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.

I just want to take a quick second and thank NetGalley for an eArc for this book. Castles in Their Bones is a story about three very different triplets. On their birthday they are sent to three different parts of their neighboring countries to be married. Princesses Daphne, Sophronia, and Beatriz will marry and be separated from each other for the first time in their lives. With all three of them being different in so many aspects I came to love them individually in their own rights. I really enjoyed seeing the many perspectives of these three girls. They each had to face a different task on their own.
This book was full of adventure and kind of emotional . It was a good mix between being more plot or character driven. The character development was very cool to see to and having lovable characters is such a plus when it comes to a good story. I love that you can really hear the different voices with each Character. I think Laura Sebastian did a great job diversifying their characters. I can't wait for the next book.
P.S I'm so sorry this is late. I was just now able to get on NetGalley and post my review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Underlined for providing this eARC.

I found Castles in Their Bones quite a compelling story. It's told in 3 different POV's following each of our princesses, Beatriz, Sophronia, and Daphne, as they head to foreign kingdoms to marry princes they've never met. Each of the princesses are interesting in their own way. They could all be called morally gray and they make decisions that you don't always agree with, but their journeys and their growth is so fun to read about. For me Sophronia ended up being my favorite and her journey with finding strength in herself was so great to see.

The relationship between the sisters is so strong and a real through line in the book, even though they're all sent to different kingdoms. I always enjoy stories that have a sibling bond at the center and the bond between the sisters is easily one of the most important in this story.

The relationships between each of the princesses and the princes they are sent to marry are also great to see unfold. They're not all necessarily love at first sight but they all end up forming some pretty deep bonds, even if they don't initially intend to. The princes are pretty interesting characters as well and I really enjoyed each of the different relationships. I suppose one could be classified as somewhat enemies to lovers, one is more of a friends to lovers/love at first sight relationship, and the other ends up being a deep platonic relationship but each great in their own way.

The plot of the story is full of royal intrigue, plot twists, morally gray characters, and of course a bit of romance. The story is fast paced enough to keep you interested without being so fast paced that you're hopelessly lost or confused. I will admit that it did take me a minute to fully understand each of the different kingdoms and keep them straight but once I got a little ways into the book it all fell into place.

This book also definitely keeps you on your toes. You never know who you can trust or what the characters are going to do next. And the ending! I can definitely say I'm looking forward to the next book and reading more about this world and the characters.

when I started this I worried it would be too similar to Bridge Kingdom and Shadow in the Ember. it felt totally different. Sebstian really managed to take a common premise and make it entirely her own. I loved seeing the different dynamics of each kingdom and the different personalities of each princess, lovable, admirable, and brave in their own ways. this book also makes important commentary on income inequality, the patriarchy, and homophobia. I absolutely loved this and I need book 2 asap!!! highly recommend.

I loved this book, it reminded me of a few of my favourite books in one. If you’re a fan of Kendare Blake’s Three Dark Crowns then you won’t want to miss this one! I couldn’t put it down. Three sisters all sent to different kingdoms to marry Princes they’ve never met leads to a very interesting and fun read! Absolutely loved it. I also got The Selection vibes from it. Triz was definitely my favourite character.

This was a fast paced fantasy with amazing twists. I loved that it was told in 3 POV and seeing the growth of the sisters through out. I’m looking forward to next book.