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.

I really liked Ella Lynch’s narration. She did a great job with the emotion in her voice to convey the emotion of the main character. This is the second audiobook read by her and I will continue to look out for her narration.

The story was a little confusing, I didn't understand the magic of this world at all. I think since I know this is published fan fiction I keep thinking about the world of the original story. I also think dark romances aren't for me. I don't understand how she likes that man. His family killed her family. Briony stand up girl, he's keeping secrets and information from you. Maybe I have anger issues but I couldn't fall for a guy like that. I liked the flash back story a lot better then the present day story. I kinda wish it was split into multiple books.

I will pick up the next book because I'm nosey. But hopefully it picks up the pacing of the book.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC audio of Rose in Chains. I have loved every book of Julie Soto’s that i have read in the past so i was excited for this new journey of hers.
I was not sure what to expect but I have to say, I was very impressed. The world building could be cumbersome at times, but that may have been more due to listening to the audiobook, rather than reading the physical book. But I felt pulled right into their world, even if sometimes I was a little confused where they were.
But the characters!!! Briony is strong but also gentle and afraid. As a princess that was meant to mostly be in the shadows, she was a great leader when she needed to be and incredibly smart. But also entirely smitten by Tovin. Still trying to get a full read on his character. Cant wait to see how his story develops in the coming books. So many secrets! But dang so they have chemistry!!
Looking forward to the future books. Hoping they dont take too long to come out. I need to know what happens

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Audio review: I loved the narration of this, I would highly recommend if you do decide to read it.

Review: I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand I was really worried about there being too many intimate scenes, I have no problem with that but I want more substance to my books, even my romantasy. However, that wasn't the case for this one. A lot of early reviews said there were too many sex scenes, now I did DNF at 55 percent but up until that point that wasn't the case. The reason I DNF'd this was because I just got bored. The beginning was very interesting, there's a unique world and it goes back and forth from the present to the past and I enjoyed the building up of the characters. However, once people are getting settled in, about half way through it just really lost the forward movement. There is magic but it felt really light, I guess maybe I wanted more fantasy? I think I actually enjoyed this book so much that I wanted more from it and when that didn't happen I felt let down in some ways. I am happy to say that if you want romantasy that at least half way through actually has a plot and not just sex, I would recommend. This may be a book I go back to at some point to finish but for now I am putting it down. I hope this helps you decide if you want to read it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 4.5 Stars — Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

I devoured this book in under a day—completely unputdownable.

Julie Soto delivers a captivating slow burn romance full of banter, tension, and characters you can’t help but root for. The forced proximity? Perfection. The worldbuilding? Immersive. The stakes? So, so high.

✨ Rival kingdoms
🐉 A dragon (yes!!)
🪄 Magic and mystery
👑 Political intrigue
❤️‍🔥 Delicious slow-burn tension

If you love romantasy with high stakes, magnetic chemistry, and a touch of danger, Rose in Chains needs to be on your radar. I can’t wait to hear Julie speak about it this summer!

The Rose in Chains audiobook is nothing short of phenomenal. Julie Soto’s gripping, emotionally charged story comes alive in an entirely new way through the narration — elevating every sharp inhale, quiet heartbreak, and simmering moment of tension.

The voice acting is pitch-perfect. The narrator (or narrators, if it’s dual POV) bring so much nuance to the performance — capturing the ache, the desire, and the raw vulnerability between the characters with just the right tone. You feel every pause, every unspoken word, every shift in the emotional undercurrent. It’s deeply immersive, and honestly, I don’t think the book would have hit me as hard in print.

The pacing is tight and cinematic, the sound quality is crisp, and the emotional resonance of Soto’s writing translates beautifully into audio. There were moments I had to stop what I was doing just to feel what I was hearing — it’s that powerful.

Whether you’re new to Julie Soto or a devoted fan, the audiobook of Rose in Chains is an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended for anyone who loves a story that burns slow, hits hard, and stays with you long after the last word.

