now THIS is how you do a real slow burn enemies to lovers romantasy!!!!

i absolutely adored this book & had such a great time reading it! i’ve been in a reading slump for almost two months and this one pulled me right out of it and plopped me down into evermore/bomard.

the writing? far better than most new romantasy books.

the plot? devoured. this one is definitely on the darker side (look up trigger warnings before diving in)! i really enjoyed reading about the magic system & the politics of the world. i was locked in start to finish and did not zone out once (which is saying something because again - recovering from a slump). also i loved everything surrounding toven’s family/hearst hall… i won’t say more in lieu of spoilers but ate this part up!

the narrative structure/timeline? huge fan!! this one takes place mostly in the present but does have a few chapters that jump around in time, taking us back to briony’s school days. usually, i don’t like when authors do this because it tends to be poorly executed or just plain confusing. julie soto, however, did this flawlessly! i really enjoyed reading about briony’s past and getting to see how these scenes were interwoven with the present.

the romance? PERFECTION. quite honestly catered exactly to my taste. the slow burn is burning so unbelievably slow (which i adore) & the smallest moments between the two main characters had me clutching my pearls and sweating like a victorian man seeing an ankle for the first time. also if a man is a real D1 yearner, i’m almost guaranteed to love the romance. i’m also a sucker for romances where the FMC is so painfully oblivious to the MMC & his feelings… idiot(s) in love perhaps??

my only gripe(s): a little bit more detail with some descriptions/setting/magic would be amazing - though this is a small thing & didn’t truly bother me. also: more development with briony & her brother - i kind of didn’t care about their relationship in the slightest.

obviously i’d like to learn more about what’s going on with certain characters & the biltmore girls but i understand this is the first in a trilogy. need book 2 neowwwww

Holy shit*t
Absolutely DEVOURED this book, cover to cover in less than 24hrs.
Julie Soto is an absolute force, the writing in this is top tier, I'm absolutely obsessed.... OBSESSED! This story hits all the marks including an amazing heroine that is equal parts brilliant and fierce. Five stars, not notes. This is a must read.

So like every Julie Soto book this book is lush and beautifully written. However I had a very hard time reading this. It is very very dark and I wasn't prepared for how much despair I would feel reading this in the current political climate. Reading about the sexual subservience/noncon/rape is unfortunately very prophetic for what will likely happen to women in a fascist utopia and I just wasn't mentally prepared to read it and immerse myself in it.

The dynamic between the two main characters is where I get a lot of mixed feelings about this book. The flashbacks to school are the most Harry Potter coded part of this book which had me feeling very weird. The characters are still very much Dramione homage/fanfic and with JK Rowling being who she is - a very vocal TERF with a lot of latent racism - I don't know how I can parse a book that is very much a reference to her work especially when it's about a fascist empire forcing people - specifically women - into slavery. While Soto does make it clear that Toven and his family have been working to subvert the empire, he still bought Briony and his father still does the dirty work to maintain the facade. I wish that they had done more to separate the work from Harry Potter and Rowling because Soto is such an amazing author that it unfortunately adds to the cannon when I doubt that is what she wanted.

I am intrigued with how it ended although a bit disappointed, and I don't know if I can handle book 2

While this was a solid 3 star for me (good but not my favorite), It did unfortunately fall short of my expectations. For 62 percent of the book I mainly was unhooked, while I did enjoy the idea of the plot, and MMC, the twists were predictable and the fmc did annoy me. I stuck around for the MMC and the romance, which I did enjoy seeing how there chemistry grew. That being said while this wasn't my favorite I do believe this can be perfect for dark romantasy readers.

Thank you for the arc!

This is definitely going to be the next romantasy obsession! THE TENSION AND THE YEARNING?! This is exactly what I've been looking for!

3/5 ⭐️
1/5 🌶️

Thanks to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), and Julie Soto for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year. I’ve read the Rights and Wrongs series by LovesBitca8 multiples times. I’ve read Julie Soto’s original work too, but the fact that I’ve read The Auction multiple times had me really excited about this book. Let’s be honest, it’s a good year to be a Dramione girlie. This book was just not doing it for me. I had some serious problems getting into it, but it did get better, hence the three stars.

