Rose in Chains by Julie Soto is a dark and romantic slowburn about people with a certain type of magic being auctioned off to their enemy. Briony is auctioned off to Toven who would use her magic as a wellspring to fuel his own, however he does not force her into doing so. She is also still being the wellspring for her brother's magic, even though he is presumed dead. This book was interesting because I am familiar with the Harry Potter universe and characters, and I knew going into this that this was previously a Draco / Hermoine fanfiction. I think that had I not had that previous knowledge of them in the back of my head, the characters would have fallen flat for me, particularly Toven. But, overall, I enjoyed this and had a good time with it and I look forward to the release of the next book!

Rory Rosewood is dead, killed in a battle he was never meant to fight. His twin sister Briony may have survived, but she would have been better off dead.

Left in the wake of the destruction and take over of the Kingdom of Evermore, those who remain alive are going to be auctioned off to the highest bidder from Bombard, the rival kingdom.

See, their magic, called heartsprings, can serve as a sort of magical battery that enhances another’s power, but in doing so, their magic is drained, their life endangered.

Briony, the girl with the golden blood, is sold to Toven Hearst. YOU know him and love him - he’s broody and mean, the school bully, rich as hell with silver hair and gray eyes, and a bad attitude.

And what’s that? Did he steal one of young Briony’s hair ribbons so long ago? is he secretly in love?

While evil lurks everywhere, we have one person to pin our hatred on, and that would be the Bombardi leader, who killed her way to the top and bonded with the only dragon left, which, while badass, is also frightening. Just remember to bow deeply in her presence.

Told in dual POV, this is a politically charged enemies to lovers romantasy, dark and foreboding with a magical system that feels fresh but easy to understand. Plus, if you’re keeping tabs, there’s excruciating slow burn sexual tension that will make you squeal.

This is the first in a trilogy, so mentally and physically prepare yourself for cliffhangers.

Vibe check: HP fanfic and Fourth Wing

This was okay, but there was a lot of room for improvement. The writing was good, and the premise was intriguing. It started off strong and hooked me immediately. However, it lost momentum rather quickly. The rest of the book was extremely slow and boring; nothing was happening plotwise. The world-building definitely could have been better; there was little to no explanation for so much. While I thought the characters were fine, they felt very immature, and I saw very little development. There was no difference in maturity between their younger selves in the flashbacks and their current older selves in the present. I found the romance lacking, and the tension and chemistry just weren't believable. Not sure if I'll be continuing the series. The narrator was good, but I felt her voice was too young. She was great during the flashbacks, but i wish she would have a more mature sound for the present tense.

I HATE that it’s over, I NEED MOREEEEE! We have just a taste of Toven and Briony. And CLIFFHANGER say what!! That ending makes me need book 2 ASAP!

I'd like to start by thanking NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced listener copy of Rose in Chains. All feedback is my own.

As far as the audio went, I thought the narrator did a phenomenal job with the female voices. A few of the men's voices kind of drew me out of the story and I think this audio would be so good with a full cast but overall I thought it was very well done. The narrator was a perfect fit for Briony (especially based on the original work). Her voice sounded just like I imagined Briony would.

For the story itself, I'd like to say that I was a massive fan of The Auction and I was a bit skeptical that this story could feel fresh or rich enough without the backstory of the world the AO3 work was based off. I was surprisingly blown away with how well the world building was done in such a small space. While the story still had that Dramione feel, I felt like Briony and Toven were characters that stood all on their own, with fresh backstories that added, rather than detracted, from the original work. The specific areas that were elaborated on and added made this so enjoyable. The magic system was interesting and having some issues on both sides pertaining to how certain individuals were treated made the conflict all the more believable. I didn't feel like I needed more than the flashbacks to get a grasp of the new world Julie created and at the end, it left me wanting to know more, especially how all the new aspects were going to unravel.

This hasn't even released yet and I already NEED book 2.

Yes. A thousand times yes. Yes about everything and everyone and just yes. Julie is a queen, and thank you so much Forever for allowing this book to come to fruition, for letting her branch out in genres.

Holy shit!

This book was amazing. I devoured it as fast as I could! The world building was a delight to read, it was so interesting to read all the twists and turns. The FMC was so realistic, trying to just survive and figure out what is actually going on. And the MMC was so perfectly flawed and it makes me want to learn more about him. And that epilogue made my jaw drop!

I absolutely cannot wait for the next book!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen to the audiobook for this book, I am so grateful for this.

5⭐️ BEST BOOK IVE READ THIS YEAR

I am absolutely blown away by this book. Not only was the world and plot so fantastic but the romance and slow burn was absolutely delicious. I am on the edge of my seat for the next book in the series! What did Julie put in this book??

This audiobook was fantastic, the narrator did an incredible job. I could follow everything perfectly while completing simple tasks.

I will probably be listening to this audiobook again in the future. I love this story!!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️

Never in a million years did I ever think a Dramione fanfic that I read a couple years ago would be redone into an official book, yet here we are. It was absolutely surreal rereading a story that was 70% familiar and 30% brand new but I loved it even more! The new characters and situations brought so much wealth into this new world but they still kept the charm and familiarity that I was expecting and wanted to experience again.

Before getting my gorgeous Fairyloot copy, I actually got the audiobook ARC from Hachette which was amazing! The narrator was so soft spoken and easy to listen to and understand and really brought Briony and Toven to life.

ARE YOU KIDDING!? Julie Soto coming in hot with the start to a new Romantasy series that is quite possibly going to be one of my absolute favorites! This was just incredible, from the story with the dual timeline to that CLIFFHANGER!! The pacing was so good, I was completely enthralled the whole time and couldn't stop listening. And that Narrator for the audibook!? SO GOOD! Incredibly talented and had such a distinct voice for every character. This comes out July 8th and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy! You won't want to miss this book!! I'm so excited for the next installment in the series!! Thank you thank you thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and the publisher for my audio ARC!!! ❤️❤️❤️

I was honored to listen to this. Thank you. I found it a little hard to listen to since I don’t have the book in my hands yet, but I enjoyed it. It was a lot darker than I thought it would be but right up my wheelhouse. The similarities to HP were there, but I liked the differences and could see the inspiration for sure. Great story.

Screaming, crying, throwing up. This book gave me the high I’ve been chasing since Throne of Glass. Dark, romantic, intense—Rose in Chains absolutely consumed me. The tension, the worldbuilding, the chemistry?? Unreal.

And then it ends on a cliffhanger. A soul-crushing, scream-into-your-pillow kind of cliffhanger. This book hasn’t even been published yet and I’m already suffering knowing how long I’ll have to wait for the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

4.5 ⭐️
Disclosure, I’ve read the fanfic so my review it definitely colored by that.
This book starts of really good. And it really scratches The Auction itch. I love how she has added memories from when they where younger to give them more of a backstory since they no longer are Draco and Hermione. This definitely helps with building their relationship. I must say though that I didn’t feel as passionate about them as in the fanfic. I think this is also because they have cut the story up in three books. I’m sure I will love them more in the second book as the tension builds up more. This is definitely a slow burn.
I’m also a bit disappointed with that they have cut the darker scenes. They brings out more emotion and I’m definitely reading for all the feelings. It’s still a super good story.

I do not recommend reading the fanfic and then this book back to back as I did. 😅 But I do recommend reading The Auction first. It’s amazing and I would definitely want to read all of this in a HP setting first so as not to spoil anything.

I listen to this as an ALC and the production was great and the voice actor did an amazing job. Thank you Hachette Audio for this amazing opportunity!

Oh my god, this book y’all. It was so, so good. I was blessed by Hachette Audio with an advanced listening copy and I think I wore my AirPods out because I wanted to listen to it EVERY spare minute I had. The narration was solid (especially given how many characters there are) and the narrator really brought Briony to life. 4/5 stars for the audio.

Now, listen: this book is dark. It’s a book where the premise is that the hero/chosen one dies in the big battle and the bad guys prevail. Those not slain are auctioned off to the victors to be used - for their magic, their bodies, mostly all of the above. If you are someone with triggers, please check the trigger warnings. Even if you aren’t, there is a lot going on here that will infuriate and upset you. That said, this was one of the most compelling fantasy novels I’ve read in recent memory - the magic system is fascinating, the politics and intrigue engaging, the romantic tension enthralling. The darkness and violence, while integral to the story, is not gratuitous in my opinion. There is a dual timeline, which I don’t always love, but is so well done here. Both timelines are equally as interesting and watching the past unravel into the present was heartbreaking but added so many important layers and depth to the characters. I really just have no bad things to say about this book. Even at 15.5 hours of audio, I wanted more, and am desperate for the next one to be published.

Pub Date: 7/8/2025
Review Published: 7/2/2025
ALC provided at no cost by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Amazing story I couldn’t put down. It felt like such a fresh take on romantasy - new magic system and politics and turns that you couldn’t necessarily see coming. Great character development and slow burn. Looking forward to the sequel!

She’s the Princess to a fallen kingdom and he’s an heir in line to the conquering kingdom.

