Rose in Chains is a strikingly dark, emotionally charged romantasy with a compelling lead couple and a richly shadowed setting—but it can feel padded and incomplete. If you're drawn to atmospheric, tension-filled narratives and are okay with slow pacing and open endings, it's worth a read.

Please keep in mind that if you want to read this book and have specific triggers, look up the warnings!!

2.5

To be honest I am really disappointed with how this book turned out. I was waiting for it, ordered the edition i considered prettier, saw good reviews and was underwhelmed at the end.

Briony - absolutely disappointing. Flashbacks want to portray her as this extremely intelligent girl, a scholar, can do everything, a walking brain. Unfortunately that is not the case. Just because she has book knowledge does not mean she is intelligent. She doesn’t show it, she is not proactive in anything (besides trying to get to Toven’s pants), she is actually pretty dense with no ability to connect dots. Additionally she has completely flipped her value and moral system. Got attacked by Toven’s familiar and bleeding heavily? yeah anyway, because the first thought while being healed by Toven is “Toven is so sexy i need him to touch me”. After knowing how others are treated she has one thought about being concerned and 5 other about Toven being so muscular, smart, amazing. Acting like a child, ready to stomp her feet when Toven did not want to sleep with her? Like girl??? Have some shame. Bought from the auction but the second the buyer and his family shows no interest in using nor harming her, she starts to boss them around?? Self-preservation instinct is non-existent.

Toven - I liked him much better because, at least, he showed a moral spine. Situation where he apologises for using Briony’s emotional distress and getting more intimate and saying it won’t happen again (insert Briony’s crying) made me appreciate him. He is also caring, wants to protect. There is hope for him and I hope to get to know him more in the future book. My opinion is neutral as of now.

Mallow - the villain of the story who is not scary at all. I did not feel any danger from her, she is just there. Everyone is scared of her but I frankly did not see any action to justify it. “Oh she is so powerful, she did this and that” okay? describe it to me more? show it? Need her to step up her villain game.

Serena Hearst - the mother. So caring and condescending at the same time. Only one I would have saved if their mansion started to burn. She intrigued me from start to finish.

The amount of names that popped up at one point was so overwhelming I was getting confused sometimes. I guess it made more sense in the fic cause you just know those people from films or books, here not so much. Some have character some are just assholes. Hopefully we’ll get to know them more in the future, cause there is a potential.

What makes it disappointing is the fact that the author CAN write emotional scenes and it literally shows in this book - the preparations for the Auction? Note made with grapes? All of the dinners where we can see what happens to others, how they are treated and used? I shivered sometimes, I was concerned, angry and disgusted. But then we go back to the safety of the Hearst mansion and start simping over a man who bought her all over again. This was such a sinusoid and I hope it will change in the second book, because it did not feel dark most of the time. The mansion was a literal paradise for FMC.

Writing is lackluster. Worst spell is “Heartstop”? Couldn’t find a word in latin, greek or any other language for that matter to make it sound better and more interesting? Show some effort? What was the alternative to this - heart attack or cardiac arrest? Cardiologists would have a field day in there I guess. Additionally, a transfer of one person’s magic to another is called “boosting”? The most unoriginal name in the whole world. Then suddenly Briony asks her friend “what is boosting”. Can’t you connect it to the verb “to boost”? It makes FMC look even more like an idiot.

I was willing to give it 3 stars because I was emotional at times, read it fast and was engaged to some degree but I couldn’t due to one thing - the “plot twist”. With every ounce of respect I have for the author, she can’t foreshadow properly to save her life. It was so obvious from the note onwards it was painful to read. Briony has no idea what’s going on even though you can see the most used plot twist coming like a train in a tunnel. The only way to make it even more obvious is just to write it straight to the point. No surprise from me during the end.

I am going to give the benefit of the doubt to the author and read the next one but yeah, I am bummed.

Thank you Netgalley for the audiobook.

