Julie Soto can do no wrong.

I tried to draw this out as long as I possible could because I did NOT want it to end. The world building in this is amazing. The magic system and spells were explained in perfect detail but it never felt like info dumping so I never got bored with it, in fact I wanted to learn MORE. I ate up the darker tones woven through this as well. I LOVE a dark fantasy romance.

Briony and toven are two very multilayered characters. They both have so many layers to them. Briony Rosewood is the evermore princess forced to live in the shadow of her brother. She’s fierce, in magic and strategy. But the only future she’s destined for is to be married off for political alliances. Toven Hearst is a member of the bomardi family who are very well known for their strength in magic. He is very cold, closed off but we see him open up layer by layer. (hot layer by hot layer bc wow) Though these two attend school together- they are very much enemies. (even though Briony may have the ✨tiniest✨ crush)

The war is over, and the dark forces have won. Briony along with the other women are taken prisoner & forced into a dungeon. They strip them of their magic and auction them off to the highest bidder. The bidder that wins Briony just so happens to be Mr. Aloof hotness himself- Toven Hearst. The one who she despises but desires all at once.

this has very heavy topics so check your trigger warnings before starting this one. your mental health matters ❤️

Thankyou to netgalley for an early eARC!

This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2025 and DID NOT DISAPPOINT!🔥 'Rose in Chains' is a spin on Julie Soto's fanfic 'The Auction' and will be coming at us in the form of a trilogy.

This isnt your classic romantasy, in this first book we follow the unraveling of the dark forces winning. A magic supremacy is taking over and the 'lesser' magical type are to be auctioned off and leeched power from. Our FMC Briony is set to be sold at the highest bidding coming from the family heir to the throne. And rival former classmate Toven has his sights set on her, cost be damned. But why?

We follow Briony as she is captive in Tovens home, trying to spark a revolution. With dragons, magic, feminine rage, and morally gray characters, Rose in Chains will keep you turning page after page. I absolutely cannot wait for the discourse on this book and will be counting down the days to book 2!

Fans of the original fic - do not fear this book will have you FED, I absolutely devoured this in just two days and it has haunted me since. I can't wait for it to be released!!

The Auction was one of the first fics I ever finished and what introduced me to Julie Soto's writing While alot of the major plot points of the fic still exist in this new original fantasy, she has crafted a whole new world around them that I think enriches character motivations and decisions. If you have never read the Auction but are a romantasy girlie who likes dark romance I think this will be right up your alley. Pleaseee read the TWs though because there are a lot of them. Thanks Netgalley for blessing me with an e-ARC of one of my most anticipated releases of the year🙂‍↕️💕

Imgur link goes to Instagram post scheduled for July 7th (can be possibly moved forward based on posting)
Blog link goes live July 8th.
Amazon and Barnes and Noble reviews will be up when available
Youtube review will be during Friday Reads for 5/2 & covered in July Releases


**TL;DR**: This should have stayed fanfiction.
**Source**: NetGalley - many thank so the publisher!

**Plot**: Our main character is capture after a failed rebellion and sold to a school enemy.
**Characters**: They were very clearly Harry Potter characters with changed names sadly. So I can’t say much to this.
**Setting:** This had promise! But it couldn’t care the rest of the story.
**Fantasy/Romance:** Just me but I’m not going to be into a guy who harassed me for years and then humilates me and allows his friends to sexual harass me. JUST ME MAYBE THOUGH.

**Thoughts**:

My initial interest in this was purely due to Julie Soto’s name. I have read some of her contemporary work and liked it! I heard whispers it was based on fanfiction she’d written I felt it was strong enough that the work stood on it’s own. This one I had no idea was fanfiction till close to receiving an arc and even then I hoped. But I was sadly and deeply disappointed.

The way in which this is so obviously Draco & Hermione fanfiction is a bit insulting. Names have been changed, friends are now sisters and brothers, and the setting is different but it’s very much using the cast of the franchise and I fear if you take out the elements that can be similar you have nothing there. Fanfiction often relies on you the reader to be familiar with established relationships and politics, and without that understanding this I do not think would stand well.

The romance, the driving point of this plot, is also one I simply cannot stand behind. I’m not a Dark Romance reader most days so this could simply not be to my taste. However, I struggle to find the appeal of a hero like this. Allowing his friends to touch and harass you? Forcing nudity in front of others and locking you in a room for days? It’s not for me my friends. I would be looking for a way to commit murder, not finding him appealing. No matter our history.

