Beatriz, Daphne and Sophronia, triplets, have spent their entire lives training and studying for one purpose - their mothers plan to unite all the regions under one rule. Hers.

Sent to the neighbouring regions, the girls are each tasked to sow discord and convince their newly married husbands to go to war.

Beatriz, sent to Cellaria, unwittingly finds a friend in Pasquale, her husband, and his cousins Gigi and Nico, uniting over their concern for King Cesare's behaviour which is becoming increasingly erratic as the days go by. Tasked with getting closer to Temarin's ambassador, Lord Savelle, Beatriz finds she must harden her heart if she is to follow her mother's plan.

Daphne, sent to the cold Friv, discovers that the Prince she should have married has died and she is now betrothed to Bairre, a bastard of the king who has now been proclaimed a Prince. As they grow tentatively closer, Daphne has to contend with a rebel plot and the very real danger that someone may want her dead.

Sophronia, sent to Temarin, finds her excitement for King Leopold diminished when he has children put to death for thievery. It soon becomes apparent that he wears blinders and that someone else is pulling his strings. Determined to help him, Sophronia sets out to instead save Temarin and to rule with Leopold.

“Born to rule. Raised to Deceive”

The plot: overthrow a kingdom. The goal: world domination. The plan: marriage.


A brilliant story that completely took me by surprise. I thought I knew how the story would go but Laura Sebastian created something absolutely delightful and stunningly captivating!

From a unique plot, imaginative world building, memorable characters, magic, romance, royals, suspense, deception and surprising plot twists - this story has everything you could want in a fantasy romance and then some.

I found this to be an absorbing read. Full of magic, political intrigue, betrayals, and subterfuge...and this is all from our 3 main characters! Triplets; Sophronia, Daphne and Beatriz have been trained by their mother from the moment of their birth to execute her plan; marry into the neighbouring kingdoms and bring about their downfall from sowing discord to starting wars. Whatever it takes to conquer them. As the 3 arrive in their respective kingdoms it become quickly apparant that training for a plan is isnt the same as actually executing them. I really liked how each sister had to navigate their own courts, decipher what kind of political climate they found themselves in and how to take advantage and make it work for their own ends. And to decide if they even believe in their mother's cause anymore. I worried having 3 POVs would be confusing but each sister had a distinct voice and with fairly short chapters and fast pacing, I never felt I had been away from any one pov/story for too long. The premise of this had me intrigued from the very beginning but the characters really got me invested. Even though the sisters had questionable morals, you cant help but root for them and hope they forge their own way, away from the influence of their mother and anyone else who wants to use them as pawns. The magic system was clever and I hope we delve deeper into the mechanics of it in the upcoming books. The last few chapters really rampt up the tension and left me desperate for book 2. Overall this is a great start to this trilogy and I look forward to seeing where the author takes this next. Definitely recommend!

Castles In Their Bones follows triplets, Princesses Sophronia, Beatriz and Daphne, who's fates were decided before they were born. At age sixteen each of them will leave their homeland to marry the princes of kingdoms their mother wishes to take over. They have been trained to bring down monarchies and start wars so that their mother can rule the entire continent. But the stars have their own plans—and their mother hasn’t told them all of hers.

This book was so good, I've read nothing like this before, it's so unique! It's told from multiple POVs and I loved the growth from each of the sisters as they realise maybe their mother's plan isn't the correct thing to do. All of them are intelligent with skills in finances, coding, poisons and so much more! Bringing down kingdoms through manipulation instead of bloodshed is my favourite thing! Of course there was still plenty of action scenes for those who love them!

The magic system uses stars, with certain people being able to wish on them. I thought it was really interesting and have a feeling it will be a big part of the next book. The plot was so well thought out with so many twists and the ending was so unexpected. I'm still not over it and am not looking forward to the wait for the next book. It was honestly incredible and I definitely recommend it!

3-3.5 stars

Headlines:
Three princesses separated but working together
Nothing is as it seems
Control, subversiveness and stardust

Castles In Their Bones was a really interesting world and concept, I have lots of positive things to say about this book and reading experience. It started very strong and it was incredibly easy to get my teeth into.

This story is orientated around three star-born triplet princesses coming into adulthood and off to marry Kings and princes in other lands as agreed at their birth. What was engaging about this story was how Beatriz, Sophronia and Daphne were raised, to be tools and to be strategic. Their mother was not nurturing.

There was a background magic system orientated towards the stars, the ability to draw dust from the stars and it's uses. It wasn't overtly prominent but it was a convenient plot device. The characters these sisters met and crafted relationships with in their new lands were interesting. I must say it was hard sometimes to keep track with the three new lands and their characters in tandem. In general, the narrative was orientated around the three sisters' POVs.

I enjoyed this read but it didn't wow me, I'd definitely like to see where it goes in the next book thanks to a twisty ending and a late shock plot turn. It felt a little long to read and it lost pace a little for my taste, but that could have just been me. I think this read will appeal to those lovers of YA fantasy with royal context.

Thank you to Hodder Books for the early review copy.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to review Castles in their Bones by Laura Sebastian.

I am a big fan of Laura Sebastian's work, especially the Ash princess trilogy. And when I heard that she was writing Castles in their Bones, I was very excited, and I went in reading this book with exceptionally high expectations.
And Laura Sebastian did not fail it! This book, despite the high expectations I had set for it, had exceeded all that I had in mind! It was absolutely amazing, spellbinding, and that conclusion, as cursed as it made me feel, was incredible!

Castles in their Bones is about three triplets called Daphne, Sophronia, and Beatriz, born from the mother of Bessemia, Empress Margaraux. At the age of sixteen, they must leave their country and marry their princes that they were allied with since they were born.
The triplets were raised to be perfect, smart, and powerful - because every girl is underestimated.
They were also trained since birth to bring down the country that they would rule and win over through the princes. And their marriages is the first step for the Empress to corrupt the realm of Vesteria into her own palm.

I loved the multiple POV's. It was interesting to see the points and perspectives of all of the siblings and what they ent through with their princes and each operate country. It was so cool seeing them all completing their goals that they were born to do. Each character has their own life and do their own thing, but they are all linked together in one big plan of the Empress.
I loved each and every triplet. They all had their differences but they were all strong-willed characters with interesting back-stories. I also loved how the plot went with the characters, and how they were all linked and connected.
And that conclusion as absolutely shocking and amazing! I did not expect it and I was utterly surprised and sad, and I had truly been broken at the end.
Laura Sebastian really does know how to end a book with a high note that will keep you speculating as to what would happen next, and one that would keep you waiting.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this eARC.
This book was a real rollercoaster of feelings. This is the second book I'd been reading by this author. And it did not disappoint. Every sister is her own character, they are their own person with their own beliefs. Although they are triplets Sophronia, Beatriz and Daphne couldn't be any more different.
The book follows each sister as they try to navigate married life in a new country. Along the way, they learn that they can't trust anyone. Not even themselves.
But this should not be a problem. Because they were raised for this task. Or were they?
I really loved the writing of the book. The way how we were able to follow each sister. And let's not forget the plot twists. I knew (from the author's Instagram) that there would be a huge cliffhanger. And it did not disappoint. The plot twists are superb. They leave you hoping and worrying for the characters. As I'm writing this I'm still in shock. And I can't wait to read more. This book is witty and brilliant. I can only recommend it. It's amazing.

Getting an early copy of one of my most anticipated books of the year was such a joy. It was a book that I had to read as soon as I could get my hands on it and would have read in one sitting if I’d had the time. So I just read it in two instead. Considering that this book has 511 pages, that’s pretty impressive for me.

This is the first book in a new trilogy by Laura Sebastian. I loved her Ash Princess trilogy and also have a copy of Half Sick of Shadows to read at some point. I adore all her work and let me tell you, this book is definitely worth reading.

Castles In Their Bones follows three princesses: Daphne, Beatriz and Sophronia. They were raised by their mother to marry into specific countries, to lead them to war. Empress Margaraux wished on a star to have her daughters, and she trained them to bring down the other monarchies. Separated for the first time in their lives, the princesses all learn more about themselves and the very countries they’re supposed to bring down.

So this is a very political court fantasy, and I love that. You follow three princesses who are getting used to new courts and are plotting treason. Following all three characters meant that the reader learns about and experiences these different countries and courts. Each felt very different, and the political situations were too. I will say that only one of the characters actually has any political say and makes a change in her country, and she was actually my favourite. I loved seeing this timid character come into her own and change the situation as she thought that was the right thing to do.

I did like all three characters, but I found that I liked Daphne the least. Ironically though, I enjoyed her romance best. I love to have some fighting and banter before the romance happens, and I certainly got that with her and Bairre. They were so much fun, and I look forward to seeing them in the next book. I don’t usually use quotes in reviews, but since I have a finished copy to share from, I just have to:

***

“If you’re hoping to kill me, you need to work on your aim.”

“If I were hoping to kill you,” she tells him, nocking another arrow, “poison would be far less conspicuous. Less messy too.”

Castles In Their Bones – Laura Sebastian (pg.267)

***

Sebastian actually shared this quote on her Twitter a while ago, and it was the quote that made me excited for this book. This chemistry is just everything I need, and I love it so much.

The magic system in this book is pretty interesting. All these cultures worship the stars, and certain people can pull the stars to earth by simply making a wish at night. The stars can be pulled down for others to wish on the stardust too, and it’s considered pretty powerful magic. This isn’t something I’ve really seen in a fantasy novel before, and I liked it. We don’t get to see much of the magic used in this book, but it did make for an interesting religious culture across all four countries. I’m hoping in the next book we’ll get to explore the magic system more, but consider me fascinated.

I adored this book so much, and I cannot wait until next year to get the second. Especially not after that ending. Oh boy…I really need to find out what happens now. Sebastian really knows how to write a good political fantasy, and this one packs a punch with intriguing magic systems and decent action too.

This is going to be a series that I’m obsessed with, and I’m pretty sure that almost every one of you will be too.

This book was such a nice surprise! I went into it without many expectations, but if I had gone into it with high hopes then those hopes would’ve been met and then some.

I really liked all three of the princesses, and was interested in how they handled themselves in their new situations and how far they’d be willing to go to carry out their mother’s plan, or how far they’d be willing to go to go against it. This was important as all three of their lives are followed even though they rarely intersect past the first few chapters, so it’s a bit like reading three connected but different stories at the same time, which won’t be for everyone but I personally really liked it as each storyline was given the breathing space it needed to be fully fleshed out.

My favourite princess by far was Sophronia. At the start of the book she’s the weakest of the three and they all know it, but seeing her confidence grow and seeing her finally come into her own once her mother couldn’t breathe down her neck anymore was a delight! She’s the only one who marries a king rather than a prince, meaning she becomes a queen immediately, and she does not let this go to waste. At one point while reading I said out loud “Sophie honey I’m so sorry your husband is such a rich idiot, you deserve better than to have to put up with this,” and I stand by that statement, but she didn’t sit there and let him continue to be an idiot. Sophie said ‘I can fix him’ and she was Right.

My next favourite was Beatriz. Triz is the one most like your typical YA protagonist. She’s the most rebellious of the three, and she’s the one who gets sent to a kingdom where magic is entirely forbidden, so she has to hide the obviously magical parts of herself and slowly comes to realise that this is a harder task than she’d initially thought. She also has a not-so-surprising love interest that I saw coming a mile away, but what’s a lot more compelling is her friendship with her husband, Prince Pasquale. By the end of the book they were a solid team and I’m looking forward to seeing them working together even more going forwards. I also found it incredibly funny that her supposed special skill is her seduction, yet the two people she’s supposed to be seducing are uninterested in her for reasons she had absolutely no control over. Watching her strike out was entertaining, and then her resulting friendships with those two people were genuinely lovely.

I liked Daphne as well and enjoyed reading her chapters, but she was my least favourite of the three, which to be fair I think was the intended audience reaction. She’s the sister who’s most loyal to their mother, but she’s also loyal to her sisters and increasingly to the prince she’s been betrothed to, and I’m interested in seeing how she can balance it all going forwards, especially after how the book ended. Her ability to read people and sus them out, as well as her ability to think quickly and survive whatever’s thrown at her, was very fun to read. I firmly believe she could talk her way out of almost anything.

The worldbuilding is given a light touch, which I think was done pretty well! So long as you’ve got the fairytale vibes down, which most people going into this will have, then enough detail is given about the different kingdoms to differentiate them and that’s really the most important thing. This may not work for you if you like your fantasy settings to have a lot of detail, but it worked for me as I tend to prefer the focus to be on the characters and story, and that’s where the focus was here. I also really loved the magic system! It relies on the stars, and wishing on stars. Successful wishes alter reality so the wish can be granted, and the star that was wished upon disappears from the sky. This reaction creates a silver powder called stardust, which can be used by anyone for smaller wishes. Only natural sorcerers, called empyreas, are able to wish on stars, and it’s generally very physically draining for them to do so. It’s a star based magic system! What’s not to like about that? Also, the implication from wished-upon stars disappearing that magic is finite is an interesting one, but doesn’t seem to be a concern that any of the characters are worried about as the sky is still full of them.

Also that ending was evil and I need the next book right now immediately please and thank you.

If you like political manoeuvring in fantasy settings, princesses and queens who actually do stuff, enemies to lovers and lovers to enemies, and fairytale vibes, then I encourage you to pick this one up!

Let me premise this by saying....HOLY SMOKES! Yes folks this was a wild and amazing ride that I thoroughly enjoyed!!! I finished this book in two sittings, I could not put it down.

This book as the blurb rightly describes is about three young women who are trained in the art of espionage from birth with the sole purpose of infiltrating the surrounding kingdoms through marriage at the behest of their wicked mother who wished to rule the world! And so they do. However, so many unexpected circumstances arise that the girls did not foresee ranging from love to betrayal to friendship.

In addition to to exploring the individual adventures of the three young women themselves, we are immersed in a fantastic new universe where the stars have the powers to grant wonderful wishes. It is a beautifully woven tale. Absolutely beautiful.

I fell in love with all of the boys, even Nico (despite his betrayal). I look forward to seeing the romance/s unfold between the girls and their beaus. (With a slight exception of course but that friendship is bullet proof at this point unless Nico can redeem himself and arguably he did try...but he must try a little harder in my opinion because the chemistry between Nico and Triz? Too cute for words)

The ending had my jaw dropping I could not believe it! Is it true? I felt it in my very heart! What a loss, what a sacrifice she made for her love! Honestly what an awful mother! I cannot help but wonder what she wishes her legacy to be if she treats her very children so dastardly! The ending was a cliffhanger but not at the same time...it was an ending that has the reader begging for more!

Castle in their Bones was everything and more. I cannot wait to read the second book. What an absolute masterpiece!

I was really looking forwards to Laura Sebastian's next YA trilogy after the ASH PRINCESS series finished and her adult debut, HALF SICK OF SHADOWS - and CASTLES IN THEIR BONES.

I love books full of intrigue, so a book about triplets married off to foreign lands in order to bring them down from within is perfect for me. There are schemes within schemes as the sisters discover there's more to their mother's plans than they were told - or expected. Plus there is everyone else within the countries scheming, just to add more webs to the mix!

I loved trying to pick apart the knots of loyalties and inducements to work out who was working for who, and what it meant for the Empress' plans. Not to mention working out what would be the thing that pushed the sisters over their respective lines to start working for themselves.

Naturally, the sisters' loyalties are tested and have to decide whether to continue with their mother's plan or not. I was a little worried that, for a couple of them, their decision would be made due to falling in love with a boy (after all, YA has a bit of a reputation for that.) However, thankfully, their decisions are about what they want from themselves - and if they can let go of their fears and training to reach for what they want. And then the consequence of doing or not doing that.

The book is written in third person present, which is quite an usual tense/person combination for YA (and SFF, but to a slightly lesser extent.) It's very much the marmite combination for me, working for some books but not others, pretty much falling where it falls on a two-axis literary/not literary and personal/impersonal plot.

It worked for me here, as it was a pretty deep POV (so very personal) but not too literary leaning in style (this tense combo can quite often lends itself to a literary style, but that's often not my preference.) The writing is quiet direct and lets you know exactly how the sisters are feeling - and what choices they're tossing up.#

The ending is quite the cliff-hanger. Part of me wants to believe that there's someway around what it's suggesting, and the other part of me wants it to stand as is. It is <em>such</em> a powerful ending, and if it stands, then it's going completely in the face of what often happens with fiction.

Either way, I am eager for the next book (which doesn't yet have a title or release date at time of writing this!)

I HAVE NEVER READ ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.
When i got the are I expected typical royal arranged marriage romance but I was wrong. This was ANYTHING but typical. I loved all the sisters equally, all their stories were unique qnd interesting. Usually in multiple povs I find myself looking forward for a specific character but here i was ready to read any pov.
The romance was realistic, not too fast or too slow.
My favorite things in this book were
Betrayal
Enemies to lovers
The friendships
The politics, best politics I have ever seen.
Poisons, codes and moreee
The ending though, NO ONE WOULD SEE IT COMING.
The twists weren't predictable and I loved it.
I'll give this book a solid 4 stars, there were times I felt this book was a little slow paced but otherwise I LOVED IT

Although I very much admired the idea and the worldbuilding of Ash Princess, I ended up not liking the story much - too many characters, too many plot threads, too much to keep track of. So it's ironic, maybe, that this one, with a lot more characters and things going on, enthralled me as completely as it did.

