As someone who has read the source material Rose in Chains started from, this was a phenomenal upgrade to that story. It felt fully fleshed out and can live on its own while maintaining so many clever nods to original story and keeping the overall arc while bringing so much more additional originality. Briony and Toven feel inspired by the originals, instead of direct copies. I truly cannot wait for the remaining books in the series; this immediately went on my favorites shelf.

I loved this book so much! Not only is it gorgeous, but the writing, the characters, the setting, the pacing, it was all phenomenal.
Split between mind magic and heart magic, there are two beliefs in this world. Heart magic as overtaken the kingdom, and all those who practice mind magic are killed or taken hostage.
Briony, the princess of Eversun, is auctioned off to the highest bid because of her royalty. Toven Hearst, her schoolmate who she has had a secret crush on but is also terrified of, is the winner of her enslavement. She finds herself in the midst of the Hearsts longing to find information on her friends and who may be left alive in her bloodline.
This book is addicting! I listened to this one and followed along and the immersive experience was the best! Although there are some dark subjects covered in this book, I loved every minute of it.
Briony is head strong and determined. I loved her character.
Toven is morally grey I, and I find myself rooting for him throughout the book.
Fantasy
• Forbidden Romance
•Dark Romance
Slow Burn
•Enemies to Lovers
•Dual Timelines

🌟 4
🌶️ 1
🎧 4

🥀 Dark Romantasy // Dark Fantasy Romance
🥀 Enemies to lovers
🥀 War themes, misogyny and gendered violence, captive/captor and other dark themes
🥀 Dramione fanfic adaptation
🥀 forced proximity

I wasn’t prepared for this book to be a series! That ending was not a proper ending so there must be another book coming!

It gave handmaids tale, hunger games, Game of Thrones… And it was very frustrating to read… I think I am personally over books where the main theme is gendered violence.

Overall, I did enjoy the story, but it was quite dark and knowing that it was adapted from fanfiction, I had a hard time separating the original text from the original fanfiction, and this last rendition of the story.

X

Thank you Netgalley, for the ALC of this book.

I had heard on BookTube (YouTube channels in a community called BookTube) that this is a slight rewrite to make a fan fiction to be able to be published, This book came from a fan fiction of Harry Potter & between two characters Hermione Granger & Draco Malfoy with a handmaid tale twist.

I was excited to read this when I first received it, because I heard great things from others about this but unfortunately, it wasn't a book I loved but I did enjoy it enjoy to finish the book & taking in the whole story. For my reading taste, I felt like something was missing for me to make it go from a 3.5 to a 4-star & higher, the atmosphere built was well done & the pacing was good but for me, I think it's the lack of more character development which had me not get fully invested.

The audiobook Narrator was a good pick for this book because I enjoyed how she sank into the character & the whole story bringing more to it for me to keep me listening

All in all, this was a decent listen to but it's not a book I would buy to add to my collection, but I will continue with the next instalments because I am curious about the final results.

If you love handmaid's Tale mixed with Harry Potter then you'll love this and I suggest it to anyone who's a fan of these

I was hooked from the first chapter. In this first part of the Evermore Trilogy, we watch Briony, who was bought by Toven in an auction, try to figure out how to survive and escape. Julie Soto did really good job with building the world and magic systems of the Eversuns and Bomardi.

Ella Lynch was a wonderful narrator and brought the story to life. As always, Julie Soto delivered with Rose in Chains. I can’t wait to read what happens next in this trilogy.

Thank you Hachette and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for a copy to review!

DNF at 45%. While Ella Lynch carries the book with her narration, the lack of worldbuilding, character development and flat chemistry made this book a bore for me.

Okay, so I loved this audio book. With the narrator it was very easy to be sucked into the story. I can't wait for the sequel.

No.

I’m sure Ella Lynch is spectacular.

After learning a few things, I cannot, in good conscience, listen or read this novel.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this ALC.

I’ve never read any work that’s related to this but was given an early audiobook arc through Hachette Audio. I highly recommend the audio if you’re someone who likes to read with your ears! The narrator did a great job at getting the dialogue and all the voices to make sense to me as a listened.

As for the book itself, I think it was a good book but it wasn’t an AMAZING book. It gave me the feeling of a good first book to a fantastic series so I’m excited to seeing what happens in future books (esp with the ending she left off at). I think overall something I didn’t like was how many unique characters were being spoken about throughout the book. It was hard to keep up with who is who in the beginning. But overall, I really like our main female character and main male character and love how the slow burn that I think will continue throughout the series.

(Advance Listening Copy (ALC) courtesy of NetGalley and Hachette Audio.)

<b>DNF @ Chapter 8</b>

I want to be clear that I feel like this book just <i> isn’t for me</i> and <u>NOT</u> that this is a <i>bad book.</i> This story is absolutely going to resonate with someone (and from the other ratings, it seems I'm definitely in the minority on this one!)