So this is a hard no. And a rare one star for me. These special single stars I reserve for my most disliked, offensive, or upsetting books and we’ve found my first for 2025. I felt gross and sick reading this and I truly wish I could have those hours back. Additionally this needs a LOT of triggers for enslavement, sexual assault (on page to the PoV character), violence, the list goes on. Flashbacks attempt, poorly, to establish history but just serve to reinforce that this is Harry Potter reskinned. I don’t recommend, and I am sorry if this is your cup of tea. It’s just not mine.

Not for me. I have read the original fanfic and the overarching story was interesting enough for me to see how the traditionally published version played out.

I am shocked that something with such heavy themes has such juvenile writing. Truly read like the writing style of a middle grades or young YA book. It feels so much more obvious now that the story doesn't have familiar characters/places attached to it.

And the names, my goodness, the NAMES. Toven...HEARST? Like the wealthy family? And a building called the Biltmore? Reighven? JELLICA, like the Jellical Cats from the musical? Velicity? I could go on and on.

This also did not need to be split into 3 separate books. At most, a duology. But it easily could've been a chunky standalone. Publishers pushing for an idea to be stretched out for money is exhausting and frustrating for readers.

Oh WOW. I loved this, absolutely devoured it. I haven’t read the fanfic version, but the characters and worldbuilding really stand on their own. The magic system in particular was very well-done. The slow burn is simmering. My one wish is that the MC was a bit more intelligent--there were quite a few times when I wanted to reach in and shake Briony and ask her why her mind went one direction when clearly it should have gone the other. But I suppose that just ups the tension. What can you do.

I didn’t realize until 3/4 of the way through this that it was gonna be a TRILOGY so I’ll just be here waiting, twiddling my thumbs and recommending everyone read this first book until book two releases.

Also: definitely be mindful of the warnings found at the start of the book. Things get very intense. Take care of yourselves etc.!

SLOW burn and beautiful setup for the next book. I’ll never shut up about getting to read this one early so apologies in advance for being insufferable about it.

10/10 vibes and if you were a fan of the dramione version you will definitely ✨feel✨ the elements of that in this but obviously with a different magic system, characters and original spin on it.

The only thing that pains me is how long I have to wait for the next book

This was one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year and it didn't disappoint! I have read the fanfic which this book has been adapted from and loved it, so reading Rose in Chains is like getting to read your favourite book all over again for the first time and getting a nice big hug.

While some of the fanfic plot points are used in this book, the use of flashbacks in the book really adds something fresh for the character exploration and allows the reader to better understand the characters and motivations. I love the dialogue between Briony and Toven. I love the new direction the book takes and can't wait to read the next book.

Thank you to NetGally and Forever(Grand Central Publishing) for an eARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I feel like I’ve said a lot this year “this is one of my most anticipated releases”, but this one legitimately is my most anticipated read of 2025: Julie Soto’s romantasy Rose in Chains! After being captured by the enemy, Briony Rosewood knows the world has changed—her brother is dead and now her and the survivors are about to be sold in an auction and she’s lost access to her mind magic. She is sold to none other than Toven Hearst, her long-time infatuation with a reputation for ruthless heart magic, and in this new life, Briony is determined to find a way to rescue herself and her friends. I was not expecting a trilogy with this. Don’t get me wrong, I am so excited for more, but I am SO ready already for the rest of this story I would’ve kept reading for another thousand pages. I loved it. I loved knowing it started as a Draco/Hermione fanfic. It’s a slow burn that I definitely wanted a little more romance from, but it had an almost early Rhysand/Feyre from ACOTAR vibe to Tovan and Briony, and all the tension was there. The magic felt unique and understandable, and I loved the world built in this romantasy. Briony is so brave and has such a big heart, I want all the things for her. And Tovan! He is such a good morally gray hero, and I want to know so much more about him and what his plans are! Rose in Chains is dark and it’s perfectly Julie Soto. The writing, the angst, the story! It’s amazing and I need more of Briony and Tovan immediately!

I physically could not put this book down. I am a very straightforward girly, I read after work and go to bed at 8:30PM. I was up until midnight reading this and ended up reading this in 24 hours because I just couldn’t COULD. NOT. put it down. I have read tons of romantasy in my short life and this quickly became a top 5 for me. It was sexy, it was dark, it was EVERYTHING.

When I finished, I was on my knees trying to contemplate how I would go another year or so until the next book. I YEARN for them. I did not want it to be over.

It was devastatingly perfect.

I really like Julie Soto’s realistic fiction but I loved this. I can’t wait for the next book. She does such a good job with characters. I also really liked how the flashbacks were structured to give us more of the characters’ story.
Spoilers: If I could make changes, I’d like to see a little more progress/admission in the romantic relationship — will no one admit a single thing at any point in the whole book? And the reader can obviously tell some things Briony is misinterpreting and I wish she could clue in or they could have a conversation about at least one thing. But still I want Toven and Briony together so badly and I was enthralled. I’m definitely reading book two as soon as I can, a little bit to see what happens with the kingdoms and all that but mostly to see Briony and Toven fully together and what their Sacral bond and magic looks like. Also really hoping/looking forward to them being in each other’s minds more for their relationship and also to thwart their enemies.
I’ve already started telling everyone I know who likes this genre that they have to read this book.

So, this book made me realize several things. First, I love Julie Soto's writing style. From her contemporary romances to this debut dark romantasy, Soto's storytelling fully immerses me in her books. The descriptions, use of dialogue, imagery, and nuanced characters and relationships make her an auto-buy author (or, in this case, an auto-request on NetGalley).

Second, Dramione-based relationships are not for me. I've never read Draco/Hermione fan fiction, and I didn't read the piece this is based on. And I really dislike bully romances, so the main romantic (kind of?) relationship did not work for me at all. I didn't understand Briony's feelings toward Toven when he was so cruel to her at times. How do you get past the verbal and physical abuses? I guess he does right by her in some regards, and he saved her from a terrible fate at the auction, but for me, that doesn't make up for all the harm he's caused over the course of YEARS. I feel like Toven is the best of the worst, and Briony could do (and deserves) so much better.

Third, I love fantasy worlds and experiences. In this story, the world was interesting with nods to the original HP series and fresh and compelling additions. However, it was way too dark for me. With threats of sexual assault, sexual harassment, violence, and debasing auctions where they sell people for anything their owner desires, including siphoning their magic and other personally violating activities, there were too many disturbing elements for me. I would definitely recommend reading the content warnings before starting.

Finally, I think this was a well-written and immersive dark fantasy. It wasn't a bad read. It just wasn't the right fit for me. But if you've ever wondered what would have happened if the Dark Lord had won and defeated Harry and the rest, you might want to check this one out.

Thanks to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book. All thoughts are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up. I officially have a book hangover after reading this. Do not start reading late at night -- not only because it's extremely addictive and hard to put down, but honestly the first third of this book is non-stop action, trauma and seemingly impossible situations for the heroine to get out of. This is definitely a darker romantasy than I'm used to reading, but the dynamic between Briony and Toven was really compelling. Despite both thinking their love for the other has been unrequited for years (and really, they've hidden their true feelings so well, it's understandable), their chemistry is undeniable as they navigate the deadly dynamics of the new world order after Briony's family and kingdom are conquered and she and her people become enslaved for their magic under Toven's kingdom's ruler. The stakes are incredibly high throughout as Briony fights to survive and eventually plots how to find the other surviving Eversun rebels, at the same time that she is trying to figure out whether Toven and his family want to help or kill her. It's been a long time since I felt this absorbed in a series, and I can't believe we have to wait until next year for book 2!

Thank you to Forever and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

As someone who has devoured and loved everything Julie Soto has published so far, I went into Rose in Chains with high expectations — and somehow, she still managed to exceed them. This book absolutely floored me.

From the very first chapter, I was pulled into the dark, vivid world Soto created, and I couldn’t look away. The slow-burn romance between Briony and Toven was deliciously tense, full of aching moments and quiet intensity that had me hanging on every word. Soto’s ability to craft complex, emotionally layered characters just keeps getting better, and Rose in Chains might be her best character work yet.

The fantasy elements added a new richness to her storytelling, but what stayed consistent — and what I love most about her writing — is the emotional gut-punches she delivers with such grace. Every twist, every stolen glance, every heartbreak felt earned and real.

This is the kind of book that lingers with you long after you finish it. I couldn’t put it down, and honestly, I didn’t want to. If you’ve loved her earlier books, get ready — Rose in Chains is something special.

I really did not enjoy this book. I actually decided to DNF it at 50% because I was just not having a good time with it. I honestly started thinking about DNF’ing at closer to 30% but kept pushing hoping that it would get better.

