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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
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
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I loveeeeeeed this book. I've enjoyed Julie's other books, but I feel like she really found her voice with this genre. Apparently this is based off a Dramione fic she wrote, which cracks me up but also makes me love this book more. I ignored literally all of my responsibilities to read this book, oops! It was so worth it though.
This is a dark, dark story. Evermore and Bomardi have been at war for years. Briony is the princess of Evermore, and when the Bomardi army swarms her family's castle, her brother is killed (her father was assassinated early in the war and her mother died in childbirth), and she and others are taken into captivity. Evermore is known for its mind magic, while Bomardi is known for its heart magic, which often requires an external source like an animal familiar (the two magics are explained in much more detail in the book of course). The Bomardis come up with a truly horrifying plan to auction off Evermore people with mind magic so that they can use them as external sources of power (they call them heartsprings) and as servants and sex slaves. As the princess of Rosewood, Briony sells for an astonishing amount to her once-crush Toven Hearst. She is absolutely terrified of what is to come, but things are not exactly as they seem.
The beginning of this book is a little slow, but it has a lot of world-building and scene-setting that is incredibly important and interesting. Once the auction takes place, things really start to happen. I appreciated that there was no attempt to sanitize the Bomardis' war crimes, sex slavery, and every kind of horrible interpersonal violence imaginable. Briony is saved from experiencing much of those horrors directly, but she bears witness to her friends, family, and other people from her kingdom enduring violation after violation, and it's really hard to read but also essential to the plot. This book doesn't shy away from the grief and the rage and the disgust and the helplessness Briony feels, but it also highlights her determination and that hope comes from the most unlikely places, so it wasn't as depressing as I feared initially.
Julie also crafts the dynamic between Briony and Toven beautifully, which of course is central to a good fantasy romance. Toven resists the Bombardi's war crimes as much as he can, which I appreciated because it would have been really hard to root for him and Briony if he was unredeemable. Obviously he isn't all good, but he constantly tries to respect Briony and stave off his "friends'" attempts to humiliate her and sexually assault her, and there's an explanation for everything he does that seems off. We also occasionally get chapters from when Briony and Toven were together at school, which provide helpful context and make it seem more realistic that Briony is willing to trust Toven even a little. This book is extremely steamy in such a creative way - Toven is very careful not to initiate physical intimacy with Briony for the most part, but Julie creates tons of opportunities for Briony and Toven to feel the attraction between them and imagine acting on them. The sexual tension is absolutely delicious.
The world is also interesting, and it left me wanting to know more about how the different types of magic works, which is always fun. I am devastated I can't read the sequel until next summer!!!
I'm happy for Briony that Rory is alive, and obviously I don't know where the story is going, but I hope we get to see Briony fully coming into her power as the most powerful Rosewood and the heir twice over (I assume). There's such a great thread about Briony being told to hide the depths of her power all in favor of her brother appearing stronger, and how sexist and patriarchal all of that is, and I really hope the next book draws that out.
This is a dark, dark story. Evermore and Bomardi have been at war for years. Briony is the princess of Evermore, and when the Bomardi army swarms her family's castle, her brother is killed (her father was assassinated early in the war and her mother died in childbirth), and she and others are taken into captivity. Evermore is known for its mind magic, while Bomardi is known for its heart magic, which often requires an external source like an animal familiar (the two magics are explained in much more detail in the book of course). The Bomardis come up with a truly horrifying plan to auction off Evermore people with mind magic so that they can use them as external sources of power (they call them heartsprings) and as servants and sex slaves. As the princess of Rosewood, Briony sells for an astonishing amount to her once-crush Toven Hearst. She is absolutely terrified of what is to come, but things are not exactly as they seem.
The beginning of this book is a little slow, but it has a lot of world-building and scene-setting that is incredibly important and interesting. Once the auction takes place, things really start to happen. I appreciated that there was no attempt to sanitize the Bomardis' war crimes, sex slavery, and every kind of horrible interpersonal violence imaginable. Briony is saved from experiencing much of those horrors directly, but she bears witness to her friends, family, and other people from her kingdom enduring violation after violation, and it's really hard to read but also essential to the plot. This book doesn't shy away from the grief and the rage and the disgust and the helplessness Briony feels, but it also highlights her determination and that hope comes from the most unlikely places, so it wasn't as depressing as I feared initially.
Julie also crafts the dynamic between Briony and Toven beautifully, which of course is central to a good fantasy romance. Toven resists the Bombardi's war crimes as much as he can, which I appreciated because it would have been really hard to root for him and Briony if he was unredeemable. Obviously he isn't all good, but he constantly tries to respect Briony and stave off his "friends'" attempts to humiliate her and sexually assault her, and there's an explanation for everything he does that seems off. We also occasionally get chapters from when Briony and Toven were together at school, which provide helpful context and make it seem more realistic that Briony is willing to trust Toven even a little. This book is extremely steamy in such a creative way - Toven is very careful not to initiate physical intimacy with Briony for the most part, but Julie creates tons of opportunities for Briony and Toven to feel the attraction between them and imagine acting on them. The sexual tension is absolutely delicious.
The world is also interesting, and it left me wanting to know more about how the different types of magic works, which is always fun. I am devastated I can't read the sequel until next summer!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Infertility, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
HOLY SPELLS AND SLOW-BURNS!!! This book was pure magic. Julie Soto didn’t just knock it out of the park—she lit the whole damn stadium on fire. Rose in Chains is easily a top read of the year for me. The storytelling? Immaculate. The worldbuilding? Like stepping into a dream stitched together with ink and thunder. And the way she wove together the layered the feuding magical systems? Intricate, dazzling, and utterly addictive.
Briony and Toven’s tension could strangle a god—it’s this taut, sizzling thread stretched to its limit, and I swear I could hear it hum between the lines. I need more of them immediately. That boy is one heartbreak away from combusting, and Briony? My girl needs to pull her nose out of her books and realize she’s walking emotional circles around a man who would burn down kingdoms for her. Like, bestie—connect the dots before Toven bursts into stardust.
And yes, I read the original AO3 version back in the Dramione days, but this? This feels reborn. Like Soto took the bones of that story and wrapped them in fire, grief, and glittering originality. Every twist carved into me, every moment pulled me deeper.
Honestly, my brain is still short-circuiting because I just finished it and I’m reeling. But if you love fantasy with gut-punch stakes, masterfully slow-building romance (seriously—it simmers like a charm waiting to be cast), and characters that ache with complexity—Rose in Chains is your next obsession.
Only bad thing about this read is that I now have to wait for next book to come out😭
Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Julio Soto for granting me this e-ARC on Netgalley! Review is my honest opinion!
Briony and Toven’s tension could strangle a god—it’s this taut, sizzling thread stretched to its limit, and I swear I could hear it hum between the lines. I need more of them immediately. That boy is one heartbreak away from combusting, and Briony? My girl needs to pull her nose out of her books and realize she’s walking emotional circles around a man who would burn down kingdoms for her. Like, bestie—connect the dots before Toven bursts into stardust.
And yes, I read the original AO3 version back in the Dramione days, but this? This feels reborn. Like Soto took the bones of that story and wrapped them in fire, grief, and glittering originality. Every twist carved into me, every moment pulled me deeper.
Honestly, my brain is still short-circuiting because I just finished it and I’m reeling. But if you love fantasy with gut-punch stakes, masterfully slow-building romance (seriously—it simmers like a charm waiting to be cast), and characters that ache with complexity—Rose in Chains is your next obsession.
Only bad thing about this read is that I now have to wait for next book to come out😭
Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Julio Soto for granting me this e-ARC on Netgalley! Review is my honest opinion!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Murder, War
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
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!
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