This romantasy has a unique magic system that divides a country into those who use mind magic and those who use heart magic. There's a complexity to the ruling elite. When war breaks out princess Briony is captured, stripped of her mind magic, and auctioned off to the her former swoon worthy schoolmate, Toven, a high ranking member of the enemy faction. Through flashbacks and real time, the reader learns that all is not what it seems in this high stakes world in political upheaval. The narrator, Ella Lynch has a whimsical voice that lends itself to royalty, and she is able to voice the male characters very well! I absolutely loved this and would listen to her again for sure. I was able to fully immerse in this listening experience. The way this one ended has me NEEDING book 2 and this one hasn't even officially released yet 😭 It took me a couple chapters to get fully immersed in this one, but once I did, I was hooked! This has everything I want in a romantasy: banter, rivals to forbidden lovers, political upheaval/war, elite society, secret identities, and rebellion. The spice is mild, but there is a lot of room to grow in book two. Read those trigger warnings, because this one could be a bit much for some readers.

Wow, this was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed Not Another Love Song and The Thrashers but really did not know what to expect going into this Romantasy based off a Dramoine fanfiction. As someone who has never seen or read Harry Potter, I was uncertain if I would be able to follow or appreciate this book but I was very wrong! I would recommend this anyone, regardless of their experience with that series.

This high-stakes life-or-death, enemies-to-lovers romantasy quickly became a top read of 2025 for me so far. It was very reminiscent of Raven Kennedy's Plated Prisoner series and has about the same level of content warnings. In regard to spice, there was one very detailed "open door" scene in Chapter 32 that is easy to skip if you are uncomfortable with that.

I'm eager to reread it since the world building and political climate between the Bomard and the Eversuns was so detailed. And the cliffhanger??? Incredible. I really enjoyed that Soto brought it back to the line at the beginning of the book "Briony thought it was weird that she couldn't feel when her brother died".

I absolutely cannot wait until Book 2! Thank you for the early listening copy!

*slow burn* *enemies-to-lovers* I was lost in the magic system/world-building initially, and once I remembered the story's origins as Dramione fan fiction, it made a lot more sense what changes needed to happen to seperate if from the source material. I'm not sure the magic system here is strong enough to stand on its own (I wish they could have stuck with magic system we all know and love). I do want to go check out The Auction. The narrator for the audio was not my favorite-- I think a non-British narration may have helped to further separate the story from the source material. The story begins to hit it's stride around the 60% mark, and I'm looking forward to the rest of the trilogy. Fans of Manacled/Alchemised will want to check this out (same level of darkness/grit).

3.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the audio Arc!


I definitely enjoyed this book a lot! It is very dark so please be aware of your triggers before going into it. I’ve heard that this is an adaption of Dramoine fan fic, but I don’t read fan fic so my rating is purely based on the book alone.

Starting out, it did take me a while to get into it and to understand all the world building/magic etc. So imo, the world building could have been better and explained better. The main (only) reason I have it 3.5 stars is because like I said, it was hard to get into and understand at the beginning. Otherwise, this would be very high up! It did also drag a bit and felt quite slow for at least the first half.

Once I got about 30% in, I really started to grasp what was happening and really started to enjoy the story. There’s a lot of politics, the magic system is super unique and interesting, and the plot itself definitely sucked me in.

I don’t want to give spoilers for this book so I’m not going to go into details, but I was sucked into it pretty much right after I started understanding what was happening. I loved the main characters, the writing, and the story itself!

This was my first Julie Soto book and from what I understand, her first fantasy novel, but I think she did really well! I would definitely recommend it even though the pace and world building is a little tough at the beginning.

4.5 🌟 Wow! Loved it! Going in, I wasn't familiar with Dramione fan fiction or The Auction, and darker fantasy romance usually isn't my thing. But Julie completely surprised me—in the best way! She handled the heavier themes with care, making it compelling without feeling overwhelming.

Julie's writing style had me hooked from the very beginning. The dual timelines added depth, and the mix of tension, magic, and politics kept me fully invested. This book is absolutely going on my list of top reads this year. I can already see it becoming super popular!