Firstly, I am not a fan of dark romance. I have a hard time reading about woman who is falling in love with someone who treats her poorly or is abusive to her. That is just my preference and no judgement at all to anyone who does read or enjoy darker romance stories. My problem with this book is that it didn’t feel believable at all that she was falling in love with Toven. He never gave her any reason at all to make her have feelings for him, other than being mildly flirtatious and occasionally making suggestive remarks. Oh, and being handsome of course. I felt like there were no redeeming qualities to him and even when we went back in time to them being in school together, all we got were stories of him being rude and antagonistic to her. I just don’t think there is enough character building for either Briony or Toven to make me believe that they care about each other at all in anyway other than physically.

I also found the writing style of this book to be incredibly juvenile. I understand this is an ARC and may have been edified in some places, but the overall writing was so stilted and unimaginative, details were listed off more like a grocery list than in a way that would help me feel immersed in the world. I know this was originally Dramione FanFic, and I think that translating from a world that we all know and love to a completely new unfamiliar world was not executed properly. I’m not sure if we’re supposed to read this imagining Malfoy Manor and Hogwarts and she just didn’t put in a lot of effort so that we can continue to imagine that, but that would be a huge disservice for those who have never read HP and still want to pick up this book.

And finally the only reason I hung on so long through this book was to see if we would get any actual plot, but even 50% in this book had nothing to keep me engaged or wanting to pick it up to see what happens next. The entire plot was her being trapped in her captors home and trying to find creative ways to learn more about what’s happening in the outside world. But what was the point? She barely talked about escape, it felt more like she was just hoping the rebellion would come and save her rather than her forming her own plan of how to stop what is happening. And if it is supposed to be more of a character study then I would understand, but I also didn’t feel like any of the characters were fully fleshed out either. Briony was written very flat, I feel like I didn’t have any idea what kind of person she was. She loved her brother I guess but even that didn’t come across with any emotional strength. I just felt like I really didn’t care about either the characters what they were going through, or what was going to happen next in the story and it’s ultimately why I decided to DNF.

Not knowing this was dramione fic (Draco Malfoy x Hermione Granger fan fic from Harry Potter series) was unfortunate when I got this arc. As a trans person, I have major issues with HP and will keep it at that as I don't want to have my review taken down.

It's a bummer to see this book being marketed as dramione fic in 2025 when in reality the MMC looks like Draco, they went to a magic school, and that’s kind of the end of the major parallels I found.

Warning for minor spoilers and thoughts for the book but overall, not going to reveal all the secrets and plot spoilers. Read at your own discretion.


In no particular order, major issues I had with this book:

- This book tries extremely hard to include to write up a ‘good slave owner’ plot line to make it not that badTM, but at the end of the day, getting sold into sex slavery is the key component to this plot and relationship.

- Such. Emphasis. On. Virginity. SO MUCH. There are chapters on the need to preserve this 25 year old FMC’s virginity, how to shield it and pretend like she has had sex. There’s literal magic used to put her ‘virginity’ into a glass jar. The number of highlights I have just solely on her virginity is insane to me.

- The bigger villains of the story have their noses described to show their evilness – “twisted, crooked, large” are the descriptors used. They also are the evil men out to rape and abuse the FMC and all other women. Antisemitism anyone??

- Using threats of rape and sterilization to keep the plot moving and to keep the women from doing anything throughout the story.

- All the interactions of the FMC with any other women does not pass any resemblance of the Bechdel Test.

- This is a very cishet book. Women are but vessels and wombs to fuck and men hold the majority of the power and use sexual humiliation and whipping their dicks out as power. There’s a hint of one guy being maybe queer of some flavor, but it’s all very shameful and hidden and homophobic.

- The slaves got branded on their forearms with their owners names.

- Flashbacks were way too common throughout this book, and also contradicted things that the main time frame was supposed to be saying, which was annoying.



The writing was also objectively not great. Examples:

- Many elements of this book was copy-pasted out from other popular works. I understand that most fiction is inspired by other works/media/etc. HOWEVER, good writers are able to make it feel less “copied” and this didn’t work. ACOTAR world building and elements kept appearing. We know characters are meant to be filed off HP characters. If I can see a plotline/character reveal from a mile away, that's not great writing for me personally.

- So many sentences stating the same thing and reiterating the same sentiment. Déjà vu again & again.

- This is stated to be an enemies to lovers situation in the blurb and marketing, but the flashbacks and all current on page interactions show that to be a lie. Weak writing took chemistry that could have been fleshed out as misunderstood enemies to lovers, and just displayed out all the feelings for each MC without any nuance.

- Magic system and lore is weak and underdeveloped. There’s mind magic and heart magic. And heart magic users don’t like heart magic users. There's also no world building besides the different homes people are transported to.