After her kingdom falls, she is sold at auction to be used to increase his power. What she doesn’t realize is that he seems to have alternative motives. It should be said that you should check the trigger warnings since this contains some dark content/themes.

This first book is a slow burn. I LOVE when the man to so down bad and the fact that she doesn’t even realize it yet…*chefs kiss*. The narrator did such a good job bringing the characters to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

While I have never read Dramione fanfiction I was very curious about Rose in Chains as I have LOVED Ms. Julie Soto’s last two releases. A contemporary romance, a YA thriller, and now her fantasy/dark romance debut? Let’s do it! The biggest thank you to Hachette Audio for the ALC.

I had a great time listening to this audiobook! The narrator Ella Lynch did a wonderful job bringing the story to life and it was very fun to see Julie tackle a fantasy world, a magic system, and darker themes. Though: please check trigger warnings as themes are very heavy!

The story is told in two timelines: the present, when our FMC Briony’s castle has fallen and she and her fellow people of Evermore are enslaved and auctioned off to the highest bidder; and the past, following her years in school where she meets our MMC Toven Hearst. And now in the present day timeline? Toven has purchased Briony as his kingdom takes over.

Having never read the original fic, I cannot comment on the similarities, but the plot kept me guessing, my heart broke for the characters, and that slow burn? Man it was slooooow burning! So much happens at the end and I will absolutely be back for book 2 to see how the story continues!

My only critique is that I felt veryyyy lost in the beginning. We are dumped straight into the action with a LONG list of character names who, as the reader, we are unfamiliar with. I am unsure if things would have been clearer if I’d read The Auction, but something to note if you also have not! I have heard that at the start of the print/ebook version there will be a chart with many of these character names listed. This would have been SO helpful to me! I would highly recommend to other audiobook listeners to also pick up a print or ebook copy in order to enhance their listening experience :)

I did not enjoy this book. Plot? Never met her. I will not be sharing my review to socials as I do not want to use a gift to say negative things.

Love the audio narrator. Her voice was perfect for an FMC.

This book has a loose plot held together by strands of hair and maybe some gum. What did I just read? The occasional jumping of timelines was poorly executed and did not help much to flesh out the story. The world building is mediocre at best and the magic system makes little to no sense. The characters lack depth and development.

This felt like torture porn, toned down and disguised as a fantasy novel. I can excuse some pretty brutal plot devices if they are used to fuel a story that means something but I do not feel that this book did that. I just felt kind of gross and disappointed upon finishing it. I understand that this began as a fanfic, but I think because of that, the author needed to put in a lot more work to build a world that makes sense.

Jenna
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Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
Rose in Chains (The Evermore Trilogy, #1)
by Julie Soto (Goodreads Author)
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I received an audiobook arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is very dark so I would check the trigger warnings to see if this book is for you. I have to admit the first third was rough to get through since you see Briony's pov to the aftermath of war. There is a lot of off page sexual assault and Briony is faced with sexual harassment/attempted assault and being sold off as a sex slave.

it gets better once she is brought by Tovan and it's obvious to the readers that he loves her and keeps her safe from the others so he doesn't treat her as a slave. Since Briony is supposed to be a sex slave and the big villain can read minds, it makes sense to keep her out of the loop especially when there could be survivors/rebels.

the flashbacks to their school years help get through the dark scenes since you get to see their relationship before the war. they had feelings for each other but never acted on it then the war started. the relationship is definitely a slow burn but it works well for this series since it's a trilogy.

overall, this was a very good first book. if you don't like dark romance then this isn't the book for you. Soto doesn't shy away from dark topics so there are a lot of rough scenes.

the audiobook narrator was also very good! it is one narrator with Briony pov in third person. I wish there was a dual narrator for tovan for book 2 if he gets a pov.

Wow, this is good!
This magic system in this is unique and easy to understand. There was solid world building. And our main characters! They remind me of Dramione and had me me GAGGED. If this becomes a true enemies to lovers, this may be my most favorite one yet. I cannot wait to see how their relationship continues to build into the next book.
As far as plot goes, it was well thought out and executed I believe. This book is very different from what is being published more recently. I literally cannot wait until the next book, because the ending literally leaves you wanting more.
As far as the audio goes, the narrator is really good at different characters and genders but she sounded a little breathy to me sometimes and it kind of took me out for the book for a second each time.
Hachette if you wanna send me a physical copy of this book, I will gladly display it on my shelves and endless rave about it. (I’ll do it anyway though)

Technically I’m giving this a 4.75 stars but ill round up to 5 because I feel like it may turn into a 5 anyway!