Castles in their Bones

By Author / Illustrator

Laura Sebastian

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton

ISBN

9781529372953

Format

Hardback

Published

01-02-2022

Synopsis

Born to rule. Raised to deceive. The plot: overthrow a kingdom. The goal: world domination. The plan: marriage.... 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 16, 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 Vestria. 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?

Laura Sebastian stuns in this new trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of Ash Princess. A spellbinding story of three princesses and the destiny they were born for: seduction, conquest, and the crown.

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Reviews

This wonderful YA author, Laura Sebastian, has done it once again in this first book of her new trilogy... Castles in Their Bones is full of secrets, scheming, politics and lies. Who do the three main characters trust? Can they even trust each other?

Princesses Daphne, Beatriz and Sophronia are 16-year-old triplets who have been trained since birth by their mother to seduce, deceive and if needed, to kill, all because she wants to rule all of Vesteria. As the Queen sends out her daughters to fulfil their destiny, has she told them all they need to know or has she kept things back from them?

The story is told in alternative chapters between the three girls, and it works. The reader gets more involved in the drama as it unfolds and can develop a better understanding of the characters as they each have their own ambitions and motivation for doing the things they do.

Castles in Their Bones is a gripping, exciting, page-turning drama that is totally suitable for the 14+ reader. It has an unexpected ending that leaves you wanting more. So I'm certainly looking forward to the next title in this new series to see how the plot develops.

528 pages / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian