I devoured this book. I couldn’t put it down!
This was right up my alley. This was really giving me vibes similar to The Handsmaid’s tale. The women are auctioned off and sold. There are a lot of DARK elements so check the trigger warnings.
If you like enemies to lovers, slow burns and dark fantasy novels you will love this! There isn’t a lot of action in this book it’s more political but it’s so so good.
The audio was fantastic it’s one woman narrating the whole book but she did a great job. There is a big twist at the end and even though I saw it coming I still loved it and I’m so excited for the second book.
Thank you NetGalley and Hatchette audio for the ALC!

I adore an ‘us against the world’ vibe, and The Auction is one of my favorite fanfics of all time. It was always going to be hard for anything to measure up… but Rose in Chains absolutely nails it!

Julie’s created a really compelling new world with a unique magic system and backstory, with characters you’ll love (and many you’ll hate). You don’t need to read the fic first—it’s just a lovely bonus.

This story is beautiful and devastating and so poignant right now. It’s about finding hope in the darkest of places (Not Alone), refusing to give up in the face of evil, and rebellions big and small. Please make sure you read the CW and take care of yourself as you read.

Rating: ∞⭐️, obviously

🎧 specific review: the audiobook for RIC is an easy 5 stars! Ella Lynch is *phenomenal* with her narration and character voices. She really brought the story to life. Having both physically read it and now listened as well, I can say without a doubt the audiobook is an amazing way to experience the story! I’ll be recommending it to everyone I know.

Thank you so much for the ALC!!!

Thank you to Hachette Audio, NetGalley and Julie Soto for the advance listener copy of Rose in Chains.

This was the slowest of slow burns - the tension builds with excruciating precision. Soto’s storytelling is rich and immersive, weaving a unique magic system into a dark, dystopian fantasy that isn’t afraid to confront brutal truths.

While the worldbuilding and character dynamics are brilliant, this isn’t an easy listen. The themes are heavy, and the trigger warnings at the beginning are essential. Despite being a fantasy, at times it reminded me of The Handmaid’s Tale, in so far as this story explores the use of systemic sexual violence as a weapon of war and oppression, and it does so with unflinching honesty. Whilst the depiction of sexual violence isn’t explicitly graphic or gratuitous, it is a major theme of the book. Soto handles this with care and respect whilst challenging you as the reader. This is not a rinse and repeat romantasy.

It left me with a million questions, a heavy heart, and a desperate need to talk about it. Thought-provoking, devastating, and unforgettable.

✅ Briony Rosewood, princess in captivity after her brother, the heir apparent, is killed in battle.
✅ After a bidding war, she finds herself auctioned off to Toven Hearst, Briony’s school antagonist
✅ this one has a long list of content warnings- please look them up of you would rather avoid certain topics
✅ Enemies to lovers
🌶️: SLOW BURN. Whatever you think slow is, slow it down even more

CLIFFHANGER


Note: this book originated on a fan fic site as Harry Potter fanfic. Specifically Draco & Hermoine fanfic and was then re-written as something new. I have never read the fanfic but this has nothing to do with HP - yes they’re in a world that has magic and his hair is silver and there’s a war, but any similarities end there.

This was such a great listen and production! The narration is pretty great and really helped with the pacing of the story. There were some times when the male voices didn’t quite jive with me, but for the most part it was pretty forgivable in the grand scheme of the story. Overall, this is definitely an audiobook I will recommend (with heavy content warning beforehand) and I am definitely invested for the second book!

Ultimately, 2/5 stars.

This book was...okay. I honestly felt like it was unnecessarily violent - themes of forced sterilization, on page sexual assault, and a MMC that certainly doesn't respect the FMC despite being hot and bothered by her. I understand that we can learn a lot about and cope with hard topics by reading fiction, but the lessons or salient points were missing. I couldn't tell you anything compelling about each of the main characters after finishing the book. The pacing was inconsistent and, while I think there are a ton of loose ends that will be answered in the rest of the series, there wasn't enough resolution of the first book to entice me to continue. The cliffhanger was more of like tripping over a well-illuminated speedbump. I absolutely hate giving bad reviews before a new release, but warning folks about the darkness of this book (sans even a hint at an HEA or some sort of resolution) is important given *vaguely gestures at the world*.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC of the audiobook edition of Rose in Chains.

I think the beginning of this book in a little confusing with the amount of people and flash backs being done. Maybe for people who read the fanfiction it's not. I has to really push through to about 40% before I really found myself not wanting to put it down.

If I only gave a one word review it would be: bingeable.

I finished the audiobook in less than 48 hours. The story was dark but very entertaining. The world was well done and the characters were likable. The villains are horrible and I would take the trigger warnings seriously if you have any sensitivities. The ending was well done and I look forward to the rest of the series.

The narrator did an amazing job.

Thank you NetGalley, Hachette Audio, and Julie Soto for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Dramione with Beauty & the Beast vibes. FMC is the princess of a royal line but when her kingdom is overthrown and her family is killed she is auctioned off to the highest bidder for her body and her magic. MMC is a little hard to pin down; though, the mask of his emotions slips on occasion, giving us a peek at his desires. So much has already been lost to our FMC … or has it?
It’s worth paying attention to the TW statement at the beginning of the book or on the author’s website.
The second book in this new trilogy can’t come soon enough!

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

3.75 ⭐️ Rounded Up!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchets Audio for this ALC!

I received this as an ALC and the narrator did a fantastic job. Her cadence was perfect and while I sometimes struggle with accents hers was easy to follow even at higher speeds!

She was definitely a slow build, first installment. The first 50% I had a difficult time getting sucked in because the auction process was so muddied with flashbacks. However, once the flashbacks settled the last 50% was absolutely swoonworthy and I had bought into the plot. If you are an "it's always been you" fan, you will enjoy this one!

As someone who actually hasn't read all of the HP books, I was not making comparisons so that did not dampen my enjoyment of the book.

I am excited for book 2 and do recommend this one for fantasy lovers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC of the audiobook edition of Rose in Chains. Special appreciation to Ella Lynch, her narration brought this emotionally charged and brutal world to life.

This book frustrated me... and I mean that in a strangely positive way. I was constantly curious, occasionally annoyed, but fully engaged from start to finish. The pacing was uneven in parts, especially early on, but that’s often the case with the first book in a series that requires heavy world-building. The political backdrop, the contrast between Mind and Heart Magic and the post-war atmosphere created a rich setting that grew on me.

The romance, however, isn’t quite developed yet. There’s strong mutual attraction between Briony and Toven and the emotional tension is clear.but it's more of a slow simmer than a romantic arc. I’m definitely invested in seeing how that relationship evolves, but I wouldn’t label this one dark romance just yet. The book leans more heavily into dark themes; particularly trauma, power imbalance, and emotional control, and those elements are present consistently throughout, not just in passing.

One thing I truly missed was Toven’s point of view. The story is told entirely in third-person limited from Briony’s perspective, which works well—but even a brief chapter or glimpse into Toven’s thoughts would’ve added depth, especially given his emotional complexity.

Highlights for me were the last few chapters and the epilogue, which shifted the pace and pulled everything together beautifully. And yes... THE DRAGON moment absolutely spiked my curiosity for book two.

Overall, Rose in Chains is a solid series opener with great atmosphere, compelling tension, and a slow-burn setup that promises much more to come. I’ll definitely be continuing the trilogy.

3.5⭐️

Soto relies too heavily on the reader having read the fanfiction for this world to work. It starts off with way too many characters, lack of explanation for why mind magic is seen as bad over heart magic, why this powerful magician is powerful or has so many followers, doing her biding, the dragon (this was new to the book and I was still left confused), why we should care about Rory, etc. There is way too much tell and not enough show, and it ends up doing a disservice to the story.

As someone who has read the fanfic before listening to the ALC, I understood who was who, why I should care about the characters and the all-powerful evil villain but objectively, had I not read it beforehand, I would not have cared that much. I think the book benefited from starting at a different point in the story, definitely earlier than it did, maybe having a longer prologue with Brionny interacting with her family or a scene of the villain coming into power.

We do get several flashbacks but they're mostly focused on her relationship with Tovan back in the magical boarding school, which is great for us to learn how their dynamic works and their past together, but when it comes to the plot itself, it doesn't do much. I reckon this is a problem in a lot of romantasies. The big focus on romance makes the fantasy element fall flat from lack of development.

Obviously, I still enjoyed Rose in Chains a lot. The fanfic is my favourite dramione fanfic, and the plot is very similar. We do get a bit of a twist at the end that I'm curious about how it will play in the sequel in case it continues to follow the plot of the fanfic.

The romance was my favourite thing. It was glorious in The Auction, and it didn't disappoint here. We have a slow burn with captive/captor dynamics, secret childhood crush (both of them liked each other in school), and a very protective MMC. Very much Dramione coded.

Overall, disappointed but the ending left me cautiously excited for the next one to see where it will diverge from the fanfic and if it will work better than this one.

4⭐️
I loved this and this may have unlocked a fanfic reading era for me!! It's no surprise to me that I loved this because I have loved every Julie Soto book and this was no different. The world building, magic system, and politics in this were so well done and well explained throughout! The past and present timelines helped provide so much context and background to Briony and Toven!! Their dynamic was filled with angst, and passion. I'm so glad that they were a slow burn because it made the enemies to lovers more believable and added so much tension between them. They are both filled with secrets and it was so interesting seeing them navigate those while trying to suppress their feelings for each other.

I would definitely check triggers/know what the original fanfic storyline is centered around because at times this book can be a heavy read at times. However, Julie Soto handles the topic with care for certain things that happen to characters in the book. Some moments made me genuinely cringe from how terrible it was but what I loved is how Soto writes how resilient these women were.

Ella Lynch does a really great job with this audiobook!! It was so fun immersive reading this one with my fairyloot copy so I could completely dive into this world. The ending/epilogue was a bit predictable but it does set up a very intriguing plot line for books 2 and 3. I am very excited to get those books in the future!!

Thank you Hachette Audio for the ALC!!🥀

First, I want to thank NetGalley, Machete Audio, and of course Julie Soto for allowing me an advanced listener copy of Rose in Chains. Rose in Chains is an original reworking of a fan fiction called The Auction. This book reminded me why I loved The Auction so much. Wow. wow. wow. I loved all the nods to The Auction for example the grapes/ not alone, the signet rings/jewelry, the mind magic, and of THE LAKE WITH STILL WATERS.

The way Julie Soto's writing is just so romantic, lush, powerful, and truly addicting. Even though I had already read The Auction, this still feels fresh and I could not stop listening to the audio book. I cannot wait until I can do a reread on July 8th when my preorder arrives.

If dark romantic fantasy, enemies-to-lovers, dual POV, morally grey/broody MMC, forced proximity, captive x captor, slow burn, political intrigue, wartime, plot twists, and ONE BIG CLIFFHANGER are your things then I think you will truly love this book.
And again, this story is DARK, Trigger Warning- there are elements that include sexual slavery/ human trafficking, and moments of non-consent and sexual violence (R*pe, assault, unwanted contact). These situations are sometimes mentioned in detail by the MC's and there is no way for them to stop it. There is also forced sterilization, wartime violence, PTSD, character death, grief, disassociation, mentions of suicide.

With all of that being said do I think readers who have not read The Auction will like this book? I want to say yes, but I think my honest answer is maybe. I really tried to read this story as a story on its own. Because the overall plot is basically the same as The Auction. I think readers who care more about the romantic side of this story will love this book. While, the readers who want the plot, magic system, the side characters to truly balance out the whole story will find it a little harder to fully appreciate the overall story.

With this story being a reworking of a Harry Potter fan fiction, you already understand why the bad guys are the bad guys. In Rose in Chains I found the reason for war a little harder to understand. And I think it comes down the the magic system that was put in place. Although, I thought the two different types of magic, "heart magic" and "mind magic" were cool, I did not think that it would be a reason to start a war because it seemed like before the discovery of "mind magic" everyone was using "heart magic". Even though the villains in this story are truly that, villains, I did not find the stakes of war that high without Voldemort. I hope we learn more about our main Villain in the next books.

Another thing we have to talk about are the characters. Most importantly, the side characters. I found myself either comparing to the characters we already know in Harry Potter or not caring about them at all. I know the story is centered around our two MC's but I think that why I loved The Auction so much more is because I new perceptive on characters we are know/love/ the redemption arch. The flashbacks did help with this a little bit but I think we needed more back story on all the characters to get a true sense of how they all worked together.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE EPILOGUE THOUGH?! What a plot twist/ cliffhanger! I need book two now and this one is not even out yet! I truly cannot wait to continue this series and see where this story goes.

Julie Soto never fails to impress me, and Rose in Chains hit all the right beats for a 4 star audiobook.

Briony and Rory were a breath of fresh air. I loved their somewhat complicated relationship. Being used as a power source while having to be the supportive sister is a rough go. I wish that Briony's relationship with her father had a bit more depth as that drama would have been interesting as well.

The overall dark nature of this story does not bother me at all so the tough situations that Briony and Toven were put through were intense and moved the story quickly. Their bickering, especially near the second half of the story felt heated and realistic. The pining and intimate moments were also heated in another way!

One piece that I felt was a little head tilting was the flashbacks. I get that Toven was supposed to be the enemy, but everything I read from Briony's POV read as straight up flirtation. I feel like he should have been more dual natured, at least for this first installment.

The narrator was mostly good. I liked most of her voices except for Raven and some of the other villians throughout the book. They came off super nasally and a bit over the top as a stereotypical wrongdoer.

Loved the addition of familiars, and im intrigued to how they continue to be utilized in the future. That epilogue left me open-mouthed and wanting.

Can't wait for the next one!

My rating: 4.25 ☆

I was so lucky to be given an Advanced Listeners Copy and I truly couldn’t be happier! Rose in Chains was one of my most anticipated releases for the year and my reading experience was fantastic! To put it simply - I was incredibly engrossed from the first minute alllll the way to the end 🙂‍↕️

I didn’t read the original fan fiction (The Auction) but I was aware it was adapted from one. When you’re taking in the story, it did feel like it was noticeable that the world building suffered a little - the beginning felt a little clunky in this department, and I fear that this was a result of the adaption from fan fiction. The story made up for gaps in the story by giving us ‘flashbacks’ to before the events at the start of the book, which I found to be very beneficial to the storytelling! After we got over the initial world building hurdle though, the story was easy to follow and I found that I really enjoyed the end result!

