Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchette Audio for the ALC to Rose in Chains.

I was lucky enough to receive both an early copy of the Audio as well as digital so I created an immersive experience by reading along with the audio.

For those that don't know - this was originally a Dramione Fanfic (which I LOVED beyond words) so as soon as I found out it was being rewritten to be published I immediately knew I needed this book.

Rose in Chains was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025 and it did not disappoint. Even though I just reread the Auction not that long ago, reading Rose in Chains didn't hurt any less even though I knew the storyline before hand.

Julie Soto writes with such emotion that you FEEL what the characters feel and it was most definitely proven with this book.

This book does end on a cliffhanger for those that didn't know it was part of a series and I can't WAIT until I get my hands on book 2.

The character growth, the magic system, the time jump between before and during the War, was all written beautifully and it flowed from one chapter to the next. I highly recommend this book if you love:

-Slow Burn
-Unique Magic System
-WitchCraft/Familiars
-Angst
-Enemies to Lovers
-Dark Theme Romance
-Single POV

Listening to the audio truly was such an experience. Ella Lynch (Narrator) did a phenomenal job with the FMC voice as well as switching over to the rest of the characters.

***Please check trigger warnings before diving in. This book has dark themes that might be disturbing to some readers.***

First I want to thank Julie Soto for this masterpiece! This book was incredibly put together. The way she created a new world of magic and how it’s used it’s beyond words. I love that we get flashbacks to these characters relationships and how they come together. Toven and Brionyare written so perfectly I can feel the mutual pinning in both of them. I’m so excited to read the second installment of the Book!!!

Thank you Hachette for the alc!

I was fortunate enough to eread this as well as do the audio, and the audio was just as good as the first time I read this book! The narrator did a fantastic job especially when it came to other people’s voices etc. I cannot wait for book 2 after that ending!

This book was so unique. I loved the flashbacks so we got to see how all of the characters interacted, ESPECIALLY Briony and Toven! I loved Briony! She was headstrong and determined, but not an asshole about it which I loved. Tovens parents were also a nice addition to the story, I was unsure of what to think about them at first but definitely changed my opinion by the ending!
I understand Cordelia and Rory’s relationship, however him abandoning Briony was my last straw.
!Overall this was a fantastic romantasy and will be a top read for me this year. If you’re someone who loves academy settings (sometimes), unique magic, a dragon, lots of political dynamics, friendships/relationships you wouldn’t expect, and an interesting twist at the end, then you will love this book as much as I did!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio arc.

DNF @ 50%
Sorry this is giving "I'm a good slave owner so love me" energy..... I'm not falling for that propaganda....

Also if you're not a fan of the fanfic or harry potter then you might not like this book.

It's probably my fault but I went into this book semi-blind as I really only looked at the Goodreads tags and cover. I knew it was based off of Harry Potter fan fiction which is.... already making me side-eye the author in itself but whatever... so when I started it and heard the triggers I knew this might not be the book for me. I'm not a dark romance/romantsy girly but I have free will and will read whatever I want so... to those who want to leave negative comments... fight me... I was expecting this to be kinda good as Julie Soto is a big name but I regret reading this book first as.... it was not good whatsoever...

The world-building was so.... inspired and it's almost like you can tell it's so unoriginal... Like I wish the editors made Soto flesh it out even more because it was just giving "unoriginal" to me.... The heart strings magic also just seems like it's an excuse to subjugate women into submission... which is weird considering the Bomardsun have a woman leader... like how does that work???? Also what even makes mind and heart magic different? I read through 50% of the book and I don't even understand the basics of the magic systems other than heart magic seems to be more "evil" because it's pulling magic from other living beings.... but what makes "mind" magic so different? Why is it better? It's like the author never explained that.

Not to mention the pacing of this book was so BAD. I was confused for the first 10% of the book because the transitions of the past and "present" were so damn confusing and just badly written..... It felt like it meshed together and with the past backstory being hashed out it was like I was being info-dumped by a whole bunch of characters I know and yet don't know at the same time... like honestly I was asking myself what I was reading for the first 10%......

Not to mention I feel like this book, while it may have a "handmaid's tale" story with women fighting for their freedom in the future... this book instead weaves the story of the FMC falling for HER LITERAL SEX SLAVE OWNER and almost romanticizes the slave x slave owner dynamic... It felt like I was reading a war crime of a book for women. Especially publishing this book in TODAYS UNITED STATED OF AMERICAL POLITICAL AND SOCIAL CLIMATE. This book is so flipping TONE DEAF OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG. Like my rights as a woman are being violated and I HAVE TO READ ABOUT THE SAME REALISTIC SHIT IN THIS BOOK AND HAVE IT BE ROMANTICIZED TOO?????? Like bro I'm not even religious but God must hate me fr. Especially since there this content of the sex trafficking of the women were repeated almost every chapter... Like I, as the audience, get it.. you don't need to repeat that the women have no rights every 5 seconds....

Then let's move onto the MMC.... Why does Briony even find the MMC attractive? (I'm not saying his name disrespectfully) He almost contributes nothing and while being an absolute jerk (and this is me being nice). The AUDACITY this man has is fucking astounding. His character was giving "oh I'm so holier-than-thou because I have good intentions for PURCHASING A HUMAN WOMAN because I love her".... like bro what? No, you're still very much a piece of shit. It was giving very much performative savior and then torturer....

My last gripe about this book is Briony... she gives me the ick... nothing and the ick... she was such a weak character I feel like she can't stand well enough to just be on her own... like her personality is based off of her own brother so much throughout the "backstory" it was sad and then she was immediately turned into a sex slave. She also reads like a YA protagonist instead of an adult one... like why didn't see immediately try to escape the auction? Who cares if people die bro ur literally the "Queen" or "Heir" and you just give up? Bruhhh just sacrifice someone and escape bro... but nah you end up giving up and being attracted to a pathetic ass man....

I'm sad this was my first Julie Soto book but I'm glad I never have to see this series after today and will not be continuing it. I'll try her other works and hopefully that will be better.

It’s the first time that I’ve actually read the fan fic that had been turned into a book so I was excited to give it a go. Not going to lie, it was hard for me to really get attached to the two main characters because I was thinking of the fan fiction characters. The magic system is a little lackluster and not all that great. But the aspects of the original fan fic that I enjoyed are all there. I really liked the twist the changes made at the end and I’m excited to see where the next book takes us. I’m really curious to see what people who haven’t read the fic think about this book. The audiobook was great! The narrator did a fantastic job with the different voices for different characters. Sometimes I struggle with single narrator audiobooks but I didn’t have trouble with this at all. My only complaint was that when she did Tovins voice it was sometimes hard to hear. All in all this was a great romantasy read and a great audiobook to listen to if you prefer audiobooks.

Rose in Chains was exactly what I was hoping it would be. I was drawn in from the start and absolutely loved the story. The narrator did a good job bringing the main character to life and changed her voice just enough to show various characters talking. I will say that some of the names in the book weren’t my favorite but that doesn’t really bother me too much. I enjoyed the pacing of the story and how some chapters looked into the past to give us more context or information about what is occurring in the present. The heart magic and mind magic systems of the world were interesting although I’m still not sure I understand how they work exactly. Overall, this book was fantastic and I can’t wait for the next one!!

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Level: 🌶️


First of all…I have no words.

Well, no that’s not true of course I have words. But STILL! 😩 Julie Soto is the queen of slow burn, “JUST KISS ALREADY” tension (no seriously I am still bemoaning The Thrashers, which incidentally if my review didn’t convince you go read it anyway tf).

I am a rabid dramione stan, so I have been absolutely feral with anticipation waiting for this release (and the other two, so don’t worry those reviews are incoming as soon as I inhale them the way I absolutely INHALED Rose in Chains!). That being said - this is a rather incredible piece of Fantasy. Sure, there is bits of romance here and there (slow burn, remember?) but at its core, RiC is a high-stakes High Fantasy novel. There is world building, dynamic character development, and a fantastical setting. This was a great way to jump into this world and I am so excited for the rest of the series. I’m absolutely adding the sequels to my “take off work on release day” list.

Notable Tropes ——

🥀 High Stakes Fantasy
🥀 Enemies to Lovers? (slowlyyyyy)
🥀 Slow Burn 🔥
🥀 Touch her and ☠️
🥀 Animal sidekicks/familiars (introduced, probably more present in the sequels!)
🥀 Familial loss


Warnings ✋——

Please check any trigger warnings, as there are a few darker elements that may be distressing to some: references to SA, human trafficking, slave auction, and murder.


Hachette Audio was kind enough to grant my rather obnoxious request to listen this audiobook, so thank you so much to Nita and team Hachette Audio for facilitating my absolute ✨ NEED✨ to read this book. Thank you to Julie Soto for writing it, and just like I told you at the Thrashers event (and I will be repeating it again when I see you next month for the Rose in Chains event) THIS IS MY ROMAN EMPIRE!

Oh my gosh I loved this book- I couldn’t put it down. It is a DARK fantasy with romance weaved throughout. I liked how it was written with the timelines going backwards and to the present. It kept me intrigued and somewhat confused (but in a good way). The writing flowed so well that I couldn’t put it down. The characters were complex and I loved how they evolved towards the end of this book. The magic system is also unique with heart magic and mind magic. I loved how we were introduced to various characters using these magic systems and could compare how the main FMC and MMC were stronger at using them. While some themes reminded me of other fantasy books, I felt like this story was unique and kept me wanting more. While some themes were quite dark, I felt like the author did a good job of intertwining them to the story overall. I am so excited for this trilogy and look forward to the next book releasing.

Rating: 5/5 ⭐️

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy.

My goodness, I didn’t think I was going to love audiobook as much as the epub but the audiobook for Rose In Chains is absolutely fantastic! It made me love the book even more!

I wrote my review on Rose In Chains a few months back, so I want to dedicate this review specifically to the audiobook. Firstly, the narrator was extraordinary. There are a lot of characters in this book and they managed to create a distinct voice and impression for each and every one of them in such a compelling manner. I need to listen to more of their audiobooks!

The production was fantastic, and I think elevated the book much more. Thank you NetGalley for the audiobook!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: 🌶️
Tropes:
* Magic and world building
* Enemies to lovers (?)
* Political rivals
* Forbidden romance

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and Hachette Audio for the eALC! I’ve been anticipating this book for months now, so I was quick to start listening to this!

I LOVE the narrator of this book! Her accent, her emotive and strong voice throughout and how she describes things, I couldn’t stop listening! Her voice kept things suspenseful and especially in the more horrifying and sad moments, I could feel the terror and sadness even more. Her pacing is melodic and perfect to narrate this book.

I enjoyed the world building, the magic hierarchies and families. It was a lot to set up, so I did feel like there was much more exposition than most romantasy books I’ve read previously. I really liked the flashback scenes that sets up what is happening in the present in the next chapter. It’s a great organization choice to keep me interested in the plot. The middle is very long but I understand it provides a lot of exposition and setup for her connection with Toven and all the risks they are facing with his family.

It took 32 CHAPTERS to really get to any actual tension and spice between them…and even much longer til they only KISS! This is a SLOWWWW BURN. It actually bothered me with how much wasn’t really happening for the second half of the book. I understand this is part of a planned trilogy, but I wanted to see more happen both in plot and romantically between them sooner. He was so cold it made me question his intentions, when he obviously has cared for her as hinted in the past and the (far end) of the present. I also wondered why she even seemed to want him so badly, considering he bought and owned her, and never gives her any insight into his truthful intentions and feelings for her.

This book is much more focused on the overarching plot of what is happening between all of the rivals, and what is at stake for her and Toven. I just didn’t feel they had a connection until BAM, a very quick and fierce complete 180 from the majority of the book. And it’s just as quickly halted and I groaned out loud. His denial towards her is so aggravating, especially as that is how the book ends. It wasn’t a cliffhanger like I expected and was a letdown. I was confused by the epilogue, so I truly hope the last two books of this series propels the explanation of the twists and romance between Briony and Toven!

2.5/5
Rose In Chains is going to be a HUGE romantasy hit—but I didn’t love it.

Like DMATMOOBIL and soon Manacled, this is the latest of Dramione fanfics getting reforged for traditional publishing. I never read this book’s source material—the Auction—but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my fair share of Dramione fanfics. Rose In Chains has all the trappings of a romantasy that will appeal to that audience; a fantasy setting with a slow burn enemies to lovers romance and an underlying plot binding all the fluffy angst together.

If Sarah J Maas is your thing, you will probably love this. The thing I struggled with the most was the sheer volume of characters that are thrown at us, not to mention a world that I don’t think is constructed very well. I could see the fanfiction actually being much stronger with the Harry Potter world. Tthe fantasy setting here felt like a cardboard cutout of a world meant to stand in for the Wizarding World—and unfortunately many of the characters did too.

The main character Briony feels far too passive and meek to live up to the Hermione Granger I love—almost like the author had to tone her down to avoid being too similar. And while I think Tovin is a very Malfoy-esque character, I think he’d have been stronger if he were a little more morally gray.

In my frustrations with the plot, world and characters I found myself pining for some great romance beats or smut—but this first book was very stingy with those moments. The romance felt incomplete and thin, and short of an imaginary BJ scene, this doesn’t really have much in the way of spice.

Again—I think this is going to be a huge hit, and I think many of you will probably adore this, and I genuinley love that for you. It just didn’t work for me.

as one of my most anticipated reads of this year, this book did not disappoint. Julie Soto had done it once again! I loved the vibes and the entire time I was on the edge of my seat eager to read more. I don’t think you would have been able to have pulled this title from my cold dead hands

Rose in Chains completely blew me away. This was my first time reading a book by Julie Soto, and now I finally understand the hype. The writing is addictive, the tension is off the charts, and the emotional depth had me hooked from the start.

The characters were flawed, raw, and so captivating- especially the dynamic between the leads. It’s dark, angsty, and full of that push-and-pull tension I live for in a romance. I couldn’t listen to this fast enough.

If you’re into dark romance with high stakes and messy, complicated love, this is a must-read. Julie Soto just earned a permanent spot on my TBR list.

4.5 stars, really enjoyed it but a few elements brought it down but not enough to go to a 4.

This is a slow burn dark romantasy story which will be the first of a series. It has multiple dark themes throughout the book so check the content warnings. This might not be for everyone.

This book starts off with action from the very first page but moves to almost constant suspense throughout the book. The story also has multiple flashbacks, splitting the timeline as the story goes on. There are many characters in this book. The main character is identifying a lot of political players involved throughout the book so a lot of names and characters are introduced. Some characters are her friends and others she meets along the way, many of them making lasting impressions. Which makes it harder as she struggles to learn their fates the further along in the book you get. There were times I was frustrated with how slow the characters and the story were. I have a feeling it will speed up in the next book with how much is built up in this story.

I really enjoyed the narrator of this audio book. She was engaging and entertaining to listen to. Her voices for some of the characters were creative and were identifiable as the story continued. The writing and narration of the story is clear to follow. The only flaw in the narration was that I could tell when the audio was edited or re-recorded in a few sections. Her tone and audio quality shifted between sentences throwing off the flow. I noticed this a few times in the first half but only once in the later chapters.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for this advanced listener copy for review.

One of my most anticipated summer releases!!! At first I was bummed it was single narration, but with it being single POV this works for book one. As we learn more do I hope to have more POV in later books? Yes, but I digress. Narration was done very well, with clear differences for each character. This is dramione coded and where I have not read the fanfic that inspired this (the auction), I still felt the vibes as well as some Manacled vibes. Now this is dark fantasy with some heavier elements, but between the MCs it was all very PG(mayyybe 13). Rose in Chains is certainly building towards some big actions and as a first book in the series it was done well with progressive backstory and world building. It was fairly slow in terms of action and a lot of info is hidden from us just as it is hidden from Briony who is our POV.

Wow! I have to say I was a little scared to read this book. :) While I understand the backstory of how the book came to be - I was super nervous based on the trigger warnings, etc. I'm often not a dark romance kind of reader but so many people have been excited about this upcoming release. Ok, so, now having read it - it is a complete 5STAR READ! Julie Soto does an amazing job with very difficult subjects. The background of the characters and the "what's not being said" undertones of the characters actions increase the yearning and suspense - ALL THROUGHOUT THE BOOK. It is not overtly spicy (which I appreciate) but while the story is admittedly uncomfortable - I was completely entranced by it. I can not wait for the rest of the series.
Regarding the production - the audio was superb. The narrator did an excellent job with each of the characters and the sound quality was excellent.
I plan on purchasing the physical copy of the book and will definitely recommend to others.

Wow. Did I finish this book or did this book finish me? I am absolutely blown away by Julie Soto yet again.

A big shoutout to Netgalley and the Hachette Audio team for providing me with an advanced listening copy of this book.

In Rose in Chains, Briony's world is thrown into chaos after years of war have left her father and brother dead. Her and her fellow captees are auctioned off to the highest bidder to use for their bodies and magic. Briony must do what she can to break her chains and find help in the most unlikely of places.

This is exactly how I like my dark romance. Sad, angsty, and full of tension. I would highly suggest a look at this book's triggers before diving in.

Something as to be said for the vibe this book exudes. I was not personally part of the group who read this when it started its roots in fanficition, by as an avid fanfiction reader, it manages to hold the essence of its origin that many books loose when going through the publication process. You may read this as "it reads like fanfiction", but it manages to meet the bar needed for me to rate this as highly as I did. It remains recognizable to my heart.

For the audiobook format, I have to say it added so much to experience of the book. The Hachette team brought Briony to life and pulled every emotion out of me in the process.

The narrator did a fabulous job with this one. Having read Julie Soto's romance books, I had high hopes for this romantasy! She did not disappoint! I am so ready for the next book in this series! The slow burn between the main characters truly is SLOW.. but in the best way possible. The politics and world building are interesting and I think this is the perfect romantasy to pick up in the summer!

WOW. I didn’t realize when I started this that it was based on the fanfic “The Auction”. I kept thinking it had Dramione and The Handmaid’s Tale vibes and now it makes sense. I listened to an ALC and the narrator sounded like an adult Hermione and it was perfection. It is forbidden romance, SLOOOOOW burn, rivals to enemies to lovers, unique magic systems and oh, there is a dragon.

Such a beautifully done dark fantasy romance that was emotionally charged but not so heavy that I felt I need to keep taking breaks, which sometimes happens when I read books that are darker than I expect. I highly recommend this book and definitely recommend the audiobook format, as it is superbly done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ALC!

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the Advanced Listeners Copy of this book!

This story was much darker than I originally anticipated however I enjoyed it. I found myself needing some breaks from some parts but I was compelled to come back because the story is so good.

The narration worked well for the book.

I cannot wait for the rest of this series!