Capturada mientras su castillo es invadido por el enemigo, Briony Rosewood sabe que el mundo tal como lo conoce ha cambiado para siempre. Las fuerzas oscuras de Bomard han vencido y su pueblo, los Eversuns, se enfrenta a la servidumbre, el encarcelamiento o la muerte inminentes. Su hermano, destinado a ser heredero por partida doble y a unir los reinos en guerra, ha muerto. Me gustó el libro, es muy buena introducción al mundo, fue bastante entretenido. La narradora Ella Lynch hizo un excelente trabajo con el audiolibro.

Although the writing is well done, I feel that Rose in Chains ultimately supports the IP of a franchise—and by extension, an author whose views do not align with my own. Even if this novel is only connected through its fanfiction roots, it still draws attention and renewed visibility to J.K. Rowling, who has made repeated anti-trans statements and donated to causes that actively harm the trans community.

When I initially requested the title, I was unaware of its fanfic origins. Julie Soto isn’t an author I was familiar with or someone I follow on social media, so I didn’t realize the book’s connection to the Harry Potter universe through Dramione fanfiction until after the fact.

I’m uncomfortable supporting or promoting a work that brings renewed spotlight to Rowling’s world—especially at a time when trans rights are under such direct and dangerous attack. I truly appreciate the opportunity to read this copy, and I don’t take that for granted. But I believe that reviewing or boosting this title would go against the values I hold and the community I care deeply about protecting and advocating for.

I loved Julie Soto’s contemporary romance so I was excited for her romantsy debut.

Briony Rosewood just watched as her brother and country were defeated. As the enemy invades she cannot escape their capture. What will happen to Briony after she is taken by the enemies?

I thought the magic system was interesting. I wish there was a little more information and detail but this is the first in the series so we may learn more as the series continues.

This is more of a slow burn which I did appreciate especially for the enemies to lovers trope.

Overall I did like this one and will continue on with the series but it was not my favorite by this author but I am interested to see how the story plays out.

LOVED THIS. I thought this book stood alone outside of it's fanfiction roots wonderfully and really enjoyed it!! Audio quality was fantastic and I was held captive by both the storyline and the narrator.

The narrator was great for this book! The enemies to lovers was definitely felt. Unfortunately for me, this book was too dark for me. A lot of SA and enslavement which made it hard to get through. I thought the main character would be strong and independent as it alluded in the first chapters. Turns out she wasn't. She was very naive for someone with so much power.
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher.

The audiobook was narrated phenomenally ! She brought this story to life in such an amazing way but most importantly the source material she was working with was also amazing.

This felt like a totally new and refreshing story and I found myself completely immersed in the world right away.

The magic system was easy to understand as was the world building.

I’m salivating for the next book in this series

Audio Feedback: I enjoyed listening to the audio as a reread to the story and while I did not mind the narrator, I did find her voice to be a little young and had hoped for a richer tone of voice to match the darker themes of the story.

Original novel feedback: Rose in Chains, the first installment in The Evermore Trilogy, is Julie Soto's dark, romantasy debut with a unique magic system, a slow burn enemies to lovers, with hidden pining!, and compelling characters. I loved it! While this is known to have been written originally as fanfiction (that I have read and loved), Soto has rewritten the story extensively and RIC stands alone as new work. I really enjoyed the flashbacks to show how the relationship had built between Briony and Toven as rivals during their school years and to give background as to potential motivations for Toven to "own" Briony. I was hooked from page one and cannot wait to continue in the next installments!!

You know it’s a good one when I already reread it. One thing I noticed on my reread is how Bryony might be going through the shittiest shit at this point in time, but she’s not a perfect princess; she’s got her own flaws, her own entitlement as former princess of her kingdom, her blind spots in her friendships, and that does inform her character trajectory. Not that it makes any of her suffering okay obviously, this was just an observation of a character far more complicated, and thus, compelling, than just a brilliant, perfect heroine of the story. Rory too of course, was flawed, but we knew that already.

Ramblings aside, I enjoyed listening to the book in narrator’s posh British accent, even if at times her rendition of the male characters wasn’t the best. Her Toven was annoying, but her Bryony was great. Having said that, once I got used to her voice I didn’t mind her male voices so much either.

***

Every now and again, a book comes along that flays you open and restitches your very skin and bones into something new. Rose in Chains is one of those books for me. I’ve been up all night devouring this book and I’ve never felt more alive. Julie Soto couldn’t have written a more perfect book if she’d been trying to write directly to my ID. This right here rang all my bells and checked all my boxes. The messy, the fucked up, the YEARNING.

Briony Rosewood is smart and accomplished and powerful (?) and the Princess of Evermore, but ultimately burdened by the expectations of a patriarchal society. And on the losing side in a terrible war. It’s fallen to her to salvage what’s left of her broken kingdom, which isn’t much. What follows is a series of horrifying circumstances and terrible choices that aren’t really choices at all. And Briony navigates it all with a spine of steel. Folks, I beg you to heed the content warnings and protect your peace, do not go into this if you find the subject matter triggering or otherwise distasteful. This is a dark romance with gruesome, dark themes. I for one, started off concerned about it being too bleak for my current state of mind, but the vein of hope running through the depths of despair in the story is what I held on to. This book really got me like half AGONY, half HOPE.

Speaking of dark, let’s talk about Toven Hearst, our…MMC? Is he the villain? Antihero? Hero? Yes I know he’s allegedly done no good very bad unheroic heinous acts, and will do more (do we really know this). I’m sorry but I’m supporting all his wrongs until proven otherwise. He’s just a boy, and I am one messy bitch. He’s arrogant and mysterious and ice cold but that ice thaws under the right conditions which may or may not have to do with our princess. We shall never know, because one thing a broody tortured man will be is secretive and terrible at communication. But that’s fine, he has Reasons. Which I could not hear over the noise of his slutty forearms in his slutty button downs and slutty waistcoats. Sorry, horny humor.

Soto is a master of tension; you don’t really know what’s going on, but you still FEEL IT because Briony and Toven don’t even have to be in one room for the tension to leap off the page and slap you in the face. She only has to think of silver hair and gray eyes and you are panting like a dehydrated dog in the desert. Only intensified by the acerbically witty banter which makes you want to make heart eyes at a man and smack him at the same time. Soto also is a master of the slow burn, and for aforementioned dark reasons, it makes perfect sense for the development of their non-relationship (even though you will yell “NOW KITH” a lot). I have not read the source material (aka the fic that inspired this saga) and I was never truly invested in a certain fanfic couple except for a deep love of bullyish enemies to lovers dynamics. But Ms Soto can make me a believer in anything she wishes.

A truly sweeping fantasy romance is incomplete without compelling secondary characters and villains, and this book is chock full of all the above. I have a lot of feelings about all the amazing wonderful brilliant women, treated as little more than commodities for trade and spoils of war, and rising fiercely to the occasion anyway. All the dudes are on notice as far as I’m concerned. I did not quite see that one twist at the end coming but I’m abuzz with glee at the possibilities for the future developments in the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy!

Julie Soto delivers a dark and captivating romantic fantasy in Rose in Chains that had me hooked from page one. Set in the aftermath of a lost war, this story takes the classic chosen-one trope and flips it on its head—the hero is dead, evil has won, and Briony Rosewood, the princess of Evermore, is thrust into a world where her magic is stripped away and her freedom auctioned off like property.

The enemies-to-lovers dynamic between Briony and Toven Hearst simmers with tension, distrust, and reluctant desire. Toven is enigmatic and dangerous, and their dynamic toes the line between cruelty and care in the best morally gray kind of way. The magic system is rich, the world-building is lush and layered, and the stakes stay high throughout.

