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adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I want to start by saying I am a huge Dramione fan and read Julie Soto’s Auction last year. I loved the Auction and of course I loved this. Now you can definitely see The Auction in this book, the sameish characters, the places they go, etc. but Soto does an amazing job making this all hers.
The story is about a Princess named Briony who is on the losing side of the war. She gets auctioned off to her enemy (?) Toven Hearst who belongs to a family that is loyal to the new regime. Briony comes to find out things aren’t always as they seem and starts looking at Toven and his family differently. Along with the present storyline, Soto takes us back in time when both Briony and Toven are at school together. She does a great job showing the dynamics between the two as the flashbacks start coming closer to the future.
Soto’s world building is well done and I don’t feel like I’m missing much. I do wish we had a better look at the other countries and what exact time frame we are looking at. Are we medieval times or present? There are castles but also mansions. It’s not a huge deal it’s definitely not distracting but it’s something that may bother others.
The characters are well developed and multi faceted. I’m in love with Toven. The smirks, the snark, drool. Briony is your classic romantasy female but less whiny, and less best at everything they do. The chemistry between the two is fantastic. It’s not insta lust or love. It’s very much a slow burn where you can actually see how the characters are falling for each other. We still don’t know all of Toven’s motivations but the audience can definitely make some predictions.
I love the slow burn, it’s fantastic, but my romance loving heart is like whhhhy Julie?! I want more nooow, but she’s going to make us wait for that in the sequel.
Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year! I can’t wait to get all the copies, and of course the sequel!
Thank you to Forever and Edelweiss for the arc!
The story is about a Princess named Briony who is on the losing side of the war. She gets auctioned off to her enemy (?) Toven Hearst who belongs to a family that is loyal to the new regime. Briony comes to find out things aren’t always as they seem and starts looking at Toven and his family differently. Along with the present storyline, Soto takes us back in time when both Briony and Toven are at school together. She does a great job showing the dynamics between the two as the flashbacks start coming closer to the future.
Soto’s world building is well done and I don’t feel like I’m missing much. I do wish we had a better look at the other countries and what exact time frame we are looking at. Are we medieval times or present? There are castles but also mansions. It’s not a huge deal it’s definitely not distracting but it’s something that may bother others.
The characters are well developed and multi faceted. I’m in love with Toven. The smirks, the snark, drool. Briony is your classic romantasy female but less whiny, and less best at everything they do. The chemistry between the two is fantastic. It’s not insta lust or love. It’s very much a slow burn where you can actually see how the characters are falling for each other. We still don’t know all of Toven’s motivations but the audience can definitely make some predictions.
I love the slow burn, it’s fantastic, but my romance loving heart is like whhhhy Julie?! I want more nooow, but she’s going to make us wait for that in the sequel.
Definitely one of my favorite reads of the year! I can’t wait to get all the copies, and of course the sequel!
Thank you to Forever and Edelweiss for the arc!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Violence
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence
Moderate: Rape
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a dark romantasy. Emphasis on dark. Please be mindful of that. I am interested to see where this story goes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder
dark
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first few chapters of Rose in Chains were agonizingly clunky to the point that I almost DNFed multiple times. The only reason I pushed through is because some of my friends who’d also gotten an advance copy assured me that it did get better. But those first chapters? The writing was stiff and stilted and the characters were flat and monotone. I did not believe for even a second that any of these people liked each other, which is rough given that two of them were twins.
There are also just so many names being used in the beginning and it is overwhelming because there isn’t much context for who these people are and why I should keep track of them (spoiler, I’ve given up on trying).
The book finally found its footing after the auction, when there was time to focus on Briony, Toven, and a few supporting characters rather than spend every other paragraph full-naming every single named character.
If you’re wondering does this read like a fanfiction? The answer is yes and no. Yes, because it felt like more of a serial polishing than a serial filing. No, because the first 20% of the book could really have used some fanfic magic of already caring about the characters to make it palatable.
I wish that the marketing was less focused on the IP that the fic was originally based on, especially given how much of a shitshow that author is, and that the book had done a better job of distancing itself from that original IP.
Will I continue on with this series? Probably. Am I going to be getting any of the five bajillion special editions? No.
Even though I did end up enjoying the majority of the book, because of how many times I nearly DNFed and how much the series didn’t even try to pretend that it was an original story instead of a fanfic with renamed characters and magic, I cannot in good conscience give this anything above a 3 star rating.
Thank you to Forever for the arc, I’m sad I didn’t like this more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
In this highly anticipated new trilogy, princess Briony Rosewood has been taken captive along with all of her remaining fellow Eversuns. She is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder, and she is highly desirable to her enemies. One of her greatest enemies is now her owner and in charge of everything she does- Toven, the man associated with her enemies, with a dark past, and who she couldn’t help but be intrigued by while they were growing up. In Toven’s home, Briony finds things may not be as they seem and she may have allies in unlikely places.
I am a fan of Julie Soto’s romances but haven’t read her fanfic that this was based off of. However, I was very curious to read it and I’m so glad I did! She has proven to be such a talented writer. I absolutely loved this and devoured it, which I’m now regretting because I can’t read it anymore and I have to wait for book two. This is a dark book with upsetting themes and I’d encourage readers to take care and check content warnings, because it isn’t a light read. It is also quite a slow burn, but it’s well developed and focused on the characters’ pasts with chapters in both flashbacks and the present. I am so eager for the second book and absolutely loved this one!
Thank you so much to Julie Soto and Forever publishing for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.
I am a fan of Julie Soto’s romances but haven’t read her fanfic that this was based off of. However, I was very curious to read it and I’m so glad I did! She has proven to be such a talented writer. I absolutely loved this and devoured it, which I’m now regretting because I can’t read it anymore and I have to wait for book two. This is a dark book with upsetting themes and I’d encourage readers to take care and check content warnings, because it isn’t a light read. It is also quite a slow burn, but it’s well developed and focused on the characters’ pasts with chapters in both flashbacks and the present. I am so eager for the second book and absolutely loved this one!
Thank you so much to Julie Soto and Forever publishing for the arc and opportunity to be an early reader and reviewer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment
Forced sterilization
Wow! I went into this expecting a straight up romantasy, which it was a little and I think the series for sure will be, but there was so much more to this than just romance. I loved that it didn’t shy away from the heavy topics of the book. Definitely check the trigger warnings because it was heavier than I realized. I really really loved this, and I’m so excited for the next book (and devastated that this book doesn’t even come out until July and THEN I have to wait for the next book in the series to be released). I highly recommend, but do be aware that this is the first book in a trilogy so don’t go into it expecting a resolution.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
inspiring
reflective
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
This was a tough read, not because of being bad but because I didn’t anticipate the dark themes in it. Of course when reading the TWs, I was warned but reading it in the moment was a different feeling.
I rated this five stars because of one main thing being our FMC Briony. Wow was her story hectic. Not only did she have to adapt to being in the shadow of her twin brother, the heir, but also had to adapt to a war and then adapt to being owned and paraded by people. And she still stayed strong, of course there were emotional moments but in this book, that emotion is very much needed.
I loved how the story and plot had me so hooked from early on. We get some flashback chapters, which I appreciated, but most of the time I craved going back to the present to know what was next. It was also very haunting that this was a very very slow burn. And them faking their relationship was entertaining. This book will keep you at the edge of your seat wondering what’s next and is Briony going to survive this. One comment about the end, wow was I so happy to read that epilogue :)
I rated this five stars because of one main thing being our FMC Briony. Wow was her story hectic. Not only did she have to adapt to being in the shadow of her twin brother, the heir, but also had to adapt to a war and then adapt to being owned and paraded by people. And she still stayed strong, of course there were emotional moments but in this book, that emotion is very much needed.
I loved how the story and plot had me so hooked from early on. We get some flashback chapters, which I appreciated, but most of the time I craved going back to the present to know what was next. It was also very haunting that this was a very very slow burn. And them faking their relationship was entertaining. This book will keep you at the edge of your seat wondering what’s next and is Briony going to survive this. One comment about the end, wow was I so happy to read that epilogue :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual assault, Violence, Trafficking, Stalking, Sexual harassment, War
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
I literally couldn’t stop reading!!
I don’t know what Julie Soto put into this book but it was just insanely addictive to read. It definitely has a lot of dark themes which are quite heavy so I totally recommend to read the trigger warnings before diving in.
That said I really enjoyed the storyline, especially finding out new information and guessing together with the fmc Briony really kept me going. This is definitely a slow burn enemies to lovers with a looot of tension but the throwbacks with insights into their relationship over the years was a great addition!!
I literally have so many more questions, about the world, the characters, the relationship and the secrets??? I can’t wait for more!
Thank you so much for Harper Collins/Magie and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this one early.
I don’t know what Julie Soto put into this book but it was just insanely addictive to read. It definitely has a lot of dark themes which are quite heavy so I totally recommend to read the trigger warnings before diving in.
That said I really enjoyed the storyline, especially finding out new information and guessing together with the fmc Briony really kept me going. This is definitely a slow burn enemies to lovers with a looot of tension but the throwbacks with insights into their relationship over the years was a great addition!!
I literally have so many more questions, about the world, the characters, the relationship and the secrets??? I can’t wait for more!
Thank you so much for Harper Collins/Magie and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this one early.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, War
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Violence, Murder
Minor: Drug abuse, Rape, Death of parent
adventurous
dark
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:
Complicated
oh wow I loved this. Absolutely devoured it. I haven’t read the fanfic version (yet!) but the corresponding characters were pretty obvious. The worldbuilding changes tho…. Woof!!! Stunning. Spectacular. I am all in on Evermore. I didn’t realize until 3/4 of the way through this that it was gonna be a TRILOGY so I’ll just be here waiting, twiddling my thumbs until book two. 🙏
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Rape, Violence
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