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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
Stardust in their Veins is book 2 of Castles in their Bones.
We get a a good mix between Daphne and Beatriz’s POVs with some other POVs sprinkled in.
There is a lot of world building and character development in these books which make the “payoff” of the books worth it. These were not books I was able to binge, but ended up rating both 4/5. This one would have rated even higher if there wasn’t a lull towards the middle of the book.
I loved Daphnes POV the most but want more of Violie and Gisella in book 3.
.
There are forced marriages, betrayals, unique magic and powerful female MCs which I love.
I was lucky enough to get approved by NetGalley for book one which is why I think I got book two. I didn’t realize it was the same story until I started reading it because the covers were so different but I’m hoping I get approved for book 3.
.
I would recommend this series to fantasy lovers who don’t want a focus on romance. It is YA so even though I think the characters are well developed, there is no smut (if you care about that). I’m not sure how I’ll be able to wait for book 3!
#fantasy #worldbuilding #yafantasy
We get a a good mix between Daphne and Beatriz’s POVs with some other POVs sprinkled in.
There is a lot of world building and character development in these books which make the “payoff” of the books worth it. These were not books I was able to binge, but ended up rating both 4/5. This one would have rated even higher if there wasn’t a lull towards the middle of the book.
I loved Daphnes POV the most but want more of Violie and Gisella in book 3.
.
There are forced marriages, betrayals, unique magic and powerful female MCs which I love.
I was lucky enough to get approved by NetGalley for book one which is why I think I got book two. I didn’t realize it was the same story until I started reading it because the covers were so different but I’m hoping I get approved for book 3.
.
I would recommend this series to fantasy lovers who don’t want a focus on romance. It is YA so even though I think the characters are well developed, there is no smut (if you care about that). I’m not sure how I’ll be able to wait for book 3!
#fantasy #worldbuilding #yafantasy
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was pretty on par with how I felt about the first book in the series, not too much changed for me, so I think this review is going to be pretty similar.
I really enjoy all of the scheming that goes on here. I love feeling like I’m on top of everything and keeping up, and then having the rug pulled out from under me. The only real issue I have is that it doesn’t really dive any deeper. That rug kinda gets slowly pulled out, it's never yanked, so my reactions are more of a “oh, yeah, okay” rather than an “OMG NO WAY”.
I really like the inclusion of Violie, but I also really missed Sephronia. She was by far my favorite of the three, and her relationship with Leo was really the only one of the three that I really connected with. I felt a little blind sided having to restart with Violie. Also, I can't complain too much because I really liked being given the chance to kind of get to know the other sisters a little bit better, and I think if we kept Sophie around she would just continue to outshine everyone.
I also have to say that this book felt a little drawn out. I’m not sure if there was really enough going on in this book for as long as it really was. I was bored more than once, and found myself (continuously) waiting for something to happen or someone to make a move. While I love that this series has such an emphasis on the political side of things, a lot of it feels so YA and so young that it just feels too immature for reality. Like.. these girls are supposed to be queens, but I really don't think they handle themselves, or their court issues in an adult-y way, let alone a Queenly way. Maybe that's what I get for reading a YA series in the first place?
Really though, this is a pretty good series, you just kinda have to push through the lulls.
Holy cow this book was good! Filed with twists and turns and as political and scheming as the first. Please note that this review will contain spoilers for the first book.
Sophronia is dead, Beatriz is in exile and Daphne has survived multiple assassination attempts, but there is still work to be done if their mothers plan to control he continent is still to go ahead. Beatriz knows that their mother is behind Sophie’s death, in fact their mothers plan only works if all her daughters are sacrificed on foreign soil, but Daphne isn’t so easily convinced. Both Daphne and Beatriz are determined not to share their sisters fate, but it will take them working together if they are to bring about the downfall of their mother, a woman who is always two steps ahead, and with enemies around every corner, they will quickly need to realise that the only person they can trust is each other.