Julie Soto is becoming a favorite author this year. Coming out with her YA debut The Thrashers to now Rose in chains Soto is on fire and can’t be stopped. Now Rose in Chain has been adaptive and change from its original form. It was previously a fan fiction, I have never read fan fiction of this world and can say that I have fallen for this world. The world building, the magic system, the details were all intricate and well written.
The back and forth between the time periods building it up going between what is happening now and giving us the backstory leading up to the current time period worked really well for me.
I can honestly say I was really excited and dreading this book at the same time. Everyone was really hyping this book up. Everyone is really excited for this book. I was afraid to be excited for it and to be let down. But I don’t think Julie Soto is ever going to let me down. Now all I want is more. I need the next book ASAP!!
The audio book…this was my second read through and I wish I had it on my first. I loved the first read through. I love the enthusiasm that Ella Lynch brings to the performance. The subtle voice changes were fantastic. Immersion reading is really big for me right now and this really hit the spot. I thought the production was fabulous and can’t wait to consume more by Ella!
Than you to Forever for the complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm going to start this review by stating that I've never read any Dramoine fanfic so this was all new to me. Overall, I would give this book 4 stars, I love a good slow burn and cannot wait to see what happens next since this book ended in a cliffhanger. I was hoping to give this book all the stars, but I felt like something was missing and had so many questions. I really hope the rest of the series will fill in the answers. I enjoyed the dual timeline and the flashes into Briony's past. I really enjoyed how the Hearst family was peeled back layer by layer through the book and how Julie Soto made me respect the whole family. I cannot wait until Veronika Mallow gets what's coming to her.

This read like a fanfiction terribly transformed into original work. The world building was nonsensical and characters flat. I also couldn't tell if this book was trying to be YA or Adult, though it read more YA. Even the narrator made this sound very young. I can't believe Julie Soto wrote this.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this early copy of Rose In Chains for an honest review.

This is not my first time reading Julie Soto: traditionally published or fan fic writer. As a huge fan of her original fic, readers will be pleased to see that the story follows a similar thread. There were many Easter eggs throughout, which I believe was “the right thing to do” for her fan base.

I do believe this story stands on its though. The flashbacks woven into the story help to establish the complicated relationship between Briony and Toven. I anxious to see where Soto advances the story with the dragon.

Ella Lynch, the narrator, was wonderful. I listened at 1.5 speed and could understand everything. She seamlessly switches between character voices. Of note, I did find that Briony’s petulant voice when bantering with Toven sounded awfully similar to Larissa.

As one of my most anticipated reads of 2025, Rose in Chains did not disappoint.

‘Rose in Chains’ (RIC) by Julie Soto Review

When I requested the RIC Audio ARC, I was unaware that RIC was a HP fan fiction, and I do not support the author of that series. However, my thoughts on this novel are purely based on my experience of this book by itself, which was not good. I had many serious issues with this novel, mainly its encouragement of discrimination and sexist, elitist and homophobic views. This novel is unoriginal and predictable and weakly follows current popular tropes. I continuously felt uncomfortable while listening to the audio book.

Throughout the novel, there are short and frequent flashbacks, that seem to contrast with the narration by the current Briony, who is the female main character. These flashbacks are intended to provide context, but they disrupt the flow of the story. The world building and explanation of the magic system were poorly executed. There is limited information on the grievances between countries that have led to the war and poor explanations for the politics. There appears to be no gods or religion unless the magic is their religion. It is also unclear as to why there is such deep hatred between the countries.

This leads on to one of my main grievances with the novel; there is such strong discrimination based on the country they originate from by all characters. There are Evermore and Bromard; and both countries refer to each other and group the other by their country with hatred attached to it. The FMC constantly does this as she calls the group of men that are responsible for sexually assaulting and raping her friends as ‘the Bromard men’. Both countries have a deep hatred for one another, which is neither explained or overcome; apart from the FMC and MMC being attracted to each other and being from opposing countries. The hatred may be due to the type of magic they use, including either mind or heart magic. The discrimination in the story was handled very poorly.
There is also strong sexism, which is occasionally called out in the thoughts of the FMC but the importance of her virginity, her reliance on the men in her life, the fact that even the female dragon wants to be owned by a man are sexist outdated themes. Evermore society is strongly patriarchal and Bromard society allows a female leader of family and country, but the men still view women as objects and usually sex objects. There is such strong emphasis on the importance of Briony’s virginity, which is disgusting and outdated. There is an undercurrent of her worth being tied to her having kept her virginity, while other women have been raped and they as such are less for this having happened to them. They keep repeating that the smart thing is to sit there and allow the other men to look at her as an object, meanwhile she does not even plan to help save her friends. The FMCs situation is vastly different to the other women who were sold at the auction but there is the implication that her friend, who was in a situation where she was likely raped was stupid for fighting back.

The plot is repetitive as they go through the same activities each day and there is no growth for the characters. The characters are poorly developed and one dimensional. The female main character Briony, is the ‘perfect’ FMC – she is a princess, the best at magic, the smartest, a virgin, agreeable, the most beautiful and of course unaware of her beauty and that every man wants her. The male main character is rude and racist toward Briony and yet she pines for him. He is boring, controlling and there is no tension between the two main characters who barely interact even though they live under the same roof. There is focus on how the MMC Toven, is a good slave owner but he still owns her. The characters are in their mid-20s but act very childish and awkward.

Homophobia was also present in the novel as a character, Liam, is made fun of for the possibility of being attracted to a man. Although this behaviour was conducted by awful characters in the book, the behaviour was not shamed by the main point of view.

Although, I did not like this novel, the production of the audiobook was fantastic. The narration was clear, and well-paced and sound quality was great. The narrator was very good at subtly changing her voice for different characters and narration of the story. I think the voices she chose were perfect for the story.

(Loved this audiobook)

Rose in the Dark is a five-star read—no question about it.

Set between two rival nations with clashing ideologies on magic—one brutally patriarchal, the other slightly less so (but still deeply flawed)—this story grips you from the very first page. It’s a world where power is political, magic is weaponized, and survival depends on playing the game better than your enemies.

Our heroine, a princess trained to appear lesser in a world that fears powerful women, is anything but. She’s sharp, formidable, and utterly magnetic. I was instantly invested in her journey, her resilience, and her fire. One line that stuck with me: “They could strip her of her name, her station, and her voice—but never her power.” That perfectly sums up her strength.

Yes, this story has roots in Dramione fanfiction (specifically The Auction), but you don’t need to know a single detail about the Harry Potter universe to dive into this rich, reimagined world. Julie Soto has crafted something wholly her own—and it’s phenomenal.


FYI.....that ending....yes yes and yes. I NEED more 🥰

Thank you for the ARC. I’m already planning to buy the physical copy.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me to listen to this ALC.
The war is lost, the hero is dead, and Briony Rosewood has been captured by the enemy. Stripped of her powers, she’s sold at auction to Toven Hearst, her old crush and a member of a ruthless magical family. But even in a world ruled by darkness, sparks of hope still flicker in unexpected places.
Narration:
Listening Speed: 1X then 1.5
Narrator: Ella Lynch
Feedback: This was my first time listening to this narrator, and unfortunately, her style just didn’t work for me. Her voice felt overly dramatic and a bit too wistful for my taste, which made it hard to connect with the story. I found myself focusing more on the narration than the plot, which took away from the immersive experience I usually look for in an audiobook.

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto follows Briony, a princess who is captured and sold, after the death of her twin brother and the fall of her kingdom. This book had me hooked from the beginning, from the writing to the characters and their dynamics between each other, I found it hard to take a break from this book. The narrator did an amazing job bringing all the characters to life, making it easy to just get lost in the story. The main problem I had with this was the amount of characters we were bombarded with in the beginning, that eventually made sense as the story continued, but also the fact that I’m have to wait who knows how long until book two to release. The ending had me speechless!!! I appreciate the opportunity to listen to this book before this release, thank you.

Dark, luscious, disturbing - Julie Soto does it again. She’s woven another story that had me completely immersed in a world that is brutal. There’s a manga-like element to this world that is a nightmare, where sensuality and innocence are only a dream that are stolen by those hungry for power. I had already pre-ordered a copy of the book that I’m looking forward to receiving on publication day so I can read what I was able to listen to with this ARC. The narrator does a fine job of bringing life to the characters.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to Julie Soto’s new book.