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!

This book was great! I loved the three different perspectives, i loved that they were all different with all different challenges. I have read books like this in the past where basically each of the three POVs go through basically the same thing, but this one has plenty of variety.

I love the world and things in it. I like the politicking of everything, it's v interesting. We basically get dropped in the middle of this elaborate plan and it's pretty awesome.

Anyway, I MUST HAVE THE NEXT ONE

This is a story about starlight.

I enjoyed this! It wasn’t as fast paced as I like my YA fantasy to be, but it was a lovely story and I enjoyed the varied kingdoms/world building a lot. I’m looking forward to book 2, because some of the characters were left in fairly precarious positions!

Thank you so much @netgalley & @delacortepress for the eArc & thank you @prhaudio for the audio- the narration was top notch!

I was given this book by the publisher in return for honest review.

Not going to lie this is one of my favorite reads this year. Triplets are used as weapons to destroy other countries and put them under their mother's regime. How can you go wrong?

The writer pulls you in right away, has you hooked and falling in love with our sisters. Only to leave you feeling heartbroken and starving for more. I'm devastated the next book doesn't come out until February. The triplets develop and become their own person away from each other and their mother. You route for them and are entertained by each story.

Apparently though in this story a mother's love has bounds. She is willing to stop at nothing to become Empress no matter the cost but will she succeed and will the triplets make it!

I loved this story, I highly recommend you read it!

Thank you NetGally and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in return for my honest review.

I do not usually read Political Fantasy books, but there was something about the summary and the title that pulled me in. I am surprised to say that I enjoyed it. The story follows a set of triplets who were raised to be betrothed to the surrounding countries princes, with the end goal of infiltrating the court and taking over. Each sister has their own hurdles to overcome.

I like that each sister had their own very different personality. That led me to feel more connected to one than another, but I feel like anyone who reads it will see themselves represented. Even though I enjoyed the story, I thought that the plot was a little slow, and kind of drawn out. It almost lost my attention at times.

All in all, I enjoyed the story and the characters, and I am looking forward to seeing how it plays out in the next one.

Laura has written such a beautiful book! The world that she created is amazing, I loved the character arcs, beautiful writing and the world that Laura was able to transport the readers into