Thank you to Hachette Audio for this ALC.

I'm a massive fan of The Auction, so I was really excited to see how this book turned out. I was not disappointed, I think If you haven't read the original this could be a very dark story. However, that's not me! I was so excited to get this ALC and it was just as gripping and addictive.
The narration was perfect and really did a great job of being engaging and depicting each character as I thought they'd be.
I just cannot say how much I really enjoyed this, great characters, interesting plot and I think kept a good skeleton of the derivative story - to not alienate the fanfic readers.
I would recommend to anyone who loves a slow burn, dark romantasy.
So excited to get my special edition physical copy next month. 😁

Let’s start by talking about the audiobook, because Ella Lynch did a stellar job with her narration!! I swear sometimes when I closed my eyes I saw Emma Watson and Tom Felton delivering the lines. The cadence and inflections, moments of petulance and wheedling, it was truly perfection. And, of course, to me, the best audiobooks are those that cause you to forget you are reading with your ears and not your eyes. That’s always down to production, post production, and quality control. So, all due acknowledgment to the teams at Hachette Audio (Elise Green) and Curated Audio for their work on this. It was a great audiobook. Some of these stars are definitely yours.

With regard to the novel itself. I really enjoyed this story AND it absolutely read like Dramione fanfic. That’s not a bad thing necessarily, but it can definitely add to or detract from your enjoyment of the book, depending on your POV. For me, I think it detracted because I felt like the novel relied too heavily on the character development (and in some ways world building) from source material. I would have liked to have seen some ways in which these characters were meaningfully differentiated from their inspirations. I found the pacing to be inconsistent, with a strong start and a very sluggish middle, recovering only in the last few chapters. I think this was compounded by the non-linear storytelling. I think so much of that information could have been communicated in a different way that didn’t slow the story’s momentum. While I know this is a trilogy, the slow burn remained a little too ember-level for my personal taste. I felt like the story would have benefited significantly from at least a little more tension building in that arena. Having said all of that, I’m definitely hooked, have to know what happens next, and will be picking up the sequel the second it is released.

Genuine thanks to Hachette Audio, NetGalley, and the author for an audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you Hachette Audio for this gifted audio copy! All opinions are my own

I want to note that this review is coming from a reader who did NOT previously read the fanfic The Auction that this is developed from, so this story is a completely new one to me.

I spent a vast majority of this book completely and utterly BORED, unfortunately. At the beginning I struggled because we were dropped into the middle of this war with almost no context for anything, and so many characters were thrown at us in a way that felt overwhelming. I understand fantasy books need time to worldbuild and develop characters, but I feel like we really didn't get that in this book. Everything felt a bit surface level to me. I kept waiting for… more. As someone who absolutely LOVES dual timeline stories, I actually didn't feel like it really worked here either. The chapters from the past made it feel choppy and took me even more out of the story as I struggled to really get into it.

The romance aspect was.. fine for me. I was expecting more based on reviews I had seen. The banter I anticipated was a let down, personally. I'm not sure if this is related to how underdeveloped the characters felt to me, though. I didn't particularly care about either MC or feel their chemistry/connection. The enemies to.. reluctant partners (?) felt more telling rather than showing.

Again I just felt so... bored through this book. It's never a good sign when you keep checking the time left in the audiobook because you just want to be done reading a book. I wouldn't say I DISliked this book, it was just underwhelming in most aspects for me. I was just intrigued by the world enough to want to finish this story, hoping for a good ending that would keep me hooked and wanting the next one. The end does have me wanting to read the follow up, though I did predict part of it. It was just enough excitement to want me to know what happens next.

HOWEVER: I absolutely loved the narration for this. I’m a big fan of single narration, though I know it’s not a crowd favorite. Ella Lynch did a phenomenal job on this audio. She managed to give each character a distinct voice which is quite a feat since there are a TON of characters. She was also able to convey a lot of emotion within her narration so despite me not enjoying the actual story as much as I wanted to, her performance was an absolute hit for me. If I had eyeball read this and not had the audio, I can’t be sure I would have finished. (Or at minimum it would have taken me a long time to get through it).

Thanks again to Hachette Audio for an early copy of this one!

Rose in Chains is a dark, slow-burn, enemies to lovers romantasy. Princess Briony Rosewood, captured and sold after her kingdom’s fall, is forced into the home—and power—of Toven Hearst, her former school rival and heir to the enemy empire. I've read a few of Soto's other novels and I was suprised to find that Rose in Chains contains such dark themes including trafficking, coercion, and war trauma.

The audiobook is particularly outstanding. The narration adds tremendous emotional weight to the story, capturing Briony's vulnerability and resolve, and giving Toven's intensity a brooding, magnetic edge. The voice actors elevate the already powerful prose, making the emotional beats land even harder and drawing you deeper into the story.

For fans of dark fantasy romance with political intrigue, this is a must-read—and a must-listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for gifting me an ALC of Rose in Chains. The following thoughts and opinions are my own.

We are dropped into a magical world with a lot of people. The first 35% was setting up a magical world and A LOT of characters. It was done so in a chaotic way that made it difficult for me to follow who was good, who was bad, and how the magical system worked. It was hard for me to become invested in the world, in the characters. I know that was Dramione fan faction, which it was still coded into the plot. Briony is princess, and her family died in a war. She and her friends are auctioned to the highest bidder. Briony’s heart magic is a prize, and ultimately she was sold to Toven Hearst, a white-haired boy who she went to school with. Toven is aloof, cold, dangerous, and sexy. There was a lot of pining between Briony and Toven even after Briony and Toven were at Hearst Manor. Even behind the gates of Toven’s family’s house, there is a lot of politics and scheming. Not everyone can be trusted, and Briony uncovers who is a real ally and who would love to torture and kill her.

Despite the beautiful cover, Rose in Chains is a DARK ROMANTASY. Be aware that there is non consent (not by the MMC), dubious consent (not by the MMC), and forced sterilization to name a few triggers. Toven is not as morally gray I thought he’d be, but I like him. Briony is a strong heroine. Toven still has his secrets at the end of the book. There is no spice, just kissing and the longing, so be aware that the romances SLOOOOWWWW!! It is hinted that there will be more romance in the subsequent book. The cliffhanger is interesting, and I liked it.

I cannot give it a full five stars, because of how muddied the beginning was. I understand that she had to de-Harry Potter Rose in Chains, but it would have been clearer without naming a whole lot of characters and throwing us into a rich world without a clear direction of how the world and magic system works. ⭐️ 4.5 Stars

I received this arc after seeing so many Julie Soto recommendations and needing to jump on the bandwagon. I’m very glad that I did and will be seeking out her other books as well.

I could tell this series will be a slow burn because there was a TON of worldbuilding and tensions rising. The beginning and the end were full of action with enough sprinkled into the middle to keep me on the edge of my seat. The tension between the two main characters??? Insane. I could read a book about just the two of them and nothing else happening. Slow burn romance with banter is my favorite and this absolutely delivered. The fmc was a little insufferable at times from how oblivious she is but also you gotta love her.

I loved how the author provided flashbacks that were meaningful to the story at the perfect time and there were no moments that I felt were wasted. The writing was beautiful and very intentional.

This was an audio arc so speaking on the narrator: she was very alright. Her character voices were distinct and I always knew who was speaking but I felt like none of them matched how I would imagine them. I was sometimes confused about where the emphasis was put on a sentence of dialogue which pulled me out of the story. I will continue to listen to her because I really enjoyed the story but can’t say that I will seek out future books just based on the narrator.

Everything was just really underdeveloped and I felt nothing for the main characters. There was no character development as situations came and went.

The pacing was really off. The start of the book was awesome but really drug in the middle. There definitely could have been more action sprinkled throughout the middle part because it didn't really hold my attention.

The narration was good, and the narrator brought a lot more emotion and personality to the story.

Thanks you @HachetteAudio and NetGalley for my advanced ALC of this book.