As always, my (lack of) memory for characters kicked in, and as we moved back and forth between the sisters it took me a while to remember who was who, who was married to who, who had which allies and what exactly was going on. This was absolutely no fault of Laura, who created three very distinct kingdoms and groups of people. It's entirely down to me, and this weird disliking my brain has of attaching names to characters.

I loved the story. I've been thinking for a long time that I would love to see a novel where instead of moping about because she doesn't want to marry the guy, the woman gets on with it and uses the considerable power the marriage grants her to start changing things. This novel hits that spot exactly, with the sisters using different methods to further both their mother's overall goal and their own smaller, even day to day ones. Although they start off very similar, the sisters begin to diverge as their individual missions threaten them in different ways.

(Minor note; why is there only one sister on the cover, and which one is she?)

Speaking of the cover, how gorgeous is it? I love the colours and the dress. It's just amazing.

I was surprised that the girls apparently didn't bring so much as a maid with them to their new homes. Surely that would have worked well for their mother's plans? It would have been a help to them, at least. However, that's a minor thing; maybe it was forbidden in the wedding contracts, or their mother thought that depriving them of any reminders of home would make them work harder. I put nothing past her at this point.

I can't wait for the next book in this series, and the third as well. Maybe by the time I finish all three I'll be able to remember which sister is which! (Again, my fault, not Laura...)

What a fantastic and immersive read!!! Castles In Their Bones is my first novel by Laura Sebastian, even though I heard of her and her novels before, and I was hooked! It’s full of magic, political intrigue, secrets, and deceptions. And I loved the triple point of view, switching from one sister to another, that made it difficult to put the book down.

Castles In Their Bones is the story of three sisters, triplets, princesses. Since their birth, Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz were raised by their mother, Empress Margaraux, with only one goal: marry the prince/heir/king of a nearby kingdom and bring it down from the inside so that their mother could sweep in and easily conquer it.

After spending all their life together, Daphne, Beatriz, and Sophronia have to say goodbye to each other and travel to a foreign country to marry a man they barely (or not at all) know. Soon, they find themselves entangled with rebels, escaping assassination attempts, hiding magic, and finding love interests. Will they be able to accomplish what they were raised to do?

Even though they are triplets, Daphne, Beatriz, and Sophronia are very different characters, each with their different skills and abilities that make them whole. I liked all three of them, but if I had to pick a favourite, I would say Sophronia (Sophie), because I think she is the kindest and more generous of the three, the one with more morals.

The plot is engaging and gripping and full of many twists that I didn’t see coming. Most of all, I didn’t expect the ending that left me wanting for more. I can’t wait to read the sequel, because I do need to know what happens next.

This read was EXACTLY what I wanted! Think Bridge Kingdom meets Three Dark Crowns and you get this and wow was it compelling!

There's a really great magic system and seeing the told it plays in the separate countries was fascinating. The triplets were all really well written and had their own distinct personalities.

There were moments where the pace felt a little slow and some of the romance wasn't quite as spot on as I would have liked! Some relationships felt a little forced but it had certainly picked up by the end and WOW the ending!

I can't wait to read the rest of this series I just wish we didn't have to wait!

I had a bit of a rocky start with this one but I ended up enjoying this at the end. However, I do think that I would have enjoyed this more if the characters were a bit older. At the beginning of the book, the three main characters, Daphne, Sophie and Beatriz are sixteen and they are being shipped off to different countries to get married to the Princes of those countries. But, there's another nefarious motive behind this marriage alliance and to fulfill that the sisters are continuously put into difficult and challenging situations, which they have to then navigate in a way that their mission isn't compromised. I just felt that under the circumstances, the character felt very young and their situation didn't feel convincing enough.

What I liked best about the story was the portrayal of the sisterly bond. It was done pretty well. The triplets, Daphne, Sophie and Beatriz all have different personalities and they don't always agree with each other but they love each other deeply and despite their differences, they will die for each other. I also really liked the magic in this book, it was based on the powers of stars and wishes and I thought it was pretty cool.

Despite the shaky start, I thought the author did a good job in building the world and also making sure to differentiate the cultures and people of different countries. Its quite easy to follow. I liked how the author navigated the princesses journeys, the relationships they built along the way and also how it opened their eyes to a world different from what their mother had shown them.

I do think that other than the triplets, almost all other characters, especially the males ones didn't get enough development except towards the very end. But, overall, I this is a solid beginning to a YA series filled with politics, betrayal and magic. The author does something towards the end which was totally unexpected and I am still not sure if that actually happened or if she will find a way around it in the next book. But I am intrigued enough that I will pick up the next book.

Castles in Their Bones is set in an original fantasy land, filled with lies, deceit and people who are desperate to have more and more power. On the other hand, it’s also magical and beautiful in the sense that those with abilities are able to make wishes using the stars.

We’re quickly introduced to our three main characters, triplets Daphne, Beatriz and Sophronia (Sophie), and the story is told from their alternating viewpoints in third person. Sometimes I do struggle with this, but I found that their personalities and overall mannerisms were so well-written that I could leave the story half-way through a chapter and quickly realise who it was focused on when I went back to it.

Daphne has been raised to be her mother’s daughter, all she wants is to help the Empress to conquer neighbouring lands through her mother’s elaborate scheme, which she started to plan before her daughters were even born. Smart and cunning, she’s experienced at archery and thing like making poisons, perfectly acceptable hobbies for a princess, of course.

Beatriz likes to break the rules and go against their mother as much as possible, she’s been raised as ‘the pretty one’ to use her looks first and foremost to sway men. Her charms have been honed through many lessons with courtesans, including flirting and disguises. I really liked her character, she’s just so confident of herself for the most part! But we also get to see her insecurities at the same time.

Sophie, is adorable. She’s the only sister who had been hopelessly falling for her chosen Prince (though he’s a King by the time she meets and marries him at 16). Her skills are mainly to do with forgeries and her sweet disposition is seen as a failure to her cold-hearted mother.

All three sisters are excellent examples of characters being morally grey. They believe that they’re doing what’s best for their country, albeit after being slightly brainwashed… well, very brainwashed. As a result they’ll lie and do whatever it takes. But there’s so much more to them at the same time.

We’re told a lot about the Empress throughout this first book, with a large focus on how she raised the triplets through lessons on how to basically become agents of her plan from as soon as possible. There are no kind words spoken, aside from Daphne who can’t help but admire what her mother is doing. Although Daphne is essentially seen as the smartest of the three, her loyalty to her mother almost has her blind to anything else.

The Empress continues to work behind the scenes on her plans whilst each daughter has been whisked away to separate countries, with the focus staying on the girls and their circumstances throughout.

But will each girl stick to their plan? Will they be the weapons they’ve been brought up to be, or will they adapt in the freedom from their mother and start to become their own person, with their own dreams?

Those are the kinds of things you’ll be wondering throughout, and you won’t want to put this book down until you have the answers. I’ll admit I generally take forever to read a book longer than around 400 pages, but when I was reading this on a Kindle I didn’t even realise it was so long (528 pages) since I just flew through the story. And the finished copy is so beautiful! Not only is the front cover itself gorgeous, but there’s a beautiful map inside along with family trees for Vesteria, it’s definitely one that will be beautiful in anyone’s collection.

One warning though, the ending to the book will leave you desperate for book two.

This is a book for anyone who likes political scheming and hidden agendas. There were some twists (particularly towards the end!) that I did not see coming. Sebastian took some risks and they definitely paid off!

Castles in their Bones starts off with three sisters, each being sent away to marry into the royal family of the adjoining Kingdoms. The aim, or so they think, is for them to bring down their respective monarchies so their mother can fulfil her desire to reign over the entire continent. Only there are other powers at play and the sisters soon find themselves in danger and wondering--just who can they trust in this world of tangled lies and deceit?

I absolutely loved getting to know these characters, each sister has their own distinct personality and voice. My favourite was perhaps Beatriz, but I enjoyed Daphne's storyline the most, the twists there were so well written. All their storylines brought something new and the world building was sublime, I loved how different the four kingdoms were from each other! Even from the start it was clear that none of the kingdoms were the same, they all had their own different lands and traditions.

The romances were also well written and I can't wait to see how they will develop in the sequel.

