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dark
emotional
sad
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:
Yes
Such an incredible read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
First and foremost I want to make it clear that Julie Soto is an insta-read author for me and once again she not only did not disappoint, she showed me once again that she deserves that spot on the pedestal. I revived out of a slump to read this book in about 36 hours and then immediately fell back into one.
Rose in Chains is a medium paced, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, dark fantasy romance that is not for the feint of heart. Briony is a strong female lead with immense power but with a lot of innocence/ignorance. As a woman in a patriarchal kingdom, she was forced to make herself less, so her twin brother and heir to the throne, Rory could shine the brightest.
Toven is a sexy bad boy who toes the line of showing the outward appearance of being evil, without actually wanting to be. The mind games that he plays is 5d chess, where Briony is just trying to survive.
As soon as I heard this book was coming out it became one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I am so excited I was able to get an early eARC thanks to Forever Publishing and Netgalley. But now I don't know what to do with myself because book 1 isn't even out yet and I already want book 2.
This book was originally a Draco x Hermione fanfiction, and I love that I can see the parallels while it also does an amazing job of being its own story. Instead of death eaters and muggleborns we have two separate kingdoms (Bomardi and Eversun) that source their magic differently. Instead of Voldy, we have an enigmatic female woman who strategically brought herself into power. It was just so good!
It should be noted that there are trigger warnings, this is a dark romance as I mentioned. Once the Bomardi's win the war, they decide that instead of using animal familiars to boost their magic, they will use the captured Eversuns. And what better way to profit off of the war, than by auctioning the prisoners to the highest bidder. But nothing is what is seems, and loyalties are never as simple as they seem.
Everything is from Briony's 3rd person POV, so as the reader we are getting unreliable and limited information as the story progresses, which just adds another layer of secrets and intrigue that I also loved.
Overall, I will be buying this book when it comes out and probably giving it a reread then as well.
Rose in Chains is a medium paced, enemies to lovers, forced proximity, dark fantasy romance that is not for the feint of heart. Briony is a strong female lead with immense power but with a lot of innocence/ignorance. As a woman in a patriarchal kingdom, she was forced to make herself less, so her twin brother and heir to the throne, Rory could shine the brightest.
Toven is a sexy bad boy who toes the line of showing the outward appearance of being evil, without actually wanting to be. The mind games that he plays is 5d chess, where Briony is just trying to survive.
As soon as I heard this book was coming out it became one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I am so excited I was able to get an early eARC thanks to Forever Publishing and Netgalley. But now I don't know what to do with myself because book 1 isn't even out yet and I already want book 2.
This book was originally a Draco x Hermione fanfiction, and I love that I can see the parallels while it also does an amazing job of being its own story. Instead of death eaters and muggleborns we have two separate kingdoms (Bomardi and Eversun) that source their magic differently. Instead of Voldy, we have an enigmatic female woman who strategically brought herself into power. It was just so good!
It should be noted that there are trigger warnings, this is a dark romance as I mentioned. Once the Bomardi's win the war, they decide that instead of using animal familiars to boost their magic, they will use the captured Eversuns. And what better way to profit off of the war, than by auctioning the prisoners to the highest bidder. But nothing is what is seems, and loyalties are never as simple as they seem.
Everything is from Briony's 3rd person POV, so as the reader we are getting unreliable and limited information as the story progresses, which just adds another layer of secrets and intrigue that I also loved.
Overall, I will be buying this book when it comes out and probably giving it a reread then as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, War
Moderate: Sexual violence
Minor: Rape
challenging
dark
fast-paced
The first thing I had to do was put aside everything I knew about the fanfic and stop trying to connect these stories to their fanfic counterparts and as soon as I did I fell headfirst into the story.
The magic system was interesting—the arbitrary division between mind and heart magic dividing these two countries was so well down because both people had the ability to do both but it was a matter of teaching that made one better than the other.
Briony’s character is clearly on the beginning of her journey. She doesn’t question everything but the reader get glimpses of how strong she is and how her thought process works and that she is willing to question everything. Toven is similarly interesting—we get a very limited version of him based on who Briony thinks he and his family is and this something I love about having a limited point of view.
The flashbacks were my favorite! They do so much to ground the story in the political feelings at the time, Briony’s attraction to Toven and her relationship with her brother, the king.
The content is DARK! The violence, the slavery over magical power, the SA (not graphic yet?) was tough for me to read but the story was so compelling that I didn’t want to put it down.
The magic system was interesting—the arbitrary division between mind and heart magic dividing these two countries was so well down because both people had the ability to do both but it was a matter of teaching that made one better than the other.
Briony’s character is clearly on the beginning of her journey. She doesn’t question everything but the reader get glimpses of how strong she is and how her thought process works and that she is willing to question everything. Toven is similarly interesting—we get a very limited version of him based on who Briony thinks he and his family is and this something I love about having a limited point of view.
The flashbacks were my favorite! They do so much to ground the story in the political feelings at the time, Briony’s attraction to Toven and her relationship with her brother, the king.
The content is DARK! The violence, the slavery over magical power, the SA (not graphic yet?) was tough for me to read but the story was so compelling that I didn’t want to put it down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review early.
So, first off: this book was enjoyable... But it was *not* like the hype I had seen online at all.
I kept getting the ick while reading, the marketing on this was really off imo. No one in their right mind would market The Handmaid's Tale as a romance... we all know it's dystopian and horrifying. This is like a fantasy based Handmaid's Tale, yet we are here for the romance? Ehhh.
For a book who's romance storyline is entirely build up, longing and arguing.. I did not *feel* that from them very often.
I honestly found the romance to be the weakest bit in this book. I was far more interested in Briony and the budding rebellion, and I look forward to seeing where that goes.
Also, this book felt like nothing but set up for the next book. I was really interested for the first 40% or so, and after that I was just waiting for the big reveal and fairly bored.
I am sure there will be loads of people who really enjoy this book. I would recommend ignoring most of the hype around it and going in with an open mind for the best experience.
So, first off: this book was enjoyable... But it was *not* like the hype I had seen online at all.
I kept getting the ick while reading, the marketing on this was really off imo. No one in their right mind would market The Handmaid's Tale as a romance... we all know it's dystopian and horrifying. This is like a fantasy based Handmaid's Tale, yet we are here for the romance? Ehhh.
For a book who's romance storyline is entirely build up, longing and arguing.. I did not *feel* that from them very often.
I honestly found the romance to be the weakest bit in this book. I was far more interested in Briony and the budding rebellion, and I look forward to seeing where that goes.
Also, this book felt like nothing but set up for the next book. I was really interested for the first 40% or so, and after that I was just waiting for the big reveal and fairly bored.
I am sure there will be loads of people who really enjoy this book. I would recommend ignoring most of the hype around it and going in with an open mind for the best experience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Sexual harassment, War
Minor: Animal cruelty, Death, Abortion, Death of parent
dark
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This is absolutely a dark romance, so be sure to read the description and the content warnings (given by the author at the beginning of the book) before deciding if it's for you. It's complicated for me to review this one, but there are a few prominent things that can give an idea of how I feel. Some parts of it were really hard to read for me, specifically the sexual assault pieces and the auctioning of people. That said, I also read about 70% of the book in one day, so I was clearly invested in what would happen and I do plan on reading the other books in the trilogy when they come out. To be completely honest, I think part of the reason I became so invested is that I want to see them get vengeance. Also, I love a story of a woman coming further into her power, which it feels like we're going to get.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Abortion, War
Additional content warning: forced sterilization
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, Classism
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book so much! It was everything I hoped for and more, it was so addictive to read. I AM OBSESSED!
After her kingdom fell and her brother was killed, Briony along with other survivors of the attack, was captured and sold in an auction to the highest bidder. She gets sold to Toven, a enemy she knows very well. Thrust into a new world full of horrors, she will soon find that not all hope is lost.
I loved the way Julie set up the world and the flashbacks where we discover more of her history with Toven and the war. The tension between them and the painful slow burn was everything, it was so well written. Seeing Briony be so smart yet so stupid was both maddening and entertaining. I need more of them. Also, I absolutely love Toven and his family.
That ending tho, I need book two immediately!
I'm so excited to see where this story will take us.
*Thank you to Netgalley and to HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC.*
After her kingdom fell and her brother was killed, Briony along with other survivors of the attack, was captured and sold in an auction to the highest bidder. She gets sold to Toven, a enemy she knows very well. Thrust into a new world full of horrors, she will soon find that not all hope is lost.
I loved the way Julie set up the world and the flashbacks where we discover more of her history with Toven and the war. The tension between them and the painful slow burn was everything, it was so well written. Seeing Briony be so smart yet so stupid was both maddening and entertaining. I need more of them. Also, I absolutely love Toven and his family.
That ending tho, I need book two immediately!
I'm so excited to see where this story will take us.
*Thank you to Netgalley and to HarperCollins UK for providing me with an ARC.*
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, Kidnapping
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
"There is a lake with still waters."
~this book deals with a lot of heavy topics, so make sure to not skip trigger warnings!
"It's for the auction."
oh wow, I have so many words, I don't even know what to say, I need some business days to reflect, so this may be a lil chaotic
✨️I've read Auction, but the author still surprised me,
but some changes made me shit my pants cus wdym the spell to kill sb is Heartstop😭
✨️I really liked the flashbacks, I think they added a lot of context to Toven and Briory relationship and I really liked the glimpses to their school years
✨️and overall I really liked their dynamic and relationship
✨️I would like more worldbuilding and more to Briory character and magic system, but it really wasn't bad, and I think people will understand everything fine without knowing the ff origins, but still I'm very interested how they'll receive it
✨️I'm really curious what will happen in next books and I'll be waiting for them very impatiently (this book isn't even out for the next 3 months and I already need book 2😩)
I LOVE ORION HEARST, he was the absolute best, I was smiling so hard whenever his name appeared on my kindle, Toven ily, but I want your dad more🤭
4,25⭐️
Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
~this book deals with a lot of heavy topics, so make sure to not skip trigger warnings!
"It's for the auction."
oh wow, I have so many words, I don't even know what to say, I need some business days to reflect, so this may be a lil chaotic
✨️I've read Auction, but the author still surprised me,
but some changes made me shit my pants cus wdym the spell to kill sb is Heartstop😭
✨️I really liked the flashbacks, I think they added a lot of context to Toven and Briory relationship and I really liked the glimpses to their school years
✨️and overall I really liked their dynamic and relationship
✨️I would like more worldbuilding and more to Briory character and magic system, but it really wasn't bad, and I think people will understand everything fine without knowing the ff origins, but still I'm very interested how they'll receive it
✨️I'm really curious what will happen in next books and I'll be waiting for them very impatiently (this book isn't even out for the next 3 months and I already need book 2😩)
I LOVE ORION HEARST, he was the absolute best, I was smiling so hard whenever his name appeared on my kindle, Toven ily, but I want your dad more🤭
4,25⭐️
Thank you Netgalley for providing digital advanced copy in exchange for honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Kidnapping
Will absolutely admit that I am biased because of the origin of the book, Harry Potter fanfic, specifically Draco & Hermione. One of my least favorite ships . Once I realized that, it was impossible for me to separate this novel from the source material, and the worldbuilding and characterization fell flat. Although I do tend to read dark fantasy in romance, this was a bit too extreme for me to enjoy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I devoured this in 48 hours. Julie Soto is an absolute powerhouse. There’s high stakes, high hopes, and YEARNING. Really incredible to be able to change the entire world/magic system but still keep the foundations of the story that we fell in love with online. I’m really excited to see where this goes.
Thank you to Harper Collins for the ARC of Rose in Chains
Thank you to Harper Collins for the ARC of Rose in Chains
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery