3.5 Stars, rounded to 4 stars

Continuing in the grand tapestry she began weaving in "Castles in Their Bones," the author plunges us back into the turbulent world of Vesteria, where politics and destiny are inextricably linked. In this installment, we witness the heart-wrenching aftermath of choices made, especially the tragic loss of Sophronia, which casts a looming shadow over the narrative.

Daphne and Beatriz are meticulously fleshed out, their individual journeys diverging yet intertwined by their shared mission of revenge. The theme of familial bonds tested by external forces and internal rifts is a consistent undercurrent, effectively drawing readers into the emotional roller-coaster the princesses are on.

However, while the world-building remains robust and the plot teems with intrigue, the pacing occasionally meanders, and some subplots feel as if they could be more tightly woven into the main narrative.

Nonetheless, the story delves deep into the exploration of power—both its external manifestations and the inner strength of the characters. The climax sets up a tantalizing premise for the final installment, promising a conclusion that could potentially be explosive. Fans of the series will no doubt eagerly anticipate the concluding chapter, hoping for a resolution that does justice to the saga's epic scope.

I wasn't sure where the author was going to take this story in the second book, but I really enjoyed it! I really felt caught up in the court drama and loved the end, can't wait for the next. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Stardust in Their Veins by Laura Sebastian (Castle in Their Bones #2)

Reviewed by Sam!

What I drank prior: ok so I’m trying to remember that alcohol fucks everything up. But…. Listen…. Today was actually the biggest day of my professional career. I got the promotion I’ve been working gfor. I cant even believe it. Truly. So i had a bottle fo wine and two shots. Minimum. I’m drunk so i can’t be held accountable for anything I’ve forgotten in my drunken celebration.

Drunk Overview: ok so…. We have the two remaining ladies… wait omg. Ok if you haven’t read boook one get out. Literally usually i say “follow your heart” but there isn’t quite as much drama usually in YA so here’s what I’m gonna say. We lose a main character in the first book and if you don’t want to know who it is then get out.

So, we’ve got the remaining ladies tryna figure things out after the death of their sister, one on the run one trying to figure out if her mom is the worst. So this is 100% the continuation of the previous book. Daphne and Beatriz are just tryna figure out what’s up after what happened in the last book. I was v worried about second book syndrome and i didn’t get it with this. Thi book was fab.

Spoiler-free Thoughts: lol so i think i was supposed to put the last para in his section but HEY i didn’t so whatever. also i loved this

Characters: ok so how do i deal with these characters. I also have a note here that says “why are all the boys so swoft” and I think that’s hilarious and accurate.

Beatriz – poor thing is dealing with trauma but has to go home to the WORST trauma. So what is she supposed to do, idk but I love her relationship with Paz. It’s goals. I can’t even describe.
Paz – I truly love him. He was so innocent in the first book but he’s trying to figure out everything else with being in your fake wife’s house and your favorite human (read: bf) being so close by.
Daphne: I kinda want to slap her. Like, she has this super hot super trustworthy dude, Bairre, who is the actual best, but you care more about yo mama then anything else. ANYWHO. I loge her journey.
EVERYONE ELSE: they’re all in support of these two but in the actual best way. They have challenges but the girls have made their allies and they know what’s up.
Ok i lied
Val: she’s the actual best, she wants to do what she promised for Soph keeping her love safe, but has her own reasons behind everything
Leopold: his journey in this book is long and arduous and painful but it’s also beautiful
Plot: I was never bored. Not once. The multiple POVs and settings and interwoven plots are masterfully done.

Writing Style: I will forever read Laura’s books. I think she takes YA to another level and makes everything so unique.

World Building: Not much to say here

What to pair it with: port wine. It’s delicious after such a meal of a book

Rating: 5/5 shots

Until next time, we remain forever drunkenly yours,
Sam

Not my favorite sequel. I got lost a lot and at some point the plot twists stopped being interesting. It was good though.

Laura Sebastian has yet to disappoint me and I am enjoying this series as much, or even more, than her Ash Princess series! I love the court intrigue and the politics, in addition I thought that the character development was done extremely well in this installment. The only complaint I had was that I felt the middle was a bit drawn out and I feel that more could have happened to further the plot, but I’m still very excited for the next and to see how the series concludes!

Thank you Netgalley.

This sequel was just like the first book: full of politics. You really have to be invested in the political side of this series, otherwise you will be bored out of your mind.

The story line was entertaining, but I felt like it drug on and on. It was definitely way longer than necessary.

Laura Sebastian is a great author. I have loved both books in this series. I can not wait for the next one! The world is great. The characters are all different and have their own personalities. I just can not rave enough about this author and series!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this eArc.

Okay first the bad news. Yes, I think that this book falls into a sophomore slump. It’s a long one but not a lot happens. But I think it does do a really good job of setting the readers up for an explosive third book. It’s not pretty but it did its job.

I also think it was really impressive that Sebastian introduced a new POV character but the storylines were all interesting. I don’t often say that!

I didn't actually read the first installment, so I was a bit confused at first but after reading a little recap I found this story to be ok.

3.5 stars! As always Laura Sebastian gives us a jam-packed strongly political fantasy novel. There was SO much that was schemed behind the scenes and so much betrayal. it was really good!! It just was slow for me. I felt like everything that happened of course made sense and was needed, but this was definitely a 2nd book vibe where it is setting up for our finale. I really loved Beatriz in this book and Daphne drove me insane lol. But the author did a great job of making us feel that way for the intense ending that she had!! I am excited for the final book!

This book is a fun continuation of the series. I loved how the different storylines intertwined and cannot wait for the conclusion!

It's been a while since I read Castles in their Veins, and I was freshly devastated when I remembered that Sophronia didn't make the sequel. The book picks up where the first left off, and I was happy to be back with Daphne and Beatriz trying to outsmart their murderous mother. Both POVS are equally interesting to me, which is rare. There were times when the pacing felt too slow, but overall I enjoyed this sequel,

This was an amazing follow-up to Castles in Their Bones. While I'm shocked they didn't bring Sophronia back to life, i'm glad they kept three POVs. I also liked that the POVs overlapped in this book. Can't wait for the next installment.

Fabulous sequel. I absolutely love this world, the intricate weaving of plans and betrayals, and how I never know what's going to happen next. The storytelling seems well thought out and all of the characters in here and so distinct and interesting. I can't exactly say "likable" since some are deplorable, but I'm intrigued nonetheless.

I already can't wait for the next one.

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

After their sister Sophronia is killed in a coup, Daphne and Beatriz know that they are in danger, and need all the help they can get. Beatriz is lucky to have been only imprisoned by the coup that has taken her throne, and Daphne is dodging attempts on her life at every turn. They don't know who they can trust, and it seems their mother's plots might put them in more danger than they expected. If they can get together, and if they can overcome their past distrust, they might be able to use their star magic to succeed, but the odds are stacked against them.

After the cataclysmic ending to Castles in their Bones, I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel, Stardust in their Veins! Sophy had been my favourite of the sisters, and I was gutted that she was murdered, but thankfully her deaths sparked the drive in her sisters to fight against their mother, and the plots against them. This was a hefty book, and so much happened. We had three PoVs, Beatriz, Daphne, and Violie, and each other's individual stories were epic, but when they had moments together, it was fantastic! I didn't really like Violie or Daphne that much in book 1, but we learn so much more about them in this book, and it makes more sense why they acted that way previously. There's so much growth in this book, both in the three main characters, but also in the secondary characters like Bairre, Pasquale and Leopold. The romance is ramping up too, and though some of the characters make bad choices at times, I can see how their actions will help them in the future. Yet again there's a fiery ending, and book 3 can't come soon enough! My favourite of Laura's books, and I think I'd honestly read anything of hers!!

The second in Sebastian’s latest trilogy starts up right where the last book left off, with the death of Princess Sephronia, and the rest of the cast dealing with the aftermath of it.

This book is a bit on the slower side compared to the first book, suffering a little from that second book syndrome, but it does a decent job of picking back up in the second half. It’s still chock full of all the political intrigue that kept me riveted during the first instalment and has left me wanting even more.

Although I enjoyed this book, I didn't find myself drawn into it as much as the first one. It's still interesting, and I plan to read the next book so I can find out what happens. But there was a little bit of second book syndrome with this installment. It moved so slowly--or at least it felt like it did. And I maintain that first-person present just feels awkward. Aside from that, the writing is fine.

On the bright side, I like Beatriz and Daphne more than I did in the previous book. Violie's chapters initially felt like a poor substitute for Sophronia's, but I grew to like her by the end. Aside from my heavy dislike for Margaraux, most of my negative feelings throughout this book were directed toward Cliona, who really just annoys me for some reason.

Note: Maybe some mild language.

I liked all of the twists. The only character I liked in this series is Sophronia, so that was understandably rough. Fun for readers who like this kind of fantasy but I'm still not sure I'm invested enough to continue with the series even if it's incredibly amusing to me that the cast is 80% high functioning sociopaths.

I really love Laura Sebastian's writing. Sometimes political intrigue can be a little dry, but I always feel like the pace is moving forward even in the middle of the book when other authors sometimes start to drag. I love the characters, and I thought the grief process for the different characters was interesting. We really got to see them grow and change and learn knew things. I just enjoy being along for the ride. I am very much a character driven reader, but I like a nice setting and this story ticks all of my favorite boxes.

Stardust picks up soon after the events of CiTB and Sophies execution. Beatriz & Pasquale have been imprisoned, Nicolo has stolen the throne, Leopold and Violie are sneaking out of Temarin and Daphne is still trusting her mother and working to deceive Friv.

Laura Sebastian is a master of making her Middle Book almost better than her first - So much was going on - and the stakes felt high because after Margaraux had Sophie killed, there was no semblance of safety for our main characters.

and speaking of main characters I thought we'd only have 2 perspectives this time but we got the perspective of Violie as well which was a welcome surprise. and while it was obvious <spoiler> that her similar appearance to Sophie would come into play - i have to say i was still surprised when Daphne used that excuse to save her life later on. I am incredibly curious where this will lead in book 3 since Violie and Leo will now likely need to stay paired up if they manage to take back the throne in Temarin. though I can say - i was lowkey rooting for them to fall for each other by the end of the series (when Leo has had time to mourn Sophie properly) </spoiler>

I really loved that no one really felt safe - there was no one to trust and the alliances were all built on a mutual need and not actual trust. Which even me unsure who was the right person to trust in any situation.

I love that we got more of Margaraux and even without her perspective we got a deeper understanding of how much she understands her daughters and can stay ahead of them. Beatriz' last chapter and Margaraux's final chapter had me 👁👄👁 and once again dying for the next installment.

Daphne's character arc this time was really great to watch. Her growth has been the most interesting since she was Margaraux's favorite child and the most ingrained to her desires. I am still not confident Margaraux can't pull her back in.

Beatriz' lessons with Nigellus and subsequent discoveries have me on edge for where her story will go in book 3, and truly I can't figure out what the best ending is for these characters - because even if they can beat Margaraux, their countries are also so unhappy with the previous poor leadership can things be set right fast enough?

There is a lot to tie up in the final installment and I am incredibly unsure who will make it out alive and I cannot wait for book 3 to rip my heart out :)