⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.75/5 stars)

Thank you to the publisher & Julie for the early read (listen in this case)!

Rose in Chains is a darkly woven fantasy full of haunting magic, cruel power structures, and a heroine navigating a world that's utterly unraveled around her. Julie Soto crafts a brutally intriguing premise: the war is over, the good side lost, and Princess Briony is sold to the very people she once fought against. From the opening pages, the stakes are high and the atmosphere is steeped in twisted enchantments and emotional tension.

Toven Hearst was a standout character—brooding, complex, and in some strange way, Briony’s tether to something more than just survival. He pulled her out of the darkness, bit by bit, and for much of the book, it felt like he might become her reluctant hero. That dynamic had so much potential.

However, while the marketing teased a “sizzling” enemies-to-lovers romance, I personally felt that side of the story fell flat. There was tension, sure, and hints of something more, but the romantic payoff I was waiting (and hoping!) for never quite arrived. By the time the ending rolled around—after all the build-up and emotional charge—the conclusion left me more disappointed than satisfied. I wanted more for Bryony and Toven, more connection, more resolution - more romance.

That said, I have a sneaking suspicion Julie Soto is playing the long game. There’s clearly more to come, and this installment may just be setting the groundwork for a bigger emotional (and romantic) arc. I’ll definitely be picking up the next book… but I’ll be crossing my fingers for more heat and heart next time.

Dark, intense, and full of potential—but not quite the enemies-to-lovers epic I was hoping for.

Also I have to add - the single pov and narration on the audiobook had me feeling it would have so much more potential with Toven's Pov as well!

First of all, I really enjoyed this story. It’s a well written, well thought out fantasy. It’s not the same old fae or vampire storyline and I think it’s very original. I think I would have preferred to read it over the audio though. The audio was okay, but I didn’t love the voices of the other characters the narrator did. The narrator was overall easy to listen to, but less enjoyable sped up. I like to listen to my audio books at high speeds as I usually find them to be too slow. Because this narrator had a British sounding accent, I couldn’t speed it up too much without it sounding ridiculous. But that’s just a personal preference I guess.

I loved this world and the relationships, the only issue I had was that I thought it was a standalone so I kept questioning how it was going to wrap up but when I realised it was a series that was my issue 😂

First up, can I say that this was way darker than I anticipated. Before my Dark Romance girlies pop their heads up, its not that dark it was just darker than I had anticipated and there are a whole bunch of characters that deserve a quick kick to their plums.

I really loved this book - the world building was epic, the characters were charactering and the plot twists were twisting (I feel like I've written that previously on another book recently 🤔). I have to admit though I loved Briony and she's been through a lot in this book, I still found here tedious at times.

Tovan though...oh sweet Tovan. He can do no wrong and the amount of times I swooned, honestly I lost count. I can't wait to see all the fanart for these characters.

The ending wasn't a huge cliff hanger but was nowhere near where I thought it was going - everything I thought would happen or be revealed was wrong. Book 2 is a must and now I need to collect at the different versions of this book - sorry bank account.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job, even had me tearing up a few times.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the audiobook ARC and because my poor husband has brought home all the germs from his week long school excursion, I have left an honest review.

🤴🏻 A Prince Brother
👸🏻 A Princess Sister
🔮 Heart & Mind Magic
⛓️ Held Captive
🔢 A Line Of Succession
⚔️ War

It took me quite a while to really get interested in this one. It does pick up eventually but I found it really hard to stay focused on for most of it. The last 20% or so I did become more interested & the ending definitely has me curious about what happens in the next book, there has to be a next book. Right? 😅🤣

The narrator did a great job.

*I received an advance review copy for free in the form of an audiobook (advanced listening copy) from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This is my honest feedback about the book as an avid reader.*

I will say that the two special editions I did grab of this book are STUNNING & they did such a good job. 😍

Huge thank you to the author, MacMillanAudio, & NetGalley for letting me read & review this book. 💜

Available for purchase July 8th, 2025!

Thankyou to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for an ALC and the opportunity to review

This was dark, decadent and seductive. A real slow burn if there ever was one.

Rose in Chains is based on a dramoinie fanfiction called 'The Auction'. For fans of dramoinie works, this stays true to the inspiration, and I think many will appreciate that. It is well-loved for a reason. If you are not familiar, I would strongly encourage checking out the trigger warnings before reading. However I found it lighter than similar works.

The world building was really well done, with flashbacks to the academic years which gave us insight into the relationship between Toven and Briony before the events of this book. Not all is at it seems within the story, as every character is hiding secrets, and Briony must work out who she can trust and what is true within this new world while she pretends to be Toven's captive.

