Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

5 reviews

cdoubet's review against another edition

5.0

emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion

briiforte's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Not ashamed to say I came here from The Auction and I’m so glad I did. The changes were necessary and turned this ecstatic piece of HP love into a true entity all on its own. 

Some of the character name changes were a little silly. Veronika Mallow? VM? Really? Plus Briony and Rory same suffix, different spelling. Soto really did her best to keep the same amount of syllables for the same characters which I think was an interesting choice.

But the story itself? The magic system and world divide was imaginative and lush with possibility. I especially love that twist ending. It has the potential for what I had always hoped The Auction would—

an HEA for Garry fans.

For

Cordelia’s

sake, I hope it lasts into the next two books! Can’t wait for the next one in 2026!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

mysticserenity's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Everyone should read this book. That being said, mind the triggers. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Confinement, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent

Minor: Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Abandonment

klara_lovelace's review against another edition

3.5

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: N/A

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Es war ein wirklich gutes Buch und ich werde auf jeden Fall, denn nächsten Band lesen, jedoch war er ,besonders in der Mitte, etwas schleppend und es wurden immer wieder Sachen wiederholt. Ich weiß, dass es mal eine fanfiction war, bei denen solche Wiederholungen oft nötig sind, da zwischen den Kapiteln viel Zeit liegt. Trotzdem bin der Meinung man hätte das, vor der Veröffentlichung, beheben müssen.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail

booksalacarte's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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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!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Infertility, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism