I wasn't keen on this series. The plot itself is well thought out but the delivery and structure is very slow to get going and overly descriptive of minor details.

This is officially my year of Cliffhangers. I know this would be the second book in the series but I so badly wanted her dead 🤭

Okay.. so this is the 2nd one in the series: Castles in their bone. After loosing their sister Beatriz and Daphne have lost hope. But neither is their mother (the Empress) done using them , nor are they going to let her get away with the horrible crime. Filled with various kingdoms, heirs to the throne and the ever meddling strategies of marriage for power.

Here are a few of my favourite parts about this book:
🌠 The study of stars and ☄️ comet to predict the future (astrology)
🌠 The concept of Stardust for magic
🌠 No female in the book is portrayed as Damsels, they are all on fire 🔥

The only thing I don't like here is how Daphny is always so inclined to please her mother n do as told despite the fact that she the reason why the life of all her sisters are in danger.

Genre: #fantasy #magic #ya #lgbt
Rating: 4/5 ⭐

Thankyou @netgalley @hodderbooks @lauraksebastian for the Digital ARC.

I do want a physical copy of this 🤭

Unforrunately I can't really get into this trilogy.

Still I can hardly tell the girls apart. Af least they live in very different circumstances throughout the story, so that makes it a little easier.

What botheres me the most is that the story is told completely through dialogue or inner thoughts of the girls. There is hardly any description of people or environment and you have to sit through endless discussions and planning. I really enjoy to read about the world in which the story takes place and love to get lost in fantastical settings. But that's what I didn't get at all from this book.

Usually I'm not that picky when it comes to magic, but here we get something from a horoscope out of a teenie magazine and that is when I finally lose interest. Or maybe I just didn't get it.

Maybe I'm not the target audience for this trilogy. I was already bored with the first book, but I wanted to give the second one a try. Now I know it's just not for me.

I remember finishing the first book, Castles in Their Bones, in early February this year and imagined I would die waiting for the second book, I wouldn't, but I think there is a higher chance now! :)
And yes, I mentioned that it is not fair to choose my best book of the year in February, but now in the middle of December, I can honestly say Castles in Their Bones and Stardust in Their Veins are my best reads in 2022!

My favorite girls, I loved it, every word, every page, in this case, the narrator, Roisin Rankin. I finished it last night and still thinking, what the hell just happened! and how on earth I could write something without a spoiler!?

Generally for everybody who wants to know what is this book, and to understand their huge mistake of not read it yet,
In Kingdom of Stars, seventy years old Emperor of Bessemia suddenly fathered three daughters, some rumors say princesses are born with magic. Princesses mother, Empress Margaraux educated them to fulfill one duty;
Beatriz, Daphne and Sophronia should marry one of the princes or king of Vesteria, with conspiracy and chaos drive the countries to war till their mother conquest Cellaria, Friv and Temarin.
This was a task in the first book, twist and surprise were unbelievable!

For the second book, Stardust in Their Veins, I may warn you if did not read Castles in Their Bones, don't read the following,
About a week after the three sisters talk to each other, Beatriz was imprisoned in Cellaria and tries to figure out if is it wise to escape with her magic power and the help of Nigellus and come back to her mother!
Daphne in icy Friv still struggling with rebels and not sure whom should trust, Temarin is almost in her mother's hand and she should decide, choose her loyalty!

There is much to say and I really want to talk to someone about this book, I actually want more to scream, but this was all I could express. I think the last book I've read and felt so much tension and stress was in Martin's books! Highly recommended!

I am so grateful to Hodder & Stoughton Audio via Netgalley for ARC, I have given my honest review! Pub Date 07 Feb 2023

Thank you so much for letting listen to this audiobook. I am so happy to say that I liked this second book in the series a lot more than the first one. This one made so much more sense.