You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
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
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, well. This was definitely darker than I usually do, and touched many harsh subjects. I was thankful for the trigger warnings so I could prepare. But besides that, I couldn’t think of any reason not to adore this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Trafficking
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
funny
mysterious
fast-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:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: 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
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
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape, Sexual violence, Torture, Murder, War
Minor: Abortion
dark
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
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Death, Rape
Minor: Torture
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