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A review by annamickreads
Castles in Their Bones by Laura Sebastian
4.0
At first, I wasn't certain I was going to like this book - parts of the plot felt reminiscent of a few other books I had read in the recent past (Four Dead Queens, Song of the Forever Rains, Red Queen) and the characters' introduction did a lot more telling than showing.
Quickly, however, the speed of the book kicked into high gear. "Castles in Their Bones" follows triplets from the kingdom of Bessemia who have been trained literally since birth to destroy other kingdoms from within using a combination of espionage and feminine wiles. But when the three daughters are sent off to the kingdoms of their betrothed upon their sixteenth birthday, what they expect will be a cakewalk turns into a messy tale of intrigue and political scheming.
Right away, it was evident that while the sisters had been prepared for their eventual assimilation into the other kingdoms, they weren't as up-to-date on court politics as they might have thought. Beatriz the seductress finds a cruel king and an unwilling prince, clever Daphne's prince dies of sickness while rebellion brews, and kind-hearted Sophronia has been exchanging swoon-worthy letters with her prince ...who essentially lets his mother run the kingdom (into bankruptcy).
I think the pace is perfect especially for a tale of political intrigue, and there's twists and turns that some readers might anticipate while others might not. I can appreciate how each primary love interest for the girls are their foils, revealing different sides to each sister and mostly subverting their expectations.
If you're in a reading slump and are looking for something fast, interesting and tinged in romance, "Castles in Their Bones" will do it for you!
Quickly, however, the speed of the book kicked into high gear. "Castles in Their Bones" follows triplets from the kingdom of Bessemia who have been trained literally since birth to destroy other kingdoms from within using a combination of espionage and feminine wiles. But when the three daughters are sent off to the kingdoms of their betrothed upon their sixteenth birthday, what they expect will be a cakewalk turns into a messy tale of intrigue and political scheming.
Right away, it was evident that while the sisters had been prepared for their eventual assimilation into the other kingdoms, they weren't as up-to-date on court politics as they might have thought. Beatriz the seductress finds a cruel king and an unwilling prince, clever Daphne's prince dies of sickness while rebellion brews, and kind-hearted Sophronia has been exchanging swoon-worthy letters with her prince ...who essentially lets his mother run the kingdom (into bankruptcy).
I think the pace is perfect especially for a tale of political intrigue, and there's twists and turns that some readers might anticipate while others might not. I can appreciate how each primary love interest for the girls are their foils, revealing different sides to each sister and mostly subverting their expectations.
If you're in a reading slump and are looking for something fast, interesting and tinged in romance, "Castles in Their Bones" will do it for you!