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dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
in the most to-the-point way possible: you're probably not going to give a crap about any of the characters in this book unless you're 1) familiar with harry potter, and/or 2) familiar with the original fanfiction and know which 'published' character corresponds to a harry potter character. as for the plot? the worldbuilding? they're sirs not appearing in this novel.
if you want more thorough notes/complaints, they'll be listed below in bullet points (cw-related bullet points will be last). i'd say "spoiler warning" but like... there's barely anything to spoil, honestly. it's like trying to hide a present with one layer of flimsy tissue paper.
if you want more thorough notes/complaints, they'll be listed below in bullet points (cw-related bullet points will be last). i'd say "spoiler warning" but like... there's barely anything to spoil, honestly. it's like trying to hide a present with one layer of flimsy tissue paper.
- to restate the character issue: i earnestly don't think there's anything enjoyable about these characters unless you know which harry potter characters they're supposed to be and you're familiar enough with harry potter that your fandom-brain fills gaps in their history/personality that this book doesn't (and i've been told these versions are extremely fanon-ized/flanderized, too). little to no time is given to characterize them independent to their HP counterparts. it very much feels like the book expects you to open it with a pre-established attachment you won't have if you don't know this is just HP fanfiction with the serial numbers scraped off.
- that being said, the characters don't even really react to what's happening around them in believable or meaningful ways. the main character gets attacked by a fox and, even though she's bleeding, decides it's a bigger priority to be horny on main for the love interest.
- tbh by the end of this book i still don't know what it is we're even supposed to like about the love interest (toven). this very much feels like another case of "knowing he's actually draco is doing all of the heavy lifting"; the only way i can understand someone liking him is if they already like draco and also have an "awww, he's just a poor birthday boy 8c" view of him.
- there seems to be a sloppy attempt to make up for that last point in the form of (extremely awkwardly) placed flashbacks. the book opens with a startling hook, then suddenly you get a chapter that takes place "8 years earlier". completely throws off the pacing and tension; this will happen several more times.
- i'm not familiar with the original fanfic, so i don't know if the magic system in it is supposed to be its own or if it's meant to mirror HP's magic system. it doesn't matter, though, because either way: the magic system in this book is awful, poorly explained, and exhausting to try keeping up with.
- after you get past the flashback and the following chapter(s) that focus on The Atrocities, the first half or three-quarters of this book are boring as hell. it's very much "fanfic characters being put in various situations", where at the end of each scene i was left wondering what the point of all that was and what i was even doing there. like... i can't call this book plot-driven, as there barely was one, and i can't call it character-driven, as they barely did anything.
- i know i already touched on the fact that i don't think there's anything likeable about these characters as independent characters, but like... the bad guys are just Evil™. oh they're just the worst. they're gross and nasty and cartoonishly bad. i don't even, like, hate them from a villain standpoint, i hate them because they're so fucking annoying.
- also, the prose can genuinely be so clunky and awful. there were a few sentences i tried typing out myself, and my brain/fingers were like... actively trying to edit and fix them as i went.
cw-related comments:
- look, non-con stuff isn't really my wheelhouse or something i enjoy reading, but i'm gonna try not to harp on it too much from the standpoint of it just existing in the book as a concept.
- that being said, the lead up and actual auction itself is just... Bad Things Happen To Women™, oh it's so bad, look at all the horrible bad things, in a very melodramatic way that's hard to listen to/read. part of that could be on me as this, again, isn't my wheelhouse. but i guess what i'm trying to articulate is that the way it was presented felt much more "look at how BAD things are, feel SORRY for them, woe is they, feel bad, feel bad, feel bad" than it did... knowing and expressing the actual weight of what was happening. does that make sense? i hope it makes sense.
- it's also wild to me that, not ONCE, does the main character even consider suicide as an escape option. like... i know that's dark--i am: aware. but there isn't even a fleeting thought about throwing herself out a window, nor during the 6(?) days that she's alone in her assigned room does she survey her options if this was an action she was prepared to take. they definitely didn't comb her room for potential tools she could use to hurt herself.
- i don't know if it's a staple of this 'genre' or 'niche' or whatever for sexual assault and rape to be framed in a way where the assaulter somehow isn't at fault, but can't say i'm a fan of that. i feel like if you're going to indulge in this sort of thing, you--as the author--can't soften what it is.
anyway, that's all i really care to spend time on writing out i guess. this is already a lot more than i had planned to say and give time to. ...i can't believe this book has a 4 star rating. if it's your trash, fine, i'm happy for you, but like... boy howdy, i don't understand. whatever; i'm glad to be rid of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement, Drug abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Torture, Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Death, Pedophilia, Blood, Medical content, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, War
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Slavery, Violence, Abortion, Murder, Sexual harassment
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love the idea of this trilogy. I love the characters, even though the FMC is a little bit insufferable and does not have the maturity of age and position she feels she should have. But oof oof.. the trauma in this book is heavy. If you're not about reading characters who can't exist without their trauma or further trauma happening to them and around them, this one is not for you. Dark.
The storyline is also incredibly character driven, so if you're looking for story lines and plot, first book is very very slow and can almost be tedious on how everything focuses and circles back on the same obfuscation points. I hope as the trilogy comes out, it might expand in POVs. I really liked how the flashbacks were linked not only throughout the story but then also fully fleshed in their own chapter memories. The magic system seems to have a fairly good start but definitely needs to be fully fleshed more, especially when it comes to all of these different elixirs, spells, bonds, and other Magics and creatures. Definitely a top read for summer 2025, but has room for growth to elevated as so much more.
Rating is rounded up because I loved the world & the characters so much. If I rated only based on pace and plot, this would be rounded down to a 3.5
The storyline is also incredibly character driven, so if you're looking for story lines and plot, first book is very very slow and can almost be tedious on how everything focuses and circles back on the same obfuscation points. I hope as the trilogy comes out, it might expand in POVs. I really liked how the flashbacks were linked not only throughout the story but then also fully fleshed in their own chapter memories. The magic system seems to have a fairly good start but definitely needs to be fully fleshed more, especially when it comes to all of these different elixirs, spells, bonds, and other Magics and creatures. Definitely a top read for summer 2025, but has room for growth to elevated as so much more.
Rating is rounded up because I loved the world & the characters so much. If I rated only based on pace and plot, this would be rounded down to a 3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
For a former fanfiction, this isn't too bad.
There were a few things I had trouble understanding in the beginning and those were:
- The worldbuilding including the locations, mention of a school but not really its purpose or intent for all parties involved, and the two... opposing countries.
- The magic system (Heart vs Mind magic and the rules for both? Handcasting? Etc)
It comes off in such a way that it assumes the reader should already be familiar with how all that works which is why it gets so confusing. Early on I had a difficult time trying to piece together the rush of events and picturing exactly how they went down. It was easier to picture later on but everything still remained fuzzy.
I did appreciate the main cast of characters and the turmoil Briony (lol) has to face throughout the novel. The flashbacks did help piece together some of the missing history between characters, though other flashbacks I am really unsure what their purpose was for.
There are also a LOT of characters mentioned in here and most are just mentioned very fleetingly. Maybe a tad bit too many to keep track of if they ever became important later on. Like oh, time to mention and meet Penelope. Oope now she is dead. Poor Penelope. So sad and tragic. Okay, next victim.
There was a bit in the middle (maybe around 60%) where it felt sluggish simply due to the fact nothing was really happening for a while. That's the only time it occurred.
I absolutely loved the way feelings are described through actions from Toven. That is the best way to display intense, repressed romantic tension between characters and I was living for it. Dual POVs is not always necessary if you apply the show vs tell strategy. Chef's kiss, well done. My dude was and has been in love with this girl for what feels like forever.
I did have one major issue with this story outside of the obvious dark nature of it, and that was part whereToven physically abused Briony in front of Mallow. . I understand why he did it, but it just hasn't sat right with me. I know, I know, all the horrible things that occurred in this book and this is where I draw the line specifically because he is the MMC .
Overall, even with my nitpicks, not bad. Probably the best fanfiction to published work I have read thus far.
CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS.
There were a few things I had trouble understanding in the beginning and those were:
- The worldbuilding including the locations, mention of a school but not really its purpose or intent for all parties involved, and the two... opposing countries.
- The magic system (Heart vs Mind magic and the rules for both? Handcasting? Etc)
It comes off in such a way that it assumes the reader should already be familiar with how all that works which is why it gets so confusing. Early on I had a difficult time trying to piece together the rush of events and picturing exactly how they went down. It was easier to picture later on but everything still remained fuzzy.
I did appreciate the main cast of characters and the turmoil Briony (lol) has to face throughout the novel. The flashbacks did help piece together some of the missing history between characters, though other flashbacks I am really unsure what their purpose was for.
There are also a LOT of characters mentioned in here and most are just mentioned very fleetingly. Maybe a tad bit too many to keep track of if they ever became important later on. Like oh, time to mention and meet Penelope. Oope now she is dead. Poor Penelope. So sad and tragic. Okay, next victim.
There was a bit in the middle (maybe around 60%) where it felt sluggish simply due to the fact nothing was really happening for a while. That's the only time it occurred.
I absolutely loved the way feelings are described through actions from Toven. That is the best way to display intense, repressed romantic tension between characters and I was living for it. Dual POVs is not always necessary if you apply the show vs tell strategy. Chef's kiss, well done. My dude was and has been in love with this girl for what feels like forever.
I did have one major issue with this story outside of the obvious dark nature of it, and that was part where
Overall, even with my nitpicks, not bad. Probably the best fanfiction to published work I have read thus far.
CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment
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
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
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!
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—
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
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
Everyone should read this book. That being said, mind the triggers.
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
fun and very fanfic-y IF you know what you’re getting yourself into. read the content warnings, kids, they’re no joke. I know this started out as a fanfic, so I feel like it tempers some of my criticisms for sure. I wish briony was more knowable, it really feels like we’re supposed to depend on the context of herminone, but herminone was more interesting bc she was given more time and attention. I wish she had had more anger, more inquisitiveness, more conversations w Toven (the lack of direct dialogue between the two of them was a major problem — I’m guessing in an attempt to pull the book out into a trilogy but as the 1 person who reads my storygraph reviews would know (hi em) that I really hate when authors draw out a story to make a series longer, but I digress) because at times she felt like a passive character in a storyline where she is supposed to be the most important political character???? her acceptance to life w toven was also just kinda passive like that? idk. Didn’t love it. I wish there had been a little more world building, again a failing of this originating from a fanfic and maybe not getting the rigorous editing it needed (no tea no shade to great stories that started off as fanfics, it just needs more to stand alone in a universe of its own) and I really feel like we should have gotten more out of the toven x briony dynamic and briony x the hearsts more generally — again, that that’s being pulled out for big “surprises” in book two throws of the pacing and takes me as a reader out of the story bc I get irked that I spent 400+ pages waiting for Orion, or Larissa, or (Godforbid) toven to make even an inking of a confession instead of just hinting at it. and it wasn’t like that build up that we’ll have to wait a year+ for was surpassed by good tension/dynamics/yearning/politics but again!!!! I! Digress! anyways yes again it was fun will read book 2 & need to hear a @baskinsuns review on this ASAP also also two things: not the best slow burn I’ve ever seen (thank you Sara Hashem for destroying me for life) and also I don’t have the same critiques/hang ups about dramonie inspired romances bc I find Draco to be such a pathetic, deeply uninteresting villain in the original series (and his whole family tbh) that when a Draco inspired character is written in a plausibly interesting way it’s so easy to separate that romance from the origins. if that makes sense.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was really interesting to me - all of the politics and world building made me both so interested and frustrated because I just want to know all of it and everything going on. I will say this gets pretty dark and points, but it all felt necessary to building the story rather than just adding it needlessly traumatic events for each character.
The ending!! The ending!! I want the next book like literally right now.
The audiobook narration for this is soso well done - Ella Lynch does such an amazing job with this overall and her voice was just literally MADE to be a narrator.
Thank you to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
The ending!! The ending!! I want the next book like literally right now.
The audiobook narration for this is soso well done - Ella Lynch does such an amazing job with this overall and her voice was just literally MADE to be a narrator.
Thank you to Hachette Audio and Netgalley for the advanced copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Slavery
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Minor: Rape, War