Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Rose in Chains

Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

155 reviews

merylmeetsworld's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous dark 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: Complicated

I picked this up to read a day and a half ago, because I randomly read about the issue re: the author attending (and then not attending) an event for romantasy authors. Something about how this published fic was originally HP fanfic for Dramione and people didn't want to support the author and her novel because of the HP association.

I would say in this case it worked in her favor because it got me looking into her novel, and it turns out it was just what I needed to read and pull me out of a reading slump. It's not the best or original, sure, but it engaged me and I enjoyed reading it, so I would say it's somewhere between a 3.0 and 3.5 for me.

I'm curious why / how the Hearsts are powerful, what's Mallow's story (I just wish she wasn't Mallow because part of me keeps thinking of the word marshmallow lmao sorry), what's the dragon about and how does it come to play with mind magic and heart magic, if Toven and Briony are about to be a power couple with their talented magical energy and deprived will-they-or-won't-they sexual tension lol. The cliffhanger ending has me hooked too... only I have to wait til December 2026?!

Content Warnings

tinkerbell01's review against another edition

4.25

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

leea518's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

beebowbabe's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Content Warnings

jessicas_booknook's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious 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

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow, where do I even begin?!
Perhaps with this disclaimer: I know there is a lot of discontent around this author/book. My review is based strictly on the writing and story.

Plot: This plot is DARK. Make sure you triple check your trigger warnings before starting this book journey! Brioney Rosewood is Princess of Evermore, twin sister to the Heir of the Kindgom. On the day her kingdom falls and their enemy wins, Briony is captured along with many others from Everson. They are stripped of their magic and sold off to the highest bidder to be used in servitude as a magic source. As the Princess, she manages to achieve the highest selling point and is purchased by her lifelong school nemesis, Toven Hearst.

Characters: The characters truly give this plot heart. Briony is the perfect MFC. She is strong and full of fight, but that doesn’t prevent her from also breaking down, questioning her own worth and her choices, feeling regret or vulnerability and at times, helplessness. She is this super intelligent, extremely talented and powerful young woman but she has also grown up in a world where men are in charge and that has certainly played its role in shaping her. She is grieving while also trying to find a way forward for herself, friends and kingdom. Toven is also the perfect MMC. We flip back and forth between timelines, getting a glimpse into their life before the way while they were still just students. Toven is a character that is easy to hate, while still leaving us conflicted. Julie Soto did an incredible job of making all side characters so impactful, and I found myself so invested in what happened to each and every one of them.

Overall, this was a slow-burn, dark fantasy that was wonderfully written. The plot is well thought out and layered strategically. The characters are engaging and captivating, and the ending has left me wanting book two so badly!

Content Warnings

katiekaiser's review against another edition

4.0

medium-paced

I had a fun time reading this! I had trouble getting into it at first, but by 50% I was pretty invested. It was a lot darker than I expected, and I definitely recommend checking trigger warnings!!! I think the magic system is very interesting but there is definitely a need for more world building. I got confused because there were so many characters and it was hard to tell who was important. I’m excited for the second book to come out!!!

Content Warnings

emmamema146's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional 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: No

This was a really pleasant surprise, I had a lot of fun reading this!

Having read the fic, I was already familiar with most of the plot, but I genuinely had a good time spotting all the changes she had to make.

In this version, our mcs were just as messy, but our fmc was a quite bit sassier, which led to their banter being even spicier. I didn’t even think that was possible, but my god! I also thoroughly enjoyed the way their years of rivalry and yearning were effortlessly told over the dual timeline.

But the change that really stood out to me was the familial connection between Briony and Rory. It was an unexpected twist, but I think it was the perfect way to maintain their bond & friendship without resorting to years of exposition. It felt so authentic to the og characters that it didn’t feel like too much of a leap for them.

I could have given this a higher rating, but the magic system was a bit confusing at times, and some of the names, like Briony, Hearst, and Biltmore, gave me the ick.

Even having read the fic, Rose in Chains ends in a spot that has me itching for the next one! So, I am going to need that second book asap because that ending!

Is our FMC going to get a dragon?!?

Content Warnings

cecez_libraryy's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I usually love a good slow burn romance, but wow—this one really puts the slow in slow burn. I went in with high expectations for the romance, and honestly, I ended up pretty disappointed. There just wasn’t much of it, and I didn’t even feel that typical yearning or tension you’d expect. It started off strong, but then… not a whole lot happened for a while.

There were also a lot of characters mentioned briefly, and I had a hard time keeping track of who was actually important. The world felt like it was already fully built before we got there, but not enough was explained for me to feel fully immersed. That said, we did get flashbacks every now and then—however, I’m not sure how I felt about them. For me, they didn’t really add to the worldbuilding and mostly just felt like filler chapters.

Definitely check the content warnings before reading. It’s not super graphic, but it does touch on some heavy topics like captivity, trafficking, off-page rape and abuse, plus focus on virginity and fertility.

I listened to the audiobook and truly enjoyed the narration—honestly, I think that’s what kept me going. I’m not sure I would’ve enjoyed the physical copy as much, even though the story itself didn’t totally land for me.

Overall, I did like the concept, and I think I might’ve appreciated it more if I’d gone in with different expectations. Even though I saw the big cliffhanger coming, I’m still curious enough to keep reading and see what happens next.

Content Warnings