I took off a star simply because I wanted more—more depth in the supporting characters, and more resolution in the political threads that simmered beneath the surface. But overall, Rose in Chains is a gripping, emotional, and gorgeously written tale of survival, strength, and unexpected hope.

If you like your fantasy a little dark, a little romantic, and a lot rebellious, this one’s for you.

Amazing. No notes. Definitely stands on its own with compelling characters and interesting world building and magic system. Fans of The Auction will also adore this with the subtle easter eggs that call back to that masterpiece.
The narrator did an amazing job of creating emotion and personality in the characters. I would definitely recommend listening to this book and can’t wait to tandem read and listen once I have a print copy!

I wanted so badly to love this, and while I enjoyed the story I definitely had some thoughts. Maybe it was just because ive read many fanfics, but this book read like one. I did a combined audio/ebook read of this title and while it was less noticeable in the audio it still had the overall flow and motifs of a fanfic. Speaking on that, I wish we had more character growth and depth of the side characters! This might just be a marketing issue, but I felt like this was pushed more as a general romantasy than a dark romantasy. Yes yes, i know it has a content warning on it but i just feel like the 'hype' of this book downplayed the dark nature..

but back to the actual writing! besides it being a fanfic, and a dark one at that, i found myself laughing at some parts at how absurd the logic and thought process was for these characters. The world building, for something that had to be almost entirely reworked, was decently done and if i hadnt known the works that this book is based off of i truly dont think i would have known, so props for that.

The narrator understood the assignment, and in terms of an ALC i have no issues with the narration, tones or inflections used by the narrator. The audio did help it sound less like a fanfic so props to that, but all in all it was just meh.

overall, might not be for me, 3.5 stars rounding up to 4.

Rating: 4.25⭐️
Spice: 🌶️🌶️
Media: ALC

There was so much I enjoyed about this book. The narration led by Ella Lynch was so well done, I could not imagine a better voice to narrate this work. Her tone and inflections delivered so adeptly the cruelness and darkness of the world while also portraying Briony's strength in a world she has no control over.

I did not have much backstory going into this book which helped me experience the characters as they were presented. The writing pulls you in immediately. The magic system was unique and I have so many more questions about it which I hope get explained in Book 2. The parallel timelines helped lay the groundwork for the relationship budding between both characters as well as setting the scene for what happens in the beginning of the book. While the romance may seem the focus in this book, to me the biggest takeaway from this novel was the strength of the women going through this dehumanization yet finding ways in supporting each other through subtle gestures. I do feel there is so much more that needs to be explored between Briony and Toven. I feel we got a small taste of what they could be but the forbidden love aspect made this the slowest of burns. I can't wait to see how their relationship grows in Book 2. I didn't expect this novel to be dark but for this reason, it will be stand out to me in the many romantasies I have read this past year.

I did feel that the book was a bit slow at times and I would've liked more action as this led me to get lost at times in the audio.

Overall, it was a great book with a unique magic system, intrigue and unexpected plot twists.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever for this eALC.

Rated 4.5 stars

Okay, I love this book. Can’t believe I have to wait years for the next two installments.

The world-building and magic system are super interesting—heart magic and mind magic? Yes, please. Though I do wish the names were a little more magical. “Heart” and “Mind” just feel kind of... meh. I also found all the seats to the Bomardi throne a bit confusing—kind of hard to keep track of. But the political intrigue? Definitely kept me curious.

This is 100% a dark romantasy. The topics and events are intense and definitely triggering at times. But the slowburn romance? So, so good. I love a good slowburn, and this one hits just right.

Huge thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book. All opinions are my own.

#RoseInChains #JulieSoto #NetGalley #ARCreview

I was absolutely blessed when given the arc for this. As a fan of the auction, I think I’m qualified enough to say that this books stands on its own, separately from the world of Harry Potter. I really believe that Julie soto put enough of her own creativity into this for it to not be marketed as a fan fiction, in fact I believe that to be an injustice.

I’m so against this cancel culture we have going on at the moment, Julie soto used Harry Potter as inspiration, similar to what most authors do.

Anyways, this was great!! I will never love it more than the revival, The Auction, but I really did love it so much!

DNF AT 13%
I so wanted to love this one. As someone who grew up on fantasy and devoured Dromione fanfic, I truly felt like the ideal reader for Rose and Chains. The setup promised all the things I adore: enemies-to-lovers tension, dark magic, forbidden romance—but no matter how many times I tried to dive in (and I really did try—five or six times for over a month!), I just couldn’t connect.

I switched formats, restarted chapters, tried reading at different times of day… and every time, I found myself drifting. Sadly, this one just didn’t pull me in.

Rose in Chains features Briony and Toven, heirs to opposite sides in a war. When Briony’s brother dies and her country falls, she is taken captive and sold at an auction to Toven. At his estate, Briony is prepared for the worst and has to puzzle out the many secrets hidden among the people at Hearst Hall.

I really enjoy Julie Soto’s writing and I think it worked here, in her first romantasy. The world building and magic was interesting and I enjoyed figuring out what was going to happen. Toven is one hundred percent a tragic morally grey dude and Briony is too focused on survival to understand why Toven wants her so badly. I enjoyed it at the same time I wanted to shake her.

I found the pacing really slow, the sense of danger was present but then the amount of training and flashbacks seemed to negate that dire and dangerous storyline. Arguing the same thing over and over got frustrating unfortunately.

Overall, while enjoyable, something was just off and it took me forever to read.

I was able to read this book thanks to a Netgalley ARC from the publisher. I have chosen to review to honor the ARC but will not be promoting this book anywhere on my social channels. I am aware of the origins of the book and, being aware, find it too hard to separate the harmful origins from this work.

WOW! This book was incredible.

The world-building, the character development, the intricate magic system, and the layers of political tension were so well done. This is the true definition of a dark romantasy. While there was very low spice, any mentions were more about acts happening to others or instructional in nature.

Emotionally, this book wrecked me. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster the entire time. My heart broke over and over again for Briony and her people. The way these women suffered—please, definitely check the trigger warnings before diving in.

The ending was exactly what I hoped for but honestly didn’t think would happen. I’m beyond excited to see where Book 2 goes!

I listened to the ALC from NetGalley, and while the audiobook was solid, I think it would’ve been even better with a duet narration. It was sometimes difficult to tell who was speaking when one narrator voiced all characters. That said, the story itself? Absolutely amazing.

The writing and narration were fantastic. The tension between the two main characters and their backstories in how they felt about each other were well written and convincing. However, the contents of this book were too dark for me. I had a hard time with the many sexual assault scenes, the owning and treatment of the women, enslavement, etc. I would recommend it to friends who like dark romance, but I don’t think this book is for everyone.

woah, i was just transported into another world with magic and complex characters from the world bulding. julie the storytelling on this one, wow. amazing. i was drawn in from the start and on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen. the ending???? no words. going to need book two immediately.

audio: WOW, this was an experience (in a good way). the narrator did a great job at immersing you into the story. i highly recommend reading it or re-reading as an audio!

i want to note that this is definitely a darker, twisted fantasy. it contains very heavy topics that can be triggering.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 stars! It took me about 15–20% to really get into this book, but once it clicked, I was completely hooked and ended up binging the rest. At first, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be for me—and I’m so glad I was wrong! The pacing was solid, the worldbuilding and magic system were fun, and the mysterious elements kept me engaged throughout.

Although I knew this story originally began as fanfiction, I don't think I would have guessed if I hadn't known. That said, knowing the background actually enhanced my experience—I found myself mentally swapping in the original characters, which made it even more enjoyable in a nostalgic way. I want to add- that this story can stand easily on its own legs.

I’ll definitely be continuing with the rest of the trilogy as it's released!