Thank you to Becca Calder, Xpresso Book Tours and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review .

Emotional wreckage (check triggers), magical bonds, a complicated love triangle, trauma, fated mates and a toxic villain were all in this dark Romantasy and made The Chained Prince so good!

I loved Araya Starborn as the FMC, she is complicated, strong, flawed and irrevocably trapped due to events out of her control. I just wanted to fix everything for her and ached at every traumatic event that she was put through. I also very rarely instantly loathe a main character, but I did and I cannot wait to see them hopefully get their ass handed to them as the series continues. That sort of reader empathy is only felt due to great writing. The twist on shadow magic was so unique and intriguing.

The devastatingly toxic element to the love triangle that ensnares Araya made it very emotional to read key events that led to where she is left at the end. I can’t wait to see her character develop and how this triangle plays out in Book 2. It’s an instant add to TBR

I loved this! I read it in an afternoon; it was so hard to put down. I really liked the characters, and it felt different from a lot of the cookie cutter romance fantasy I have been consuming. Love!

4.5 ✨ I loved this book from start to finish!! Our Ffc Araya was very naive which was annoying at times but all shes wanted was to be safe and cared for!! Then we have Jaxon 👀 I think we all know are feeling for him (hated him from the beginning) he’s was manipulative and pure evil can’t stand him!! Then finally our Mmc Loren who we love from the beginning a trapped prince how’s mate was bonded to another 🥺😭💔 poor Loren!!
Overall I loved this book so much I need book 2 NOW! 😂 highly highly recommend 🥰

🌑✨𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘒 𝘙𝘌𝘝𝘐𝘌𝘞✨🌑
🖤 The Chained Prince by Becca Calder
📚 Book 1 of The Eldergreen Series
🗓️ Releases June 3, 2025
🗡️ Romance | Dark Fantasy | Indie Gem
#TheChainedPrince #NetGalley #RomantasyReads

⚠️ This book? Had me by the throat. I couldn’t look away. ⚠️

Dark, brutal, and laced with just enough slow-burn tension to make you SCREAM—this romantasy debut delivered tortured souls, wicked world-building, and a fated connection that haunts you long after the last page.

💀 Araya is a fae mage hiding in plain sight, surviving under the thumb of a violent, possessive human mage in a world where fae are stripped of rights, freedom, and even their magic.
🕸️ Loren is the brooding, broken prince haunting her dreams... and he's real. Shackled. Dangerous. Her mate.
⚔️ Together, they’re collateral in a war of power—and each other’s only hope for survival.

Let’s be clear: this is not a cozy fantasy. This is dark, devastating, and unrelenting. But oh, it’s so good. Calder doesn’t hold back on the cruelty of her world, and it makes every soft, stolen moment between Araya and Loren hit even harder.

✨ 𝙏𝙍𝙊𝙋𝙀 𝘾𝙃𝙀𝘾𝙆 ✨
🖤 Bound to the villain
🔥 Tortured, brooding hero
💋 Forbidden magic + forbidden romance
🌙 Fated mates via dreams
📚 Hidden identity
🪓 Touch her and die (💀 LITERAL edition)
⏳ Slow-burn tension + cliffhanger ending
🤫 Complex love triangle (yes, it’s messy)
🗡️ Morally black all around

This one’s for the readers who love:
🌑 A heroine finding her strength through trauma
🌑 Shadowy princes who speak in broken dreams
🌑 Magic systems grounded in blood, bone, and betrayal
🌑 Desperate, feral love in a world designed to break you

📖 This is ACOTAR meets The Prison Healer with even darker edges. It’s a promise of rage, survival, and hope buried beneath ruin. And yes—it hurts so good.

⭐️ 4.5/5 | Full send into book 2 when???

#DarkRomance #Romantasy #FaeBooks #EnemiesToLovers #SlowBurnRomance #FatedMates #MoralGrayMCs #IndieRomance #Bookstagram #BooksOfInstagram #FantasyRomance #FantasyReads #BeccaCalder #TheEldergreenSeries #literaryhavocreviews #ComingJune2025 #FaeboundAndFurious

This book was incredibly enjoyable. It is a bit darker than I was expecting but I couldn't put it down. The author portrays a toxic relationship beautifully and has you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

I found the ending pretty predictable, but that doesn't take away from how good it was. The book was clearly a setup for a very interesting series. I felt a bit lost in the first 20% while trying to figure out the lore, but after that I was hooked.

I couldn't put this book down. The tension starts ramping up and by the 80% mark I was on the edge of my seat. I look forward to finding out what happens in this series.