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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
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
This was my first time reading Julie Soto, but also her first fantasy book, and let me tell you I am hooked. I was instantly pulled into this story. I love the magic system and how it works and is determined by country, but also heart vs mind. It is so simple, but also complex and thought out, including the differences between how they work, feel, and are used. The plot is very strong, with great political aspects. I am usually not a fan of heavy politics in a book, but this does not feel heavy, although the politics are often mentioned and a large part of the story. There is a nice plot twist / cliff hanger at the end to keep you ready for the next novel.
I did think this was a romantasy book due to the cover, but I would call this fantasy with romantic aspects. The romantic storyline is hinted at, and intertwined in the story, but is not very strong. It seems as though it is setting up the romance to be later throughout the trilogy, but that is just a guess.
I do wish there was a stronger backstory on the prophecy that is mentioned in the beginning, and throughout the book. The reader learns the prophecy early on, but I would like to know more.
I really enjoyed the third person writing style, strictly following the FMC. The writing style was very easy to read and follow.
The book definitely has a lot of dark aspects, especially in the beginning half or so. Please read the trigger warnings if you are interested in reading.
I did think this was a romantasy book due to the cover, but I would call this fantasy with romantic aspects. The romantic storyline is hinted at, and intertwined in the story, but is not very strong. It seems as though it is setting up the romance to be later throughout the trilogy, but that is just a guess.
I do wish there was a stronger backstory on the prophecy that is mentioned in the beginning, and throughout the book. The reader learns the prophecy early on, but I would like to know more.
I really enjoyed the third person writing style, strictly following the FMC. The writing style was very easy to read and follow.
The book definitely has a lot of dark aspects, especially in the beginning half or so. Please read the trigger warnings if you are interested in reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Sexual assault, Slavery
Minor: Rape
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, War
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence
Romanticization of slavery
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
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment, War
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Oh. Hmm. I listened to the audio book and had a love/hate relationship with it but I did listen to all 16 hours so that is saying something certainly. I was hoping virginity wasn’t going to be a huge plot point in this version of the story, I thought maybe the absence of a heartstring bond was going to be a clever way to parallel the idea of something a person would be valued for/could be faked, etc. So that and the heir focus was a little weird to me. Will we get a queen?? But I liked the ending! Interested to see where the story will go from here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War
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
Despite how incredibly f***ed up and disturbing this world was * content WARNINGGGS * I for some reason ate this up it kept me hooked and horrified the whole time. I wish we actually got a little more developed w toven and briony and that he wasn’t such a little dumbass still by the end, but I did actually appreciate the full long enemies to lovers (ish) slow burn. Normally I hate but it was hitting here I <3 Harry Potter. And handmaids tale I guess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Rape