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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I was really unsure what to expect from the sequel to castles in their bones, but this one really did not fail me. It filled that gap I had empty after the first book. A worthy successor and does not fall victim to the middle book syndrome. I cannot wait to see where this series goes next.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-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:
Yes
Again a freaking amazing novel, I’m obsessed with this series. Most of my comments for this book are similar to the 1st novel in this series, the plot is crazy and all the characters are so well developed and even the settings feel so real. I managed to read a bit of this book every night and morning during the first few weeks of uni, I was super happy to have maintained reading as a habit and a huge credit to this maintenance was how easy yet magnificent this novel was.
I can’t believe Sophie actually died, I’m still not over it. However, I do think Sebastian was able to use Violie as a "replacement" character, it was interesting to read the POV of a non-royal. I wish we got more out of Nigellus, in terms of his character and his dynamics with Empress Margareux. Also I would love more of the Empress' POVs !
My favorite character is hands down Beatriz, I love how wild and passionate she is, all I can say is I need her to be with someone, I need to see that dynamic! (even if it's Nicolo)
I can’t believe Sophie actually died, I’m still not over it. However, I do think Sebastian was able to use Violie as a "replacement" character, it was interesting to read the POV of a non-royal. I wish we got more out of Nigellus, in terms of his character and his dynamics with Empress Margareux. Also I would love more of the Empress' POVs !
My favorite character is hands down Beatriz, I love how wild and passionate she is, all I can say is I need her to be with someone, I need to see that dynamic! (even if it's Nicolo)
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was given this arc in exchange for an honest review - thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to read this arc through netgalley.
I loved this book. I needed to know what happened after the events of the last book and I wasn't let down. We were treated to the POV's of Beatriz, Daphne and Violie, who took up Sophronia's POV's after the events of Castles in their Bones.
Out of everyone I think I enjoyed Beatriz and Violie's POV's more than Daphne's, but she grew on me more as the story went on and it was believable too. Who wants to believe that their mother is capable of such horrible things?
I'm excited to see where things go in the third installment, and whether the girls will succeed in their efforts to stop their mother's plans of world domination, because that is exactly what she wants. To rule over everyone.
I loved this book. I needed to know what happened after the events of the last book and I wasn't let down. We were treated to the POV's of Beatriz, Daphne and Violie, who took up Sophronia's POV's after the events of Castles in their Bones.
Out of everyone I think I enjoyed Beatriz and Violie's POV's more than Daphne's, but she grew on me more as the story went on and it was believable too. Who wants to believe that their mother is capable of such horrible things?
I'm excited to see where things go in the third installment, and whether the girls will succeed in their efforts to stop their mother's plans of world domination, because that is exactly what she wants. To rule over everyone.
I was so excited to continue this series, and i wasn’t disappointed. I do admit the first quarter or slow was a little slow, probably because i had to re-immerse myself into story. The characters remained who they were, but with some growth. The intrigue got murkier and the plot more dangerous. I loved it.
*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.
*I received this book as an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) through NetGalley. I received this copy free in exchange for my honest review.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is definitely not a perfect book but I was invested in the characters in a way it rarely happens to me.
I loved the way they were flawed but also grew so much throughout the story.
One of my favourite things was definitely the relationship between Beatriz and Pasquale, it’s rare to see such a good partnership not based on romance and I’m so glad they bonded and stuck with each other.
I also liked Daphne and Bairre obviously, the fact that they both had secrets but clearly still cared for each other and the fact that she might be more “evil” than him is an added bonus.
In the end I also got attached to Violie even though I was skeptic at first, she turned out to be a great character with a good redemption arc. Not a super fan of the hints about him and Leo and I hope it doesn’t go in that direction for Sophie’s sake or at least that it evolves slowly.
There were some parts that were a bit predictable and some things were too convenient for the main characters but in the end I still enjoyed it a lot and I am sad that I can’t start right away the sequel.
I loved the way they were flawed but also grew so much throughout the story.
One of my favourite things was definitely the relationship between Beatriz and Pasquale, it’s rare to see such a good partnership not based on romance and I’m so glad they bonded and stuck with each other.
I also liked Daphne and Bairre obviously, the fact that they both had secrets but clearly still cared for each other and the fact that she might be more “evil” than him is an added bonus.
