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natashaleighton_'s review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The highly anticipated sequel to Laura Sebastian’s Castles In Their Bones ups the stakes and the delicious, slow burn political intrigue that fans of Tricia Levenseller’s The Shadows Between Us or Alexandra Rowland’s A Taste of Gold and Iron don’t want to miss!Â
I just want to preface this by saying, given how things transpired at the end of Castles In Their Bones, I can’t go into too much detail about Stardust In Their Veins’ premise without revealing spoilers for book one, so this is my attempt at explaining the plot (and sharing a review) WITHOUT giving away any spoilers.Â
It follows on from the aftermath of event which started with triplet princesses ; Sophronia, Beatriz and Daphne sent off to marry into three kingdoms—and by seduction, deception and espionage,!weaken them enough to allow their power hungry mother (the Empress of Bessemia) to sweep in and take control of the entire continent.
Suffice to say, those plans did not always go so smoothly, and book two opens with each Princess attempting to navigate the repercussions of those plans. But with assassins around every corner and warnings of betrayal (and an ominous new prophecy written in the stars) , the Princesses can’t trust anyone—perhaps not even each other. But, If they've learned anything, it's that their mother’s game is constantly changing. The only question now is, can they tip the scales in their favour, before deadlier foes decide their fates …
If you’ve followed my reviews for a while then you may remember how much enjoyed Castles In Their Bones last year which I completely devoured—and very nearly rioted over, after THAT spectacular cliff hanger of an ending! So when the opportunity to read the sequel arose I couldn’t help but leapt at the chance. And despite some initial reservations (second book syndrome has burned me far too many times not to have any) I’m glad to report that it definitely managed to live up to my (admittedly quite high) expectations—and even made me love a character or two that I previously REALLY disliked.Â
The writing is (unsurprisingly) just as exquisite as it’s predecessor with world building that was just as expansive and even more nuanced—giving us more insight not only into the Kingdoms of Friv and Cellaria, but Bessemia as well which definitely made for an intriguingly enjoyable read.Â
It was definitely a more character driven narrative and I loved the depth and emotions that we see from our protagonists—I was especially impressed with the feeling of intimacy we get in a lot of Daphne and Beatriz’s monologue style scenes and the emotional development we see them both undertake. Particularly Daphne, who was probably my least favourite of the sisters in the first book (my fave being Sophronia.) But, I felt she really came into her own here as we see her finally begin to piece together events and begin to question the validity of her mother’s actions. As the most dutiful Princess (and the most loyal to the Empress) this makes for quite an intense emotional journey for Daphne, and one that really helped endear her to me.Â
The pace is more of a slow burn as there is more political intrigue and scheming as opposed to direct conflict but I felt that really gave us time to process all the new characters, POVs or (in Beatriz’s case) new magical abilities we didn’t fully explore in the previous book. The romance, likewise, took a bit of a back seat to the fraught relationship between Daphne and Beatriz and the tentative sisterly bond that has formed between them.Â
Overall, this was a great second instalment to this female driven and espionage filled series, and really sets the stage for what is sure be be an explosive book three—which I desperately need a copy of ASAP!Â
Also, thanks to Hodderscape and Netgalley for the e-arc.
I just want to preface this by saying, given how things transpired at the end of Castles In Their Bones, I can’t go into too much detail about Stardust In Their Veins’ premise without revealing spoilers for book one, so this is my attempt at explaining the plot (and sharing a review) WITHOUT giving away any spoilers.Â
It follows on from the aftermath of event which started with triplet princesses ; Sophronia, Beatriz and Daphne sent off to marry into three kingdoms—and by seduction, deception and espionage,!weaken them enough to allow their power hungry mother (the Empress of Bessemia) to sweep in and take control of the entire continent.
Suffice to say, those plans did not always go so smoothly, and book two opens with each Princess attempting to navigate the repercussions of those plans. But with assassins around every corner and warnings of betrayal (and an ominous new prophecy written in the stars) , the Princesses can’t trust anyone—perhaps not even each other. But, If they've learned anything, it's that their mother’s game is constantly changing. The only question now is, can they tip the scales in their favour, before deadlier foes decide their fates …
If you’ve followed my reviews for a while then you may remember how much enjoyed Castles In Their Bones last year which I completely devoured—and very nearly rioted over, after THAT spectacular cliff hanger of an ending! So when the opportunity to read the sequel arose I couldn’t help but leapt at the chance. And despite some initial reservations (second book syndrome has burned me far too many times not to have any) I’m glad to report that it definitely managed to live up to my (admittedly quite high) expectations—and even made me love a character or two that I previously REALLY disliked.Â
The writing is (unsurprisingly) just as exquisite as it’s predecessor with world building that was just as expansive and even more nuanced—giving us more insight not only into the Kingdoms of Friv and Cellaria, but Bessemia as well which definitely made for an intriguingly enjoyable read.Â
It was definitely a more character driven narrative and I loved the depth and emotions that we see from our protagonists—I was especially impressed with the feeling of intimacy we get in a lot of Daphne and Beatriz’s monologue style scenes and the emotional development we see them both undertake. Particularly Daphne, who was probably my least favourite of the sisters in the first book (my fave being Sophronia.) But, I felt she really came into her own here as we see her finally begin to piece together events and begin to question the validity of her mother’s actions. As the most dutiful Princess (and the most loyal to the Empress) this makes for quite an intense emotional journey for Daphne, and one that really helped endear her to me.Â
The pace is more of a slow burn as there is more political intrigue and scheming as opposed to direct conflict but I felt that really gave us time to process all the new characters, POVs or (in Beatriz’s case) new magical abilities we didn’t fully explore in the previous book. The romance, likewise, took a bit of a back seat to the fraught relationship between Daphne and Beatriz and the tentative sisterly bond that has formed between them.Â
Overall, this was a great second instalment to this female driven and espionage filled series, and really sets the stage for what is sure be be an explosive book three—which I desperately need a copy of ASAP!Â
Also, thanks to Hodderscape and Netgalley for the e-arc.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Murder and Emotional abuse
More...