We get the same POV’s in this book, with the addition of Viole, Sophie’s maid. She adds a whole new dimension to the story, someone who knows The Empresses’ plans, but is an outsider. She is someone who knows how to look after herself, and her training means that she is not to be messed with. Beatriz and Daphne, whilst still as ruthless and scheming in this story, got a whole new depth to their character shown through them dealing with the loss of Sophie. They start with denial, never actually witnessing the act, they can fool themselves into believing she is still alive, but when they get confirmation, they deal with it in two wholly different ways. Beatriz feels the loss, she mourns Sophie, who she believes was the best of them and, knowing her mother was behind Sophie’s death, she starts on a path of revenge that puts her directly in the path of her mother. Daphne, like their mother, see’s Sophie as weak, she believes she brought the death on herself and knows that if she does what her mother asks of her, she will be safe. Her inability to see what’s right in front of her annoyed me at some points, but when she see’s the light, we start to see the true Daphne, who has hidden behind the mask of her mother for years.
Book one spends a lot of time introducing us to all the players which is needed because there are a lot! But that means, that we get a lot more character development in this book, as well as introducing a few new faces who had smaller roles in the first book. I loved getting to spend more time with Beatriz and Daphne, even if Daphne frustrated me in parts, but seeing them come into their own, learning that they are their own people outside of their mothers plans was great to see and I enjoyed following them on their journey. Though our characters may fall into the YA age range, this definitely reads towards the older side, due in large to the writing style which is prone to description and more introspection than action, something I find rare in YA, but I love. Sebastian spends a lot of time in this book setting things up for the finale, making sure you know which players to look out for and who you should/shouldn’t trust. She also gives us a deeper dive into the magic in this world and I adored getting to learn about the different kinds of Empyrea, the people who are able to use stars to grant wishes among other things.
If you’re a fan of political fantasy, with plenty of scheming and shenanigans then I can’t recommend this series enough. Her choice to send our characters to different countries within her world was well done as it allows to extensive world building that we are shown, not just told about. In the first book we spend time in Cellaria, Temarin & Friv giving us a deep insight into their beliefs, religions and laws, whereas thanks to the events of the first book, in Stardust in Their Veins. we spend most of our time flitting between Bessemia, the Princesses’ home country and Friv with Daphne still installed their. Friv is still sitting on the edge of a knife, the rebellion still at large and Daphne knowing that once her so called friends learn of her reasons for being there, they will never trust her again. And in Bessemia, Beatriz finds herself back in her home, without the two other parts of her heart, and having to look out not only for herself, but for Pasquale, not the Prince she wanted, but one she wouldn’t change.
One thing I love about these series is the relationships. How each Princess was raised to behave in a certain way, to worm their way into the country they are sent to with the greatest effect, and how every single one ended up turned on their head. Sophie, the romantic and never ending failure to their mother ended up loving her Prince that much that she went against her mother for the first time and ended up dead. Beatriz, raised for seduction ended up with a Prince who could never love her the way she needed, and found herself loving him anyway. And Daphne, the most ruthless of all, ended up marrying the brother of her betrothed and, to the surprise of everyone, falling for him. None of these relationships are traditional, nor were they meant to happen, but they all add to the emotion and drama of the story.
This was the perfect follow on from book one! Filled with suspense, magic, romance and political scheming. It ensured I fell even more in love with these characters, even the newer additions, and Sebastian leaves us with another absolute killer cliffhanger ending that has me incredibly eager to get my hands on the third book.
Sophronia is dead, Beatriz is in exile and Daphne has survived multiple assassination attempts, but there is still work to be done if their mothers plan to control he continent is still to go ahead. Beatriz knows that their mother is behind Sophie’s death, in fact their mothers plan only works if all her daughters are sacrificed on foreign soil, but Daphne isn’t so easily convinced. Both Daphne and Beatriz are determined not to share their sisters fate, but it will take them working together if they are to bring about the downfall of their mother, a woman who is always two steps ahead, and with enemies around every corner, they will quickly need to realise that the only person they can trust is each other.
We get the same POV’s in this book, with the addition of Viole, Sophie’s maid. She adds a whole new dimension to the story, someone who knows The Empresses’ plans, but is an outsider. She is someone who knows how to look after herself, and her training means that she is not to be messed with. Beatriz and Daphne, whilst still as ruthless and scheming in this story, got a whole new depth to their character shown through them dealing with the loss of Sophie. They start with denial, never actually witnessing the act, they can fool themselves into believing she is still alive, but when they get confirmation, they deal with it in two wholly different ways. Beatriz feels the loss, she mourns Sophie, who she believes was the best of them and, knowing her mother was behind Sophie’s death, she starts on a path of revenge that puts her directly in the path of her mother. Daphne, like their mother, see’s Sophie as weak, she believes she brought the death on herself and knows that if she does what her mother asks of her, she will be safe. Her inability to see what’s right in front of her annoyed me at some points, but when she see’s the light, we start to see the true Daphne, who has hidden behind the mask of her mother for years.
Book one spends a lot of time introducing us to all the players which is needed because there are a lot! But that means, that we get a lot more character development in this book, as well as introducing a few new faces who had smaller roles in the first book. I loved getting to spend more time with Beatriz and Daphne, even if Daphne frustrated me in parts, but seeing them come into their own, learning that they are their own people outside of their mothers plans was great to see and I enjoyed following them on their journey. Though our characters may fall into the YA age range, this definitely reads towards the older side, due in large to the writing style which is prone to description and more introspection than action, something I find rare in YA, but I love. Sebastian spends a lot of time in this book setting things up for the finale, making sure you know which players to look out for and who you should/shouldn’t trust. She also gives us a deeper dive into the magic in this world and I adored getting to learn about the different kinds of Empyrea, the people who are able to use stars to grant wishes among other things.
If you’re a fan of political fantasy, with plenty of scheming and shenanigans then I can’t recommend this series enough. Her choice to send our characters to different countries within her world was well done as it allows to extensive world building that we are shown, not just told about. In the first book we spend time in Cellaria, Temarin & Friv giving us a deep insight into their beliefs, religions and laws, whereas thanks to the events of the first book, in Stardust in Their Veins. we spend most of our time flitting between Bessemia, the Princesses’ home country and Friv with Daphne still installed their. Friv is still sitting on the edge of a knife, the rebellion still at large and Daphne knowing that once her so called friends learn of her reasons for being there, they will never trust her again. And in Bessemia, Beatriz finds herself back in her home, without the two other parts of her heart, and having to look out not only for herself, but for Pasquale, not the Prince she wanted, but one she wouldn’t change.
One thing I love about these series is the relationships. How each Princess was raised to behave in a certain way, to worm their way into the country they are sent to with the greatest effect, and how every single one ended up turned on their head. Sophie, the romantic and never ending failure to their mother ended up loving her Prince that much that she went against her mother for the first time and ended up dead. Beatriz, raised for seduction ended up with a Prince who could never love her the way she needed, and found herself loving him anyway. And Daphne, the most ruthless of all, ended up marrying the brother of her betrothed and, to the surprise of everyone, falling for him. None of these relationships are traditional, nor were they meant to happen, but they all add to the emotion and drama of the story.
This was the perfect follow on from book one! Filled with suspense, magic, romance and political scheming. It ensured I fell even more in love with these characters, even the newer additions, and Sebastian leaves us with another absolute killer cliffhanger ending that has me incredibly eager to get my hands on the third book.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to Random House Children's, Delacorte Press for the eARC of Stardust in Their Veins!
Stardust in Their Veins is an absolutely stunning second installment in the Castles in Their Bones series. Laura Sebastian keeps you on your toes with every secret uncovered and every scheme put into action. Highly recommend if you love Courtly/Political Intrigue, Morally Grey MC's, Fantasy, Star/Wish Magic, Romance, and Multi-POV's.
My feelings on the book: I absolutely adored Castles in Their Bones and my jaw physically dropped at the end. Safe to say, Stardust in Their Veins had a similar effect and there may have been some choice language as well. Dearest Laura, I need the next book ASAP. This series is definitely one for everyone to put on their TBR!
Stardust in Their Veins is an absolutely stunning second installment in the Castles in Their Bones series. Laura Sebastian keeps you on your toes with every secret uncovered and every scheme put into action. Highly recommend if you love Courtly/Political Intrigue, Morally Grey MC's, Fantasy, Star/Wish Magic, Romance, and Multi-POV's.
My feelings on the book: I absolutely adored Castles in Their Bones and my jaw physically dropped at the end. Safe to say, Stardust in Their Veins had a similar effect and there may have been some choice language as well. Dearest Laura, I need the next book ASAP. This series is definitely one for everyone to put on their TBR!
This was pretty much a 3.5⭐️ read for me. It started off kind of slow, and dragged a little in the beginning, but the end was pretty entertaining. As this is a sequel and I don’t want to spoil the first book, we’re doing a five second summary of the book: sister bond, murder, and political scheming. So pretty much right up my alley. I wish it had been a little faster to pick up in the beginning and it didn’t really have much going on in terms of plot, but what little it did have is looking like it’s going to be incredibly meaningful going into book 3 whenever it’s released. So overall a pretty good book
this is such a solid series.
i brought the sequel down to 4 stars from the first book's 5 simply because the loss of sophie's story and perspective was a lot for the larger narrative. she's still absolutely haunting the narrative and violie and leo are good, well developed characters, but it's hard seeing the other 2 sisters grow and knowing that she won't.
although i will admit that, with sophie dying at the end of the first book, i somewhat expected that pattern to continue with beatriz's death at the end of this book with the stardust title and the development of her magic. the storyline with her magic is definitely unfinished, so it's good that there's a third book to this series. daphne is also growing on me more; i was frustrated with her unwillingness to see her mother for the evil she was, but it becomes easier to understand after getting more and more of her perspective. and now she realizes her mom sucks yay!!!!
i put in a hold request at the library for the third book in this series before i was even halfway through the second, and i'm excited to read it!!
i brought the sequel down to 4 stars from the first book's 5 simply because the loss of sophie's story and perspective was a lot for the larger narrative. she's still absolutely haunting the narrative and violie and leo are good, well developed characters, but it's hard seeing the other 2 sisters grow and knowing that she won't.
although i will admit that, with sophie dying at the end of the first book, i somewhat expected that pattern to continue with beatriz's death at the end of this book with the stardust title and the development of her magic. the storyline with her magic is definitely unfinished, so it's good that there's a third book to this series. daphne is also growing on me more; i was frustrated with her unwillingness to see her mother for the evil she was, but it becomes easier to understand after getting more and more of her perspective. and now she realizes her mom sucks yay!!!!
i put in a hold request at the library for the third book in this series before i was even halfway through the second, and i'm excited to read it!!
I wanted to give up at 50% but I got through it and was glad I did.
No more world building happens in this book as such and continues to be character driven. What is jarring however is that some of the characters seem to merge and there were times I would flip back to check I was reading the right POV and not another.
I was hoping Soph was some twist as I liked her but the fact she’s stayed gone worked and made the story different from the usual predictable.
The book was really teased out with filler and so much unnecessary dialogue so the book would have gotten a better reception from me if it was.
Decent cliffhanger for the next book.
No more world building happens in this book as such and continues to be character driven. What is jarring however is that some of the characters seem to merge and there were times I would flip back to check I was reading the right POV and not another.
I was hoping Soph was some twist as I liked her but the fact she’s stayed gone worked and made the story different from the usual predictable.
The book was really teased out with filler and so much unnecessary dialogue so the book would have gotten a better reception from me if it was.
Decent cliffhanger for the next book.