Overall this was a fantastic YA fantasy, perfectly paced and plotted and I'm very excited for the next book!

It is an unfortunate truth that if you give me a story with multiple POVs and set them very far away from each other with different plot lines, I’m almost always going to wind up with a favourite. Out of the three sisters, Daphne was my favourite by far. Her plot line had everything: a remote, cold country, rebellion, not-quite-hate-but-definitely-annoyance to love and the best executed marriage of convenience out of all three. I didn’t stand a chance. But because I was so invested in Daphne, it meant Sophronia’s and Beatriz’s stories just didn’t appeal to me as much. Beatriz’s definitely had its moments but it felt like all three of them would have been much more successful for me personally if they had been separate stories, given the space to really explore. That being said, the second book has been set up very nicely and I get the impression we’ll be delving more into who the sisters are as people and the relationships they’ve made, but it would’ve been nice if I finished this book a bit more invested.

It was definitely intriguing when the triplets’ stories started weaving together and converging but it just didn’t grip me the way I was hoping it would. I kept expecting one of the sisters’ to show themselves to have sharper claws or be a bit more lethal, but alas. It was also, at times, quite hard to tell them apart from each other because they had a very similar personalities, and I had to keep checking to see which sister was located where.

I can see the appeal, and god knows I love a royalty-focused fantasy, but this one just didn’t click for me until very near the end. Probably more of a “it’s not you, it’s me” situation.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Castles in their Bones by Laura Sebastian

Publication Date: 1 February 2022

As soon as I read the synopsis I knew this was a must read for me and it exceeded my expectations. I loved everything the story had to offer and couldn’t read it fast enough whilst never wanting it to end!

The spellbinding writing captured my attention from the get go and I had a good feeling this was going to be a new favourite! The world building was incredible, the characters so well developed they felt like real people jumping off the pages, and the beautifully woven stories of each Sister’s epic journey completely pulled me in and kept me hooked throughout.

I loved that the story is told from all three Sisters’ points of view - we get to know each of their lives from their own eyes and can experience the world as they do and feel what they are feeling. It creates a real sense of connection to them.

They each have a mission to complete assigned by their Mother who wants to become Ruler over all the Kingdoms. Beatriz must marry Prince Pascale of Cellaria who has his own secret. Sophronia is tasked with marrying the King of Temarin - but is he the one pulling the strings? Daphne is to marry the Prince of Friv - but what is she really walking into?

The Princesses have been trained since birth to plot, seduce, manipulate - whatever it takes to achieve their Mother’s goals. They are shown no love and affection by their Mother - she instills in them that love is just an illusion and a weakness.

The Princesses are pawns on their Mother’s chess board which puts them in danger at every turn, but as they assume the roles she thrusts them into and meet the “enemies” will they stick to the script or will they realise there’s more to life than their Mother’s quest for world domination? Will their journeys change them and what they truly value? My mind was a whirl with questions, and the intrigue and suspense grew each page I turned.

I really enjoyed the Royal elements - each Court has its own customs, intrigues, plotting, subterfuge and new characters to learn about and love or hate! The power struggle is real! As Daphne mentions, the thing about power is that once you have it everyone wants to take it from you. They never know who they can truly trust, or what ulterior motives people may have.

I found myself instantly warming to the Princes and King - they each have their own flaws and struggles and are as much bound by duty as the Princesses. I couldn’t wait to see how each match would play out. In coming together can it be a catalyst for change? Is love the weakness they’ve been taught to believe or can they draw strength from it?

I loved the magic which was beautifully intwined through the story. It captured my imagination and created infinite possibilities. I also enjoyed learning about the meanings given to the constellations and the importance given to these and the stars. The ability to be able to wish upon a star and it actually coming true was so special, if only!

There were some shocking betrayals which really affected the outcomes and left me reeling - it was an emotional rollercoaster throughout as I became invested in how their stories would play out. I could not have predicted the ending, it really pulled on my heartstrings and is the plot twist of all plot twists!

Where’s that vial of stardust when you need it!

This is a stunning, enchanting and completely mesmerising story which I wholeheartedly recommend. The characters feel so real and they capture your interest and don’t let go. Daphne, Beatriz, Sophronia, Bairre, Pas and Leo all hold a special place in my heart.

I can’t wait for the second book of this new trilogy to see where the story takes us and to enter this magical world again.