When her castle is taken by the enemy, Briony Rosewood realizes that her world has changed forever. The dark forces have won, and her people are faced with a choice: enslavement, imprisonment, or death.

Deprived of her magic and freedom, Briony, along with the other survivors, is sold at auction. After a fierce bidding war, she is bought by Toven Hearst, a scion of a family known for their cruelty.

I’m thrilled by Julie Soto’s writing style. I haven’t read the fanfic The Auction and I'm not a fan of Dramione, but I really liked this story.
I liked that, despite the presence of cruelty and numerous triggers in the story, they are not detailed enough to cause disgust.

I took off one star mostly because the fmc annoyed me at times. Plus, there were some unnecessary repetitions of things that had already been said just a few pages before.

That said, I also want to give a special thanks to whoever chose the narrator — I really liked her delivery and the way she conveyed emotions and portrayed different characters. She definitely made the listening experience more enjoyable.

Tropes:
— dark romantasy
— forbidden romance
— enemies to lovers
— forced proximity
— sloooow burn

❗️ The book contains triggers, please review them on the author's website before reading.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Forever for providing this eARC and ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Omg I've already read it as an earc and now I've been the luckiest to get also the ALC.

This book is one of the best releases of the year and I don't say that just because I'm a Julie Soto and a Dramione fan.
She found the way to rewrite her entire fanfic into a whole new world with a very unique magic system.
The characters are still very inspired by Dramione and I absolutely loved it!!!!

The only thing I need to say to other readers who don't know about this book yet : Do check for the trigger warnings!
This is a very dark story!

Concerning the Narrator, I feel like they chose the absolute best to represent Briony and Toven <3 She did both voice perfectly!!!

This book is my new roman empire!!

Rose in Chains is adapted and reworked from one of her most famous fanfictions, The Auction. I primarily picked this up because I am an avid fan of it and there is not a single book Julie Soto has wrote that has not absolutely floored me.

The world building is exquisite, as is the narrator. I genuinely could not stop listening to this audiobook. I was taking mental notes and theorizing alongside Briony the whole time.

This is a good slow burn. Toven and Briony had me on my toes with the yearning both have, but won't admit, for each other. They embody pride and prejudice!

What do you mean I have to now wait for the next two books in the series to come out??

Thanks to Hachette Audio, Forever and NetGalley for the eALC in exchange for an honest review!

This book completely had me obsessed for two whole days in which I did nothing but read and think about this book. The audiobook about the same effect. Ella Lynch does an incredible job as Briony and bringing her spirit to life. Her tone is very clear and she has a wonderfully soothing voice. She does an excellent job differentiating the other characters as well. The only issue I had was I wish we had a male narrator as well.

Thank you net galley for the opportunity to listen to this arc exchanged for a honest review. Sadly this will be short and quick I ended up dnf the book. Couldn’t get into the story felt like I was missing a lot of background information. Just felt like it was lacking world building.

I really liked the book! I tandem read it with the ARC and ALC and the experience was really elevated, I didn't read the fanfic this was based off of until afterwards so I went in blind, it held up good on it's own but I wish for a first book there was a bit more world building.

The narrator really did make this a very good time though!

note: reread with the audio arc and the earc together and everyone is in for a treat. Ella Lynch's narration has a quiet determination to it with how she crafts briony's voice and i can't wait to reread both editions together in preparation for the next book in the trilogy in the coming years. briony is still one of the best characters i've read in fantasy this year.

i will admit that i have read the auction so i went into rose in chains more so to see how soto would transform the story into something new. as someone who doesn't read a lot of fantasy, even i had trouble following all the names at times, so i wonder how well this novel will translate to those who hasn't had the background going in. however, i loved that the change up to the magic system rests on a simple conceit: the difference between pulling magic from the mind and pulling magic from the heart. although cheesy, isn't the point of life because of our ability to love? the stakes from the war drive up this point as well as what is left unsaid between the central romance in briony and toven's story. i can't wait to read more and loved that briony's strength and intelligence were at the center even though her people were the ones being hunted.

Oh my gosh, this audiobook and the narrators were phenomenal! I LOVED everything about this story. Bryoni and Toven were EVERYTHING! I already can’t wait for book two and I just finished book one! Julie Soto is a brilliant storyteller, I still can’t believe this is a debut fantasy. She writes like she’s been doing it her whole life and I can’t wait to see more from her!

Whilst Rose in Chains was a fun and fast paced read, I really felt that the world/character building was lacking. I really struggled to care about what the FMC was going through since I really didn't know to much about her or the world.

I do think Julie did a great job at turning this fan fic into an enjoyable romantic story but I wish things weren't so rushed. 😅

Thank you to Julie Soto, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an audio ARC of Rose in Chains.

🥀 FORCED PROXIMITY
✨ SLOWBURN
🥀 ENEMIES TO LOVERS
✨ INTERESTING MAGIC SYSTEM

THIS BOOK ALTERED MY BRAIN CHEMISTRY. I am unwell. Obsessed. Sick with yearning. The tension?? The slow burn?? The forced proximity?? I could scream. Briony & Toven have me in a chokehold—enemies to everything in between to lovers done perfectly.

Also, JULIE SOTO BROUGHT BACK YEARNING IN BOOKS & I COULD CRY. The romance was TORTUROUS and I devoured every second. The magic, the world-building, the past/present timelines?? Chef’s kiss. And that ENDING?!?!?!?? I am NOT okay.

If you love romantasy with angst, tension, & a plot that won’t let you go, read Rose in Chains immediately. Now, excuse me while I lay on the floor and scream until book two. 😭🔥✨

Also, the audiobook is so worth checking out—the narrator really got the tone right. I do kinda wish it had been dual narration though. I just can’t un-hear it when one narrator tries to do all the voices, especially the opposite gender??

I HAVE NOT KNOWN PEACE SINCE READING THIS BOOK.

The tension?? The yearning?? The slow burn so agonizing it could fuel a candle for a year?!? I AM UNWELL. Briony & Toven’s dynamic is everything—enemies to everything in between to lovers, done flawlessly. Their chemistry?? INFURIATINGLY PERFECT. The back-and-forth, the longing, the painful pining??? I ate it up.

And let’s talk about the world-building!! The past & present timelines were so well-balanced, the magic system felt fresh & immersive, and the STORY?? I was HOOKED from page one. The pacing was insane—this book is long, but I flew through it like my life depended on it.

AND THAT ENDING??? 🤯💀 I need book two immediately.

If you love romantasy with high stakes, angst, slow burn, and characters that will RUIN you emotionally, Rose in Chains is a must-read. But fair warning: you will spiral, and you will be screaming for the next book.

Also?? The audiobook slaps. The narrator nailed the tone of the story—totally captured the vibe. I do wish they’d gone with a duet narration though. I mean... they had to have the budget, right?? It always throws me a bit when female narrators do male voices (or vice versa tbh), but that’s just a me thing.

Now excuse me while I lie on the floor and wallow until July 8th when my preorder arrives. 😭🔥

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!! omg😭 one of my most highly anticipated reads of 2025

edited: i received an alc O M G!!!!!!

3.5 stars — and it pains me to say this, but alas i will explain why.

let me preface that i absolutely TORE through this book, could not put it down nor stop thinking about it, and was so beyond happy to return to a familiar world to experience the new content presented. however, it is not without its imperfections.

so if you’ve read julie soto’s dramione fanfic, you know how wonderfully she can add to an existing world by expanding on characters and fleshing out their complexities and emotions, creating phenomenal plot reveals and motivations, and slow-burn romance that is to die for. there are only a handful of fanfic authors that i continuously reread their works due to how brilliantly they’ve written, and julie soto is one of them.

my excitement for her traditionally published work lay in the hope that she write the same way in a world of her own imaginings, and she has proved to me she can do that, especially in her ya debut the thrashers, which i absolutely recommend.

however, perhaps i’m being too harsh and picky in saying that rose in chains was still too heavily reliant on her fanfic the auction? but i felt rose in chains was lacking in the world-building i was hoping to see by julie soto, especially after two (three, by the time this book is published) fully traditionally published novels. i really wish readers had a deeper insight into the political/magical tensions between bombard and eversun, and that there were perhaps more scenes between the characters when they were younger to emphasize how prejudices are taught/learned. i fear that the fanfic to traditionally published books will forgo the fact that readers were so drawn to fanfic BECAUSE they were already familiar with the worlds and characters within the fanfic they are reading. i cannot emphasize enough the importance of world-building, strong character development/motivation, and more importantly information presented outside of flashbacks every other chapter…

the prophecy of briony’s twin brother rory was vague (of course, because all prophecies are), but their relationship as twins was extremely lackluster. again, without proper world-building and character development, this felt extremely two-dimensional.

if readers are going into rose in chains without having read the auction, i think there will be immense shock value given all the traumatic content, but will still be able to enjoy this series as a “new” romantasy rather than one inspired by a hugely popular fanfic. for those fanfic fans returning, it might be harder to separate the original fandom characters from the new characters, but i think they too will still have an enjoyable time.

finally, just a personal irk: the names briony and toven! ugh, girl i just could not help but roll my eyes at the names for our two mcs. every other characters’ names? fine. but out of all the fantasy names why briony and toven…?

all of this to say: i am incredibly proud to support julie soto and will certainly continue the series in hopes that the next two books contain more “original”, never been published to ao3 content than this first book. this is just the beginning and i’m excited to be along for the ride!!

“The boy who hesitated when his Father told him to leave her there.”

<img src= https://i.makeagif.com/media/6-07-2021/rOgZ96.gif>

This was dark, but not as dark as Manacled.
(I haven’t read The Auction, but I can only imagine)
I probably should’ve so I could compare the two, but I still enjoyed this, I love a slowww burn 🔥

As for a captive, girl- It could be way worse for you ☠️ I just don’t think she realizes that sometimes. And for Toven… I might’ve not been able to get into him as much ‘cause the narrator, he just sounded so pompous, but in like a Barbie movie way lmfao. Which is totally not Ella’s fault, but I wish they had did a duet for this though, like I’m sure they had budget.
(Also, the names are so weird to me lmfao. Briony & Toven 😩 I can’t. They sound like horses)

Story wise it was fun, I was always at the edge of my seat like girl 👁️👄👁️ Play the role… Just blend in, like I was fr shaking in my boots, but at the same time- Let me try that elixir real quick…

*Inserts Joker meme here*

The ending was… Whewww 🥵 Gave just enough to want the second book, but for the reveal… It was tea, but I wasn’t as gagged as I would’ve wanted to be. I think it was more like, ok. We got that confirmed 🙂‍↕️
Overall, I always eat up some Julie Soto. The Thrashers was my ish & this is a close runner up!!

This book! Wow. I never wanted to stop reading “Rose in Chains.” It is dark and addicting, and the slow burn romance kept me so locked in to this story. Please check the content warnings on this one. It is a dark story and the content is difficult to read at times. This story starts with the enemy kingdom winning. It’s a hard but beautiful tale to see those in captive begin to rise from the ashes. The world building was so well done. Julie Soto is a powerful writer. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel.

For those who love:
💟 Forced Proximity
💟 Enemies to Lovers?
💟 Mutual Pining
💟 Dramoine
💟 Slow Burn
💟 High Stakes Fantasy

The audiobook format is a great option as well. The narrator fits well with the story.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.