It was a slow paced plot, but it was so intriguing and I was hanging on for more at the end of every chapter. The slow burn was torturous, I just wanted Toven to cave and god I'm hoping for more in book two. Julie Soto really knows how to write seductive MMC's.

Narration: Single character, third person POV

Spice: 1/5

Tropes:
- Enemies to lovers
- Forced proximity
- Dark Romance
- Fake Dating?
- Rebellion
- Dark academia
- Slow burn
- Morally grey MMC
- "Chosen one" prophecy
- Flashbacks

Firstly, HUGE thank you to Julie Soto, NetGalley and Hachette Audio / Forever for this ALC!! Because wowie, this was a well done audio book. Bravo to the narrator Ella Lynch, who maintained the same tone and sound quality throughout the whole book. No re-records or cuts that I noticed, where sections have slightly off sound quality. This always detracts from the flow of the story for me, and I’m happy to report I never noticed this once! Additionally, the narrator had great inflections and impersonations of some of the accents while imbuing emotions, similar to how I would personally read - they’d read joyfully at exciting parts, slightly breathy during scary or action sequences, in general reading faster or slower depending on scene tone, which I really applaud and appreciate!

Now, before getting to the story review and to get it out of the way, it’s impossible to review this book without acknowledging its origins and influences, the world of Harry Potter. The largest barrier of entry for this book is exactly what you’d expect from a redrafting. Even having grown up reading the HP series, it was still very tough to fully engage with about 100+ brand new characters and their backgrounds and roles. This otherwise would be already familiar to the reader when the characters are derived from a pre-established 7 book series. I truly hit my groove and appreciated the characters without a HP crutch after the 80% mark, so the familiarization took some time but I found it worthwhile ultimately, and I am impatiently awaiting the sequel to this! I did have to do some googling in the beginning to organize who was who, but I still found myself quickly caring about obstacles and, well, various characters deaths. The magical system implemented is different enough from HP and is akin to the magic style seen in Fragile Threads of Power by VE Schwab, in regard to magic acting like threads for pulling to activate and engage. However it unfortunately doesn’t feel fully fleshed out, at least not in this novel alone. All that being said, the plot and story itself is dark but well done. This dealt with trauma and PTSD, and if you’re a fan of a story line with an initial dark set up with slow reveals and character development via flashbacks, I highly recommend this! BUT with the caveat that you should check your trigger warnings. The yearning was palpable and a slow burn, but the character motivation reveals and developments are well paced! This is at its heart a dark dystopian magical world, and one I would recommend whether you’re an HP fan or not! The only thing I’m torn on is which special edition I’ll be fighting to pick up!

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto pulled me in from page one and didn’t let go. The world-building is amazing. I loved how the whole hierarchy system added so much depth and tension. It felt so real and layered.

The magic system is honestly one of the most unique I’ve read in a long time. It was so interesting and added so much to the story without ever feeling confusing or overdone.

I also really enjoyed the flashbacks. They added so much context and emotion, giving me a better understanding of the characters and how they got to where they are now. It made the whole story feel even richer.

Overall, I loved this book. If you’re looking for a fantasy with incredible world-building, a fresh magic system, and characters you can truly connect with, Rose in Chains is 100% worth the read. I can’t wait to see what Julie Soto writes next!

Thank you to Netgalley, Hachette and Julie Soto for an advanced copy of the audiobook of Rose in Chains. I was so incredibly excited to listen after seeing all the hype around this title. The narrator is great and definitely brings the character to life. Even though it's not dual or duet narrated, you can tell when different people are talking based on her tone and inflections. The world building is very strong and immersive. I appreciated the uniqueness to the magic system at well. I made it about 70% before I dnf'd this title because the amount of nonconsensual sexual details. I did not read the fic this book was based on and unfortunately. I either skipped over or there wasn't any trigger warnings at the beginning of this audiobook. I kept holding out hoping we'd get some sort of redemption from the mmc and not just well I'll do bad because it could be worse. I also kept hoping the fmc would eventually get her revenge for SOMETHING. I understand that this is the first book in the series but it's incredibly difficult to watch an fmc go through this much trauma and never catch a break, especially when I was unprepared for the level of trauma. This book will be a hit with many, I'm sure and I appreciate the opportunity to read it early but unfortunately, it was not for me.

♾️⭐️

This might just be my top read of the year! I was riveted from the beginning- Soto lays the groundwork with thorough exposition, shaping the world of Evermore through rich landscapes, gripping dialogue, and tense action.

This entire book is a simmering build in tension, mystery, yearning, and rage. The alternation time points had me piecing together the story and uncovering the layered relationship between Toven and Briony. I also loved the detailed world building and take on magic and bonding (including Vespar)!

Soto’s writing pulled the threads of all my emotions. I was anxious, heartbroken, laughing, swooning and enraged (and anxious again) all in one book. It was fast paced without feeling overloaded- every aspect of the story felt important to the plot.

Narration: Ella Lynch did a breathtaking job at bringing this story to life! Her voice and style was clear, easy to understand and kept me captivated. Sometimes fantasy is challenging for me to follow on audio but I didn’t have that issue with this one! I loved the unique voices for the characters- it was easy to distinguish who was speaking, even with a bigger cast, and her inflections beautifully conveyed emotion and depth. I would highly reccomend the audiobook for this!

Overall, this was an incredible book and I’m already excited to reread and see what stands out to me next time! I would recommend checking the trigger warnings as this does get quite dark, but I felt like the heavier themes were handled with care, thought and discourse.

Thank you so much to Julie Soto, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an ALC of this book. It was my pleasure to read and provide my honest review.

4.5 stars! Thank you Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this ALC!

As an avid reader of dramione fanfiction, I am very familiar with the work that this book comes from - and I was eager to see how it would translate into an entirely new world, magic system, and characters. I’m so pleased to say that Julie Soto has crafted a real gem in ROSE IN CHAINS.

The magic system was creative and interesting to explore (I loved the eight methods of using magic!) and created some new threatening dynamics that were a nice surprise for me, as a fan of the fanfiction work.

The cast of characters - oh wow! I’ll admit that at the beginning, I got a little lost in remembering everyone we were introduced to but as the book went on and we became more familiar with everyone, that feeling diminished. Soto utilizes the dual-timeline well in weaving each relationship and demonstrating the change and growth - particularly when it comes to Toven and Briony.

Julie Soto pulls you in with the world building and you find yourself submerged in the turmoil immediately. In fact, I think this is an area that Soto’s work here really shines; this story is very dark and she really expertly weaves both hope and despair as we progress, offering small moments of rest & faith for the reader when especially challenging themes are addressed.

All in all, Julie Soto knocked it out of the park with this one - crafting a beautiful, heart wrenching story within an immersive world… while also gifting her fanfic readers a few delightful easter eggs. I cannot wait for the next book!

Narration: I enjoyed this story through audio - narrated by Ella Lynch!

Things I think worked really well:
-Lynch’s choices were great and distinct enough to differentiate between speaking characters
-Much of the narration flowed really well; I thought she really brought Briony & Toven to life in a way that felt very true to the story.

Things I struggled with:
-Narrator’s voice felt young at times, which made it hard for me to remember that this story is about characters in their early/mid 20s. Which was challenging especially when difficult themes were discussed.
-At times, narrating choices (exclamations, etc) brought me out of the story.

Let’s start with the fact that I’m familiar with the fanfic itself that the book sprouted from, as well as a few others in the same Dramione genre. I feel like if you are unfamiliar with those things then you may feel differently on a few points I’ll be making 😅

Point number 1: I DEVOURED IT AND I LOVED IT. Was it because of the writing itself? Or because I already love the stories I’m familiar with that are woven within its pages? Let’s break it down.

As I was reading this story there were a lot of elements that jumped out at me that reminded me of other books/shows aside from the OG fanfic (examples being the magic system is very similar to The Magicians, the post war abuse and slavery/imprisonment of women is very similar to Handmaid’s tale- also Manacled in terms of the dynamic between Draco and Hermione before and after the war- with some descriptors reminding me of Anne Rice’s work). All this to say it made the read speedier and more enjoyable for me because it was all content I already LOVE TO READ!!!

I loved the flashbacks between prewar Briony and post war capture and imprisonment. It really helped develop the slowwwwwwww glacial pace burn between the mmc and fmc. And to that point- the yearning was earned and kept me on my toes waiting for the ball to finally drop!

Was the ending predictable? If you read 4th wing then yes 100% 😅😅😅 was it still satisfying? Also yes.

All to say that although a lot of the storyline and world building are things I’m familiar with - I FREAKING LOVED IT AND CANT WAIT FOR THE REST!!!
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Honorable mention notes that are personal preference and didn’t really affect how I enjoyed the book: I don’t like the name Briony😅, the writing style is short and to the point which made it an easy read but I like some flowery prose to lift my spirits and vocabulary. I also felt like this book could have been longer since the world building was about the first half of the book and whatever action happened gradually in the ret of the book it felt like a halfway mark-thus it felt like more of a set up for the rest of the series vs a standalone w a really good cliffhanger for book 2. There is a clear “villain” but their actual motives and actions aren’t really illustrated to the reader in this book. She was off page so much that when she did show up I didn’t really feel the weight of her danger to the other characters.