2.5 Stars

📚Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
💜mf dark fantasy romance
💜dramione fan fiction turned trad published romance
💜hate to love
💜captured princess sold at auction to the enemy
💜forced proximity
💜fmc with hidden power
💜morally grey-ish mmc
💜singular pov
💜book 1 in an trilogy (ends with a cliffhanger)

⚠️CWs listed on author’s website: explicit sexual content, mentions of non-consensual sex, sexual assault, sexual assault of a POV character, buying and selling of humans into captivity, forced sterilization, forced termination of a pregnancy, minor character deaths, suspense and violence, torture and gore

Story: 3/5
Audiobook: 3/5 (narrated by Ella Lynch)
Length: 16h1min

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I received an ALC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 💖

I feel like I’m in the minority of people that haven’t read The Auction, so I went into this completely blind. While it was of course adapted for traditional publishing, the original source material still felt very present (for better or worse depending on your feelings/views).

I had a lot of fun with this read, but I was still left wanting a little more from it by the end. It was fast-paced and engaging but I didn’t feel that spark of “oh wow this is my next obsession”. The beginning in particular was a little jarring and confusing for me. It felt like the reader was thrown into the deep end with limited world building and tons of characters getting thrown at us all at once. The alternating timelines also took me some getting used to because I feel like the past scenes would just randomly pop up out of nowhere. Once I got a hang of the important characters and a general idea of the magic system/politics, I was able to settle in and enjoy the story. It was fairly fast-paced to the point I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to see what would happen next. I wish the world had been fleshed out a bit more in this first book, but I’m hoping that happens more in the next installment (fingers crossed). I just never really understood the whole heart vs. mind magic and why mind magic was so controversial. Even though I hadn’t read the fanfiction, I could clearly tell that this was an aspect of the story that had to be reworked for this publication. Also, I really wanted the mmmc to be more morally gray? Sure, the content was very heavy and triggering at times…but I never really thought he was that crazy? I don’t know, I just think we’re using the term “morally gray” a little too freely nowadays. Or maybe I’ve just gotten desensitized by some of my recent reads 🤭

Regardless of some of my conflicting feelings about this, I’m definitely invested in the story itself and plan on picking up the next book when it drops.

♾️⭐️
As a massive fan of The Auction, I was equal parts excited and nervous to see the way that this was adapted and oh my gosh did Julie DELIVER!!! I can’t even express my level of obsession with this one! Julie did an incredible job of keeping the plot the same while also completely reworking the characters/world into something new that had me unable to think about anything else.


Briony’s twin brother Rory, the King of Evermore, is defeated in the war against Bomard. The dark forces of Bomard have now taken over power. Princess Briony, and all the Eversun people, have been captured and will be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Briony is purchased by Toven, her school rival who she harbored secret feelings for.

What you can expect:
-Political Intrigue
-Morally grey MMC
-Unique magic system
-Enemies to lovers
-Slow burn
-TENSION
-Top-notch banter
-Forced proximity
-Secrets
-Dual timeline
-Suspense


I just finished and I’m already thinking about reading it again. I absolutely can’t wait for the next book in the series to come out! Julie Soto has been an auto-buy author for me for a while now and she just continues to show me why with every book.


Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Forever Publishing for the ALC in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the audiobook narration.

This book absolutely shines as an audiobook, and the team at Hachette Audio did an amazing job with this rendition. I could feel the moods and visualize the facial expressions of the characters based on the tone used. I cannot commend the team enough for their success here—I’ll definitely be looking up the narrators and favoriting them for future reads!

This story addresses themes that may be considered dark or triggering for many individuals. I am glad the audio had a "trigger warning" at the start and hope the physical does as well. it was a little hard to follow the time jumps between the "before" and the "current time." Maybe this is something that’s clearer on the page, possibly through font or typesetting that doesn’t translate to audio, but I eventually got the hang of it once I figured out what Julie was doing. Adding some dates for the time jumps would be helpful, although its probably too late to adjust that for this run, maybe if the jumps continue in subsequent books in the series at least a "past" or "present" would help.

I’ve been anticipating this release for a while, and I’m a fan of Julie’s work. I went into this having read her fandom writing online, as well as Forget Me Not and Not Another Love Song. If you’ve read her recent books, you’ll know Elliot was an AMAZING MMC—truly hard to beat—but I didn’t love how helpless and self-sabotaging Ama was (leaving a check engine light on for years while relying on the vehicle for your business gave me secondhand anxiety). In Not Another Love Song, both characters were great—capable and competent—but they often let misunderstandings get in the way. Her fandom work, on the other hand, was always well mapped, with details that resurfaced later in surprising ways.