Honestly, there were a lot pacing issues for me. A slow burn is one thing. I have no problems with that, but this was just so boring for the first 50% or so. It felt like there was no world building. The cast of characters is HUGE and the secondary characters aren’t fleshed out enough. I just never knew who some of them were and sometimes they’d die before I could even care about them. So it just felt like what was the point??

The FMC feels so entitled for most of the book which is annoying. Then there’s the MMC who acts like a spoiled grade school boy and wants the FMC to be a mind reader. I just…their dynamic is wild to me. So much lack of communication and miscommunication that happens over YEARS and I just want to shake them. So much of this first book just felt like it could have been a prologue. The magic system didn’t feel well-developed either. It felt like a fanfic of a fanfic in some ways.

Now, I do think this series has AMAZING potential. This book got GREAT in the last 30% or so. I think the plot line of the series will be interesting once it gets going. It’s nothing super groundbreaking, but if it stays at the faster pace I think it will be good. The first part of the first book is just a bit slow and monotonous.

I’m completely smitten with the explosive kickoff to what’s shaping up to be an unforgettable enemies-to-lovers fantasy series. And guess what? It’s penned by Julie Soto, the brilliant mind behind Not Another Love Song—a book I adored so much I ended up reading it three times (despite the mountain of unread books on my shelf)! So yes, picture me doing an enthusiastic and slightly clumsy happy dance in my living room over this one.
This novel ticks all the boxes—powerful female bonds, grit in the face of hardship, and a society that seeks to deny women their rightful strength. Briony Rosewood is the kind of heroine I can’t help but love: sharp, brave, and unjustly living in the shadow of her twin brother Rory, the so-called “chosen one.” She’s smarter, more capable, and yet constantly pushed to the sidelines—until destiny flips the script.
At the academy, Briony’s extraordinary abilities shine, drawing the eye of the cocky, silver-haired Toven Hearst, a magnetic and mysterious figure who simultaneously ignites her fury and sets her pulse racing. But when the prophecy shatters, Rory perishes, and Briony ends up captive alongside former foes like Larissa, things take a dark turn. She’s thrust into a ruthless auction and purchased by none other than her longtime rival, Toven—whose family is infamous for its cold-blooded reputation.
With her freedom stripped away, Briony is forced into a deadly chess game where every move counts. Navigating a maze of shifting loyalties and forbidden desire, she must decide if Toven is a potential ally or the enemy she’s meant to defeat.
The plot twists left me breathless, the tension had me on edge, and that ending? I’m still reeling! The world-building completely swept me away, the characters felt vivid and layered, and the pacing kept me devouring pages late into the night.
Without a doubt, this is among the top romantasy reads of the year—holding its own in a packed field of amazing releases. If you’re drawn to slow-burn romance, intense stakes, and razor-sharp intrigue with a heroine you’ll fiercely root for, don’t miss this book. I’m already counting down the days until the sequel drops! Five glowing, rose-stamped stars from me.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for the chance to read this stunning ARC in exchange for my genuine thoughts.

I honestly should have DNF’d this one.

What worked for me:

The pacing was fine

What didn’t work for me:

There was so much telling and not showing throughout this book.

The world building and magic system were weak. Those who haven’t read it or don’t know what original work the fan fiction is based on will likely be a little lost.

The characters are so flat. Where are any of their personalities?

This is marketed as an enemies to lovers, but I didn’t really get that they were true enemies. Are they on opposite sides of a war? Sure, but it never feels like Briony views Toven as a true enemy, and vice versa.

I was so bored reading this book. There is some action in the beginning, and then not much else really happens for the rest of the book.


Thank you to Forver for this e-arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This novel started out so strong, drawing me in from the first page. I felt like the handling of switching between past and present really allowed for a quick glimpses of world building, the conflict, and the characters we were going to be introduced to.

That changed so quickly starting at around 20%.

I'll start it off with saying: part of this was I quickly found out I wasn't the audience. The overall dynamic of the auction and the subsequent master/slave plots are not for me, and I should've expected that from the get go.

But it was also the worldbuilding, characters, and overall stalling of the plot from 20%-64% when I decided to stop. I was scrunching my nose, rolling my eyes, or yawning too much to want to continue going.

