Rose in Chains is the first in a new dark romantasy trilogy. As many of us know, this is based on a hugely popular fanfic, which I had read and loved. This book is fairly similar, making the changes needed to qualify as a traditionally published work. The story in this first book is pretty similar to the original, but not quite as dark as I remember.

I don’t want to spend the whole review comparing this to the original fanfic as I hope many people will come to this series on their own. This book is a slow burn with very little spice, but the context pushes it up a notch. It’s pretty light fantasy, heavy on the political intrigue. There is magic, but the weight of the book is really on the war between these two groups.

I really enjoyed the read, but the waiting for three books will be very painful, and I think there may be some major variations from the original plot that will keep all of us on our toes. I’m a huge fan of Julie Soto’s and cannot wait to see where she takes this o

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Knowing what the original inspiration for the story was, it made it a little hard to settle into the book initially (especially since the names closely resemble the originals and was my biggest frustration). But once I got into the book I was fascinated with how it was going to proceed and could not put the book down.

Wow. This book!!!!

I want to start by adding that I DID NOT read the fanfic that the idea for this originally started from. Did I initially still find it distracting knowing the characters were based on some of our favorite wizards? Yes. Did I still absolutely love this? Also yes. I also will note that on audio, I found keeping the characters straight a bit more difficult, and in the beginning there are quite a lot of characters introduced.

There is a new magical “mistress” in town, hoping to quash the “Heir Twice Over” prophecy standing in her way of ultimate rule and power. Rory Rosewood is that heir and his sister, Briony, finds herself thrust into the heart of enemy territory - faced with horrors she never imagined. Why is she here and what is in store for the future?

This was such a strong start to an anticipated trilogy and I CANNOT WAIT for the next installment. The slow burn is just getting started, but I’m here for it. Strong 4.5/5 stars for me!

I usually stay away from books that get a ton of hype, mostly because they're either spoiled all over the place, or I read them and don't love them as much as everyone else seems to, and then I feel like the odd one out. But Rose in Chains has been the exception, I somehow avoided all spoilers (which drove me crazy because I had SO many questions as I read), and second… I truly enjoyed it.

Rose in Chains tells the story of the "losers", those left behind after the devastating aftermath of a war that was supposed to end in their victory and bring peace. Because we experience the story through their eyes, and as with every story not told by the winners, what we get is a dark tale of survival. Through this painful narrative full of abuse and what-ifs, we get to witness the moral complexity of relationships and see forbidden connections begin to take shape.

I have to admit, for the first 25% of the book, I kept thinking about "the original work" (even though I've never read HP fanfiction). I kept wondering how much this story was shaped by the original background and the fanfiction people keep talking about. But honestly, I have to bow down to Ella Lynch, the audiobook narrator. It was her performance and storytelling that pulled me through the first half and, in the end, made me forget all the external noise and simply enjoy this beautiful world that Julie Soto created. Ella Lynch made the characters feel real and kept me hooked, even when the book got really heavy.

I loved Julie Soto's writing style. It was incredibly easy to engage and immerse myself in the plot, and I was genuinely surprised by the depth of her worldbuilding. I think she absolutely nailed differentiating this world from the one in her fanfiction roots. As a reader, it kept me hooked; I wanted more because I had so many questions and just couldn't stop turning the pages. That said, the story touches on some really heavy topics, so there were times I had to pause, read a few pages from another happier book, and then dive back in when I was ready.

I truly liked the main characters. I'm a total sucker for enemies-to-lovers stories, especially when there are so many secrets, repressed emotions, and tension simmering beneath the surface. It makes everything feel more intense and worth it. Briony and Toven together? Absolute fireworks. Even the secondary characters felt fleshed out; they kept me invested in what was happening in their lives, what side they were on, and what their motives might be. They kept me constantly on edge and wondering where their loyalties truly were.

The one thing I hate? How long we have to wait for book two! After that ending, I'm desperate to know what happens next.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the gifted ARC!

3.75 out of 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I listened to Rose in Chains via audiobook ALC from NetGalley – narrated by Ella Lynch; thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the advanced listener copy.

This was my first book by Julie Soto, and while I found a lot to appreciate, it definitely felt more like a setup for what’s to come than a fully fleshed-out installment on its own.

Rose in Chains leans heavily into dark fantasy and political intrigue, with a slow-burn rivals-to-lovers thread woven throughout. There’s forced proximity, a heavy emotional undercurrent, and a few surprising moments of vulnerability from the male lead that kept me curious. That said, this isn’t your typical romantasy—it’s much darker and deals with heavy themes. Trigger warnings are listed at the start, and I strongly recommend reviewing them before diving in.

Briony, the female main character, has spent her life hiding the true extent of her magic in her twin brother’s shadow. You can feel her inner conflict—loving her brother while also feeling stifled by his presence and role. Toven, her love interest, is a classic cold-on-the-outside, protective-on-the-inside type. I appreciated the way the author revealed his softer moments through flashbacks, which added some dimension to his character and kept their dynamic compelling, even when the pacing dragged.

The worldbuilding had potential, but at times it felt disjointed. Knowing the book’s roots as fan fiction, it’s easy to spot where the author had to pivot to create something original—and unfortunately, that transition sometimes felt a little too obvious. For readers unfamiliar with its fan fiction origins, the Evermore universe might feel underexplained and confusing, especially when it comes to the war history and magic system. Speaking of magic—I found the concept of “heart” versus “mind” magic intriguing, and I hope the next book expands on this more deeply.

The narration by Ella Lynch was solid. This was my first time listening to them, and while some side character voices were a bit off, they did a great job nailing the emotion and delivery for Briony and Toven.

Overall, this book had some great emotional moments, a solid foundation of tension, and interesting magical concepts—but it also dragged for long stretches, especially in the middle. The last 10% finally brought the energy and movement I’d been hoping for all along, but it did make the pacing feel uneven in retrospect.

I’ll probably read book two when it releases because the ending and epilogue gave just enough of a hook to pull me back—but I’m not fully invested yet.

I was so excited to receive an ARC of this audiobook from NetGalley! I am pretty picky about narrators but enjoyed this one a lot, aside from how she voiced the male characters at times. Story-wise, I enjoyed how this book was laid out, switching between flashbacks and the present. This structure helped piece the story together and give context to things that were happening. My main complaint is that the magic system felt pretty lackluster. It seems like anyone can do just about anything if they’re good at magic, but characters don’t make much use of this. The ending made me excited for a sequel; I was expecting the big reveal, but not in the way it played out. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it just doesn’t have a very exciting plot…it doesn’t feel like much happens and the characters, world, and magic come off a bit underdeveloped. I’ll probably still read the next book when it comes out, and will be interested to see how it builds on what the first book set up.

Overall: 4.5 stars
Narration: 5 stars

I really enjoyed this. It was (almost) exactly what I was hoping for and I enjoyed the writing style. I was fortunate enough to receive an ALC of this audiobook just prior to the official book release and I felt that the narration was very well done. I ended up purchasing the audiobook for myself in addition to a physical copy. If you don’t have any idea what to expect, I will warn that there are some very dark themes. At the end of the war, our FMC along with many others are captured and taken as slaves. The women are auctioned off, in most cases to be s3x slaves. Expect themes of SA, slavery, torture, espionage. The SA, slavery, etc are absolutely not glorified in this book. While the MMC is portrayed as a “good” captor, in this case, it is not a glorification of slavery or abuse. There is much more to that story that will continue in the next book (this is set to be a trilogy). The world building and character development was easy to follow. I deducted 0.5 star because I would have liked to see more pre-war flashbacks including the other girls who were captured. I didn’t really feel an emotional connection to those characters and despite the horrific situations they found themselves in, I wasn’t as invested in their struggles. I will definitely be continuing this series and I recommend the audiobook.

Rose in Chains was one of my most anticipated books of the year, and it absolutely lived up to all of my expectations. It was a dark romantasy filled with magic, warring kingdoms, and the slow burn, enemies to lovers, forbidden romance of my dreams. I’m obsessed with it, I need the next book immediately, and I need everyone to read it.

Briony was such an easy protagonist to root for. She’s the spare heir, and has always been in her brother’s shadow, but secretly she’s the one with more magic. She’s always had to make herself smaller and less powerful, and I loved watching her grow into a total baddie who will save herself and her kingdom. Tovin was EVERYTHING. He’s morally grey, broody, possessive, and gives off major “touch her and💀” energy. We only see him from Briony’s POV, but the glimpses you get of his true self had me feral for more. And the flashbacks only made me fall even harder. You can just tell he’s been secretly in love with her for years and has hidden it from everyone. They have complicated past, then they’re on opposing sides in a war, and after the war ends, he buys her in an Auction, and even though it’s complicated and looks bad, you have to hope that he did it all to protect her.

I was lucky enough to receive an ALC which was narrated by Ella Lynch, and she did an incredible job capturing the emotion, complex power dynamics and forbidden love in this story. It was everything I could ask for in a romantasy. It had action, dread and suspense, and incredible tension and chemistry between Briony and Tovin. The world building, political intrigue, and magic were incredible. I can’t wait for the next book!

Thank you to Hachette Audio, Forever, Grand Central Publishing, Hachette Book Group, Julie Soto, and NetGalley for the ALC.

📔Rose In Chains
✏️ Julie Soto
📆 July 8, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

READ IF YOU LIKE:
🍇 dark romantasy
🍇 dragons & mages
🍇 mind & heart magic
🍇 warring kingdoms
🍇 captive x captor
🍇 enemies to lovers
🍇 flashbacks

Text-
I think I did myself a disservice reading the Auction right before this. It probably would have been better if I read it after or had time in between. I kept comparing the two and it took me a bit out of the story. Because of that, I was more focused on the differences instead of how the world building felt.

The new magic system was interesting. I was curious how she was going to handle the magical differences and I think she did it well. There were some new elements which I enjoyed. I liked the flashbacks. It gives you more insight to the characters and their history together.

Audiobook-
Single narrator and unvoiced narration. That’s not my favorite, but she did a fine job. She had a British accent, which makes sense for the Auction, not sure how exactly the accent translates to Rose in Chains.

I loved this book, finished it in two sittings. Cannot wait for the next book❤️ thank you netgalley and thank you julie soto for writing this, i swear i would read a salad receip by her!

I was very grateful gifted an audiobook ARC by Hachette and yall are in for a TREAT. The narrator was just amazing. The voices, the emotions, the everything, it was perfect, I was absolutely absorbed by the story.

Briony is just *Chefs kiss* princess of Eversuns and her character development is just UGH I love it, I love it so so much. The way she went from doing everything for her brother to doing it for herself (despite the obvious reasons I won’t state as that’s spoiler territory)

Toven, dear god, knees weak. He’s everything I wanted him to be and more, I love him, he’s the broody king I expected and thank you MA’AM for another unfortunate story.

Anything Julie Soto writes, I will read. A certified fan since her fanfiction (can I say this? I hope so? I don’t wanna get anyone in trouble 😅) anyways. I loved loved loved this book and have four special editions of this ordered that have proven extremely worth it after listening to this.

ALSO CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE RIBBON? UGHHHHHH 🤭🤭🤭

Everything about this book was amazing and just what I expected when going in. I love it, I will now be waiting for book two like it’s a fix.

Thank you for this beautiful work Julie!!!!

Oh how I love this book! I loved the original in fan fiction form, but this one is unique and has elements not found in the other one. I love Briony and her bravery and intelligence throughout the story, and that cliff hanger…. Ooph. I do not think you need to know the original story to understand and enjoy this one, though their are subtleties that do help. The narrator in the audiobook didn’t brother me, and I look forward to the next book!

⭐ (Story) 5
⭐ (Narrator) 4
🌶️ 1
🥵 Spicy Chapters: 37, 38
📚 Tropes/Themes: romantasy, dark romance, flash backs/dual timeline, Dramione, enemies to Lovers, he takes care of her, romantic suspense, it's always been you, protective MMC, cliffhanger.
👀 Single POV 3rd person
🎙️ Single narration (Ella Lynch)
⏰ Approx 10 hours
💔 Triggers: SA/rape, forced sterilization, forced pregnancy termination, death, graphic descriptions of execution, torture/gore, war
🛍️ Available: Now

💬 I loved this so much 🥹

"There is a lake with still waters," Toven's voice whispered. "A mountain range surrounds it. The waters are deep with hidden secrets, but the water is still."

I just.... This quote is just perfection to me with all the layers of what it represents 💔💓

I recently read The Right Thing to Do, which was my first foray into fanfic, and because I enjoyed that so much I started reading The Auction and requested Rose in Chains as an ARC. This one follows the plot line/dialogue very closely so I knew what was going to happen for the most part.

It's just so good! I like how Soto weaves together a unique magic system for this, and it made it more emotional and impactful I think. There's definitely clear references to HP but I think it has enough oomph to stand on it's own.

I also like how this one is a little bit darker than The Auction, and it seems more fitting with what I remember from my impressions of the characters from the original books.

It's just beautiful and raw, the lengths Toven goes to to protect Briony.

As for the ending, my brain basically went 🤯. It is a cliffhanger but it seems Soto is steering away from The Auction storyline so I'm really excited to see where it goes.

I also thought The narrator, Ella Lynch, did a good job. It was hard for me to pull myself away from the narration when I had to get back to real life because I kept getting so invested. My only complaints and this is a similar complaint for most audio books is I just didn't like her fake guy voice 😩

Waited so long for this ARC and I’m so thankful I got one! As an OG Auction reader I was nervous to see how the retelling unfolded and worked, but Soto, as always, did it with perfection. I will say if you go into this expecting it to BE the Auction or to be HP you are going to be disappointed. Go in with an open mind ready to meet and love new characters and a new world!

One of my most anticipated reads of the year- long time fan of Dramione fan fic so couldn’t wait to see where this one evolved to- I LOVED IT. Loved it. Perfection. Thank you so much for the ARC audio. I’ve now bought the hardcopy, as well, since I loved so much.

Rise in Chains is such a fabulous start to a romantasy series. War, political intrigue, magic, dragons, romance — it checks all the romantasy boxes in a beautiful and inventive way. Julie’s world building is stunning and the magic system is so compelling. I cannot wait for book two!

The narrator was not my personal favorite but it wasn’t the worst I’d heard either.

4.5 ⭐️

This book really surprised me in the best way. I’ve read two romance books by Julie Soto already (and Not Another Love Song totally stole my heart this year), so when I heard she was trying her hand at fantasy, I had to read it. Big thanks to Hachette Audio for the audiobook arc!

Honestly? I think this is an amazing start to a trilogy. The plot is strong, the pacing works, and the world-building really pulled me in. I was super impressed by the magic system—there’s Mind Magic, used by the Eversuns, which is all about thoughts, strategy, emotions, and memory, and Heart Magic, used by the Bomardi, which is more intense, physical, and raw. The contrast between the two was fascinating and added so much to the conflict and character dynamics.
Now, I’m not usually a fan of the “now and then” format, but this was one of the best uses of it I’ve read in a while. It gave a real weight to the story, especially to Briony and Toven’s relationship and also helped build the world without dumping too much info all at once.
Briony was such a great main character. She’s not flashy or loud about her strength, but you can feel it in every decision she makes, in how she keeps going despite everything she’s lost.
Toven? Complicated and still very mysterious. But the slow burn between them is so good. Like… finally a fantasy romance that gives the tension room to build. I loved it. I also really appreciated the friendship and family moments—they mattered.
This is one of those stories where you learn things as the main character does, and that made the mystery even more engaging. I need book two now!

Ah and there’s a dragon.

Ps Also, major shoutout to the narrator—such a great performance! Her voice really brought the emotion and tension to life, and made the story even more immersive. I couldn’t stop listening.

I had high hopes for this book and it delivered! I was so frustrated reading this book because I felt so bad for the women in it, especially Briony. But Toven made it bearable till the very end. I love that their descriptions remind me of Hermione and Draco and I got a little bit of a Manacled vibes from it but in the best way!

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto is an intense, heart wrenching, and powerful fantasy romance perfect for those who like a well written and developed story, with a side of emotional destruction.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

What you can expect:
⛓️Dark Romantasy
⛓️Rival Kingdoms
⛓️Captor x Captive
⛓️Slow Burn
⛓️Mutual Pining
⛓️Single POV
⛓️Dramione Coded
⛓️Political Intrigue
⛓️Forced Proximity

This book is one of the best, atmospheric “set up” books I’ve ever read- and by that I mean, with how much world building, laying out the political climate, sharing the history, developing the characters, the story didn’t feel like it had much forward momentum. And I’m not saying that as a bad thing, I absolutely could not put the book down and I am very anxious to see what happens in the next book. It is so well written and developed that you will feel totally immersed in the story.

I found the magic system to be particularly cool and unique, especially with the political/societal implications and consequences. Though this feeds heavily into what makes this story so dark and brutal, I’m very curious to learn more about the forms and hidden practices within the magic. And speaking of secrets- I am so interested to learn more about Tovan and for when the tension between he and Briony finally really breaks! 😮‍💨🌶️

Ella Lynch did an excellent job with the narration. Not only did she successfully portray a number of distinctly different characters and their personalities, but I found her voice to just be beautiful to listen to and fit the tone and atmosphere perfectly. (Especially personifying a polished royal).

Definitely check your triggers before reading- this story is dark, brutal, and intense and some readers may be very disturbed by the content especially in regard to SA, flesh trade, and n0n-c0n.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! Some parts were definitely heartbreaking, but the world and story is so well developed and it is so intriguing, I just could not put it down. Thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC from NetGalley!

defineitly a new favorite book!! i am obsessed with this one, im talking stayed up late and woke up super early before work just so i could binge it! toven and briony’s tension mixed with the political climate, world building, and magic system made this books so bingeable

here’s what i love:
🌹 the world building and magic system were super digestible
⛓️ loved being inside brionys head, trying to figure out what was going on with her
🌹 the darker elements kept me on the edge of my seat
⛓️ the past & present story lines really built up tovens character and their growing tension
🌹 toven is literally so in love with her and she has no idea
⛓️ briony’s curious mind and her push to learn things about the forming rebellion
🌹 loved the auction concept
⛓️ a lot of characters in this one but they were all distinguishable with their own personalities
🌹 the heart magic vs mind magic was so fun
⛓️ the passing notes
🌹 loved larissa’s character
⛓️ the tension oh my god i can’t get over the longing and yearning from both sides and how neither of them have a clue
🌹 such a well written slow burn i was literally shaking my book begging them to just kiss already!!!
⛓️ the end has me reeling!!! i can’t wait for book 2 in the series
🌹 i hybrid read with the book and audio and the narrator was FANTASTIC!! she did such an amazing job bringing biting to character and showcasing all of the different feelings/emotions throughout the book

i will be thinking about them for a long time this was such a fun and entertaining read!!