Castles in Their Bones

By: Laura Sebastian

Narrated by: Roisin Rankin

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.

"[A] page-turner that brilliantly blends magic, romance, and adventure.”—Booklist

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?

©2022 Laura Sebastian (P)2022 Listening Library

Critic reviews

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

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

"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

Good

This book was a little confusing jumping back and forth between the three girls. It was pathetic that their mother, the empress, was so power hungry that she didn’t think twice about using and killing her daughters. I liked that the girls decided to think for themselves and go against their mothers plans. The only thing I did not like about this book was the lying, backstabbing, and politics. I will be reading the next book in the series.

Well-written, adept handling of three viewpoints

Well-written, excellent world building, and I will read the next one, which is a warm recommendation. It was consistently easy to follow the three triplet stories, and all were equally well-presented.

Enjoyable ya fantasy novel

This book is obviously part of a series and leaves no doubt there will be at least one more. It builds up nicely but it's somewhat frustrating that the Emperaya are not better explained. It seems that the princesses would be able to better predict their Mother's character and plans. I did not enjoy the ending at all.

What WAS That Ending?

I found this book enjoyable overall, though I thought many of the choices made by the main trio didn't make any sense given their supposed upbringing and training. I also think the final chapter was unnecessary and took much of the power away from the previous scene.

Slow start but worth it

Give it a chapter or 2 and then you want to know how it plays out. I was worried at first because I enjoyed Laura's other novels, but she didn't disappoint with the twists and turns and leaving you wanting to know more. cannot wait for the next book!

First 5 star book of the year!

I absolutely loved this book. The political scheming, the character development, the world. It was what I’ve been craving in a story without realizing that’s what I needed. With that being said, I won’t say the book was without some flaws. I did find out the beginning of the book. It was hard to tell the difference between the three sisters. But as the book went along, it was easier to differentiate between the personalities. Other than that, I found it very intriguing, very well written, and a world I got lost in.

Loved it

I loved the story, can't wait for the next book! The narrator did a good job, but she sounded to much like a little girl, not a 16 year old. It didn't ruin the story for me though.

Three Princesses, Three Worlds

Really enjoyed this book. Immersive characters and interesting worlds. can't wait for the next one.

Betrayal, magic, and intrigue

This is my first Laura Sebastian novel and I am hooked! It starts off seemingly predictable, but the twists and double crosses keep you guessing up until the last page! Very PG-13 regarding violence and sexuality. No vulgarity, which may be important to some for a YA novel. Loved the performance of Roisin Rankin; mastering regional dialects and making each sister stand out with individual idiosyncrasies made this audiobook a real delight.

Amazing Start

I loved this book it is an amazing start to a hopefully exciting series. The writing style and interconnected plots complemented each other well. The voices of the three main characters were unique and expressive.
Because the audience follows all three characters they have insight and information to make connections and see the way the over arching plans are weaving together.
I loved this, will read again and wait without patients for the next book!

(Was anyone else feeling connections to Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris? Would love to know if the author took bones of inspiration from one of my all time favorites.)