- 200 pages of this could have been cut out to make this more cohesive. We didn’t need the same scenes night after night of the characters doing the same things in order to show growth. There’s only so many times this FMC needs to sit in a lap to show how comfortable she can be touching the MMC. I didn’t need to read chapters of discussion on one woman’s virginity. Or pages of the same guys threatening the same rape and assault to show that she was in peril. We get it, keep it moving.



TLDR: I would not recommend this and wish I could give 0 stars as a rating. This has antisemitism, purity culture, poor world building and magical system lore, repetitive writing and way too much filing off serial numbers of past popular books.

Nothing happens for 99% of the book, and I wish I was joking. The bad guys won and the women get sold as magical sex slaves. The first few chapters are pure exposition (lots of telling), as are most of the flashbacks. There’s a deluge of characters introduced in the beginning, the plot is very thin and repetitive, the characters all one-note, and the magical lore an afterthought.

The story also seems to glorify human trafficking. I know this is not the author’s intention, but the heroine Briony is aware of what is happening to the women of her Rosewood kingdom yet she starves for some sort of similar sexual exploitation from her captor/love interest, Tevon, which gives this story a pretty problematic message and does not handle the trafficking part with any sensitivity as the story hyperfocuses on how brutish and crass most of the Bromard men are, which is deeply unsettling and unnecessarily repetitive. Briony, despite being captured, has full use of her magic, can still study and traverse around the house, and is not mistreated, but somehow still has zero agency and absolutely no plans on saving her kingdom or her friends.

This book is a highly anticipated release, and after reading it, I found out that this is based on reworked Harry Potter (Draco/Hermione romance) fanfic. In 2025, I’m personally not sure why there is still an audience for anything JK Rowling-related.

Special thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an early copy of this book! Below is my honest review.

Rating: 2 stars out of 5 stars

Honestly, I don't know even know what I read. I felt like this book had no plot whatsoever. Basically, the story comes down to this; princess and her people get sold to the winning side of whatever war they were in as magical sources. Our FMC is sold at a very high price, but isn't used as a magical source. Instead, her buyer/owner/captor is actually very nice to her and wants to protect her for some unknown reason. It's also good to mention that the buyer is someone she had a crush on since forever. In the meantime, she is also trying to find out what happened to her friends and family.

That's it.

On a very vague level, I understand our FMC's motivations. But there's super high level. I want to know the nitty-gritty. I want to know what makes her tick. I want to understand why this book is through her POV. Yes, we're told she's powerful, but how so? We know that there is a prophecy involved, but I need to know more. I felt like there was so little world building. How is this considered romantasy? Romance where?? The main couple barely kisses by the end of the book, let alone has sex. FANTASY WHERE?? I cannot understand how people gave this book a 5 stars. I love Julie Soto, but this fell super flat for me.

This was the first book I have read from this author. The cover is what drew my attention. It's a shame the book is not as good as the cover. The romance...amazing. The world building was mid at best. I actually found out this was based on a fanfiction which is probably why I got Wattpad or AO3 vibes while reading it. The magic felt random which makes sense because I believe this is based on a Harry Potter fanfic. Idk I just think the writing was average, but the romance was good enough I liked it. Would still recommend,

A somewhat promising start to a new romantasy trilogy!

(Small disclaimer: I read the fanwork this is based on, and while I tried not to compare them, somethings still slipped through. I am going to try to keep those comparisons out of this review.)

I think I ended up enjoying this book, but I was worried for a long time that this would be a wash for me. I really struggled with the worldbuilding and magic systems. They felt both extremely bland and rudimentary and also very confusing at the same time. I have a better grasp on them by the end of the book, but I still think it’s very boring re: the fantasy world. In my opinion, it felt like Soto took the easy way out when reworking this in regards to the fantasy setting.

My other big gripe with Rose in Chains comes from the characterizations. And by that I mean we get 0 character development or growth. We are plopped into this fantasy world with these characters, but I don’t know anyone’s motivations or relationships. We were told how the characters feel, but I was never able to fully buy into all of the characters.

Both of those major concerns coalesce into the main problem I have with this book, which is, in essence, why? For these women and men to be sold into sexual and magical slavery, the plot and characters lack a sense of anything actually being dire. Toven is essentially a brick wall, Briony has no traits other than loving Toven and constantly thinking of something to research, and Bomard and Evermore’s war is only because of different types of magic. I wanted MORE. As I said before, I just couldn’t buy into a lot of this.

All of this to say, I still did have a decent time, and I love Julie Soto, so I will continue the series. I think the ending took an interesting turn, and I’m excited to see how it plays out.

Thank you for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.