I received this ARC free in exchange for an honest review.

 I so enjoy Laura Sebastian’s writing. I enjoyed the story line- but there were so many POV’s that it made it hard for me to keep up with everything. I am however looking forward to the next book. Ready to see what happens to the “3” princesses.

This story started out well but sadly it just became stagnate and boring.  I wished that I would have loved this one like book one but it start to really drag and I starting not really caring about the characters.  I do kind of want to know what happens with these characters but not enough to read through 500+ pages that made me want to just go to sleep.

great book and such great characters. I enjoyed the mystery and some romance. I also enjoyed the journey of the characters. I didn't know what to expect with this book but I enjoyed it .

Definitely didn't see any of that coming! I'm not often surprised by a book, but this one (and the first in the series) held my interest and kept me guessing. Will be putting copies of both books in my classroom for my high schoolers to pick up during independent reading--love more examples of strong female leads!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for allowing me to continue reading this series! I loved the first book and I adored the second one! The story/plot is so interesting and suspenseful! The romances are cute and tense. The relationship with the sisters remind me so much of my own relationship with my own sisters. Please give this series a chance! I can’t wait for the next one! 4.5 ⭐️ stars.

Loved this book!  Highly recommend this series, you will not be disappointed.  I will buy a physical copy for my collection.

thank you to net galley and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the advanced reading copy of Stardust in Their Veins by Laura Sebastian. I did not realize this was a sequel but I got through it pretty well for that. gleaning what information I can of reviews from books one. I really enjoyed this and will absolutely order this and the first for my bookshop.

Thoroughly enjoyed, though not as much as the first. The subtleties of the political intrigue were still present, but much of the book was a personal, intimate journey for the characters, and while I'm typically fond of such plot lines, I did find this one to drag a bit, I might have felt differently if there had been a more notable antagonist like there had been in the first installment, but without that, the book lacked a bit of the urgency I loved from Castles in Their Bones. 

I still quite liked the book, and will definitely continue on to see what happens in the third. 

3.75 rounded up to 4

This is the sequel to Castles in their Bones, so I wont put too much info so that it doesn’t spoil the first one! I struggled with getting into the first book because it was mostly political drama but this one had a tad bit more action! I felt like I was holding my breath for every twist and turn. I definitely think the second was better than the first and can’t wait to see where the third one leads us because that cliffhanger killed me.

This is an intriguing sequel to 'Castles in Their Bones'. Sophronia is dead after her mother's schemes to control all of the empire. Beatriz and Daphne are uncovering their mother's schemes and realizing how she orchestrated their sister's death. The book became most active towards the end, especially as it ended in a cliffhanger.

This second installment of Castles in Their Bones finds the sisters continuing to discover the multitude of ways they are being manipulated by those who surround them. Daphne and Beatrice each struggle to find their own path and make choices that will help those they love, but betrayal and politics continue to get in the way. Will they be required to pay the ultimate price to save their friends and each other?

A decent middle book to a series. There's plenty of action and quite a few revelations as the story unfolds, leading to a good deal of character growth and discovery. Each character comes more into their own and is easier to identify for the reader, and the twist towards the end of the book definitely sets up the third installment with plenty opportunity for  a great ending and climax to the series.

I don't want to say too much to avoid spoilers for the first book but I absolutely loved this one! I didn't think it was possible for the author to top the first book but she did! The stakes were higher and I loved being back in the world with these characters. I'm hoping its a trilogy just because I love the world and want to keep reading more about these characters

Daphne and Beatriz both receive confirmation of Sophronia’s death. Violie, Sophronia’s maid and unbeknownst spy of Empress Margareaux, helps Leopold escape to safety as she promised Sophronia she would. They meet up with Ambrose and Lord Savelle, who Beatriz freed from prison and Ambrose took on his boat to safety. At the wedding ceremony for Daphne and Bairre, an explosion occurs that kills the Empyria helping the king and now Bairre’s mother becomes the new Empyria. Beatriz and Pasquale end up in Empress Margareaux’s palace while Violie and Leopold are spying on Daphne in Bairre’s kingdom. The four work together to stop the Empress from taking over the continent and killing them all. Beatriz is convinced that their mother, Empress Margareaux, planned to kill all three of her daughters the minute she secured the kingdoms they infiltrated and now she’s trying to convince Daphne of their mother’s betrayal. The intrigue twists, turns and never stops, 5 stars!

