Triplet princesses who are trained from birth to marry into other royal families and take over so their mother, the Empress, can rule all of them.

That sounds incredibly interesting and it was for the most part, but I wasn't really wowed by the book. It was a fine read and if you like court fantasies then this is probably a book you would like. I'm interested enough to continue the series but I don't know, I was kind of underwhelmed. 

Three femme fatale princesses are sent by their mother into political marriages with a lifetime of training towards starting a war. Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatriz have all been given specific tasks to match their carefully crafted skillsets. If each completes her part of the plan, their mother will arrive in the aftermath of her neighbors' conflicts just in time to sweep over the whole continent and rule with impunity.

I was well entertained by this trilogy starter and for over 500 pages, too. The smooth storytelling shifts gears between the three sisters, keeping up a constant pressure with the tense situations entangling our protagonists. I was fully absorbed watching the girls decide if and how to fulfill their roles once off on their own, knowing the Empress is always watching and has the means to get the result she wants at any cost. No sister is safe in her new home, nobody has all the information about her role in the plan, and there are other forces and intrigues at play that none of them foresaw. And don't even get me started on the pesky intrusions of feelings and moral compasses messing with the plan.

All the sisters have potential romantic relationships (mostly instalove vibes bleh), but it's the platonic bonds they form after a lifetime of being isolated by their mother that I found most layered and compelling. The sisterhood is also complex, built on unconditional love but also differences of personality and opinion that run deep, causing fractures and divergences even as they complement one another. I am curious to see if and how these connections may grow as the series continues. The book ends on a mighty twist, not entirely shocking but still illuminating connections and undercurrents to the plots at hand. I was left with a lot of questions about where the story will go next, curious about how our characters will develop now that some truths are out in the open, others still waiting in the wings to strike.

My ultimate feeling is that this was a fun and easy to follow political fantasy. It's not a terribly deep or genre-altering tale, but I want to see where the series goes next and how the protagonists grow. Thanks to Delacorte for my copy to read and review!

Headlines:
Three princesses separated but working together
Nothing is as it seems
Control, subversiveness and stardust

Castles In Their Bones was a really interesting world and concept, I have lots of positive things to say about this book and reading experience. It started very strong and it was incredibly easy to get my teeth into.

This story is orientated around three star-born triplet princesses coming into adulthood and off to marry Kings and princes in other lands as agreed at their birth. What was engaging about this story was how Beatriz, Sophronia and Daphne were raised, to be tools and to be strategic. Their mother was not nurturing.

There was a background magic system orientated towards the stars, the ability to draw dust from the stars and it's uses. It wasn't overtly prominent but it was a convenient plot device. The characters these sisters met and crafted relationships with in their new lands were interesting. I must say it was hard sometimes to keep track with the three new lands and their characters in tandem. In general, the narrative was orientated around the three sisters' POVs.

I enjoyed this read but it didn't wow me, I'd definitely like to see where it goes in the next book thanks to a twisty ending and a late shock plot turn. It felt a little long to read and it lost pace a little for my taste, but that could have just been me. I think this read will appeal to those lovers of YA fantasy with royal context.

Thank you to Hodder Books for the early review copy.