The narration was fantastic and really brought the story to life!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced listening copy of this book.

My friend Becka pulled me into the world of Dramione fanfiction, and I am thrilled to see so many getting rewrites for trad publishing this year, including Rose in Chains. I couldn’t wait to see how this would be adapted, but the magic system Soto created was perfect.

⛓️ What’s it about?
Princess Briony has been captured and will be auctioned off to the highest bidder under Madam Mallow’s regime. The winner not only gets her body, he gets her magic. The bidding is high, but when her longtime school rival / former romantic intrigue, Toven, insists on winning her, she fears the worst. But Tovin is playing his own game, and he needs Briony’s help to win it.

💜 My thoughts:
Perfect. Absolutely perfect. Loved the tense plot, the romantic pining, the newly built out magic system of head and heart magic and the animal familiars. I love a tortured soul MMC, and Toven is the epitome of this. The estate dinners were hard to read, but so well done.

This is such a slow burn and sets up for more in the series. But I ate up every single second of it.

🎧 The audiobook is narrated by Ella Lynch, who does a great job on all the voices, especially the female ones.

4/5 stars! I enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the books in the trilogy. I am curious to see what comes next with how the book ended on a cliffhanger. To be honest I did not initially realize it was based on a Dramione fan fiction and if I had know I may not have read it. But overall I did enjoy it. I also really liked that the advanced copy I got was an audio book which was amazing. Rose in Chains is releasing July 8, 2025. Thank you so much to Netgalley, Julie Soto and Hatchet Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for early access to the audiobook in exchange for my honest review. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

Don’t be fooled by the beautiful cover—this book is dark, haunting, and unforgettable. 🌹🥀

At its core, it weaves love, lust, and betrayal into a brutal but beautifully written story. The magic system is rich and layered, and the flashbacks between past and present are done so well and not confusing at all. Despite some incredibly heavy themes, this became one of my favorite reads—a true testament to the author’s powerful storytelling.

⚠️ Trigger Warnings:
• Explicit sexual content
• Mentions of non-consensual sex
• Sexual assault (including of a POV character)
• Human trafficking
• Forced sterilization
• Forced termination of pregnancy
• Minor character deaths
• Torture, gore, and graphic violence

This book is not for the faint of heart. But if you’re able to sit with its darkness, you’ll find something extraordinary underneath.

Plot Summary:
Welcome to your next romantasy obsession.
The war is over. The darkness has won.
Briony Rosewood, once the would-be savior’s sister, is now a prisoner of war—stripped of her freedom, her magic, and her future. Sold at auction to the highest bidder, she finds herself in the hands of Toven Hearst, a powerful enemy… and the boy she once secretly loved. But in a world ruled by cruelty, ambition, and shattered oaths, help may rise from the most unexpected corners.

Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. 🥰🥰🥰

First off, I want to thank NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC of this book. I’ve been eagerly anticipating this read and am thrilled to be approved for the audiobook.

The cover is GORGEOUS and while I’m not a huge fantasy reader, I’ve been very interested in Dramione fan fiction. This is my first foray, and while I thought it was good, I didn’t fall in love with it. I felt like there was too much information and characters introduced in the beginning without any context. We were just kind of told what happened briefly and then introduced to everyone that was affected / played a part in the “war”. Too much information is overwhelming and is a sure fire way of getting me to disconnect with the story. I want immersion rather than info dump and unfortunately, I got the latter.

I stuck with it though, and while I never found myself caring about Briony, I was very interested in her dynamic with Toven. He’s supposed to be the “villain”, but it’s apparent from very early on that he is actually a good guy. So much so that he fights with her to keep her from some atrocities he’s forced to participate in, and she’s wanting to risk herself in those situations so that she can check on other people that have been placed in her same situation.

There’s a lot of dual timeline back and forth that did provide some of the context I was missing from the beginning of the book. I just wish that I had been given that information in the beginning when I cared. This is why I struggle with fantasy. You have an entire world to build and the way it’s introduced fully makes or breaks it for me. I adore Julie Soto’s writing, I just didn’t enjoy this fantasy tale from her. I will probably read the next book, just to satisfy my curiosity of what ultimately happens between Briony and Toven, but as of right now, they’re the only two people that I’m interested in as far as this world goes.

Read this in less than 48 hours (immersive read)!! This was so good. I haven't read The Auction so I cant compare the two, but from what I have heard from mutuals, this book follows the fanfic well, while still separating it as it's own stories and characters. This was great. THE SLOW BURN WAS SLOW BURNINGGGGGG I NEED BOOK 2 ASAP.

Some books hook you instantly—even when they require a fair amount of world-building—and this one absolutely nails it. The story pulls you in right away, and with so much happening already, it's clear that the next installment is going to be even more exciting. The groundwork and clues laid so far promise something big, and I have no doubt this series is going to blow up in popularity. It truly deserves the hype.

As an audiobook, the narrator did a great job capturing the personalities of the characters. That said, I personally felt the portrayal of the male main character could have been a touch stronger. It wasn’t bad—just not quite as impactful for me. I think a dual narration would have elevated it further.

By the halfway point, I knew this was a solid five-star read. Now comes the hard part—waiting for the next book! Toven and Briony are epic together, and the slowest of slow burns only makes it more delicious. Also, big thanks for introducing me to Dramione fanfic—I'm now on a full-blown hunt for more! If you're a romantasy fan, this is a must-read. Don’t miss this one!

Rose In Chains was phenomenal! It was everything I look for in a book. It has a unique magic system and it had enough world building to get a good sense of everything. The whole story was great, but the ending was crazy! I need the next book right now!!
The narrator did a great job and really brought this book to life.

Tropes:
🔮 unique magic system
✨ slow burn
💔 forbidden love
🩶morally grey MMC
🌹dual timeline

The story follows Briony Rosewood, who is captured and auctioned off to Toven. We learn about these two characters and their story through a dual timeline (pre and post coup/auction), which gives a lot of insight to each of the characters personality and motives. The worldbuilding in this book was superb, and the slowburn tension between the two main chacters was simply amazing, their dynamic is to die for and their relationship is very well-thought and written.

This has been my first Julie Soto book and I have really enjoyed it. I went into this book somewhat blind, I know that this story is based on a famous ship from a very big saga, but I have never read the author's original work. I could definitely see the similarities between the two maincharacters in this book and the original couple, and I mean that in a really good way actually.

As for the audiobook, I believe that Ella Lynch did an outstanding job in narrating this story, she was compelling and made it easy to listen to. The flow was perfect and the was she shifted her voice from one character to another (and the muffled voice effect, WOW) made the listening experience better.

Thank you to @hachetteaudio and @netgalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

below i have put my review for the story itself as this is a reread for me via audiobook so this’ll just be my opinions on that. unfortunately for me i did not care for the narrator at all, she really took away from the story for me because of how over exaggerated the acting felt. during my first read with the ebook i loved briony the entire time, through the audio briony felt very whiny and borderline annoying. i didnt mind the narrations she did for token and the rest of the supporting characters but as this is told entirely through brionys pov it was very hard to stay engaged with her and the audiobook in general.

this is obviously going to have no effect on my rating or feelings towards the book as i still love it wholeheartedly but moving forward with the rest of the series it will be strictly an ebook/physical read for me!

i absolutely can’t wait for the next two books!!
~~~~~~~~~~
YES YES YES WE HAVE NEVER BEEN MORE BACK BABY

♾️⭐️

oh my god this book has reawakened my love for fantasy books i am OBSESSED .

this book was so addicting from start to finish i never wanted it to end. i had been holding off on starting the auction until i could read this book as i didnt want to go into it with any form of preconceived notions, i didnt want to have the ability to nitpick any aspect of the plot of this book and oh my god all it did was make me even more excited to start my journey with the fic like i have been VIBRATING with excitement for it 😂

as this is the year of dramione fics getting reworked and trad published the big question on everyones mind is “will the book be able to stand on its own without the previous bones?” and i am so excited to say that rose in chains ABSOLUTELY knocked it out of the park where this is concerned!! what i loved about the fact that it feels completely original is that you could still pick up on some vibes are far as characters go, it made it really fun for me when someone new was introduced and i got to contemplate “is this person actually xyz?!”.

i loved that this book kept me guessing as to what was going to happen and who was actually on what side of this war, there were so many times i felt conflicted on what i should feel towards certain characters. the book had me in shambles constantly on the edge of my seat 😩

and the romance my GAAAWD, julie had me devouring any little crumb of them she was willing to give me 🤭 it is a SLOW burn (like mariana zapata levels of evil slow burn LOL) so do prepare yourselves on that. this is a true enemies to lovers (but they’ve always harbored secret feelings bc of course), a “we shouldnt be doing this”, forced proximity, YEARNING LIKE NO OTHER 😭😭 the tension was so palpable between them through out the entire book, i literally have the zoomies just thinking about how their relationship will develop movies forward in the other books 🤭

the cliffy at the end had me SCREAMING as i had been hoping for what occurred since about 1/3rd into the book and i was extremely gagged by the information we gleaned from the scenario made me so giddy, i am just gnawing at the gates on my enclosure to somehow magically get my hands on book two as soon as possible 😩

This book was dark, intense, and completely absorbing. The worldbuilding is rich, though the beginning was a little hard to follow with so many characters introduced at once. Once I got into the flow, I couldn’t put it down. The slow burn romance was really slow—so slow it didn’t even happen in this book—but it was still incredibly well written and kept me hooked. The darker themes were handled thoughtfully, and the story stayed with me long after I finished. I’m already dreading the wait for book two!

I have no words to describe this. I went in a little wary, as I always do with very hyped books, but was shocked with how much I fell in love with the story and the characters. This book very well deserves the praise and attention it is given.

What would you do if the country you are the princess of is conquered, your king (your brother) is murdered and now you are being put up for bid to become a toy for those who conquered your country to use your magic? And what if I told you, your arch enemy from school is now possibly your new captor? Briony is faced with those exact questions and we are in awe as we watch her navigate this new, frustrating, and difficult world she is thrown into.

10/10

I’ll read (or listen to) anything Julie Soto writes, her words just hit every time 💫.
Rose in Chains is no exception. This story had me fully immersed from the start, a dark, romantic, emotionally complex journey that hooked me completely.

🎙️ The audiobook narration? Incredible. The narrator truly brought the characters to life and matched the tone of the story so perfectly. It made the tension, the longing, and the emotional beats all the more powerful.
If you’re into stories with emotional stakes, secrets, and that signature Julie Soto depth, this is a must-listen/read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Audio for the gifted ALC!

I love this book! Soto created such a great world and a unique magic system. As someone who did read the original Dramione fanfiction, I see the similarities as far as plot lines go, but the characters are definitely different than their original counterparts. I really enjoyed this story, and the plot twist at the end has me wanting the next book. I also really love the characters and how layered some of them are. Soto did a fantastic job with this. Highly recommend.

4.75⭐
Spice level: 🌶️🌶️/5
Briony Rosewood is Evermore's princess and twin to the male heir, Rory. Surviving the war on the losing side, she is quickly captured, stripped of her magic, and sold off to Toven Hearst, son of a family known for their cruelty of the ruling nation. Despite her circumstances Briony is determined to help her people.

I devoured this, and waiting for the other two books is going to be rough. The narrator does an excellent job with all characters. This might be for you if you enjoy:
- rivals to enemies to?
- mind and heart magic systems
- captured princess
- slow burn
- a certain ship of a series I won't name
- The Captive Prince series

Thank you to Hachette Audio for an ALC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published on 7/8/25. I'll post to Instagram closer to publication

Audiobook Review – Rose in Chains

Rose in Chains was a captivating listen from start to finish. The storyline pulled me in with its rich world-building, layered tension, and a slow-burn romance that simmered beautifully in the background without ever overpowering the plot. The pacing allowed the emotional and magical threads to develop naturally, keeping me invested the entire way through.

While the narration was solid, I did find myself wishing it had been dual-narrated—it would have added even more depth, especially in a story where both perspectives feel so vital. That said, I’m already eagerly awaiting the next installment. This series has hooked me, and I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Perfect for fans of fantasy who enjoy a touch of romance, high stakes, and stories that unravel with a steady, rewarding burn.