★★★★½ Review: Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
“An empty book in your hands. It's blank pages between your fingers. Write this moment into the book. Give it a title.”

This book had me obsessed. I picked it up expecting vibes, and instead I got heartache, tension, and a magic system that lives rent-free in my head.

This is a solid ★★★★½ read. Honestly, so close to perfect. The mind magic vs heart magic concept? Genuinely one of the most original systems I’ve read in ages. Add in the familiar magic (YES PLEASE) and you’ve got me fully invested from page one.

The dual timeline? Absolutely nailed. Every time we jumped, it just worked. More emotion. More depth. More heartbreak. It didn’t just fill in gaps, it made everything hit harder.

Let’s talk Briony. The blueprint for a great FMC. She’s empathetic, compassionate, and somehow holds her own without needing to scream about it. No notes… okay, one note: how did she not see that Toven was simping for her like a lovesick poet?? Girl, please.

Toven. Complicated. Broody. Probably allergic to emotional conversations. I wanted to throw a book at him more than once, but also… protect him at all costs. He walks away from 90% of his problems, but somehow I still ended up loving him.

The plot? Addictive. Every chapter ended with me promising I’d stop—then reading three more. I needed to know what happened next. Julie Soto knows how to keep a reader on the hook.

This book gave me magic, emotion, angst, and just the right amount of slow-burn pain. I’ll be thinking about Briony and Toven for a long time.

And Toven, if you’re out there… therapy is a good thing. Just saying.

4 stars

Thank you to Forever pub and Hachette Audio for the e-arc, Physical arc, and ALC!

The beginning scenes of Rose in Chains follow pretty closely with the original fic. I think readers unfamiliar with it might struggle a bit. The book kind of drops you right into things without a ton of context or worldbuilding, and we are supposed to care for tons of characters off the bat without actually knowing them as the reader.

The world and magic is all new - heart vs. mind magic is an interesting concept, and I also like the inclusion of familiars, and the magic sharing bonds. As we move into the next book I am hoping for a bit more information on how the world and magic work/what the rules are.

Toven and Briony are from warring kingdoms. We get some flashbacks of them in school where we see Toven acting totally in line with his peers. He is the son of the 8th in line to the throne in Bomardsun. Whereas Briony is a princess in her Kingdom (The Eversun). When we start the story, Briony’s family including her twin brother and Father (the king) have been killed, and their whole kingdom overthrown. She is taken, along with her people to be sold off in an auction so they can be used for their magic.

This is an achingly slow burn. We really just start seeing stuff move for them towards the very end. AH it is brutal. (Their flashback scenes were great, but I need moreee, I really want his POV)

The standout character for me was Serena and I am SO HAPPY about that. Because the fic version of her is actually my favorite version of that character out of ALL the fics I’ve ever read. So glad she translated to the trad page the way she did.

I have hopes that moving into the next books we will get more defined world & magic information. The epilogue has me intrigued, and those last couple chapters were so intense!

Audio: This audiobook was just fine. I didn’t dislike or love the narrator. I think some of the male voices blended together a bit. But I appreciated the audio copy, as immersive reading is my favorite. If you are big into audiobooks I think you should still listen, but I wouldn’t recommend it as an outstanding audio specifically.

Please check triggers, this contains dark themes

*this does not contain any of that original IP. You do not need to read the original IP the fic was based on (nor should you). I do not endorse the views of that woman. Even as a reader of fan fiction, I have never read those books, nor will I.
I am deeply frustrated with the publisher for advertising it with the previous IP.

i wish this hadn’t been marketed with she who must not be named’s ip but actually it wasn’t too bad at all

I absolutely loved the narrator. Her voice was great. Easy to listen to and understand. The story was also good. It jumped between the past and present so you got more of the story overall. The characters were likable amd the story held my attention. It was a very enjoyable listen.

