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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4 minutes ago
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!

Knowing this originated from Dramione fan fic made it hard to separate the stories at first, then the comparisons to Manacled BUT after a handful of chapters it started to take on the world and story of its own. I really enjoyed it and look forward to the next book!

Infuriating as expected but great.

The narration was really good.

First thank you NetGalley and Rachet audio for the arc of Rose in Chains! I enjoyed this book so much and I found the audible fantastic and I truly couldn’t imagine a more perfect voice actor for Briony! She was fantastic and so believable to be a princess while also giving Hermione Granger magical academy vibes! Also I really liked the story but be warned there are some very dark elements especially right at the beginning you’re thrown right into it. Otherwise the story had a great slow burn with the MMC who’s morally grey but very sweet towards her most of the time. It was a little confusing with all of the political aspects as well as the back and forth between past scenes and present but overall painted a better picture of the story then just recalling things nonstop. Overall for sure would recommend if you enjoy academy settings and political drama.

Little fun fact about me, dramione fanfiction is what got me back into reading as an adult during the pandemic. One of my absolute favorite fics, and still is to this day, was the auction by lovebitca8 as well as the entire rights and wrongs series by her. Truly one of my favorite pieces of work I’ve ever read. So when I found out the auction was being reworked into a published book, excited was definitely an understatement!

I’ve always found with every piece of writing I’ve read of Julie’s, it’s quite easy to get sucked in, and Rose in Chains was no exception! The dedication alone had me in my feels, iykyk 🥹. From the first chapter I was hooked and was very intrigued to how she was going to go about introducing a completely new fantasy world. Now since I’ve read the auction a few times, I knew the general story so I was curious what was going to be kept and what was going to be tweaked a bit for the published work. I actually really enjoyed some of the little differences and I think fans of the original fanfic will appreciate the fact that most of the plot of the OG story is there with just a enough changes to keep you on your toes.

I will say I think this book needed a little bit more world building especially for readers who haven’t read the fanfic. With it only being the first book in a trilogy I have no doubt Julie will give us more backstory in the next two books but I do think this book could’ve benefited from a bit more general information on the history of this fantasy world and even an extra chapter or two of flashbacks from Briony’s perspective. (which I’m still very glad we got several of them in general!)

As much as I would’ve loved for this to be one long epic fantasy novel, I understand from a marketing perspective why it was split into a trilogy, but one thing about me is that I’m impatient af so Julie can you please let us know when the next two books are coming out please?! 🙏 Cause even though I thought I knew exactly how this book was going to end that ending had me gagged?!

I truly cannot wait for the next books in the trilogy and I’m just so happy that Julie is finally getting the credit that she deserves for an incredible story loved by so many of us!

Thank you so much to Hachette Audio, NetGalley, and Julie Soto for the ALC! The audiobook narration was exactly how I envisioned the FMC sounding in my head and it truly brought this book to life! 🫶

I was way too excited going into this book and therefore, I thought I probably would get disappointed at some point, but no, oh boy no. This book is worth the hype around it 100%. I was hooked right from the very first page, the story is very interesting and the characters had me invested in their story immediately. The magic system is a very interesting one and I can't wait to learn even more about it in the second book. The pacing of this book, as a first in a trilogy was perfect for me, it was an absolute rollercoaster ride that I want to go on again and again. I can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars (5 rounded)

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto completely swept me away. The world she created is so vivid and atmospheric, I could picture every scene like I was living inside it. The attention to detail was stunning, and the magic system? Utterly unique and fascinating — I was hooked from the very beginning.

Briony and Toven. Wow. I don’t even have words for the chemistry between them — the tension, the hatred, the longing — it was all palpable, and it made every interaction between them absolutely electric. They were the kind of characters that felt like they were made for each other... even if they'd rather die than admit it.
There weren’t many spicy scenes, but the ones we did get? Immaculate. The way Toven described what he'd do to Briony made my legs wobble.

The audiobook narration brought the whole experience to life beautifully. The voice fit the characters perfectly and really helped carry the emotion and heat of the story. I genuinely felt every breath, every pause, every crack in their carefully guarded facades.

The only reason this isn’t a completely flawless experience is that a few slower parts dragged just a little — I’ll admit my mind wandered once or twice. But it never took away from how much I loved this book overall.

And that ending?! Miss Soto, how dare you leave us hanging like that. I need book two immediately.

Also, let’s take a second to appreciate that gorgeous cover — easily one of the most beautiful I’ve seen in a long time.

♾️⭐️’s
I received an audio copy of this book via NetGalley and Hachette Audio. This was my first read by Julie Soto & I can say it absolutely won’t be my last the way Julie wrote this book was so addicting, I just could not put the book down. It was delicious the slow burn was intense and the world building was incredible. I cannot wait for Book 2 I just loved it so much.

