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.

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!