This audiobook was a great time and I cannot wait to read the next instalment. Although the narrator did a fantastic job, I do wish at times that there was another narrator just to help differentiate between the cast of characters a bit more. I think for me, this is also one of those books that I’d benefit from reading physically; there’s a very large cast of characters and sometimes I got lost with who was who during my listen. And tbh, I love having a visual guide (ie the book map) when I’m reading to help me understand where the story is taking place and how the events are unfolding.

Despite this, I thought the chemistry and tension between the two main characters was believable and raw and had me gripped from their first interactions. The enemies to lovers felt real and I loved seeing more of their history in the flashbacks throughout the story! Although I had some initial queries with the world building and the magic not feeling super fleshed out, I have high hopes that any gaps I found with the book will be cleared with the subsequent books (as well as from doing a cheeky physical reread upon release).

I really look forward to the second instalment after the ending of this book because oh my god, that ending? 😩💗

Overall, it should come as no surprise that I really enjoyed this - Julie Soto in my eyes she can truly do no wrong. The spice? Fantastic. The characters? Raw and believable. I love everything she’s written so far and I cannot wait for book 2. The moment I heard this was going to be a series I was so excited - give me more Julie Soto any day of the week please and thank you.

Highly recommend picking this up if you’re a romantasy reader - give this a read and lmk what you think. I genuinely cannot wait to go back and read this physically now that this is officially out in the world! Overall this was so much fun and I truly cannot wait to dive back into this world in the next instalment.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette audio for the complimentary advanced listeners copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions in this review are my own!

I got an ALC of Rose in Chains and tandem-read The Auction because I’m deep in my fanfic era and devoured this.

The story starts after the war is lost, the hero is dead, and the world is broken. It’s dark, devastating, and so compelling.

The romance? Painfully slow burn (my favourite), with flashbacks to Briony and Toven in school that made me want to scream at both of them. Loved it. It was dark (also an absolute favorite of mine) and overall just stars and NO notes.

Worldbuilding was rich, the plot absorbing, though the pacing felt uneven likely because it was originally one long continuous story!
That’s a small critique, though, in a book that otherwise floored me.

Now… the audiobook. I wanted to love it and for some, it might hit just right but personally, the narration didn’t work for me. Her male voice for Toven didn’t quite land, and even Briony’s voice didn’t resonate emotionally in the way I hoped. It slowed my reading down and made me wish I’d waited for the physical book instead.

As a book, it’s five stars, easily. As an advanced listening copy, the experience didn’t quite match the writing’s magic. I’ll definitely be switching formats for book two.

But am I counting down the days until the sequel? Absolutely. This book is devastating, tender, and quietly hopeful and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the early audio copy!

This is the book of the year. The action sweeps you off your feet on the very first page and refuses to slow down. I loved the characters and the world building. It's my favorite book of the year. Make sure to check the trigger warnings before you read, as it deals with a lot of heavy subject matter, but it is more than worth the read!

Review has been posted to Goodreads

✨ ARC REVIEW ✨

Rose in Chains by @juliesotowrites

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

OUT: 07/08

It’s been a long time since I finished a book and immediately wanted to start it over again. An absolutely wild ride, ROSE IN CHAINS completely took over my life, I never wanted to put it down and when I (inevitably) had to, it was all I could think about!

A unique magic system, secrets around every corner, characters who are so dynamic and a perfectly slow burn of a romance. 🔥🔥🔥 THIS is how you execute a first book in a series, the groundwork is laid so perfectly and I’m not even mad about getting left on a HUGE cliffhanger because it made me realize we have only just begun to scratch the surface of what Julie Soto has in store for us…

I loved being able to experience this book in both e-book and audio format. Ella Lynch was the perfect narrator for Briony and I felt like the production really helped to bring this story to life in a very cinematic way!

I’m completely obsessed and will be very impatiently waiting for book two! Thanks to the author, @readforeverpub @hachetteaudio and @netgalley for the opportunity to read an advanced ARC and ALC of this one! ❤️

⚠️ PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE check content warnings before going into this read! As much as I loved it there were aspects that were extremely dark and hard to read, just want everyone to be prepared going in!

This was everything I hoped for and more!
Rose in Chains was one of my most anticipated reads of 2025 and it totally lived up😍
I was curious how this would translate to a traditionally published book and worried it may lose "something" in the process.
I need not have worried, Julie is a pro.
Totally sucks that we all have to wait to get the other books in this trilogy😭😭😭
Much love to NetGalley and Hachette for my ARC.