I absolutely loved this book! The world building, magic system, morally grey characters – it’s all so good! I am such a fan of the ‘enemies to lovers’ trope, and while we didn’t get quite as much as I was hoping in this first book of the series, the slow burn was perfect. It’s very rare to come across a story where you are invested in every character and their motivations (even the really bad ones). It does stand to mention that there are significant content warnings that come along with this story, there are some very dark moments and readers should be aware. Since reading other reviews I can definitely see how fans would view this as a loose Dramione story, but it definitely stands on its own feet as a great romantic epic.
The audiobook was less enjoyable than reading physically, I don’t feel like the voice of the character was well matched and inflections were off for my reading speed.
Cannot wait for the next instalment of this series.

I waited over a year for this book and it did not disappoint! I have already listened to the audiobook twice. Once before release, and a second time when my signed pre-ordered copy arrived.

My first listen was without the text, but I still understood and retained the story fairly well. The narrator does a great job differentiating different voices. Often when listening to audiobooks, I’ll be up doing things, but this book was so gripping that many times I found myself just sitting down and focusing only on listening. Three weeks later I immersive read, listening to the audio while tabbing my physical copy. I was able to have the narration go a little faster this time since I was familiar with the story and the words in front of me.

I did find my experience enhanced by having the text to reference, since there are quite a few names and places, and I was able to keep track of those better when I could see them spelled out.

The magic system in the world is so interesting and it is more complex than I expected going in, which was a nice surprise!

It’s worth noting that Rose in Chains takes place in a darker, fantasy world where human slavery is commonplace. However, even though the world is dark, the romance is not. The MMC is extremely respectful to the FMC. This story is a very slow burn, but sexual themes are still prevalent and important to the plot. While the overall spice is relatively low in this book, I anticipate it going up quite a bit in the next two books.

I can’t wait to see what Julie Soto has in store next!

Thank you to Hachette Audio | Forever and NetGalley for giving me access to an ALC!

I absolutely LOVED this book.

The two warring kingdoms/magic types, the characters with chemistry that absolutely sizzled, the plot with real stakes, the writing that had the perfect amount of purple - it all added up to an absolute banger of a book.

I gave it 4.5 on Storygraph. The -.5 star was for the narrator. She was a bit too soft and breathy for my taste.

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

INFINITY STARS.

This was the enemies to lovers book I needed in my life!! This is my second book of Julie’s - the first being The Thrashers - and I am a huge fan now. The writing was amazing, the story was insanely intriguing, and the narration was perfect. I loved the narrator and her accent. She seemed like a perfect casting for this book!

I can’t wait for this to come out so I can have a physical copy of this masterpiece!

I decided to read this book because I loved Julie Soto’s contemporary romance. I was initially wary because there are some intense content warnings at the beginning. However, I do think they were handled with care and provided the necessary setting for the extreme situation the characters find themselves in.

No one knows how to write romantic tension like Julie Soto does! It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book with the proper amounts of yearning that does not speed-run the plot or the romance.

As far as the fantasy goes, I think this is a strong foundation for the future series. It’s a little obvious that this is her first published fantasy book and it does follow familiar beats of the genre. However, there is plenty of room to grow the magic system and I look forward to what she does with it!

I flewwwww through this book and it consumed all my free time because I was so invested.
This book is definitely dark with themes of slavery, SA, violence, etc. So please check any content warnings prior to reading.

I loved the tension between Briony and Toven and can’t wait to further see their story. I loved the flashbacks as it gave depth to both of their characters however it still left it open for the next books to dive even deeper.

I really enjoyed the side characters and want to know more about their past and am intrigued to what their roles will be in future books.

I loved the audiobook narrator and thought she was a perfect choice to bring Briony’s voice alive.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for allowing me an advanced listeners copy of this book!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early!

I had so much fun listening to this and I think the narrators brought such life into this story. The emotion was palpable and the atmosphere of the story made me feel like I was there. I can’t wait for more installments of this trilogy!

Thank you @NetGalley and @HachetteAudio for the ALC. This is a must read. I love Julie Soto. This was a fun audio and narrators were great.
Love that she is branching out to Romantasy.

Finished 7/23/2025
2.5 stars rounded down to 2.

TW: On page Human Trafficking, sexual abuse, on page forced sterilization, off page rape of third party characters, death/grief of family members

I was kinda bored with this, but it could have also been to me getting lost in the audio as the narrator was super boring. The world building was a little weird to grasp, but it could be a misfortune of rebranding. I liked their banter and the "practicing". That was probably my favorite part. I didn't care for any of the characters except for Serena. I did like the flashback story telling, I think without a dual POV, the little glimpses of Toven and her thruout the years was the best way to hint at him liking her at all. That being said, this is the slowest burn. And unfortunately, it didnt work for me because I really wasnt into the story or the narration.

Also I dont prefer third person POV.

Second time author for me, I enjoyed her other book Not Another Love Song, which was also other fanfiction turned published book, and enjoyed that much more than this.

Audiobook narrator: Ella Lynch
Single POV, Third Person
Tropes: Enemies to Lovers, Abduction/Prisoner, Virgin FMC, Slow Burn
Notable Microtropes: Dating Lessons, dry humping
Spice: 1/5

Listened at 1.50x speed.
First time listening to this narrator. She was kind of boring and very whispery, I didn't like the whispering. I did enjoy her narration when emotions were high. Not much range of character voices and got lost sometimes when different characters were speaking. Not great male voices for other characters. Her best male voice was used for the MC but even that was still not great.
It took me 5 days to listen to this. Thats 4 days too many.

Thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing an ALC.

Being a fan of Julie Soto's work, she did an excellent job dipping her foot into the romantasy world.
It was an instant page turner for me. Or for me, a constant listen.
Ella Lynch was an amazing narrator for this story and in my opinion, the perfect role. I was so enraptured by her storytelling throughout the entire book. She has an elegant voice, fit for the royal blood in these characters. The different voices she made for the various characters were also great and the audio overall flowed well.

This dark romantasy hits all the marks for me. It's got delicious slow burn, yearning to no end, political intrigue, and suspense that keeps me guessing. Briony is a force and I love when our female lead is a force to be reckoned with. The flashbacks were some of my favorite parts as they helped shaped who we know in present time. You can tell Toven has many layers to uncover, and I can't help but fall for this broody and brilliant man a little bit more each time. Like with any fantasy, I had to reread some of the magic system workings to understand it fully, but once I did, it was smooth sailing. The cliffhanger is unbelievable and I cannot wait for the next installment!

Make no mistake, there is dark content in here. Please check your triggers and read responsibly.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for an advanced audio copy of Rose In Chains by Julie Soto.

I very much enjoyed this and ended up purchasing a physical copy of it. I like how Julie Soto isn't afraid to tackle darker topics and show a more realistic insight into the less spoken about aspects of those taken prisoners during wartime. I found the way the story unfolded intriguing and that I kept wanting to find out more. I like the character development and how the larger revelations slowly unfold.

Very much looking forward to the next book 😁

3.25 Stars.

Good fantasy read. I’m just not a big fantasy girl. Julie soto’s writing much improved for me with this novel after the thrashers. I’m going back and forth about continuing the series, I think I would like this better as a tv series. I still need to check out Soto’s romance books.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for my arc in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had a hard time getting into the audiobook of Rose in Chains, the world building felt slow and the plot dragged more than I expected. The story didn’t fully click for me and the cliffhanger ending left me a bit frustrated. That said, I’ve loved Julie Soto’s other work, so I’m still curious enough to continue with the next book. The narrator did a solid job bringing the characters and emotions to life, which helped keep me engaged.

4.25 stars!
dramione fanfiction has my HEART - it would never fail me
if i had all 3 books i would have binged them in one go, this story had me sucked in
this gave me fanfiction vibes but in the best way