Take a photo of a barcode or cover
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
lovesbitca8 WHEN I FIND U I STG
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I picked this up because I really enjoyed Not Another Love Song so I have some faith in Julie Soto (most new romantasy these days is so bad so I won’t read it unless I know the author or it’s recommended by someone trustworthy). I didn’t really like Briony at first and I think she came off as much younger than she was supposed to be (teenager vs 25, which makes sense in retrospect due to the origin of this story). It also took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to clock this as a dramione fanfic, and once I figured that out it brought down my enjoyment of this book for a while.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book, but I think I would’ve definitely preferred to read it on AO3, rather than in this format (and maybe I have lol, I can’t remember). Especially because that means I wouldn’t have to wait years for the next books to come out and the story to be finished. I’d much rather read the longer fanfic all at once.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book, but I think I would’ve definitely preferred to read it on AO3, rather than in this format (and maybe I have lol, I can’t remember). Especially because that means I wouldn’t have to wait years for the next books to come out and the story to be finished. I’d much rather read the longer fanfic all at once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Violence, Abortion, Pregnancy
adventurous
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, War
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As someone who loved Julie Soto’s writing, I was excited to delve into her first foray into fantasy/romantasy. It’s giving dark, slow burn, forced proximity, enemies to lovers, rivals and so much more.
Important to note: this book has some dark themes and subject matter - be sure to read the trigger warnings ahead of time so you know if it’s right for you / what you’re getting into.
The world and magic system were unique and interesting. The realm that the story takes place in has some wild things going down and our FMC Briony ends up losing family members and allies whilst being held against her will. There’s a dual timeline that gives us a lot of the back story of how things got to this place, as well as Briony’s complicated feelings about Toven. I really liked a lot of the secondary characters and how they added to the plot & relationships.
I am very curious to know how this story moves forward - I can’t believe I’ll need to wait to find out.
Huge thank you to Forever and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Blood, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio and Julie Soto for providing me with an audio ARC!!
I enjoyed several things about this book.
I enjoyed several things about this book.
- The narrator was great.
- The magic system was interesting and seemed well developed (I always tend to miss some aspect of it when I listen to fantasy books rather than physically read them. I read some fantasy but it isn’t always my go to genre).
- There were some pretty dark aspects but it seemed balanced with moments of hope.
- The TENSION.
- There were definitely some antagonistic frenemy moments that I ate up.
- I loved that Briony was powerful.
Her being kind of a supporting character in her own life and starting to come into her own power instead of using it to make others look powerful supported her character development. - I appreciated the flashbacks to give background on the current conflict.
I do think it could’ve been interesting if the flashback was in Toven’s POV just to add another layer while also giving the reader more information about what was going on. (Although I definitely understand why that wouldn’t necessarily be the case).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual violence
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Abortion
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A solidly mid-tier romantasy, and I mean that in a positive way. The world building isn’t the strongest but there were some intriguing elements to it that I’m hopeful will be expanded upon in the next book. The character of Briony grew on me slowly in the last third as I felt like she managed to gain some development there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Violence, Murder, Sexual harassment, War
Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After reading the original story by the author I think i set my hopes a little high for this book. I can definitely see some aspects of inspiration but some world building and relationship complexities fell quite flat for me. The ending was a fun twist but I feel like it was quite sudden and not hinted at nearly enough in the book to feel right. More so like it was an after thought. Overall, I would still reccomend this book (aslong as trigger warnings are THOROUGHLY read through) but it just didn't hit as much as I wanted it to.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery
Minor: Violence, Abortion, War
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
A darkly romantic fantasy filled with longing, power, and slow-burning tension. Rose In Chains follows Briony Rosewood, a captive with quiet fire, and Toven Hearst, her enigmatic Buyer and past schoolmate. Their connection simmers beneath every word, brought vividly to life by a stunning voice performance that feels like magic. Haunting, lyrical, and unforgettable. 🌹⛓️✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual harassment
forced sterilization
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Happy release day to Rose in Chains by Julie Soto! A dark romantasy following Rose, a political prisoner enslaved in the home of a powerful man from a rival kingdom. It is not a light read, but it is gripping if you are a dark romance fan.
As a fan of the original Dramione fanfiction, it was hard not to compare the two. The story is romance centric and carries the ruinous, morally grey energy of the original well but, ultimately, I have the same complaint with the traditionally published novel that I did with the original fan work. It's too long. Easily forgiven with the creation of a whole new world but the world-building felt pretty thin, and unfortunately, the book dragged in the middle for me. Soto nails the tension and messy, complicated dynamic between the characters though and it is absolutely worth the ride if you're into dark romance with lots of angst. Thank you NetGalley, Julie Soto, and Hachette Audio for the ALC.
As a fan of the original Dramione fanfiction, it was hard not to compare the two. The story is romance centric and carries the ruinous, morally grey energy of the original well but, ultimately, I have the same complaint with the traditionally published novel that I did with the original fan work. It's too long. Easily forgiven with the creation of a whole new world but the world-building felt pretty thin, and unfortunately, the book dragged in the middle for me. Soto nails the tension and messy, complicated dynamic between the characters though and it is absolutely worth the ride if you're into dark romance with lots of angst. Thank you NetGalley, Julie Soto, and Hachette Audio for the ALC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, War