PSA that this is not a standalone…. I’m dyyyyying to read the next book!

I listened to the ALC via NetGalley.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
(4 stars)

This book reads like fan fiction and I can’t decide if it is working or not. I LOVE fan fiction so I appreciate the pacing (and the slow burn.) The character development is the main characters is in-depth. When I’m in their world, I get lost in the story.

…. The problem I had throughout is the lack of worldbuilding. I feel like the magic system was well-done. I didn’t feel like the politics/world was as deep as it should have been to explain the extreme events that take place in this book. I wanted more backstory of Evermore and from Mallow. I honestly failed the understand her motives. I hope we learn more about her as are series progresses because my jaw dropped when I realized the villain was female. (I support women’s rights and women’s wrongs.)

The narration is brilliant. I felt immersed in the story. Pacing was perfect. I honestly can’t think of any critique… I forgot I was meant to be paying attention to narration details because it was so well performed that I always felt immersed in the story.

Overall, I think Book 1 leaned more on the romance than fantasy. Luckily the slow burn was perfectly done! I hope the next books dive deeper into new characters— I felt like the circle of rich characters was small in this one. I want to know more about Briony’s father for example. Oops, I’m getting sidetracked — This was an enthralling read that kept me hooked until I panicked at the end because I have to wait for future books.

By far 10/10 and one of THE BEST READS OF THE YEAR!!!!!!! The twists and turns and natural progression of the story was truly PHENOMENAL!!!!!!!!!The magic in this book was unique and fresh and the bonds I loved! Briony and her brother were true siblings in every sense of the word. A perfectly written pair! Normally having a preference for physical books I ate this story up with the narration and even though I do not care for longer audiobooks this SURPASSED ALL MY EXPECTATIONS! Constantly moving and never slowing I had the most emotions! Happy, sad, moments of humor! Our Villian was almost written excellently and had me plotting her death as well! I can’t not wait for however many installments as I need the next part yesterday!!!!!!!!!!!!I AM IN LOVE!

I’m honestly not okay. Julie Soto owns me. I was already obsessed with her writing, but Rose in Chains completely took over my brain. I listened to the audiobook and I refused to press pause. I would have finished it in one sitting if life didn’t get in the way.

Briony and Toven are everything. The tension, the flashbacks, the slow burn—it was all perfect. Julie somehow makes every moment feel intense, even the quiet ones. The world is dark and heavy in all the right ways, but still full of hope and fight. And that ending? I need the sequel immediately.

I already loved Julie Soto for her contemporary romances, but seeing her crush it in fantasy too? I’m even more obsessed now. The way she builds tension and emotion is unreal. The story, the characters, the magic—it all just worked.

This is easily one of my favorite reads of the year. I’ll be thinking about it until book two drops.

Thank you to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the advanced listening copy.

The world-building was pretty thin, and there were just so many characters being thrown in constantly—most of them didn’t leave much of a mark. The romance was meant to be a slow burn, but this one DRAGGED, and the character growth felt like it kept circling the same points.

I’m really thankful for both the audio and e-ARC, but I ended up switching to my Kindle because I couldn’t handle the narration. Who thought it was a good idea to give the male character a voice that sounded more like a woman than anything else. It was distracting, to say the least.

That said—the cliffhanger was actually good and the many questions unanswered in book 1 is the main reason I’d consider picking up the next book.

Absolutely, yes!

I'm going to start off by saying that I have not read any of the dramione fanfics, including the The Auction, that this is based on.

The book bounces back and forth between past and present following Briony Rosewood who story start with lineage of a royal family, the death of her twin brother, the heir to their kingdom, then eventually leads her to being captured by another kingdom and auctioned off to basically be a a magical slave to take power from her.

Despite the premise of the book, the FMC and MC are primarily a slow burn romance throughout that book. However, there still are darker themes in this book that should be taken into account when going on this adventure with #RoseInChains including: SA, graphic violence, explicit sexual content, mentions of non-consensual sex, buying and selling of humans into captivity, and death.

Overall, the story that Julie Soto brought to our pages and our ears through Ella Lynch's narration was captivating. I cannot wait to see where the story will lead and what will happen next.

Thank you to Hachette Book Group and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book!! It had me HOOKED the entire time and I had so many theories as to how it would end! I can’t wait to see how this trilogy plays out!
I also really loved the narrator, she has the PERFECT voice for a fantasy novel and can do no many different voices! I seriously need her to narrate all fantasy audiobooks!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! All thoughts are my own.

This was not my favorite book admittedly, though I am curious as to how the series will continue. However, I can see this being a major hit. I think I'm the outlier. I was just bored for a lot of the story and found it slow. But based on other reviews, I can tell I'm the problem. I truly hope everyone loves this book once it releases!

Thank you NetGalley, publishers and Julie Soto for allowing me to listen to the AUDIO of Rose in Chains! IYKYK. I also listened to the Auction. I absolutely devoured this audio! The narrator did a fantastic job! I absolutely felt like I read an entirely new book despite some similarities. I loved the concept of this magic system that was presented. I loved the character background, and the overall plot. Briony ofc I imagined as you know who. And Toven, was you know who. The Auction had more spice. But I loved Rose in Chains and felt it had an appropriate amount of spice for the storyline. This is a WHOLE new world, with a WHOLE new magic, and a WHOLE new evil. I loved it! I really enjoyed the twist. I appreciated the backflashes to obtain a deeper background. I loved the direction this book took! I am invested! I cannot wait for book 2! Thank you!

I don’t even know where to start because Rose in Chains completely consumed me. I devoured this book and am still thinking about it days later. Julie Soto created something utterly electric this is easily one of my top romantasy reads of the year.

Briony is the kind of heroine I root for with every fiber of my being. Strong, strategic, soft in all the right places and constantly forced to diminish herself for others until she doesn’t. Watching her claim space and power was such a rewarding journey and it made me so emotional. And then there’s Toven. TOVEN HEARST. I knew I was in trouble the minute he appeared. Their dynamic? Peak enemies to lovers slowburn tension. I was feral for their moments quiet gestures, angsty silences and don’t even get me started on the flashbacks. Every layer of their connection was carefully built and I felt everything.

Beyond the romance this story is full of heartache, resilience and hope. The theme of quiet female solidarity absolutely wrecked me in the best way. All those subtle moments of rebellion and care between the women? Gorgeous. Gutting. Necessary. The worldbuilding was rich and layered and the political tension between Bomards and Eversuns had me on edge.

I also had the chance to listen to the audiobook and loved the narration. Ella Lynch the narrator brought Briony’s voice to life in such a compelling and emotionally nuanced way I was completely hooked. She made the story even more immersive, and I found her genuinely entertaining to listen to. I’ll definitely be seeking out more of her work.

And that epilogue??? I knew it, but it still left me emotional and clinging to hope. I cannot believe I have to wait until 2026 for book 2. This book broke me and I would let it do it again.

If you’re looking for a dark romantasy with a magnetic slow burn, complex power dynamics, political intrigue, emotional depth and a heroine you will fall in love with read this immediately.

Massive thanks to Hachette Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. I already know I’ll be re-listening to this while I count the days to the sequel.

Rose in Chains had an intriguing start that quickly drew me in, but unfortunately, the story lost steam as it progressed. While the premise hinted at a dark, emotional fantasy romance full of longing and internal conflict, the execution didn’t quite deliver. The characters felt underdeveloped, Briony remained frustratingly passive, and Toven’s feelings, though intense, lacked a believable foundation. Their chemistry, meant to simmer beneath the surface, never quite ignited, and the romance came off more told than felt.

The pacing was sluggish, weighed down by repetitive scenes and disjointed flashbacks that disrupted narrative flow. The worldbuilding, though ambitious, felt more like background noise than an immersive fantasy setting, and the plot itself dragged for too long before picking up near the end. That said, the audiobook narration was a standout. Ella Lynch brought emotional nuance and depth to the characters that weren’t always present on the page. Her performance especially the distinct voices and emotional inflections elevated the story and made it far more engaging to listen to than to read. If you’re still curious about this book, I’d definitely recommend the audio version for a better overall experience.

Ahhhh Julie Soto the queen that you are!!!
4.5 stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ . 5!!!

Thank you so much to Hatchett audio and NetGalley for this free advanced audiobook copy of A Rose in Chains for my honest review!! Ella Lynch does a phenomenal job as the narrator. She sounds just like hermione when reading Briony. Draco— I mean Toven’s voice is spot on. This fanfic retelling does everything it needs to. The story is expanded to show the past of Briony and Toven, the history and pining. It builds the relationships for those unfamiliar , fast forwarding to the present where Briony’s family the Rosewood’s are losing to the Beaumodes. Those who excel in heart magic versus mind.

Cue tall, dark mysterious male and a woman he’s trying to protect.

The story feels familiar as someone who read the auction, and yet unique enough. Introducing heartsprings and two types of powerful magic.

The story is a bit slow at times, but I could slowly feel it building. My biggest complaint was the side characters. I suppose in the auction we have a base for these characters, but Pansy and Blaze are heavily expanded on as well as Lucius, Nerissa, and our favorite house elves (which are heavily missed). In this story, I did not feel a connection to Larissa or Finn, or the other Hearsts. My biggest suggestion is a bit of expansion on our secondary characters . Even Ginny… aka Claudia felt underdeveloped.

Overall, it’s a great book with an easy to read narrative that pulls a dark fanfic and makes it a bit of a lighter read with all the important scenes.

Quote, “I have to protect my family.” Screams. Regardless. I highly recommend it even if you’re not a fan of the original work.

The audiobook is phenomenal. I was denied the ecopy and received the audiobook. I tend to not like audiobooks because I can read quicker, and it bothers me when men do woman voices and vice versa. The voice actress did a phenomenal job at keeping me intrigued and doing the many voices so well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto, and Hatchett audio for this advanced audiobook copy. 🪄

Spectacular all around! This story was full of gripping, burning tension and lust! I thought the narrator did a great job voicing all characters, and that she really gave Briony a excellent image! I thought her accent was perfect for Briony and Toven. I went into this blind as I had not read the original fanfics and boy, was I hooked from page one! Julie Soto's writing was brilliant and beautifully executed. The world she painted was easy to imagine and the characters were easy to understand. This is exactly the type of book I have been waiting for!! It checked off every single box- I am on my knees begging for the next one. Bravo, for this amazing and SEXY book!

I loved this book. Reading it felt like catching up with an old friend, a step back into a time of my life i missed. But it also was quite different. It’s absolutely still very clearly a fanfic dressed up with a new place to go, IF you are a fanfic reader. I am. Truthfully: Fourth Wing is the same.,

The premise is an old favorite or romantasies: Briony (rhymes with Dramione), heir to a fallen kingdom, is captured and sold to the enemy—specifically, to a man she once quietly adored. From there, it walks the line between enemies-to-lovers, post-war trauma, and reluctant court intrigue with more character development than I was expecting from the blub. The world building could use a little more scaffolding to hold up its many moving parts, unless you are familiar with the wource material and use that to fill gaps., but the story and character arcs are compelling. I’m excited to see where the series goes next.

The writing style is lush and immersive, staying grounded through sharp internal narration and emotional tension while relying on romance tropes to improve the pace.: auctioned heroine, morally gray magic users, magical trauma bonds—but delivers them with enough depth and emotional intelligence to feel satisfying rather than derivative.

The characters, especially Briony and Toven, feel layered and familiar. There’s nuance to how their personal histories, past affections, and political entanglements unfold. Their arc leans into trust, restraint, and pain, not just attraction, and that made it land harder for me.

Audio Production Notes:
Sometimes the narrator veers into Harry Potter character territory—and I might be my favorite part. It’s like a secret delight for those of us who know the source material. The narration adds dimension and tension to the story, and if you happen to catch the familiar inflection or cadence.

I cannot wait to start the next book.

Story: 4.5/5 ⭐
Narration: 5/5
Spice level: 1/5 🌶️
Darkness level: 2/5

Lovers of the fanfic this is based on will be very pleased with this novel! I was pleasantly surprised how close this followed the fanfic, while also having it's own charm and twists. Julie Soto is an amazing writer and I'm so excited to read the rest of this trilogy.

I am of course completely infatuated with Toven, there is something so satisfying with a bad boy that is obviously into his "enemy", Briony. I absolutely love enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, and slow burns...so if you're into that this is for you!

I enjoyed the magical system with heart and mind magic users. Overall a fun story that should satisfy fans of darker romantasy.

Ella Lynch is a superb narrator. I have listened to past audiobooks and was excited to see her as the narrator. She has a beautiful voice and does well with expressing emotions and changing voices to match the characters personality. I only have positive things to say about the audiobook production.

Writing this review doesn’t feel great. I wanted to love this book — it was one of my highly anticipated releases, especially as someone who read and enjoyed the original fanfiction years ago. Unfortunately, Rose in Chains ended up being a huge disappointment for me.

The beginning was intriguing enough: you’re thrown right into the plot, and I enjoyed that fast start. But as the story unfolded, the momentum sputtered. I found myself dreading picking the book back up because, truthfully, it felt like it was dragging me along while 70% of the time… nothing substantial happened.

I have so many gripes that I feel like I need to break them down into sections just to make sense of them.

Characterization
The characters in Rose in Chains felt disappointingly flat.