Oh BookTok is going to love this one. Ultra slow burn, strong female characters, forced proximity. You named it. I will say the first 25ish percent of the book was slow to me, mainly because it was setting up all the different characters and the world leading up to the auction but after that it seemed to take off at a faster pace.

I will say I knew this book was based off The Auction, but I’ve never read it and I think it did well enough standing on its own. I look forward to the next book and hope to see more continuation of the world building (especially the politics of the other countries) and the contoured developed of relationships between characters (one relationship I can’t say without major spoilers!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I will never recover 😩

Listen, I was not ready for this book, no matter how much I thought I was. Julie Soto is That Girl™️

When I heard “Dramione fanfiction”, I ran. Have I read Dramione fanfiction? Yes. But not in a long ass fucking time and let me just say, this brought me back to my middle/high school days, staying up until 3am the day before a test because I needed to read the new chapter of a story that was just posted.

The way this book had me simultaneously giggling and kicking my feet and screaming into the void was insane. The banter, the plot, the characters, the world building, MY GOD.

Briony really is not just a little princess. She’s not just the quiet girl everyone thought she was and I love that for her. Go be your badass self, babe. I loved her quips, her intelligence, her strength. God, I love her.

Toven could hit me with a car and I would apologize. Sorry for being disrespectful, I’ll clean my blood from your windshield. Where’s my gold collar? I’ll wear it with pride. Please?

The plot was seriously plotting in this book and I literally COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I skipped meals, I gave up on sleep, I ignored my own family to read this book and I devoured it like the feral little romantasy goblin I am.

I need book 2 more than I need air right now so if you see me and I’m holding my breath, just tell Julie Soto to write faster and put me out of my misery.

I honestly didn’t think I would get an ARC of this book, but Forever really pulled through and for that, I will owe them my entire life 🫡 thank you so much Forever!!!! ily

I have been anticipating Rose in Chains since it was first announced. Even better was being approved for an earc and genuinely having no idea what to expect going into this story. But honestly, I enjoyed it so much once I got an understanding of what was happening.

What I loved:
The auction itself
The mutual pining
Loving how much I question everything about the MMC
Their banter 🙂‍↕️

At first we’re thrown right into the end of a war. There’s a lot of info dump in the first half of the book. There’s also a lot of flashbacks that sometimes pulled me out but again, could’ve just been because I was trying to grasp the info at the beginning. Once we get past certain parts, the story begins to really pick up.

Our FMC goes through some heavy shit. But even with her naivety she quickly learns what is needed to stay alive. I cannot wait for book two to see how this plays out because after that ending !? I NEEEED ANSWERS.


(Check your TW’s)

Thank you Netgalley, Forever Publishing & Julie Soto for this gifted earc in exchange for an honest review 🫶🏼

I really enjoyed this more than I thought that I would. It was an engaging read that I look forward to getting more from this world. It will definitely be an easy hand sell and an easy next read when more come out.

6 ⭐️
“for the Saturday girls” 🫶🏼🫶🏼
I still cannot believe I got an advanced copy of this book. the Auction was the third dramione fic I ever read, and I have been obsessed with it ever since. Yet Rose in Chains takes that story and makes it so much more.

Briony, the princess of the Eversuns, is captured when her kingdom is over taken by the enemy and her twin brother, fated to unite the two kingdoms, is killed. Briony and the other survivors are then sold to the people of Bomard and stripped of their magic. Briony is sold for the highest bid, and finds herself belonging to Toven Hearst- the man who was her enemy (and long time infatuation) during their time at school.

Mind magic vs heart magic, the flashbacks to Briony and Toven’s time at school- the differences between this and the original fic only make this story better. I was in awe and enthralled the entire book- is it too soon to ask for an arc of book 2?? 🫣

Enemies to lovers, slow (slow) burn - this book was fantastic, but it is a dark romantasy, so please know that going in!!

Thank you thank you thank you to forever publishing for the eARC! so glad I have 4 copies of this book preordered 🫶🏼

4.5 ⭐️ for me!

This one, while dark in nature, was intriguing from the start.

A complex world, irresistible tension, mysteries on mysteries, deep dark secrets, with a large splash of rebellion all packed into under 500 pages.

The “mental library” aspect got corny for me at times, but you gotta give credit to Soto for a creative way to teach the reader more about the mind magic.