Unfortunately, I’ve read a lot of romantasy lately, and this one just didn’t hold my attention. For me, it felt like just another romantasy (something I've read time and time again), so I set it aside.

<b>🎧 AUDIO-SPECIFIC</b> — The narrator was solid during the portion I listened to: good pacing, clear voices. I don’t think my disinterest in the story had anything to do with the narration, and I’d be interested to hear her in other works.

TL;DR — Not for me, but YMMV. Definitely check it out and see for yourself.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for allowing me access to the audiobook of Rose in Chains. The listening experience was very enjoyable, and Ella Lynch did a phenomenal job as the narrator.

All I have to say is I was devouring this book. Unfortunately, I had to work 3 nights in a row right after I started the book, but I was listening every chance I had. From the start, I was hooked, and that never stopped. I cried a little inside when I saw that book 2 isn’t getting released until December 2026. If I had book 2, I would have immediately started it after finishing book 1.

I’m not typically a dark romance fan, but for me, this was the perfect amount of dark. The romance had rocky parts, but Briony and Toven didn’t do anything that was irredeemable. I would suggest reading trigger warnings prior to reading the book because I could see how certain parts could be triggering for some readers.

When I read books, I go off of vibes, so I rarely have a deep analysis of the book. If I find myself thinking about a book when I’m not reading, that’s when I know I’m addicted and will probably rate the book 5 stars. When I wasn’t listening to Rose in Chains, I was obsessively thinking about Briony and Toven and was counting down the minutes until I could start listening again.

I worried that the book would be romance-heavy and plot-thin, but I was very wrong. The romance aspect was present throughout, but there was also an interesting plot that kept me hooked and gave the book substance. The romance between Briony and Toven was the perfect slow burn (slow but developed at a believable pace). The tension was palpable, and I could feel the chemistry between Briony and Toven.

Thank you again for letting me review this book, and now I’ll be impatiently waiting for book 2.

I’ve really liked Julie Soto’s writing in the past, having previously read both of her adult romances, so I was thrilled to get this ARC. I loved her writing here, too—there’s something about her voice that’s just so readable and emotional. She knows how to write yearning and angst in a way that leaves you unable to put the book down.

That said, Rose in Thornes didn’t totally work for me. I didn’t realize going in that it was originally a Dramione fanfic, and once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it. The characters felt simultaneously too different and way too similar. It all started to feel more an echo or a store-brand rather than people I could fully connect with, which made the story harder to invest in.
I was provided with a copy of the audiobook and I believe the narrator didn’t aid in that separation because of her accent, even though I thought Ella Lynch did a stellar job. I just don’t believe the Dramione thing was for me.

Still, there were some moments that I really enjoyed. A few scenes had this sharp, brutal edge that felt fresh and original in a way I wasn’t expecting—and I wish the whole book had leaned more into that.
In the end, it wasn’t a total miss, but it also didn’t quite land.

Thank you Hachette Audio and Julie Soto via Netgalley for the ARC!

5 stars. Rose in Chains is the first in a new trilogy by Julie Soto and it is amazing. Briony is the princess of Evermore and her kingdom has fallen. She is sold at auction to Toven, a former classmate, whom she liked for many years. The purpose of selling of Briony and the other Heartsuns is to provide magic to the Bomardis as their heartstrings. Toven does not require this of Briony and he does not suppress her magic. Their relationship is full of tension and pining in present day and in the flashbacks to their school days. The story is complex and will pull you in from page one.

I loved this book. I knew I would love it since Julie Soto can do no wrong and I already loved The Auction. I fell in love with Toven and how much he cared for Briony from the start. I could not put this book down and I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy. The narrator, Ella Lynch, was perfect as Briony. She did an excellent job in conveying the myriad of emotions felt by the FMC.

Thank you to Hachette Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Rose in Chains was a highly anticipated summer release for me and I loved the story. This was my first book from Julie Soto even though I own some of her other ones. She did not disappoint in her first fantasy.

I thought this was an emotional, dark, and immersive read that captures the reader's attention. It’s got a gothic vibe to it as it winds through different timelines of developing the two main characters. It is slow paced, but that just builds the tension of the war times they’re living in and the romantic tension between Briony and Toven. I loved how it was told through flashbacks of years ago when they were younger to where they are currently in the story. There is so much intrigue as to what’s going on with Toven and his layers upon what I assume is political scheming. We love a brooding I’m clearing pining for you mmc.

The author developed a unique world and magic system that was reimagined from where we know the story originated from which I appreciated. This felt like it’s own fantasy and the trilogy may break our hearts.. There was a semi predictable twist at the end that leaves you wondering where book two is going to go.

🎧Audio thoughts: I liked the narration of this and thought Ella Lynch did a great job with bringing these characters to life. She kind of sounds like someone who rhymes with Briony which I don’t know if that was intentional or her English accent so that was throwing me off a bit, but didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment.

A big thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I was so excited to read this one, and it did NOT disappoint! The world the author built here is really such an interesting one. I love the two rival countries at odds, how the different magicians pull magic from different parts of the body (and other sources), and it was cool to hear about some of the history behind it all, including the flashbacks of characters at the joint academy when it was peace time. Also, the slow burn was SLOW BURNING! The tension. The want. The angst. The yearning. I wish we got more of it! (And I cannot wait for a Toven POV!!!) I am so intrigued by Toven and am so excited to find out more about him. And his mom, Serena, is also such a cool character - probably one of my favorite characters from this book. And THAT ENDING! WOW! I did predict it since early on in the book, but I still was kicking and screaming when I finally found out!

I enjoyed the audiobook narrator, and thought she did a good job, especially when she was performing as Briony.

However, there were a few qualms I had with the book:
(1) I love a good slow burn, and this is DEFINITELY that, but I really wish we got more scenes of Briony and Toven interacting and developing their relationship.
(2) Also, Briony, Briony, Briony—she is SO NAIVE, like, UNBELIEVABLY so. I loved the flashback scenes, however, learning more about Briony and Toven when they were in school, and as the book goes on, seeing Briony settle into living with the Hearsts, and how they treat her… Briony should have been more thoughtful about the fact that CLEARLY the Hearsts might not have totally malevolent mindsets, at least when it comes to her.
(3) Also, there are just way too many characters, and they were not necessary.
(4) While I love the world, I feel like it could have been explained a little bit better. I think this was difficult to do because we started in media res.

I can’t wait for Book 2!!

I listened to this book on audio and I'm so glad i did. The narrator was perfection! I was instantly hooked from the first page. Fantasy is a genre that i been struggling to get more into because it tends to get a bit confusing with all the world building but this book was so good, so easy to follow and i was instantly invested in Briony and her family. Without giving away any spoilers i must say that the epilogue really did it for me. There's something about a dragon with a personality that aggressively yanks me in. I could read novels about her alone and what she's thinking / feeling. Needless to say, i am pumped about this series. Cant wait for book 2!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this ALC

Stellar!
Rose in Chains is perfect for audiobook. The writing is so poetic and flowing that the jump to audio format is seamless and natural. I loved Ella Lynch’s narration, her voice was a perfect complement to Julie Soto’s words.
Beautiful work.
Thank you to Hachette Audio and Forever for sharing this audiobook with me. I’ll be sure to recommend it in my book groups and to my friends.

I love Julie Soto's writing so I was most anticipating this story! This cover is also so eye catching! I enjoyed the world building in this story as we learned about the different kingdoms and the magic system that was involved. I rooted for Briony and wanted her to come out of her situation in the best way possible. I should have originally done some more research on this book because the auction and harm caused to the women made me uncomfortable while reading. I thought the narrator was great for the story and brought the story to life. Thank you to Hachette Audio for an advanced audio copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

I absolutely devoured this story from the first word to the last. This is not a fun romantasy - it is very dark and the trigger warnings need to be taken seriously. As they always should be.

I first want to say that I hate how these books have been marketed - I wish they would be given the chance to stand on their own. I am familiar with the fanfiction this is based on , but have yet to read it. Regardless, I loved the story.

The world building was done nicely. It is easy to grasp, not overcomplicated. Allowing you to fall right into the story. Julie Soto beautifully weaves forbidden love, years of yearning, politics, a magic system and war. The tension she builds between the two main characters is torturous. She weaves back and forth from present and past - slowly pulling us down into their emotional angst and desires.

I do not think this book is for everyone, as darker romances are usually not.
I will say it was for me - and I can not wait for the next in the series.

2.5 stars, rounded to 3.

I started this book knowing it started as dramione fan fiction, but I hadn’t read any of those stories before so I kept an open mind and tried to view it as its own story. Unfortunately it just didn’t meet my expectations. I felt like the world building and magic system were not sufficiently developed and I often found myself confused by who could use certain types of magic and who couldn’t. It felt like there was a lot of backstory that could have been more flushed out, but maybe because this initiated as fan fiction it was just supposed to be inferred? Then there was the romance piece, and honestly that fell flat for me too. Obviously when a story is only told from one POV it’s more difficult to see the intentions/feelings of the other MC, but I was missing some crucial context surrounding Tovin’s feelings for Briony. (Ps: please forgive character spelling- I listened to the audiobook). All of Briony’s feelings for Tovin felt forced and there was a lack of chemistry between them. Overall, this had some potential but just didn’t hook me the way I had hoped. I’m not sure if I’ll be interested in continuing the series or not.

The audiobook production was good, the British narrator was enjoyable and gave a good performance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette audio for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy and provide my honest opinion.