I read the ebook of this title already, but as an audiobook enthusiast I wanted to experience the book in that format as well. The story is gut wrenching and very, very dark. It includes acts of sexual assault, rape, slavery, murder, etc. The story was engaging and the magic system was very interesting. I liked the heart magic versus mind magic styles. The narrator was excellent. She was very expressive and did a great job of narrating different voices.

4 ✨
Thank you NetGalley, Julie Soto and Hachette Audio for providing an ALC in exchange for my honest review - Rose in Chains published July 8th.

I’m a huge Julie Soto fan and was so excited to jump into her first fantasy romance novel. I went into this having heard nothing but good things!

Julie did not disappoint with this, with Rose in Chains being the first book in the Evermore Trilogy the ending set the next book up a treat and I’m looking forward to picking it up!

This follows Briony after she is captured, enslaved and auctioned off to the highest bidder, Toven (who she starts to develop feelings for!)

The romance between Briony and Toven is tension filled, enemies to lover and is slooooow burn which is a personal favourite of mine!

It did take quite a bit of concentrating at the beginning to navigate and understand who’s who as we meet quite alot of characters straight off the bat which was a little challenging, (I think I’d have benefitted from immersive reading with the ebook at the beginning). I felt much more invested and followed well from around the 25% mark

I’d really recommend picking this one up if you’re a fan of dark romantasy! You won’t be disappointed (and the cover alone is deserving of being on your bookshelf!)

Note there are several trigger warnings for this book, so it’s worth checking these out if needed as this does air on the darker side.

Narrator: I listened on 2x speed and Ella Lynch did a really great job at narrating Briony. As Rose in Chains had a number of dark twists this was brought to life wonderfully by Ella and really added to the story.

"Rose in Chains" is the epic start to the Evermore Trilogy that is packed with action, forbidden romance, and magic in an exciting new fantasy world. From the start you are thrown into the middle of an intense war between a previously united kingdom, in which Briony Rosewood and her twin brother Rory are the two remaining in their family line. The story takes place during the fighting in the present between the Eversuns and the Bomardi with flashbacks to their formal education together prior to the war. While the Bomardi practice Heart Magic, the Eversuns practice Mind Magic, and the two groups are in conflict as to which method is more pure and more powerful. After Briony is captured by her enemy, she is auctioned off to Toven Hearst, a prior classmate and forbidden crush from a ruthless family. Briony must learn how to live in her new role as she tries to navigate the cruelty of her captors and find hope in the possible survival of her home.

This book had everything a good fantasy/romantasy novel needs - a princess with strong powers captured by her handsome enemy, an interesting magic system and well-developed world, and high-stakes subterfuge in the midst of a war. Briony is no damsel in distress despite her circumstances, and she is easy to root for. The romance aspects are not overdone and I feel are present in just the right amount to not take over the story. There are characters to hate and those to love, and many mysteries that begin to unfold during this first book with plenty to be revealed as the trilogy continues. This story is perfect for those who enjoy fantasy involving war, captivity, and a family saga with a little bit of spice dashed in.

The audiobook for this novel was great - the narrator had a clear, pleasing accent and was easy to listen to and follow the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will be recommending it. Thank you to NetGalley and HachetteAudio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook.

Where do I even begin? This book is a masterpiece! From the moment I started, I couldn’t put it down. The enemies-to-lovers tension between Briony and Toven had me dying, the slow burn is everything.

The cover drew me in, but the story kept me hooked. It’s dark, but not too dark, Julie Soto nails that perfect balance. The political intrigue, sizzling romance, and nonstop action kept the pace fast and exciting.

Briony is a fantastic lead, and this book has serious potential to be the next big thing in romantasy. If you love dark fantasy and slow-burn romance, this is a MUST-READ. Just be sure to check the triggers first!