In this first part of the new series, Julie has taken the best elements of all three and combined them. Toven is even more compelling than Elliot, Briony is even more capable than Gwyn, and the details sprinkled throughout… I already have a list of ones I hope she brings back and ties in as the series continues! The new magical lore was reminiscent of The Paper Magician, which I loved. (If you’re a fan of Harry Potter or The Hunger Games and haven’t read The Paper Magician series by Charlie Holmberg, I recommend adding at least the first three books to your TBR!) It was a fresh and intriguing take—magic sharing and stealing opens up a whole new world of possibilities for both our heroes and our villains, and I’m excited to see where it goes.

This story addresses themes that may be considered dark or triggering for many individuals. I am glad the audio had a "trigger warning" at the start and hope the physical does as well. Adding some dates for the time jumps would be helpful, although its probably too late to adjust that for this run, maybe if the jumps continue in subsequent books in the series at least a "past" or "present" would help.

Thank you to the team at Hachette Audio for providing an advance copy of this audiobook for me to listen to and review. I look forward to rereading it in print when it’s released next week!

By the end of this book I was absolutely HOOKED and I will be waiting (not so patiently) for the next book in this trilogy.

Briony is a prisoner of war, striped of her magic and bought at auction by none other than her former classmate and object of her schoolgirl crush, Toven. As expecting this is a dark fantasy, enemies to lovers romance with the sloooowest slow burn. The tension, pining, BANTER - amazing! The flashbacks (which I'm not normally a fan of) actually work really well in this story to help build on their relationship.

The pacing felt a little slow in the middle and the world building was a little lack luster. This wasn't too much an issue for me since I am familiar with the original source work this was inspired by. But I do hope that we get some more in the next book! Especially after that epilogue 👀

Audio narration: 4.5/5 Loved the narrator and thought she was a fantastic pick for Briony. Not as big of a fan of some of the male voices but those were minor characters and didn't distract from the story too much.

Overall, highly recommend to anyone who is looking for a dark fantasy with slow burn, high political stakes, forced proximity, and top tier banter! (Please, please check the trigger warnings first)

Thanks to Julie, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for gifting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the best fantasy/romance/romantasy book I have read ever. I have never been so sucked into a book - making time stand still, but also pass so quickly. Reading Rose in Chains has put me into a reading slump like no other because of how fantastic it is. It reminded me of the fanfic I read at 13 where I would manipulate the AO3 filters in order to produce the most angsty piece of literature you could imagine. This is apt considering Rose in Chains started out as a fanfic.

I haven't stopped recommending Rose in Chains - which is a problem considering it doesn't come out for another four months. It is also a problem for me because I just want everyone I know to read it immediately.

Whenever I talk about this book, I quickly follow up with the fact that it has heavy themes of sexual assault and (sexual) slavery. This immediately throws people off, but I haven't quite worked out how to make that disclaimer, but also convey how special the book and relationships explored are. Like of course Briony and Toven have a special relationship that was so amazing to watch develop, but there are also the relationships between Briony and all the other women in the book, Toven and his allied, Briony and Toven's mother. The relationships in this book are so complex and worthy of praise and admiration.

I originally thought I would be reading Rose in Chains for the romance, but I actually became more fascinated with the plot. It was so strong and moved the book along so well. Don't get me wrong though, Briony and Toven's chemistry was INSANE. Literally had me gnawing at the bars of my encolsure... like... oh my god. But since this is book one in a trilogy, we don't really fully get into the romance (I'm also curious if there will really BE a romance).

I cannot believe how good this was. How much I loved it. I'm blessed to live in the same time as Julie Soto and her brain.

I did listen to the audiobook my second time reading Rose in Chains. The narrator was British, which took some getting used to at first, but overall made sense for the story. It was a great audiobook.

One of the things I appreciated most about this book is that the author doesn’t shy away from the darker aspects of the story. The world is brutal, and the horrors faced by the Eversuns—especially those sold at auction—are never minimized or romanticized. There are mentions of torture, sexual abuse, and death, and they’re handled with weight and care.


I really liked how the lore unfolded organically through dialogue and flashbacks, rather than overwhelming the reader with info-dumps. The contrast between mind magic and heart magic felt original and smartly executed.

The political tension between Evermore and Bomard drives much of the plot, and while the details of their conflict could have been more fleshed out, the power games and dynamics among the Bomardis were compelling. The balance between action, politics, and romance was handled well, making the story feel both layered and engaging.

If I had one complaint, it’s that some of the broader world motivations remain a bit murky. Why was there a war? What was the ultimate goal? Why is mind magic so despised by certain factions? I’m hoping these questions are explored further in the next installment.

This is a dark, emotional, and politically charged fantasy with a sharp magic system and a romance that feels earned. I’m invested in the world, intrigued by the characters, and already looking forward to what happens next.

Thank you to NetGalley & Hachette audio for this audiobook arc in exchange for an honest review!

Having already read an ARC of this book and been impressed by the story I did request the ALC as well, because I am nothing if not an audio book girly. I also find that I am more generous with my reviews on audio books. That being said, I feel like this is still just a 3.5 book. I did not love it, but I didn’t hate it. I can see why some people do love the story, and would recommend it to people I think would enjoy it.
Original review for the ARC:
It breaks my heart to only give Rose in Chains by Julie Soto 3.5 stars, I’ve read all of her work (fic and published) and this is the only non 5 star read for me. In the past I’ve heard the critique that fan fic writers are better at building stories in a world that was already created then at creating their own, unfortunately, I think that is this case here. I think that anyone who is familiar with her fic work that was the inspiration for this book will enjoy the book more, then someone new to the story. My biggest issues with this story are that the characters are all pretty one dimensional, the world was pretty mid.

There is no real depth or individuality to any of the characters, the story failed to make me care about them. Even in what should have been tense or emotionally charged scenes they all just fell short, and I know that Julie can write these powerful scenes. Because of that our MCs have no real charm or chemistry between them. There are flashbacks throughout the book-though I personally feel the ones at the beginning of the story are poorly placed and really ruin the pacing of the beginning of the book- that show the MMC & FMC and their time in school but aside from the FMC having a crush on the MMC there was no chemistry. She fan-girled over him in her head, and he became disengaged anytime she tried to get close to him. There were some spice in the book, but once again I did not find it engaging.

The magic system and world building are just mid. I didn’t hate the world or the magic system nor did I love it. There are 2 different kinds of magic, but some people can use both? The only part of the world building that I really disliked was the names. I strongly disliked all the names, the people the places all of it. I’m not completely sure why but the utter irritation I had at all the names in this book was borderline irrational.

My overall experience was a really good one. I found the world building to be atmospheric and darkly creative. I loved the magic of Hearst Manner. It was reminiscent to ACOSF but didn’t feel like a ripoff. The magic system was easy to follow and the adult Harry Potter vibe was a fun added touch. The plot kept me focused on the story the entire way through and the characters were interesting to follow. Usually I am a romance girly but surprisingly it was the political climate of the story that held my attention the most. I feel like this first book is focused more on setting up the series. I have a feeling the books are just going to get better and better from here on out.

Some things I didn’t love even though I’m still considering this a 5 star read…

*The time jumps. A couple in the beginning were fine to give us a better idea of Toven and Briony’s history but as the story went on they just became repetitive. They would recap entire scenes that we already read about previously in the story. Towards the end they just started to get annoying.

*The romance. I wouldn’t even consider this a romance. I have high hopes that it will develop into more of a romance in the next book but if you’re looking for a gripping romance, this book ain’t it. It’s like, ok, yes, we know he likes her because duhhh it’s shelved as romance but other than that, at no point does Toven act like he likes her. I was searching for measly crumbs to grasp onto the entire book and still ended up empty handed. I feel like I could guess that Toven did the things he did because he was trying to get reactions out of Briony or in other cases trying to protect her but there is never any evidence of it in the book. It’s all speculation on the reader’s part. I really hope we get more yearning from Toven in the rest of the series or this will be a flop for me. I don’t even need spice! Give me well written yearning and tension! In this book we get nothing, which is so odd because in no way is this a PG book. There is explicit language and sexual acts that take place from other characters in scenes but all we get from the FMC and MMC is a kiss at the 98% mark just for him to go ice cold YET AGAIN and say it was a mistake. I feel like the moments where she is on his lap were missed opportunities. The good girl has to play the bad girl roll on his lap and the two of them are in a constant state of edging each other while both wondering if the other is just playing the roll or if there are actually feelings involved. Instead we get a lame attempt at a kiss that makes the MMC flinch and shoo the FMC away.

