Stardust in Their Veins: Castles in Their Bones #2 by Laura Sebastian
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Web ID: 16223512Great Sequel!
Stardust in Their Veins picks up right where Castles in Their Bones left off. With how quick it was to dive into the action, I wish I had taken the time to sit down and reread the first book, especially with how intricately Laura Sebastian weaves the plot threads of the three sisters' stories together. If it's been a while since you've read the first book, I would definitely recommend a reread or at least reading a summary of the plot before you dive in. I was on a plane when I started my read and didn't have access to the first book, so I barreled through doing my best to reorient myself as the details came back to me. Even with all that, I was still instantly hooked and enjoyed every minute I spent with Beatriz and Daphne, and really enjoyed how they worked in Sophronia's storyline after the events of the first book. So often middle books in a trilogy suffer from middle book syndrome and I did not find that to be the case here. That said, the focus of Stardust in Their Veins was on dealing with the fallout of the first book and moving the sisters into position for the third book, but it managed to do it in a way that felt like the story was unfurling and growing rather than it only serving as a stopgap for the final book. I would 100% die for Pasquale who continues to be The Best(TM). Fair warning to anyone about to pick it up, it ends on a cliffhanger, not as big of a one as Castles, but enough of one that the wait for the sequel is going to destroy me. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read an ARC of Stardust in Their Veins. I loved every minute of it!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Captivating Book Two For An Amazing Series
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Children’s/ Delacorte Press for allowing me to read this ARC for an honest review! I absolutely loved this book! The plot was well developed and picks up immediately where book one ends! Laura Sebastian has done a wonderful job at keeping the pacing and character development upbeat and interesting! This book is a fantastic sequel and continues to give the reader court politics that isn’t boring! Along with great characters and representation, the ending has a stellar cliff hanger! I will be eagerly waiting for book three!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
4.5 stars - fantastic!
[I received a free electronic copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.] 4.5 stars - I loved it! Would re-read. This was fantastic! Tons of character development and some fascinating reveals. I don't feel like there's a ton of forward movement to the plot here. I feel just as puzzled as before about all of the various schemes and spies. But I loved all of it. Can't wait to get my hands on book 3! I book tabbed book 1 when I re-read it before diving into this one - and I loved the experience. I can't wait to get my print copy of this so I can tab this on my first re-read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A strong second installment to a stellar series
Princesses Sophronia, Daphne, and Beatrix have been trained from the day they were born to be weapons by their mother, Empress Margaraux. The girls are sent to be the brides of princes and kings in the neighboring kingdoms in order to conquer the countries from within. However, as plots start to unravel, they realize not everything is what it seems and the Empress may not be the ally they once thought. When Sophronia follows her own path and pays for it with her life, her sisters are set on a new trajectory that changes everything, even the stars. This book picks up almost immediately following the bombshell of the previous book. The girls are still reeling from the loss of their sister. Beatrix immediately starts to plot against her devious mother with only Pasquale and Ambrose to trust. She also starts to learn more about her gifts from the stars even if it brings even more questions. Meanwhile, Daphne takes a much longer time to believe their mother has betrayed them and figure out who she can trust. Once again, the growth of both sisters in this book is incredible. Beatrix is going toe to toe with her mother while experimenting with the powers the stars granted her. She is still clever and defiant, taking charge and making plans to save the people she loves. Daphne’s icy exterior is starting to melt as she is influenced by Sophronia and learns to trust the people around her and fall in love with her new kingdom and the people in it. She has the most growth in this book as she starts to question her mother and listen to her own heart to determine what it right for her. This book did not suffer the second book slump that many series have and moves the plot to interesting places. It introduces new characters and presents fresh obstacles for our characters to overcome. It also expands on the storyline of Beatrix’s powers which looks to become an even bigger plot moving forward. I look forward to see where the story goes next.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Thank you Netgalley and Delacorte Press!
Thank you Netgalley and Delacortepress allowing me to read & review this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own. "They haven't seen the last of us. And soon enough, they'll wish they'd killed us when they had a chance." Stardust in Their Veins is the second installment of the, very underrated, Castles in Their Bones trilogy. After the horrific events and terrible cliffhanger of book one, I was prepared for the onslaught of grief. We follow along with Violie, Daphne, and Beatriz point of view as they start off separated and come together for another explosive ending. "I love you all the way to the stars." While I really liked this book, I did have difficulties reading Daphne's point of view at first. She is not my favorite of the three sisters, and her denial about their mother bothered me. Toward the middle to end of the story, I started to like her development. I do love big books, but Stardust in Their Veins is pretty long. There is quite a bit of build-up and important character development, but I do feel there were some moments that needed to be edited down a notch. The pacing suffered a little bit from that, but I was engaged in the story and the characters. "I've told you the truth, Bairre, about everything, and there may be a lot that I've done that you might view as unforgivable, but we both know that goes both ways. The only difference is that I've told you my secrets; you're still keeping plenty of yours." The romance is almost non-existent this time. There are little bits and pieces and one couple I'm rooting for, but it's not the sole focus of the book. There is a lot of politics, rebellion activity, and many, many secrets being kept from others. I am a lover of romance in stories, but I did not feel sad by its absence. There is quite a bit of tension in a scene or two to tide me over until book three. "It takes bravery to open one's eyes and refuse to close them again, even when it would be so much easier to." Stardust in Their Veins focuses on the sister's grief, revenge, and revelations. I do love the development of Beatriz and her star-magic, Daphne is slowly becoming a favorite of mine even with the chapters in the beginning, and I feel so bad for Violie at the end. Laura Sebastian is a favorite author of mine, and I do love the way she writes her characters. If you loved Castles in Their Bones, I believe you will enjoy this intensely written sequel. I don't think any one of us is going to be ready for the amount of hurt that's going to come in book three.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
AMAZING
Laura Sebastian has done it again. After the rug was completely pulled out from under us at the end of the last book, I spent this book on edge, looking for betrayals around every corner. And I was STILL surprised at the end! It’s rare that I’m this tense throughout the entire book, but the suspense was killing me. Would Daphne see reason? Would Beatrice make a mistake she couldn’t recover from? Would Leo and Violie be discovered? What else is the Empress plotting? I can’t say too much without spoiling both the previous book and this one, but let me just say this was so good! The tension was obviously high, but there were humorous moments, tender moments, and one scene that brought tears to my eyes. I cannot wait to see how this is all wrapped up! I know I’ll be on pins and needles until the last page of the last book! 4.5 stars Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a requested copy for review. All opinions are my own.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Dazzling female driven fantasy!
Laura Sebastian excels at world building in this dazzling female driven fantasy. The reader will be captivated by the court intrigue and espionage, the many murder plots, and don't forget the magic. Definitely recommend!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com