In the end I also got attached to Violie even though I was skeptic at first, she turned out to be a great character with a good redemption arc. Not a super fan of the hints about him and Leo and I hope it doesn’t go in that direction for Sophie’s sake or at least that it evolves slowly.
There were some parts that were a bit predictable and some things were too convenient for the main characters but in the end I still enjoyed it a lot and I am sad that I can’t start right away the sequel.
challenging
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
SPOILERS AHEAD
im not gonna say i hated it entirely, but i cannot even begin to properly express how much of a slump this book threw me in. believe me when i say i'm still mourning over sophronia and how much i detest the fact that the narrative seems insistent on replacing her with violie, but i will admit. little miss ace herself did grow on me just a teeeeny tiny bit. daphne on the other hand was...certainly a mess. a complicated, well written one, but most definitely a frustrating and annoying mess. the hold that their mother had on her was entirely understandable, but it was a very tiring rollercoaster to see her constantly debating with her instincts and being cold to her sisters. at this point i have nothing else to say, i'm just glad she's finally seen the light and is ont he right path this time, and i'm glad that margaraux at least admitted that her betrayal did hurt. that was more satisfying than i thought.
honorable mentions include: 1) leopold, who's journey from foolish puppet king to noble, courageous, humble man fallen from grace was surprisingly quite compelling to see. 2) pasquale, who's loyalty, understanding, and unwavering trust in beatriz never stops warming my heart. the way their friendship and bond grew was beautiful, and i really hope he and ambrose get the happiest ending when this all over. and 3) believe it or not, margaraux. its been a while since i've seen a genuinely well written, downright nasty villain who is actually great at being that way and maintaining that quality throughout two books. very much like triz, i wanted to strangle her, and that fact alone makes her an impressive character. not my fave obviously, but impressive nonetheless.
but of course, to save the best for last: the clearest standout pf this book is none other than beatriz. she's very quickly growing to be my favorite of the sisters, no matter how attached i am to sophie. that being said, the ending did annoy me a bit bc of how easy it was for gisella's two-faced ass to incapacitate her like that. which i just find hard to accept. it was narratively stupid, and knowing beatriz, she should've been able to see that coming and at least fight back, even if she doesn't win in the end. that part alone instantly took my rating from a 3.5 to a 3.25, but all in all this was still a decent follow up to castles, and just hope it wraps up well and satisfying enough. i've had my fair share of unsatisfying endings in my lifetime.
im not gonna say i hated it entirely, but i cannot even begin to properly express how much of a slump this book threw me in. believe me when i say i'm still mourning over sophronia and how much i detest the fact that the narrative seems insistent on replacing her with violie, but i will admit. little miss ace herself did grow on me just a teeeeny tiny bit. daphne on the other hand was...certainly a mess. a complicated, well written one, but most definitely a frustrating and annoying mess. the hold that their mother had on her was entirely understandable, but it was a very tiring rollercoaster to see her constantly debating with her instincts and being cold to her sisters. at this point i have nothing else to say, i'm just glad she's finally seen the light and is ont he right path this time, and i'm glad that margaraux at least admitted that her betrayal did hurt. that was more satisfying than i thought.
honorable mentions include: 1) leopold, who's journey from foolish puppet king to noble, courageous, humble man fallen from grace was surprisingly quite compelling to see. 2) pasquale, who's loyalty, understanding, and unwavering trust in beatriz never stops warming my heart. the way their friendship and bond grew was beautiful, and i really hope he and ambrose get the happiest ending when this all over. and 3) believe it or not, margaraux. its been a while since i've seen a genuinely well written, downright nasty villain who is actually great at being that way and maintaining that quality throughout two books. very much like triz, i wanted to strangle her, and that fact alone makes her an impressive character. not my fave obviously, but impressive nonetheless.
but of course, to save the best for last: the clearest standout pf this book is none other than beatriz. she's very quickly growing to be my favorite of the sisters, no matter how attached i am to sophie. that being said, the ending did annoy me a bit bc of how easy it was for gisella's two-faced ass to incapacitate her like that. which i just find hard to accept. it was narratively stupid, and knowing beatriz, she should've been able to see that coming and at least fight back, even if she doesn't win in the end. that part alone instantly took my rating from a 3.5 to a 3.25, but all in all this was still a decent follow up to castles, and just hope it wraps up well and satisfying enough. i've had my fair share of unsatisfying endings in my lifetime.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes