Stardust in Their Veins

Castles in Their Bones #2

By: Laura Sebastian

Narrated by: Roisin Rankin

Immerse yourself in the second book in a fantasy trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of the Ash Pricess series. The sequel to Castles in Their Bones is the story of three princesses and the destiny they were born for: seduction, conquest, and the crown.

Princesses Daphne, Beatriz, and Sophronia have trained their entire lives for one purpose: to bring down nations. Their mother, Empress Margaraux of Bessemia, is determined to rule the continent of Vesteria, and her daughters are her weapons. Promised for marriage since birth, they are her ticket across enemy lines. And also her decoys.

Still, not even Empress Margaraux can control the stars. Sent to their new kingdoms, orders in hand, the princesses have found their own paths, changing the course of their mother’s plans entirely—and tragically. Sophronia chose love, and for that, she lost her life.

Daphne and Beatriz can hardly believe their sister is dead, but both are determined to avenge her. And now, separated by a continent—and their mother’s lies—they see more clearly with every passing day that they might not be working toward the same end.

The stars whisper of death, but Daphne and Beatriz are just beginning to understand the true power coursing through their veins. And their mother will do anything to keep them under her thumb—even if it means killing them all.

Critic reviews

"Sebastian weaves the story together with a firm handle on pacing and worldbuilding, placing twists and turns throughout as characters leave their assigned countries." —School Library Journal

"The worldbuilding is rich, clearly defined, and easy to follow." —Kirkus Reviews

Plot twists galore

Totally enjoyable adventures and escapades in this second book. Looking forward to hearing how it all turns out in the end.

Hurry Up Book 3!

i wanted this book to be better than the first and it was. The pace made it easy to get locked in for a good hour or two, if you had the time. The build up for the next book is epic!

Good

I thought the story was just as good as the last book in the series. I just hope the next book is going to be the end because I’m tired of all the backstabbing and killing for stupid reasons. Unfortunately, Daphne and Beatrice lost their sister and now they’re trying to make sure they’re not murdered by their mother as well. Beatrice has finally figured out that her mother only had the girls so that they could help her overtake other countries. Daphne is very loyal to her mother, but she’s starting to figure out how evil her mother really is. Beatrice also learns a little bit more about the star magic that she has.

Great sequel

Loved the character development. Can't wait to see how it all comes together in the next book

Wow so annoying

DNF
For supposedly being trained and capable they sure do mess up a lot, when they actually do something that is. I feel like most of this book is their inner voice or dialogue and not a lot of depth. I don’t know exactly what it’s missing, but it’s missing a lot of it. I don’t know if I can get through another book when the author makes it so clear that she’s not going to make decisions to please the reader. Why is everything in this plot such a disappointment??
Maybe I’m just too old for this book.. 13, 14 or 15 year olds probably.. but even then, I don’t think it’s just me that can’t connect to any of the characters

Edit: I finished this book in paper format and WOW what a difference! I think it was the narrator that made the characters so distant and whiney, and her reading pace made it hard to speed read the slow bits where nothing is happening but inner voices. Reading it myself Makes such a big difference in the enjoyability of this story and characters, which is a shame because I thought I loved the voice of the narrator until I realized that she highlights all the problems with the writing pace and character flaws, including not being attached to any of the male characters or their relationships. Sad but true.