𝟒.𝟓 ★

briony and toven, after going through school together find themselves on opposite sides of a magical war. briony’s kingdom has been overthrown, her immediate family murdered. little does she know that it’s tovens family that helped make that happen. after her castle is ransacked, she finds herself put up for auction to be used for her magic, and any other way the buyer sees fit. the buyer? the last person briony expects: toven. briony is determined to find a way through this no matter what the cost, even if that cost is her dignity in the eyes of the peers that she grew up with. she soon finds out that there is more to toven and his family than meets the eye.
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ rose in chains is told through dual timelines: the present where briony is being held captive and the past as we follow her through her years in school and the escalation of the war.

starting this book, i had no idea that this was based on a fanfic but once i found out it made a lot of sense but in no way did that knowledge ruin or effect this story for me. to be honest this book had me hooked from the very beginning. i honestly found myself trying to do things just so i could listen to it because i just HAD to know what happened. the pacing of the story, even with the dual timelines was spot on. there was always information shared, or something happening that held your attention. i really appreciated how the magical system was explained throughout the entirety of the book. it never felt like it was info dumping, which happens a lot in the romantasy and fantasy world.

both briony and tovens characters are so morally complex and had so much depth to them. 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙮 was strong, witty and empathetic, to the point where you just kind of wanted to shake her because she deserved everything that she was giving to others, especially her brother. it drove me nuts that it didn’t feel like her brother appreciated any of the sacrifices that she had to make for him (even if not all of them were evident, he knew how much she was helping him). it’s so incredibly hard not to like her because she is willing to do whatever it takes to give herself a chance to fight for her kingdom and people. 𝙩𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙣 is like one of the characters i feel like is the definition of a morally grey, extremely complicated mmc. he is extremely powerful, and is expected to become even more so through briony but finds himself in constant battles with his morals, desires and what is expected of him from the leaders of the new world.
╰┈➤ˎˊ˗ the slow burn made me want to pull my hair out (in the best way possible). it was a little wild to me that after being bought at an auction, humiliated and had everything taken for her she still see’s toven through a bit of rose colored glasses. can we talk about how julie soto absolutely brought a new meaning to the word “mindfuck” and i was absolutely here for it. 👀

the ending was the only thing that stopped this book from being five stars. it honestly just fell a little flat for me and if she cut out the last chapter and just had the epilogue it would have been an epic cliffhanger. like i’ve said in previous reviews, i don’t necessarily think of myself as a super analytical reader but the ending was hinted too so many times i was just kind of like “of course this happened” kind of feeling.

thank you julie soto, hachette audio, forever/grand central publishing and netgalley for an alc in exchange for an honest review. 🫶🏻

🌹✨ Rose in Chains by Julie Soto✨🌹

I’m not sure where to begin… Rose in Chains is absolutely amazing! Julie Soto has written something that’s dark, devastating, and yet deeply romantic. This has one of the slowest of slow burns I have ever read! It follows Briony and Toven who are two people on opposite sides of a magical war.

Briony and Toven’s dynamic is everything! It is very layered, complex, and uncomfortable but it works together so well. Their connection is buried under years of trauma, secrecy, betrayal, and repressed emotion. If you love your romance hard-earned, complicated, and with immense earning!!!!…this is your book!

The dual timeline was executed beautifully, layering the present horrors of Briony’s captivity with glimpses of her past at the magical academy/ Which is where Toven was her rival, her tormentor…and something more. I felt like it didn’t pull away from the story like duel timelines often tend to do but the flashbacks were emotionally necessary and gave so much context to their current tension.

Briony is an amazing FMC! She fights strategically and with purpose, holding onto her identity even when everything has been taken from her. And Toven, though his power is more visible, carries a different kind of weight: the burden of legacy, secrecy, and impossible choices. While Briony survives with grit and heart, Toven navigates a brutal system from within, trying to protect the people he loves without ever revealing how deeply he feels. Their strength was very layered, complex, and full of longing.

The audiobook narrator (whose voice was brand new to me) was a little hard to understand at times. I am not new to accents but I thought that she mumbled just a bit at the beginning. After some listening I did get used to it but there was a learning curve. She did really well with both female and male narration though!

Now I do want to give a big warning to please read the trigger warnings list because parts of the book can be quite dark. That being said it follows themes of human trafficking, captivity, sexual violence (including on-page moments), grief, PTSD, and emotional manipulation are front and center. I think it could have been a lot more descriptive than it was, so I did not find it that bad but everyone's interpretations are different so please please read the trigger warnings!

In conclusion, this book is one of the kinds of books that lingers! I constantly keep thinking of their story and the world and what is going to happen next! And that ending? I screamed. And then I stared at the wall. Then ranted to a friend that also got an arc hahaha! Literally cannot WAIT for the second book! This one is making it on my favorites list of the year for sure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

This one hurt
From page one to last page!
You will feel rage and sorrow. So many questions asked and so few answers.
Our FMC is the princess who has always known she will be the sacrifice, she does nothing but help her brother and family, lives for it. She is happy in the knowledge she makes others happy but feels as if there are things missing.
Her childhood friend loves her but she just can’t bring herself to give him more because she does not feel the same. What does it matter when she’s going to be used as a political alliance anyway when the time comes for her to marry.
The boy who always caught her eye at school is sly, vicious, and a rake. He’s powerful but could she ever be more with someone such as that? Did their shared moments mean anything to him?
When he brother is killed, and her kingdom taken over by his, she is going to be auctioned to the highest bidder.
Would he buy her, and dear god, what would he use her for.

Make sure to watch for your tiggers in the warnings because there is a lot of heavy moments throughout the book.

I would describe it as a new adult book, it gives first years of college vibes.
The writing is amazing, you can visualize the whole book like a movie (though some times you wish you couldn’t!)

I pre-ordered this before I was even accepted for the arc and I’m so glad I did. It took me longer than usual to get through because I needed breaks with the heavy topics but I can not wait for book two!

I had this as an audio arc and I thought the narrator did a great job. You can listen at all speeds until 2.5, the words started to get hard to understand unless you had silence and were completely locked in.