Briony Rosewood, the FMC, remained nebulous from beginning to end. Halfway into the story, I was still waiting for her personality to shine through… and it never really did. She felt like a scared lamb throughout the story, passive and whiny despite being relatively safe compared to the trauma happening around her. It’s not that a heroine needs to be physically strong or fierce to be compelling, but there has to be something interesting about her, something that makes the reader want to root for her. Briony didn’t have that spark. She mostly just existed in the story, a passenger princess watching events unfold while dramatically reacting to things happening around her. She’s extremely naive at 25, and while I understand that’s due to her circumstances, it didn’t make her enjoyable to follow as a heroine.

Toven Hearst, the MMC, didn’t fare much better. I was supposed to swoon over his protective actions and hidden feelings, but instead I just felt boredom and frustration. His pining was obvious but unearned — why did he even like Briony? Because she’s pretty? Because she’s self-sacrificing? The book never made me believe in his feelings or their connection.

Even the side characters blurred together. The naming choices didn’t help. So many names were pretty and stylized to the point of feeling distracting and pulling me out of the story.

Romance
This book should have been catnip for me:
Yearning.
Years of unspoken obsession.
Denial of feelings.
Obliviousness.
Emotional tension.

These are the tropes I live for and yet none of it landed the way it should have.

The romance didn’t feel fleshed out. Flashbacks tried to show the depth of Toven’s feelings, but it never felt organic or convincing. The connection between Briony and Toven felt hollow, like I was being told about their chemistry rather than feeling it. Their interactions were meant to drip with tension and suppressed desire, but instead, they felt empty and unremarkable.

The book constantly telegraphed their feelings for each other — subtly, overtly — but without a solid emotional foundation, the pining and gestures just fell flat.

Plot Structure and Pacing
The structure of the book severely disrupted the reading flow.

Flashback chapters were sprinkled throughout, told out of order, and often felt random rather than natural. Instead of enriching the main plot, they made me impatient to get back to the present-day storyline, only to realize the main story was also stalling.

Much of the “main story” consisted of Briony being passively locked away, confused, and sad. It was repetitive and slow, with little forward movement. Chapters blurred together, and my frustration only built as nothing substantial seemed to happen.

Yes, I get it — she’s a rose in chains, I understand that this is how the storyline is supposed to go, but reading this was actively dreadful and boring.

World Building
The world building was another letdown.

There were so many names thrown at the reader — kingdoms, leaders, royal lines — and almost none of them felt relevant or memorable. We were told about the political structures and titles through flashbacks, but they barely played a role in the actual plot.

The kingdoms, ranks, and lore felt hollow, like window dressing that wasn’t meaningfully integrated into the story. Instead of feeling immersed in a rich fantasy world, I just felt overwhelmed by a list of names and titles with no emotional or narrative weight behind them.

The Ending
Things did pick up as the book neared its end. Suddenly, there was movement: plot developments, action, the FMC finally asking questions and becoming a bit more active. I did perk up during these last sections. But by then, it was too little, too late. The ending couldn’t undo the earlier slog or change the hollow impression the book had already left on me.

Final Thoughts
I’m honestly surprised at how much I didn’t enjoy this. As someone who read The Auction years ago, as someone who loves fantasy romance packed with yearning, angst, and emotional tension — I should have loved Rose in Chains.

Instead, it was an experience of unfulfilled potential:
Flat characters.
Hollow romance.
Disruptive structure.
Weak world building.

I walked away feeling nothing for these characters, this world, or their love story, and that was the biggest disappointment of all.

Audiobook / Narration Note
While Rose in Chains didn’t land the way I’d hoped, I do want to highlight that the audiobook narrator was fantastic. She brought the characters and emotions to life in a way that really enhanced the story for me. Her performance of the male characters in particular was especially well done — the voices felt distinct and believable, which made the dynamic between the characters much more engaging. Listening to it after having read it in print made for a much better experience; the narration added so much more life and energy to the story.



Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio | Forever for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

2/5 ⭐️

Before I get into this I would like to say that I know this isn’t written for me, I have read many romantasy novels and as a genre I struggle with them. I have read Soto’s adult romances and enjoyed them, giving me hope that I would also enjoy a romantasy by her.

Now, this isn’t all doom and gloom; like in her romance novels the quieter scenes between the FMC and MMC is pretty good. Soto is excellent at creating sexual tension in her books, to the point that I’ve called her writing “horny”. That is just as present here as with her other works and I do not want to take that away from her.

Outside of the enemies slowly becoming lovers I really has trouble with nearly everything else. Starting with the plot structure, having never read The Auction I don’t have a full reference for this but it being built as a trilogy made this book feel like it ran in place for 80% of the book, limiting the story to essentially a couple rooms and a ballroom. In these locals there is very little outside over exaggerated talk and suggestion of debauchery, sexual harassment, and thrown insults from one of the most deplorable and uninteresting cast of characters I’ve read. Nearly everything interaction the FMC had with a male character was hyper focused on sexual abuse and degradation, something that extended to the MMC by association.

I‘m so grateful that I got to listen to this book before its release date! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher!!
Julie Soto is one of my favorite authors, I‘ve loved all her books and Rose in Chains is no exception. This was way darker than I expected it to be, the stakes are freaking high in this, its so sad to see what all these women have to go through just because of some disgusting people. I felt so much all of them because of the shit they have to endure!
The magic is also so interesting and I already can not wait to get my hands on the next book to see how the magic, the world, this story and the characters continue!! Hopefully we‘ll get to know why some specific people act the way they do! I can‘t wait to read more about Briony & Toven, all the others and their world!
Thank you Julie, for dipping your toes into so many different genres and continuing to be one of my favorites!

Julie Soto truly has done it again. I just finished and I am speechless! The cliffhanger has me prepared to beg Julie Soto herself for more. As I write this review one question keeps coming to mind and that is what can I possibly say about Rose in Chains besides that it was amazing? The cover is as gorgeous as the story within. The narrator did a wonderful job bring the story to life. The storytelling, the world building, the magic, and the characters were all so well done. The slow-burn enemies (??) to lovers (??) had me at the edge of my seat. I finished this within 48 hours and it would have been quicker if I was not traveling. This was the perfect first book in a series and I cannot wait for the next one. I’m already planning a reread once I have the physical copy in my hand.

4.5⭐️2.5🌶️

Dark Romantasy
Non-linear timeline
Flashbacks
Magical schools
Rival kingdoms
War
Political intrigue
Dragons
Failed prophecy
Enemies to lovers
Secrets
Rebellion
Slow burn
Forced proximity
High stakes


Tw: grief, war, SA, human trafficking, murder, enslavement, forced sterility, forced termination of pregnancy (off page), non-consensual relationships, misogyny, gore

*note- trigger warnings are not reflected in spice rating. Read responsibly.


I love Julie Soto’s highly bingeable writing style, and as a fan of her contemporary romances, I was thrilled to be approved for the audiobook galley on NetGalley!

Many readers will recognize her from AO3, where she’s widely respected for her fanfiction. While those familiar with the source material may notice a few parallels, the story here stands firmly on its own. The changes are creative and distinct. You’d never know it was a reimagining unless you were looking for it.

The audiobook was fantastic! The narrator’s pacing, inflection, and melodic tone were spot-on, and each character had a clearly defined voice. Even at 1.75x speed, the narration felt perfectly paced and immersive.

The magical system and historical elements felt fresh and well-developed. Some aspects of the world were repeated a bit more than necessary, but not enough to pull me out of the story.

The plot was compelling and the tension, especially the romantic tension, was absolutely top-tier. There’s just something about a character quietly pining for someone they shouldn’t that always lands. While I’m not usually a fan of flashbacks, the ones to their school days were effective. Scenes occasionally replayed from different POVs or slightly altered timelines, which added depth, though the repetition was noticeable.

This is a dark fantasy romance, and the themes are heavy, particularly around human trafficking. It’s handled with care, but definitely worth noting.

This is a very slow burn. At times I wondered if any spice between the main characters would happen at all in this book… but the tension was so deliciously drawn out that I didn’t mind one bit.

Briony and Toven are wonderfully developed, and I loved seeing the slow reveal of Toven’s parents. However, most of the other characters felt less fleshed out—likely due to the story’s secluded setting. I especially wished for more development in Briony’s relationship with her twin brother, which felt underexplored.

I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to explore more of the characters, world, and magic in future books. A strong start to what promises to be a gripping series!

Thank you NetGalley and Hatchett Audio for the ARC.

I want to start that I didn’t read the auction, so I don’t have much background to what the original plot was when this was a fanfiction. However, I feel that some of the original book does bleed through on this book especially in the world building and character development. Each fantasy book does world building a bit different, but I feel like this book drops you in the middle of the world and assumes you know what is going on. I think there was quite a few minor characters that were thrown at us that I could barely remember why they were important.

This is a heavy read. The topics are addressed well, but readers may be triggered by it. There was a trigger warning in the beginning, but readers should be aware of it.

I feel like she did a good job establishing a different magic system. The slow burn through the book had me BEGGING for more. The plot twist at the end has me craving the second book.

The narrator was fantastic especially at 1.25 speed. She even did a great job at Toven’s voice! I really enjoyed the narration.