Thank you Hachette Audio and netgalley for the advanced listening copy!
Had I the time I think I would've finished listening to this one in one sitting!
Toven is a mystery and I think there are a lot of layers to pull from that man - I hope we will continue to learn more about him in the next book. I loved the tension between Toven and Briony. It's definitely a slow burn enemies to lovers and I just need them to open their eyes!
And that cliffhanger! I need book 2 now. I really enjoyed this read and one thing I would say is that the world build was barely there?! Hopefully we will learn more about Evermore and the magic systems in book 2. Give us the world build please!

2.5 stars

I’ve seen a lot of hype around this book so I was very excited to get the ALC from NetGalley. However, that’s about where my excitement ends.

I’ll preface this by saying that I was not aware that it had anything to do with the fanfic prior to reading this book. I have not read the fanfic version.


The world building was a little clumsy. I felt confused throughout the book, I’m not sure if that would have felt different if I had read the fanfic??? It was presented in a way that made me feel like I should have known more info than I really did. I like the idea of the magic system, but again, feel like it could have been executed differently. With that said, It wasn’t a super complicated read but the subject matter kind of demands a little more depth.

The pacing was a bit all over the place. There were a lot of flashbacks and I’m not really sure what value they brought to the story other than maybe the fact that the MMC and FMC had interactions prior to the current timeline.

I didn’t really feel like the romance aspect was strong. I don’t feel invested in their relationship at all.

As far as the audio, I did enjoy the narrator. She does a great job. I think if I had been reading a physical or eARC, I would probably have DNFd about halfway through.

Oh my goodness, this BOOK!

Thank you so much to Hachette Audio for the ALC and Forever for the eARC of Rose in Chains! These are my honest thoughts.

I AM OBSESSED. I am obsessed with Julie Soto. I am obsessed with this story. I am OBSESSED with Toven Hearst. Briony is a smart girl who ends up in a baaaad situation because of the war occurring in her country. When their castle is overtaken and she is captured, everything she knows and loves is taken from her, including her beloved brother. We learn through present day and flashbacks about all of the key players, including The 10 most important families who are in line to take the throne on one side of the war, and on Briony's side, the patriarchy has fallen with the death of her twin brother, Rory, the last heir.

Briony finds herself imprisoned with other ladies from her country, and a few surprise ladies from the other side. And once they've been assessed and deemed healthy, they are sold at the auction to the highest bidder.

And what happens from there is nothing short of twisted, darkness, magic, questions, secrecy, injustice, and surprises. I was just thrilled to keep going in this book. For the first time in my whole life, I was doing the audiobook and jumped to the ebook and jumped back to the audiobook so that I could keep reading as much as possible.

Seriously, 5 stars. Loved it so much. The writing is compelling. The slow burn, enemies to lovers story is perfect with sprinkled little nuggets of "what does this mean" intermixed with *squeals of delight* and Julie Soto is a magician herself revealing things in pieces and guiding us to complete the puzzle. AND THE EPILOGUE. I'm deeply upset I have to wait like 18 months for the next installment, but it'll be worth the wait.

Ella Lynch was an AMAZING narrator. She's British, and it was so fun to hear Briony's voice via Ella's performance. She also was fantastic at playing different parts and different classes of citizens in the story. Between Briony (a royal), Toven (from a post, upper class family), Reighven (creeeeeeeeep), and some of the uneducated or enslaved individuals serving the wealthier families, the differences in Ella Lynch's performance was noticeable and noteworthy. She brought those characters to life!

Read if you love:
- Magic
- Enemies to lovers but also sort of academic rivals to lovers??
- Slow burn
- Flashbacks
- Dark Romantasy
- Anti-hero vibes
- Girls who want to crush the patriarchy
- Rebellion

But also please check trigger warnings, as there are heavier topics within the pages of this book, and I want you to take care of yourself.

Out now!

Wow. I finished this last week and I'm still thinking about it.

What an impressive romantasy debut. It was a bit darker than I like, but it made me feel so much more for our FMC. Who I liked a lot. Smart, talented, and has a kind heart constantly worrying about others.

I also really enjoyed the narrator for this book. She brought Briony to life in such a believable way and had me experiencing all the feelings she did.

Really looking forward to the second book and will absolutely recommend!

I was nervous going into this book due to my prior knowledge of the contents. I am so happy I was proven wrong and cannot wait for the next part of this trilogy. This book despite its heavy topics was a very enjoyable read and was digestible.

A lot of people love this rewritten Dramione fanfic of The Auction. But I'm thinking I'm not the audience as I never read the fanfic and am not a fan of Dramione as a couple either. The majority of the book, if not all, focuses around an enemies to lovers situation, fixating mostly on torture and degradation of women. For those who are into darkness and torture without a lot of light, this is for you. I also think that it didn't really hit with me like most revisionist fanfic because there is a whole backstory of 7 books prior to this fanfic, and so Rose in Chains attempts to get around this with flashbacks. But they didn't work for me. The prose is strong, and I feel like this will hit its mark with the appropriate audience.
However, I did want to note on the narrators for this book, which were very strong. I stuck with the novel much longer as an audiobook than as a print book due to the strength of the narrators. Am looking forward to seeing what other voice work they do. In particular, the female narrator was extremely good.

Thank you so much to Hachette Audio for the ALC.

This book had me hooked from start to finish. I loved the world that was created and the complexities of the politics and magic, as well as the history between the characters. The topics of the book are quite heavy, so definitely check those trigger warnings before going in, but overall I was really engrossed in the story.

The narrator is incredibly talented. Her work really brought Briony, Toven, and company to life, and I was immersed from the beginning. Sometimes books that have a heavier lore drop can be difficult to follow on audio, but this one worked really well for me. And the way the narrator had individual voices for characters made for a very enjoyable experience.

While I enjoyed the story and world a lot, I did have some issues with Briony’s character. From the very beginning, the book makes it clear that she is a very bright, powerful, and talented girl. She talks about what it means to lead her people, but when she’s actually thrust into a leadership position she’s kind of… useless. Everyone else has to do everything for her. She had her moments, but I was definitely a bit disappointed in her. Toven, on the other hand, I adored and fell for way too quickly.

I really liked the structure of the story as well. They jumping backwards and forwards in time can always be a bit jarring at times, especially on audio, but overall this book handled it well and I liked the way it added to the story a lot. Instead of being told about what happened in the past we actually got to see it, which I always prefer.

This book was an incredibly enjoyable listen and I will 100% be continuing the series. Especially after that ending! I’m very curious to see where the story goes and look forward to Briony’s character developing more. I’m definitely hoping for some more world building in book 2!

Unfortunately this didn't work for me. There were times I really enjoyed it but then the plot felt like it went no where. I didn't feel the relationship pull at all.

I have no words this book is amazing ! I absolutely devoured this book. Julie Soto you are amazing!
What great reading experience. 1000/100
I would recommend everyone to read/listen this book! However please note this is a dark romance so heed the trigger warnings.
I can’t wait for book 2!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the audio ARC

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto is a dark romantasy full of political intrigue, lush world-building, and a unique Heart/Mind magic system. Briony is a flawed but fierce heroine, and her slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers tension with Toven Hearst had me fully invested. Some side characters fell flat and the cliffhanger ending made me scream! …I’m ready for book two.

Ella Lynch’s narration really elevated the story and added emotional weight to the darker moments. A solid listen if you’re into morally gray romance and high stakes.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

But were there any high stakes here aside from the constant threat of rape?

Making your story super dark is not a replacement for depth. I remember back in the day people were writing the most vile shit possible in fanfics because I think we were all going through this group psychosis in which anything tabu was seen as good quality or at least a little better than those ‘’Imagine Harry Styles sees you reading a book in the middle of their concert and falls head over heels for you!’’ ones.

I found it very funny how we were told both sides had issues pretty much by a leader saying ‘’Oh, your kingdom is so misogynistic because only the male heirs can rule. We, on the other hand, are so progressive, we let women be war criminals too. Anyways, enjoy being raped and striped of all humanity and bodily autonomy, bye!’’

The MMC was incredibly boring. You would think we would be introduced to someone who’s very morally complex (given that he’s a slave owner but somehow also… a romantic interest) but he’s just plain boring.
You could have gotten rid of that romance and make this a story about a queen rising from the ashes after a lost war, exploring the darkest times after everything seems to be lost, and maybe even finding love along the way with someone from her own kingdom who also happened to survive.
But you wouldn’t sell many copies without the romantasy tag.
And it wouldn’t be enemies to lovers if she fell in love with someone not on the evil side.
And you couldn’t still market it as a Dramione fanfic in all the marketing.

Very ‘’girl who claims to be a good person and an ally to the marginalizes yet loves her far right boyfriend because he actually has a heart of gold, you just can see it!’’ coded.

Not enough world building, it relies on you already having a previous notion of what kind gf world we’re in. No map is a criminal thing in the year of our Lord 2025. By the 80% pretty much nothing had happened; most of this book was a big ball of nothing with flashbacks sprinkled it.

Princess Briony Rosewood is captured after her kingdom falls and sold into enemy hands. Her new owner turns out to be Toven Hearst, a cold and calculating heir from her past, setting off a tense, slow-burn romance filled with secrets and unresolved history. As Briony fights to reclaim her agency, their connection deepens in a dark, war-torn world where love might be the only path to freedom.

I think this just wasn’t to my taste, nothing necessarily wrong with the book but I didn’t gel with it at all. It felt stilted and awkward at times and I feel like make that was made worse by the narrator having such a posh accent. I absolutely loved Julie Soto’s other books but this was a miss to me. I knew it was dark going in but some of it felt gratuitous in a way that made me very uncomfortable.

4,25/5 ⭐
0,5/5 🌶️

Ho tanti pensieri su questo libro, alcuni belli alcuni meno. L'inizio è stato abbastanza duro per me, visto che avevo letto la fanfiction originale e non mi ritrovavo molto nel nuovo mondo magico e nei personaggi. Poi, piano piano, ho ritrovato la storia di cui mi sono innamorata nel 2021 quando la lessi per la prima volta. Ho apprezzato tantissimo alcuni dettagli e conversazioni che sono rimaste identiche all'originale, ma mi sono mancate delle cose per me FONDAMENTALI (honey nel tea e the right thing to do). In generale, mi sono piaciute le aggiunte (la cattiva della storia, in particolare, mi incuriosisce molto, soprattutto considerando il drago👀). Per il resto, posso solo dire che ho amato la fanfiction, è una delle mie preferite in assoluto, quindi avevo aspettative altissime ovviamente per il libro. Sono state attese per la maggior parte, eccetto quei dettagli che, per me, erano necessari. Spero che nei prossimi volumi vengano aggiunte. Posso solo suggerirvi di recuperare al più presto questo libro perché ne vale veramente la pena! E non vi dico che caos ci sarà nei prossimi😱

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me after finding out about the antisemitic content within the book and the lack of comment from either the author or the publisher. which is a shame because Ive always been a big supporter of both. Will not be reviewing anywhere else at this time. thank you for the opportunity to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook (ALC) of Rose in Chains by Julie Soto!

This was my first time receiving an ALC, and I’m incredibly grateful for the experience. From the very beginning, the narration pulled me in and made me feel fully immersed in Briony’s world. The narrator did a phenomenal job capturing the emotional depth of the story, her voice was easy to follow, engaging, and flowed beautifully.

This has easily become one of my favorite audiobook listens in a while! I’m already planning to re-listen while reading the physical copy to deepen the experience even more. If the second book is narrated in the same way, I’d absolutely love to listen to it!

Love love love love love this book.

If you're going to read, check trigger warnings because it gets INTENSE at times!! but so good I would not skip reading it.

Narrator Ella Lynch was the perfect one for the job. She personified Briony PERFECTLY. In my reread of the book, everything in my head is her voice.