothals, three kingdoms. Sophronia, Beatriz and Daphne have been groomed and trained from birth in seduction and manipulation to fulfill their mother's goal of controlling an empire. Finally in place as new brides they can begin to implement the scheme. As usual with all good plans things begin to go awry. Complicating matters further the sisters are on their own for the first time and begin to questions their loyalties and realize the human cost of the plot. I enjoyed the three POVs and three differing storylines for each sibling.. The plot was balanced between the well developed characters and the world and magic building was clean and clear. As this was the first book each POV is left with some dangling threads ensuring anticipation of the second entry. I have read the author's first series "Ash Princess" and I think her writing has matured . I was really taken off guard by events in the final chapters ..The novel had a Middle Ages historical vibe to it that added to my enjoyment. An engaging multi-layer fantasy novel.

I’ve always loved YA fantasies about royals, and this book is one of the more unique and captivating iterations I’ve read. I really enjoyed getting to read from the perspective of each sister, and I loved the different settings each Princess had in their new respective countries. It really felt to me that each of the sisters had fleshed outed personalities and motivations that had me rooting for them all, even when there weren’t necessarily always on the same side. There’s a super interesting portrayal of sibling relationships, familial relationships, and romantic relationships all enmeshed within the larger plot. While this was a chonky book, and there was a lot to get through, I was really drawn into the politics of the world and was Stressed by the end. Some of the plot twists felt pretty predictable, but there were some I REALLY did not see coming and they made excited for the future books to come in this series.

I had a hard time getting into this. There are multiple perspectives in this and I personally wasn't a fan of all of the sisters. And if I don't like the perspectives, I had a hard time getting through this. I honestly forgot that the girls were 16 and so it made me not believe their skills and all of their actions. And while they did make decisions that made sense for 16 year olds, I just couldn't suspend my disbelief for the story.

I really wish that I would have been able to enjoy this story more than I did, but I just didn't. I think that this story is really good for teens (which IS this book's intended audience) but not for 24 year old me

I really enjoyed this fantasy. But if a slow start but once you get the hang of who's who and how everyone fits into this sometimes complex story, it really picks up.. Looking forward to the next book!

The last quarter, especially the last few chapters, are absolutely the best part of this book. The ending will definitely be sticking with me for a long time, and it makes me soooo excited to see how book 2 is going to deal with everything!

I think most of this book is fairly in line with other politically-heavy YA fantasy, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It was hard to keep track of the three sisters at first, along with who was married to who, in what land, etc. But I think each country and each sister/husband was distinct in their own way. On that note, Daphne and her story was definitely my least favorite. I found her and her relationship to be very unoriginal, and a bit trope-y. However, Soph and Beatriz made up for it for sure. I think the overall world building was strong, and I'm really looking forward to learning more about the star-magic. I definitely would love to learn more about the Empress's rise to power before the events of the book, but what we get is perfectly suitable for this story.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Castles in Their Bones was a very complex story. However, I did enjoy it some, mainly towards the ending. The names of the characters and locations felt a bit cringy at times but otherwise it wasn’t a bad story.

Another AMAZING book by Laura Sebastian. I love the dynamic of these three sisters, the unexpected twists and THE ENDING. just WOW. A thrilling and breathtaking read overall and I cannot wait until the next one to see what happens next.

This book felt like a master class in political intrigue and it is glorious.

I was hooked from the beginning of this book. I loved all the characters, especially the three young queens. I felt they all had very distinct personalities and traits so you could always tell them apart. There's plenty of romance and so many developments between friends, lovers, and enemies I could never see coming. Everything felt exciting and new from one page to the next. It was totally unpredictable.

I loved the worldbuilding. I enjoyed how religion played into the story and tied into its magic system, and how each location had its own clothing style, language, customs, and national crest and colors. They were all distinct and made all the more interesting for their differences. The descriptions of each one were so vivid you can picture it all as if you're there.

The story played out masterfully. It was just brilliant. I'm excited to read more and can already tell it's going to be a very difficult wait for the second book!

This book - whew. It gave me quite the book hangover. It is definitely one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.

The characters are amazing. The villains are so horrible that I want to punch them every time they make an appearance, and the protagonists are so great that I want to keep them in my pocket and protect them.

I especially loved the universe this book is set in and the background lore. All of the countries are so different, the magic is so cool, and I’m intrigued by the way the stars and constellations play in to everything.

I haven’t read any of Laura Sebastian’s other books so I’m not family with her writing style, but I really enjoyed her writing. She evidently is one of those authors that is not afraid to kill off characters though!

The worst thing about this book is how long I’ll have to wait to read the next one. I can’t wait!

Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for this eARC!

4.5/5 stars!

BOY this was a sneaky little trip. I loved the bond the sisters had with one another, and I definitely didn't suspect just how much influence the stars and stardust would have on the story! This was intricate, conniving, exciting, and so twisty!
It was so awesome to have a story centered around betrayal of kingdoms and court politics, without said politics becoming to weighed down by excessive tiny details, war strategy, or time. Everything was so fast paced while not also feeling blinding, and I loved getting all 3 sister's POVs. This was also one of the few books where I enjoyed all three POVs quite equally! I never dreaded a single one. I did listen to this on audio while driving to and from work a lot, and I will admit that did cause me to be confused in some parts due to the narrator's voice being fairly similar for all 3 girls. It was difficult at times to remember which kindom/betrothed/problem I was hearing about from each sister, but I think that was more about my own ability to keep up with the story than it was the author.
Each sister's relationship with both their betrothed, the kingdom, and the allies they formed bonds with were all equally as interesting, and they were all so different while still giving the reader the same emotional attachment to each storyline! I didn't see ANY of the twists coming, or honestly a lot of decisions the sisters would individually make. I am so so sad about this ending!!! Anxiously awaiting book number two.

First sentence: It is said that the stars shine brighter on the princesses' birthday, but the princesses themselves think that is balderdash.

Premise/plot: Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are the three princesses starring in Laura Sebastian's Castles In Their Bones. These triplets have been raised to rule, but not necessarily raised to love those whom they rule. In fact, there is something of a behind the scenes hoax afoot. Each princess is due to be married soon; one princess per kingdom. (The kingdoms are Friv, Cellaria, and Temarin. The princesses birth kingdom is Bessemia. All four kingdoms are on the same continent--Vesteria.) The gentlemen involved are Bairre (the king's bastard), Prince Pasquale, and King Leopold. Though the kingdoms are different there is one master plan to rule them all--literally. Dismantle the kingdoms from within--by whatever means necessary--and make war between all the countries/kingdoms inevitable. All while looking beautiful and plausibly innocent.

The book alternates between these three narrators. (Except for the concluding chapter which packs a PUNCH).

My thoughts: For those that enjoy YA fantasy with MAGIC and light to moderate touches of romance, I do recommend Castles in Their Bones. It is equal parts politics and romance but magic ties everything together.

This one has plenty of characters, plenty of stories. It's a juggling act to be sure to keep everything evenly paced. I almost, almost wish these were three novellas that act as companions to one another.

Okay, so I love Laura Sebastian... but when I started this book I was unsure where it was going. They were all really cold and I was rooting against the sisters. But I warmed up to them throughout and ended up liking it. I just loved loved loved the Ash Princess series and was expecting that... This was different. Not really in a bad way. Just expect something different.