Likes/dislikes: I enjoyed the intensity which is stronger than in the first book of this series. The intrigue never ends and it twists and turns as characters change their planned actions. The character variety is entertaining.
Ethnicity: predominantly white
Language: PG-13 for 10 swears, no f-bombs
Mature content: PG for kissing, lgbtq side character
Vilence: PG-13 for  bloody stabbings, imprisonment, death by an arrow to the neck, poisoning

It’s simply amazing. The story picked up right after the events on the first book and we get a new character’s pov. I had thought the other book was great but somehow Sebastian made this one even better, the writting and the magic system is more in depth. One thing I really loved was that we got to see the empress more than the previous book which I’m so happy because that was my one complaint about the first book. I would love to have a book just about the empress gives me major Cersei vibes.

I liked being back in this world but didn't care for how drawn out the book felt. I still love the writing but this book wasn't the authors strongest for me.

I started this book right after finishing Castles in the bones and I'm so glad I did, reading them together was a fantastic experience and I can't wait for more. 

At the end of Castles we're left with a loss so profound it could change everything, at the end of Stardust we're left with a lie so encompassing it could change the stars. 

Through truth and lies, salvation and deceit Beatriz and Daphne have their hands, hearts, and minds full trying to figure out who is on their side, who is trying to kill them, and what they can do to stay alive while somehow saving their kingdoms. 

While we're left with one heck of a cliffhanger, all I can think about is what will happen next, and how will it possibly live up to the bar that's been set, of course, that's what I thought after reading Castles in Their Bones and well here we are, me blown away again looking forward to every little tidbit I can get my hands on about what happens next. 

Stardust in Their Veins is that book that makes you fall in love with fantasy, where every page draws you further and further into this world where the stars fall from the skies to grant wishes, and poison flows as freely as water. 

Thank you to NetGalley, and Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for providing a copy of this book.  I have read and reviewed it and all thoughts and opinions are my own.

These books are so twisty and I never know what's going to happen or who will be the next to die. I love reading about the sisters and we've added Viole as a narrator to keep the three points of view. Rotating among them and seeing what the different courts are doing kept things lively and intriguing, plus there are so many side players with their own motivations.

This was a bit long, but there weren't any slow or boring parts, everything felt important and exciting. Our main characters are constantly one step from being killed, while also formulating their own plans to stop the Empress and regain control of their countries. I'm so looking forward to the final book to see how everything comes together and who makes it out.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Delacorte Press and NetGalley for the copy

Stardust in Their Veins is the follow-up to Castles in Their Bones, the story of three sisters set out (at the behest of their mother) to take over Vesteria. After the shocking loss of their sister, Sophronia, Daphne and Beatriz continue to work toward bringing their mother's plan to fruition. Constantly looking over their shoulders, lest they meet the same fate as their sister, who can Daphne and Beatriz really trust?

Aside from the publisher's dumb decision to change the cover (seriously why), this book suffers from the sophomore slump. I loved Castles in Their Bones, but I had a hard time staying engaged in Stardust. For one it's about 60 pages longer than Castles, and I felt every one of those pages. I feel like this thing could have been pared down a bit. For some reason I didn't love this as much as the first installment and felt a distance from the characters that wasn't in Castles.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. I wish I would have liked this more.

Somehow, and I'm not sure how, I missed the first wave of Laura Sebastian books. While Ash Princess is absolutely the type of book I should have eaten up (and I still might), Castles in Their Bones was my first book by Ms. Sebastian. I can see why folks go mad about her work - it is imminently readable and compelling, with complex political machinations and a sprinkling of romance to go with it.

Three sisters, each with their own strengths and personalities, are split up to marry eligible royals with the end goal of supplanting them and letting their mother reign supreme. They are trained in espionage and a number of other skills (more on that later) to help them pursue this goal.

Things heat up considerably (and are thereby much more interesting) toward the end of the first book, so I was eager to launch into the second. After my obligatory rereads of Castles, I feel confident I had what I needed to enjoy Stardust and I was not disappointed.

This is YA fantasy at its best- approachable, engaging, intriguing, and funny. Yes, the conveniences are still there. Yes, the challenges of second book syndrome are present too- difficult pacing and obvious lead up to the third book abound. But ultimately I would definitely recommend this book for folks who enjoy politics and a dollop of romance.

After everything this author put me through in the first book. she turned around and did it again! I was really hoping for a duology because I didn't want to go through another cliffhanger like that. However, I'm so glad the story is continuing. Daphne, girl, open your eyes. And Beatriz! I love her soul. I'm really shipping Daphne and Barre, and don't care so much about the others. 

I loved that we started to see the main players all coming together in person. The character development from the start to now was done really well, too. 

I can't wait for a book three! Will they outsmart the Empress and her decades-long plan??