Blog Tour- Castles In Their Bones by Laura Sebastian

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog tour stop for Castles In Their Bones by Lauren Sebastian hosted through TBR and Beyond tours. I’m so excited to share a full, spoiler free review of the book as part of my stop today..

You can find the full tour schedule here.

About the Book

Castles in Their Bones (Castles in Their Bones, #1) by Laura Sebastian
Published by Delacorte Press on February 1, 2022
Pages: 528
Goodreads

A spellbinding story of three princesses and the destiny they were born for: seduction, conquest, and the crown. Immerse yourself in the first book in a new fantasy trilogy from the author of the New York Times bestselling Ash Princess series.
Empress Margaraux has had plans for her daughters since the day they were born. Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz will be queens. And now, age sixteen, they each must leave their homeland and marry their princes.
Beautiful, smart, and demure, the triplets appear to be the perfect brides—because Margaraux knows there is one common truth: everyone underestimates a girl. Which is a grave mistake. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz are no innocents. They have been trained since birth in the arts of deception, seduction, and violence with a singular goal—to bring down monarchies— and their marriages are merely the first stage of their mother’s grand vision: to one day reign over the entire continent of Vesteria.
The princesses have spent their lives preparing, and now they are ready, each with her own secret skill, and each with a single wish, pulled from the stars. Only, the stars have their own plans—and their mother hasn’t told them all of hers.
Life abroad is a test. Will their loyalties stay true? Or will they learn that they can’t trust anyone—not even each other?

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About The Author

Laura Sebastian was born and raised in South Florida (the Redlands and Key Largo) and has always loved telling stories–many apologies to her little brother who often got in trouble because of them. She got her BFA in Performing Arts from Savannah College of Art and Design before realizing she preferred the other side of storytelling.

When Laura isn’t writing, she’s probably reading, cooking/baking, or buying more clothes than her overstuffed closet can fit. She currently lives in London with her two dogs, Neville and Circe.

Her New York Times Bestselling series, Ash Princess, is out now from Delacorte (Penguin Random House. Keep an eye out for her debut adult fantasy book, Half Sick Of Shadows, out Summer 2021, and the first book in her new YA series, Castles In Their Bones.

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My Thought

Normally I don’t enjoy books centered on court politics and intrigue because it’s mostly just people standing around talking and not a lot of action I am happy to report that Castles in Their Bones is an exception to norm and breaths new life into an oversaturated subgenre.

Triplets Sophronia, Beatriz and Daphne were born and raised to help their mother Empress Margaruax conquer the surrounding kingdoms from within by betrothing and marrying them off to the princes and kings of the kingdoms. From the outset, the reader is led to believe that each sister fits a certain trope: the kind one, the pretty one, the smart one. But one of the most refreshing aspects of the story is how much more complex each sister is.

The chapters are relatively short which gives the book a feel of a faster and shorter novel even though it’s over 500 pages. The chapters also alternate between each of the three princesses and while I think their voices could have been more distinct and unique, I found each sister’s storytelling compelling in its own way.

First there is Sophie, who goes to her assigned kingdom so certain she is in love with her betrothed that when arrives to find the kingdom being ruled with an iron fist she is left to reconcile the man she fell in love with through letters, the man who treats his people with cruelty and malice.

Then there is Beatriz who is left wanting by her betrothed Pasquale who wants anything then to be married or become king. I found. Their dynamic fascinating as Beatriz learned things about her new husband that endeared him to her, but also made her job that much more complicated.

Lastly, we have the beautiful and beguiling Daphne who arrives in the kingdom to find that her intended betrothed has died and she must now marry the bastard son of the king Bairre. None of this is spoilers since it all happens in the first 20-pages or so.

As each sister comes up against the complexities of court life, there are plenty of twists and turns that keep them and the reader guessing. I was not expecting the book to end the way it did but it made me want to read the next books in the trilogy.

Overall, I gave Castles in Their Bones 4🌟 and actually bumped it up a whole star because of the cliff hanger ending. We’ll see how the other books are but I would recommend this one for fans of series like The Cruel Prince and The Shadows Between Us.

What About You?

Have you read Castles In Their Bones? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments!