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.

There’s a lake with still waters…

When I saw this drop on my NetGalley shelf I RAN and began reading it immediately. Honestly if it weren’t for my work schedule I would have devoured this book in days instead of the week and a half it took for me to finish it.
I am a fan of the fic that inspired this work and liked the fact that I could see the similarities but still be turned upside down because that ending had me absolutely reeling!
This book was totally giving
- really slow burn
- fantasy
- enemies to lovers
- royalty
- forced proximity

There’s so much more but I don’t want to give too much away! For sure this is an absolute must read this summer!

🥀 ARC Review: *Rose in Chains*🥀

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/🌶️

“There is a lake with still waters.”

First and foremost, a huge thank you to Forever for providing the ARC of Rose in Chains by Julie Soto. I had to drop everything to read this as soon as I got my hands on it!

Julie proves that not only is she a fantastic contemporary romance author, but she is also amazing at romantasy. Essentially, Julie is just badass, and I will gobble up anything she publishes.

This was my second dramoine-inspired read, and I loved every single part of it. The enemies-to-lovers (kinda?) arc, the dark academia setting, and the incredibly smart FMC and MMC—it was perfect.

Briony, our FMC, is the last of her ruling family line after her brother is murdered in war. She then finds herself sold into slavery because of her magical powers. I loved reading about her character growth, from always trying to protect and uplift her brother to becoming an independent and strong-willed woman.

Toven, our MMC, is mysterious, broody, and morally gray. He’s clearly hiding a ton of secrets, and I just hope that in the next book, we get his POV.

Overall, *Rose in Chains* is a quintessential romantasy, and I cannot wait for all the fantasy readers to get their hands on this one. You’re going to devour it!

Tropes:

🥀 Dramoine-inspired
🥀 Enemies-to-lovers
🥀 Dark gothic romantasy
🥀 Lots of mystery and secrets
🥀 Unique magic system

⛓️‍💥 Please make sure to check TWs!

I will never be over this book. I devoured Rose in Chains in one sitting—no joke. Julie Soto pulled me into a dark, thrilling world of blood magic, twisted politics, and a slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance that had me screaming.

Briony’s transformation from sheltered princess to total badass was next-level. She’s fierce, independent, and so much more than anyone expects. And Toven? Our traumatized king. He’s layered, intense, and the definition of “he fell first.” Their chemistry is unreal: tense, emotional, electric.

The magic system in this book is one of the most original I’ve read linking mind and blood in a way that’s both intimate and terrifying. The politics are dark and nuanced, and the stakes feel real.

This book does explore heavy themes, so check content warnings, but if you love complex characters, rich worldbuilding, and messy, emotional romance, Rose in Chains is a must-read.

Julie Soto is quickly becoming an auto read author for me, after reading my first book of hers “The thrashers” and really enjoying the mystery and paranormal aspects of the book, I wanted to give “Rose in Chains” a try, and I’m glad I did.

Julie’s writing in this book is so stunning, it has a poetic and almost gothic sense to the writing although the main character i would describe as bold, bright and colourful and the imagery descriptions are very vivid.

I’d recommend giving this a try. I’m excited to dig deeper into the authors profile and see what other books she’s released!

Thank you for the gifted copy,

Publish date is July 8th

I am a dramoine girly through and through. I loved the Auction when it was a fanfic, so I was extremely excited that it was being published into it's own book. Rose in chains did not disappoint ONE BIT!!! I read this in one sitting, I literally could not put it down. It was so ADDICTING. Even though this is an original story and different from the Auction, it was incredibly enjoyable and but gave tid bits of the original fanfic. The romance and tension between the MC"s had my sitting at the edge of my bed kicking my feet and giggling. This was slow-burn romantasy done right. I just know this book is gonna be huge once it releases, this is a book that everyone will love. I'm so excited to for the next books in the trilogy.

Thank you to Forever for the review copy!

This is officially the year of Julie Soto. I read the fic that Rose in Chains started as 2.5 times - I was in the middle of a reread when I was approved for this arc on Netgalley. Rose in Chains takes place in a new and unique world with the same core conflict as the fic, but with new, added layers that deepen the story.

Just…this book is all angst & tension and it’s so good and I’m so sad I can’t read the next book immediately.

One of my biggest questions about this was how we were going to get the same long standing *tension* that was in the fic, and it was beautifully crafted with interspersed flashbacks. You do not have to have any familiarity with the fanfiction to fall madly in love with Briony’s story.

Rose in Chains is so well crafted, I think all fans of dark romantasy are going to eat it up.

I would give this 5 stars, but it took me a while to become invested in the storyline. I found myself becoming intrigued by 65-75% of the way in. This book ended on a massive cliffhanger and includes the slowest slow burn romance I have ever read in my life. The MMC was pissing me off at the end and better have a DAMN good reason as to why he kept pushing her away… Will be reading the second book whenever it is finished, just to see what happens between the FMC & MMC.

This was a tough read, not because of being bad but because I didn’t anticipate the dark themes in it. Of course when reading the TWs, I was warned but reading it in the moment was a different feeling.

I rated this five stars because of one main thing being our FMC Briony. Wow was her story hectic. Not only did she have to adapt to being in the shadow of her twin brother, the heir, but also had to adapt to a war and then adapt to being owned and paraded by people. And she still stayed strong, of course there were emotional moments but in this book, that emotion is very much needed.

I loved how the story and plot had me so hooked from early on. We get some flashback chapters, which I appreciated, but most of the time I craved going back to the present to know what was next. It was also very haunting that this was a very very slow burn. And them faking their relationship was entertaining. This book will keep you at the edge of your seat wondering what’s next and is Briony going to survive this. One comment about the end, wow was I so happy to read that epilogue :)

Wow, what a fascinating world Julie has created. I appreciate the trigger warnings for readers, as this covered a LOT of very dark, heavy topics. But she did it quite well. Julie Soto has a lovely, very easy to follow voice, while still making it feel "old" fantasy, in a sense. She did such a great job of holding back on details to the plot, then revealing them slowly from flashbacks scattered throughout. I absolutely devoured this book, because I just needed to know WHY this awful situation came to be. (Spoiler free, but there was such a great burning mystery behind how and why this world so quickly shifted into all of these poor women essentially becoming prisoners to some very awful, powerful and wealthy men.) The plot was well done, the world felt a bit like Beauty and the Beast---and I absolutely LOVED the way these women still found ways to support each other, bound together by this constant desire to be free. It was heartbreaking. It was romantic. It was cruel. It was such an unexpected story to follow, as I went into this book without having read the full synopsis, so I truly didn't know what I was up against until we got into Briony's awful capture. The use of familiars was really fun to see, the relationship between brother and sister was sad and beautiful. I wanted to scream at the men in this story, and I wanted to celebrate when Serena did THAT thing. Spoiler free.
It ended on SUCH a great cliffhanger. I'm excited to see how Briony hopefully* finds her way back into power, and changes things for this world. Great read.

When I requested this book, I was unaware that it was Dramione (Draco/Hermione) fanfiction. Because of its proximity to JK Rowling and JKR's horrific transphobia, I will not be reviewing and promoting this book to my followers. I look forward to Julie's next book, because I am a fan of hers.

julie soto did the most phenomenal job of taking something she created and making it her own world!

rose in chains follows briony, a princess to the eversun people, as she navigates a world where her people lost and her twin brother, the one to fulfill the prophecy, dies. an auction is held and she is sold for the highest bidding, for her title and virginity. briony finds herself in the hands of someone she has had her eyes on for years back at school. how much could she trust someone who was on the other side of the war?

this story holds such a special place in my heart. as a long time follower of julie soto, her writing style is so refreshing and intense. the tension between all the characters, especially briony and toven—i couldn’t put it down when it started getting so good! i loved every single second of this and thought julie did a beautiful job with this story! i am anticipating the next book already! the ending??? insane!!!

Disclaimer that I have read the fic this is based, which may have influenced my review.

I was really concerned at the beginning of this because I really think it fell into a lot of problems with adapting fanfic into published work: mainly that fanfic relies upon previous world building and character development that needs to be redone, and I don’t think she really did a good job with that.
The first few chapters were entirely *telling and not showing* world building, with a TON of character introductions with no development which was extremely concerning. I do think there was some additional world building in terms of the magic system and politics that was done throughout the book that helped me get over some of that. Where I think this was really lacking was in the character development, particularly for Briony’s family and friends. There were emotional scenes where I felt like I *should* care about them, but because I was given literally no character building I really didn’t. Unfortunately this had me falling back on what I knew about these characters from the original material which is not what should be happening.
*That being said,*
once I got past a certain point this book really picked up for me and I can’t lie, I loved the last ~70% of this. The way she was able to keep this full of sexual tension but still a slow burn and have it make sense and not be annoying was 🤌 and honestly her real bread and butter.
I get why they had to split this into three books (it’s LONG), but with that being said I think you can tell it’s one story broken up into three parts, rather than a trilogy that was written that way intentionally. I actually didn’t know that when I started it so I think that’s something that should be made clear to readers (I almost wish the title was like “part I” or something).
I’m really excited to see where this series goes and I expect that some of the issues I had with this one will be better in the next. Lowkey when is the next book coming out? I need.

Book Review! 💜

I absolutely loved The Auction when I first read it, so of course I loved this new version of the story just as much! The world building, the magic system, and the unique characters made this an enjoyable read. Infinite rounds of applause for how good this story turned out even with the new changes! I devoured the story in a few days and I truly did not want it to end! I can’t wait to read the rest of the series when it’s eventually released.

The stakes were high and the chemistry between the two main characters was off the charts. The story is addicting and will captivate you right from the start. I cannot recommend this one enough to all of my romantasy girlies.

Fair warning though, especially if you haven’t read the prior fanfiction version, the story is dark and definitely tackles some tough themes. Please proceed with caution and read the trigger warnings before diving in!

If you love enemies to lovers, a slow burn romance, and a unique magic system, then be sure to check this one out! Rose in Chains releases on July 8!

Thank you so much to Forever Publishing/Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy! 💗

HOLY SHIT. One MILLION stars. This book is tension incarnate. Every moment is wrought with danger, restraint, and something sharp lurking just beneath the surface. It’s not romantic. It’s feral. It’s claustrophobic. It’s obsession dressed like control.

The slow burn doesn’t tease. It torments. Every interaction builds with unbearable pressure and I’m literally feral for it. And the epilogue wrecked me. It came out of nowhere and shattered everything I thought I understood, but I won’t say any more about it. I had to sit in silence.

This book isn’t even out yet, and I already feel deranged knowing I have to wait for the next one. I am unwell.

THANK YOUUUU to Net Galley and Julie Soto for this advanced copy.

This book was so good. Like: ignore-your-family-and-all-your-responsibilities-until-you-finish good.

There is such power in Julie’s writing. In a way that as soon as I finish I simultaneously feel like:
1. I need to immediately reread this and
2. I don’t want to read anything else ever again.
And to know that Rose in Chains is the first of a trilogy?! HOW FORTUNATE ARE WE. This amazing woman has shot up the list of my favorite authors.

I loved so many of the characters from the get-go (especially Briony and Toven) and the depth they carry within them. I feel like Julie Soto is so talented when it comes to writing ambiguous, multi-dimensional characters and I love that about her writing. It keeps you guessing! I also really enjoyed the imagery throughout the book. And the slow burn within these pages?!? Incendiary. You will combust. In the best way. I felt like the magical system in this story was really unique and fascinating and the more we learned about it the more I enjoyed it and wished to explore it even more.

**THANK YOU Julie Soto for this masterpiece and to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC copy!**

Another gem of a book that I would give more than 5 stars to if I could!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but it was so good!! Strong 4 stars from me.

I knew this was originally a Hermione and Draco fanfic but if I had not know this, I wouldn’t have been able to tell.

Definitely look up trigger warnings going into it as it does have some darker themes and some of it is definitely traumatic.

It follows Princess Briony Rosewood as her father and brother are killed, and their castle overtaken by the Bomardi. The women are captured and each are sold as heartsprings in an auction to the highest bidder. As a heartspring the men are able to pull and use the women’s magic as their own.

Briony has both mind and heart magic and is sold to Toven, but all is not as it seems with this paring. There is more going on behind the scenes as Briony realizes all hope is not lost.

The story was easy to get into and it kept me entertained the entire time. If you enjoy tension and a good slow burn, this one is S…L…O…W! I’m ready for book 2, as I feel like the romance will likely pickup in the next book and I am ready for it.

I enjoyed the flashbacks that took us back in time to see different scenes as they help you understand the character dynamics a bit better, especially with Toven and Larissa.

I loved the politics, the world, the tension between Briony and Toven, and how Toven looks out for Briony. Some of the stuff that happened between them early on I am not a fan of, but he is doing it to try to keep her safe. I LOVED that Toven considered Briony part of his family and how his mom treats her. So sweet. I am SO ready for the next book as I am loving this story so far and can’t wait to find out what happens next, especially with that plot twist at the end!



Thank you to Netgalley and Forever(Grand Central Publishing) for this ARC. All opinions are my own.


You will love this story if you like
✨Slow burn
✨Tension
✨Lots of political intrigue
✨Magic
✨Rebellion
✨Morally Grey love interests and characters
✨Harry Potter but you wanted Hermione with Draco instead

This is my first Dramione inspired story, so I went into it with no expectations, other than I knew the original characters on whom these are based.

There are plenty of trigger warnings for this book, and the reader should be well aware of them before starting, as it's like the Tron ride at Disney - you get catapulted right into the story, and you won't have a chance to breathe for a while. There is graphic violence, death, sexual assault, and slavery/submission. General cruelty abounds throughout the whole book.

Moving on to the actual story line. The arc is a classic enemies-to-lovers romance set in a fantasy universe, where you see the reflections of Hogwarts vs Slytherin, good vs evil, in both thoughts and actions. Briony is a prisoner, held by the people who killed her family and overrun her kingdom. This is a story or surviving, and fighting back, working in secrets, and living from one spark of hope to the next.

There is misogyny and cruelty, feminine rage, sparks of hope, self-doubt, and lots and lots and lots of secrets.
What can you do when even your own thoughts can be used against you? Where do you go when even your own mind isn't private?

World building:
I think there was enough world building to understand everything that was going on, without getting lost in details. The magic system is explained and more information is given when you need it. The descriptions were well done without being flowy, and I felt I melted right into the environment.

Pacing:
The story has a LOT of action, and it rarely slows down. The ride slows down when the pov jumps back in time to help explain older references. This provides a way to learn more about the magic and the history without being in a frantic moment. I liked these breaks from all the action as a chance to catch a breath, regroup thoughts, and/or recover from some of the more graphic moments.

Honestly, at around 40% through, I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish the book because it was so distressing, but I'm glad I powered through, because now it's getting goooood. I can't wait for the next one in the series!

Big thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the e-arc. All reactions and opinions are my own.

I couldn’t put it down! I wasn’t sure how Dramione fiction would translate to a traditionally published Romantasy, but this was so well done. It’s definitely dark and hard to read, so check your trigger warnings. But I’m very much looking forward to book 2!

Thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the AC in exchange for an honest review

I would recommend if you're looking for (SPOILERS)

-m/f dark romantasy
-forced proximity
-sloooow burn
-childhood crush
-rivals to lovers
-auction

Julie Soto's writing just pulls me in. I was so absorbed in this story, the twists and turns, the incredible chemistry. I went into it mostly blind (I haven't read the fanfiction version I KNOOOWWW). The political drama, the slowest burn that will have you screaming. An incredible book that just has me begging for the next one because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!