The audio narrator wasn’t bad. Her voice was soothing and had a fairytale feel to it. My only complaint was when there were moments in the story you want the FMC to go absolutely ape shit on the MMC for one of his many dickish moments it would feel like the FMC would go way too easy on him. I couldn’t tell if that is the way the story was written or if that’s just how the narrator’s voice portrayed it. She came off too soft and forgiving. I wanted fire and brimstone, damnit!

This is an ARC review. I want to thank Julie Soto and Hachette Soto for allowing me the chance to listen to this book ahead of release day!

Briony lived through so many lives through her teenage years. To go from a royal to literally sold off to the highest bidder being her enemy in school, Toven. Toven is the morally gray character you learn to love as he does what he does for the greater means. His parents are also TOP NOTCH parents! Which is shocking as it seemed as though they were the enemy.

Briony overall was a very frustrating character! She was so stubborn, inquisitive and very naive. When I say this love story is a slow burn…it is the slowest of slow. There were moments where I just knew they would finally fall for each other but as I got to 98% through the book it FINALLY (sort of) HAPPENED! Goodness gracious it’s been what I’ve been waiting for this whole time. These two have done the whole push pull the whole story line and I AM READY FOR SOME ANSWERS! Which I guess will have to wait until the next in the series. As annoyed as I might have been it kept me invested in just about every character in the plot! It’s very well written and he audiobook truly was a great listen!

If you are a Dramione fan fiction, this is perfect for you!

I'm going to be honest, the only good thing about this audiobook was the narrator—who did a fantastic job, btw. Otherwise, Rose in Chains was thoroughly disappointing, and has further solidified that Soto's writing is not for me.

I really wanted to like this one because the description sounded so intriguing, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

It bounced between past and present, and on audio, that was tough to follow. There were so many characters, it got confusing, and I just didn’t connect with the main character. I love a strong female lead in fantasy, but Briony didn’t give me that. What happened to her was unfortunate, but I couldn’t help but laugh at how many times she tried to run away and just kept getting captured.

It’s classified as new adult, but it really read like young adult to me. And honestly… I’m just so tired of virgin heroines paired with spice. That combo is getting old fast and gives me the ick.

Enemies to lovers? Love it. But not when it includes the male punching the female lead in the face. That’s a no from me.

If you’re into YA and are just starting to dip your toes into spicy fantasy, this might be your vibe. But I’ve read a lot of fantasy/romantasy, and this author’s style just wasn’t for me.

I listened to the ALC, and while I didn’t love the book, the narrator did a fine job. She didn’t stand out, but she was solid—I’d give the narration 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for this amazing audio ARC! Briony and those close to her are capture after her brother is killed, not only captured but sold to use their magic. This book is dark and compelling, the women here are subjected to so many brutal acts. It was well written and I would love the next book because my mouth dropped. It had spice and I wanted to know more about what is going to happen to her and Toven. There is mentioned of sexual assault, torture and death. The world building was easy to understand without giving you a glossary of information. I will be rereading this book once it is published and recommending to EVERYONE! Julie Soto you are incredible!!! The audio narrator did an amazing job with all the voices, it kept me engaged and wanting to not to pause.

Ok let start with the audio, i love the narrator she did amazing, I think the only reason I finished the book is because of the audio.
Now the story had a lot of potential, it started really good and then the flash backs started. This is the first thing I didn’t enjoyed. They are not that important to be that long each of those chapters. Also the fact that the fmc makes herself dumb to please her father is so annoying. Now on the present I feel like some sections could have been handled better. Aside from that we don't get a lot of interaction between the main characters to keep me interested. The tension is palpable and then is gone. Overall I was bored most of the time. And the good parts are not enough to make this enjoyable.