My only complaint is that the plot felt a bit choppy & was only intensified by the dual timeline. Larissa ended up feeling like a fairly pointless plotline?? But I do realize it’s a trilogy.

The ending also was giving Fourth Wing vibes. Brennan vs. Rory.

Overall though? I enjoyed the book, read it in about 3 days.

This romantasy is addictive, dark, magical, a little political (but aren't though really!) and filled with tension (slow burn).

Now the elephant in the room - this is reworked Dramione - so how did it hold up on its own?
I would have absolutely NO clue if I didn't already know this information. There are minor similarities like the hair color ,some of the politics , and other minor things. However, there is no big deal because it is not unlike any other fantasy book description of characters or other things out there.

The world is unique, the magic is cool, the stakes are high, and the plot has great pacing. The tension in this book compliments the slow burn romance perfectly.

What’s to love…
- SLOW BURN
- DARK ROMANTASY
- enemies to lovers
- pinning, angst, tension, OH MY!
- political intrigue
- rival “kingdoms”
- forced proximity
- secrets
- banter
- romance and PLOT
- addictive/ binge worthy
- A DRAGON!!!!!!!!!!!!

The only component of the book that I personally could have done without is the constant need to repeat vital information. This is not a YA target audience and shouldn't overly explain things to the reader. However that is just my personal opinion as other readers may require that sort of thing.
Even with the repetitions this book was wonderfully put together as a whole!

GO PREORDER THIS STUNNING EDITION RIGHT NOW!

Thank you NetGalley and Forever for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. All opinions are my own.

As someone who grew up reading fan fiction, when I found out this was based on a fan fiction from AO3, I was really excited for the nostalgia. I've also read "Not Another Love Song" by Julie Soto, so I was interested to see how her writing style changed as she shifted to the fantasy genre.

"Rose in Chains" had the distinct feel of a fan fiction; I could easily tell where the characters were adapted from (with no prior knowledge). At the beginning of the book, I felt like I was dropped into a world I was supposed to fully understand the intricacies of--with no prior knowledge. It took me until about 1/3 of the way through the book to fully understood what was going on and feel immersed.

Some of the violence felt unnecessary, and at times performative in a way that made me feel uncomfortable. The book would have been just as powerful if readers didn't get all the graphic details woven throughout. Once I hit the 2/3 marker, I definitely think it picked up stream and kept me engaged and wondering what would happen next.

I'm interested in seeing what Soto has in store for the rest of the trilogy!

3.5/5 ⭐️

4.5⭐️ I loved this! There’s something about Julie Soto’s writing that sucks me in and keeps me engaged throughout! I really enjoyed this story and now immediately need the second book after the ending 🫢 I appreciated the tension between the two MCs and the absolute crumbs we got throughout were really doing something for me. I have not yet read the fic this is based off of, but I definitely will be picking that up now.

If you are a fan of dark romantasy with the smallest yet juiciest crumbs of yearning and tension, this book will be for you!!

Thank you to Forever Pub, Julie Soto, and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Another book that I could not put down. This book had one part that was a tad dark for my taste but I did get through it. So please read the warnings before you decided to go with it. Just giving heads up!

But I’m glad I read it because so many things were happening in this story. One thing after another and when you think it’s done something else pops up and has you on the edge of your feet of how it is going to go down.

This story is an enemies to lovers story line as the parts regarding to this was slow and fast at the same time. There’s fighting, banter, magic systems, the suspense, the tension and so much more. The interaction between Toven and Briony is quite interesting. I can’t figure out Toven that well yet. I don’t know if I like him or not yet. He’s one of those characters but kept the story interesting.

The ending of this story had me reading it twice because I was like “what ?” I am so ready for the second book!

Wow! I went into this expecting a straight up romantasy, which it was a little and I think the series for sure will be, but there was so much more to this than just romance. I loved that it didn’t shy away from the heavy topics of the book. Definitely check the trigger warnings because it was heavier than I realized. I really really loved this, and I’m so excited for the next book (and devastated that this book doesn’t even come out until July and THEN I have to wait for the next book in the series to be released). I highly recommend, but do be aware that this is the first book in a trilogy so don’t go into it expecting a resolution.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.