PS: i received this as an arc on NetGalley in exchange for my full and honest review

I really wanted to love this one because I've read nothing but rave reviews but I just didn't vibe with it. Briony was supposed to be super talented at magic, and yet she gets sold and then becomes this damsel in distress and does basically nothing to try and save herself?! There's no chemistry between the MCs, I'm supposed to believe they'll fall in love when there's zero chemistry? Not happening. The beginning is also really slow. Not for me unfortunately!

A Romantasy with dragons? sign me up! Julie Soto has done an amazing job world building and taking us through past and present to keep the mystery of what happens next going. The slow burn romance!!!! If you like it realllll slow then this is the one! It had me questioning every second are they gonna make it happen??? *swoon*. This is a dark romantasy so check the trigger warnings before reading. The characters have depth that builds over time and makes you want to know them better. Definitely makes you question who is who and who should the FMC trust? Add this to your TBR now!!

I am already aching for book 2!

The narrator did a good job narrating the FMC, all the other voices especially MMC’s had me wishing that the narrator would just read and not try to sound like different characters. It threw the audio off and I couldnt partake in the romantasy aspect of the storyline. I kept getting the ick.


Thank you Hachette Audio and Julie Sotto for sharing this ALC with me <3

I want to start this with I loved the narrator. I thought her voices for the characters were perfect and she really brought the story to life. Would definitely listen to other books she’s read.

I fear this book fell victim to the too overhyped narrative for me. It was fine, but with so many people talking about it and losing their minds over it I was very excited (as someone who never read the fic) and overall it was good but not great. I think I also was putting too much focus on “translating” it to what it probably was in the fic instead of enjoying the story for what it was. But yes, it was a good book! I found the mmc the perfect mix of dark but with a soft spot and the fmc I was hoping the best for her the whole time. The story was quite dark but I knew that was going to be the case going into it. Overall, I’m interested to see where the story goes, but I feel like the marketing and hype oversold it.

Thank you for the ARC audiobook. I really enjoyed both the narration and the storytelling. I’m giving this book 4 stars for its intriguing magic system, well-crafted political structure, and the depth of its established world.

I’ve heard this story originated as a fanfic elsewhere, which I haven’t read, but the buzz definitely reached me. That said, I’m deducting one star because at times it felt like I was dropped into a world where I was expected to already know some backstory. Even so, I was able to follow along and appreciated the emotional tension and pining from the main character. I do wish it had been told in dual POV to deepen the connection even more.

Overall I loved this book. I read the fan fiction several years ago so it was hard at first to make them two separate entities but the author did a great job recreating a new story but maintaining the general plot. I would have liked more history on why the two groups were at war but I feel like the politics behind things weren't the focus so it still worked. I feel like the epilogue sold me on wanting to read the next book as well.

Thanks NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

JULIE- THIS HAD NO BUSINESS BEING THIS GOOD! THIS SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.

This is definitely on the darker side, be sure to check your trigger warnings- there are some mature and dark themes.

I will need at least 5 business days to fully recover from this. I NEED BOOK 2 STAT PLEASE!

Ella Lynch did a fantastic job with this book- she kept me truly engaged and the way she said "Mistress Mallow' had me gagging. Just A+ all around for this book.

I truly loved how clueless Briony was to Toven's adoration- like c'mon girl! Open your eyes! I think that made the book all the better, the banter between those 2 just ate the whole time.

I am truly on the edge of my seat waiting for the rest of the series to see where this is going to go. I thought this was an excellent first book in the series to introduce the setting and characters. I loved the dual timelines to show how things were to how they are now. You could absolutely picture the setting and the bleakness that was still to come.

Utter perfection- might be one of my favorite books of the year!

I’m sure the book is great but wow the narrator sucked. It was impossible to listen to. The voice was like nails on a chalk board. I’m going to have to read a physical or ebook because it was not listenable

5 bajillion stars!

I actually won't be able to shut up about this book for 3-5 business days. I'm absolutely obsessed (not surprising because I have loved everything Julie Soto has ever written) with the plot of this book, the slow burn YEARNING romance, the implications of where we're going forward in the series, and the world she created. I know that this is a rewrite of a fanfiction, but I felt that it completely stood on its own, to the point where I'm glad we can separate this book from that other IP. I'm so glad Julie Soto decided to publish this and summer 2026 literally can't come sooner.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!