Skip to main content

Blog Tour: Castles in Their Bones (Castles in Their Bones #1) by Laura Sebastian: A Book Review

     I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the CASTLES IN THEIR BONES by Laura Sebastian Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

 

About the Book:

Title: CASTLES IN THEIR BONES (Castles in their Bones #1)

Author: Laura Sebastian

Pub. Date: February 1, 2022

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 528

Source: This book was given to me by Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

Synopsis: 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?

My Review:

     The triplets, Daphne, Beatriz, and Sophronia are the daughters of Empress Margaraux. They have just turned sixteen and have arranged marriages with princes and kings in neighboring countries. However, they are really spies for their mother. They are sent to ruin their adopted kingdoms so their mother can conquer them without ever having to lift a finger. Once these sisters arrive in their new kingdom, they find that it was not as easy to ruin their new country as they had hoped. They find that their mission is rife with obstacles. Can the three sisters ever accomplish their mission?  More importantly, can the sisters continue to remain loyal to each other?

     I found the sisters to be the most compelling characters in the story. They were given different personalities and characteristics. Daphne is cunning and athletic. Beatriz is fashionable and loves balls. Sophronia is clever and loves books. Even though they were trained to be their mother’s ruthless pawns, they actually had a kind heart. Their kindness was often the conflict in the story. Thus, I loved each of the sisters equally and their storylines were very enthralling.

      Overall, this novel is full of political intrigue and sisterhood. I found all the characters to be realistic and well-developed. This novel reminded me of eighteenth century politics. Empress Margaraux reminds me of Empress Maria Teresa who married her daughters for her own benefit at the cost of her daughters’ personal happinesses. While this was a long novel, I did not want this to end! Castles in Their Bones had many surprising twists and turns that it made hard to put down! Castles in Their Bones was a delicious, delightful, and flawless thriller that truly made it a feast for both fantasy and royalty fans alike! I am so excited for the sequel that I wished it came out now! Castle in Their Bones is an actual must-read for fans of Game of Thrones, The Glittering Court, and Three Dark Crowns!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!

Reviews:

    "Enchanting...filled with captivating court intrigue and espionage." --Kirkus Reviews

     “A page-turner that brilliantly blends magic, romance, and adventure. A twist ending leaves readers reeling but ready for the second installment in the planned trilogy.” --Booklist

     "Sebastian excels at world building...and a few tantalizing open threads certainly warrant interest in the future two volumes in this trilogy." --The Bulletin

     "An extravagantly built series starter" --Publishers Weekly

 About Laura:

     Laura Sebastian grew up in South Florida and attended Savannah  College of Art and Design. She now lives and writes in London, England, with her two dogs, Neville and Circe. Laura is the author of the New York Times bestselling Ash Princess series: Ash PrincessLady Smoke, and Ember Queen, as well as Half Sick of Shadows, her first novel for adults. To learn more about Laura and her books, follow @sebastian_lk on Twitter.

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

 

3 winners will receive a finished copy of CASTLES IN THEIR BONES, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/31/2022

YABooksCentral

Interview

1/31/2022

History from a Woman’s Perspective

Review

2/1/2022

A Court of Coffee and Books

Review

2/1/2022

onemused

Review

2/2/2022

Star-Crossed Book Blog

Review

2/2/2022

Lifestyle of Me

Review

2/3/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

2/3/2022

Celia's Reads

Review

2/4/2022

The Bookwyrm's Den

Review

2/4/2022

@lexijava

Review

Week Two:

2/7/2022

The Caffeinated Reader

Review

2/7/2022

The Reading Devil

Review

2/8/2022

BookBriefs

Review

2/8/2022

Momfluenster

Review

2/9/2022

The Momma Spot

Review

2/9/2022

@drewsim12

Review

2/10/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review

2/10/2022

A Bookish Dream

Review

2/11/2022

More Books Please blog

Review

2/11/2022

Nerdophiles

Review


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath

Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen: A Book Review

  Iceberg Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen Genre: Children, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Adventure Publisher: Scholastic Release Date: March 7, 2023 Pages: 317 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis : As disaster looms on the horizon, a young stowaway onboard the Titanic will need all her courage and wits to stay alive. A thrilling tale from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen!     Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic . Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet.     But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic ’s maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that mother didn’t send her with enough money for

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn: A Book Review

The Rose Code Author: Kate Quinn Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Harper Collins Release Date: 2021 Pages: 635 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: 1940, Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.        Three very different women are recruited to the mysterious Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes.       Vivacious debutante Osla has the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, working to translate decoded enemy secrets. Self-made Mab masters the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and the poverty of her East-End London upbringing. And shy local girl Beth is the outsider who trains as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts.       1947, London.        Seven years after they first meet, on the eve of the royal wedding between Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip, disaster threatens. Osla, Mab and Beth are estranged,