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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
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Sexual content, Grief, Abortion
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
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, War
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
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence
dark
tense
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Murder, War
I haven’t read the fanfic, nor do I think I needed to, since I read Manacled and this book - as the fanfic it was based on- is so similar to SenLinYu’s work I already knew what was going to happen long before it did.
I will admit the magic system and the world is interesting, at first glance at least. Then you keep on reading and it just falls apart: mind reading? Metamorphosis? Mind magic and heart magic? Come on, it’s Harry Potter reworked, and not very successfully nor creatively.
This was a watered down version of Manacled that doesn’t even begin to compare. It lacks the depth and complexity of the characters and their motivations, which are absent at best and replaced by horny teenager attitude at worst (the characters are supposed to be 25 and over, mind you).
I was intrigued at first, but it just kept getting worse and worse. It completely lost me when we spent half a chapter discussing blowjobs without any reason for it, and without any actually happening. Pair that with the “virginity magically extracted to keep us unnecessarily waiting for a sex scene long overdue, and kept in a jar by the bedside table” (I’m serious), and you begin to understand this raging review.
There were several moments where blood purity was mentioned either directly or indirectly, which shows the lack of effort put into actually making this story its own.
So many plot holes, not enough time: why would the countries want to subjugate one another? Why the ruthlessness in the treatment of the losing side of the war? What makes the two countries so different and opposed besides what kind of magic they use? Speaking of which, what’s the difference between heart magic and mind magic, besides the source? How do we go from centuries of cohabitation and mutual respect to “let’s kill and abuse them in every way imaginable”? There’s no motive for this war besides a prophecy from 600 years ago, which also means there’s no actual commentary about ruthless war and it’s consequences to everyone involved. This is the least I expect in a book this dark, but alas, I was left wanting (and infuriated for it, tbh).
This also applies to every character’s motivations (Serena excluded. She was the only interesting character and I want to know more about her).
The FMC was insufferable to say the least. I lost count at how many times I said “how dumber can you be?” and “did you really need to ask that?” to myself about her while listening to this book. She embodies the worst character traits of Hermione Granger (special emphasis on the entitled and bratty ones), with none of her wit, intelligence, moral ambiguity and maturity, which are actually what defines her and makes her interesting as a character in fanfic lore (Fuck JKR, no TERFS here, thanks)
The same goes for the MMC: boring as a wet cloth and as transparent in their intentions and motivations as see through fabric (to everyone except the FMC apparently). We just know from the very beginning he’s playing a part when it comes to the winning side of the war. Again, there’s no grey scale for morals here, because there isn’t (and I bet my ass there won’t be) a redemption arc: it’s not possible when the narrative is “he was one of the good ones all along”.
At least he didn’t infuriate me with stupid questions, since he was just there to be though of as hot and *complicated* by the FMC, so there’s that I guess.
This shouldn’t have been traditionally published because it doesn’t stand on its own: the world building was interesting but lacking in depth and, well, building, and because the references to the Harry Potter universe are so prominent you just know who the characters are supposed to be in the original fanfic (Rory, really?) without having read said fanfic.
Even the “plot twists” were literally the same as in HP canonsurprise surprise, the prophesied hero who everyone thinks is dead is NOT, in fact, dead, but instead plotting to save the world and defeat the big bad wizard, or magician in this case .
The spice itself, sparse as it was, was cringe as fuck. There’s no tension and therefore no payoff: we’re supposed to believe the main characters have been lusting and having a crush on each other for years, but that attraction is not believable at all as we don’t know these people (Again, it relies heavily on the character depth and shared history Draco and Hermione have in fanfic lore, which doesn’t and shouldn’t be needed here for the reader to connect to the characters).
I don’t really think the slave/ slave master relationship applies here because beside the auction scene (awful and dehumanizing as it is), and the MMC being a bit of a bully in school to the FMC (not that I’m excusing bullying in any way, but this is a dark romantasy), that dynamic is nonexistent between our main characters.
The MMC just ignores her or looks at her in silence for the majority of the book, honestly.
However, We can see that specific dynamic between other characters in the book, especially in the revel scenes, but those are not romanticized at all but exposed for what they are, if heavy handedly.
The emotional reaction of the FMC to all the dark things she witnesses and all that she has lost is pretty inconsistent:for example, she only remembers that her brother is dead and is sad about it three times in almost 500 pages. The rest of the time she’s mostly focused on how attractive the MMC is. The same goes to all her friends and family
Also, miraculously, none of the heavy and dark situations in the story really touches the FMC, only the people around her. What a surprise.
Most importantly, None, and I mean NONE of the pretty grim themes in this book get addressed with the nuance and the thoughtfulness that they require: rape, forced sterilization, physical and mental abuse, slavery, forced drug induced submission, etc. This things just *happen* and then are forgotten about both by the FMC and the people they happened to in the first place.
For example, Larissa (Pansy 🙄) is drugged and raped with the consent of her father at the beginning of the book. Then she just reappears later on and is not worse for wear because of it. It’s as if it never happened, and it doesn’t get mentioned again.
We as the reader are more traumatized about this horrendous and vile things done to women than the women they happen to.
Ridiculous and an obvious use of violence against women as background for a supposed love story that isn’t even good.
Which takes me to the conflict and the distrust between the MMC and the FMC: it doesn’t feel real at all because there is NO conflict: all she does is ask him questions (obvious and unnecessary ones) and she just trusts he’s being honest. On his part, he tells her everything she wants to know, even though they’re supposed to be on opposite sides of a war. Sure, why not.
I could keep going but I would just repeat myself, so I’ll end with this: If you haven’t read any Dramione fanfic at all, are new to romantasy and want to read a darker take on some tropes, you could enjoy this book. However, If you’re planning to read this because you love Dramione, save yourself the trouble,
it’s not worth it.
All in all, I wouldn’t recommend it and I will not be continuing with the series.
Lesson learned: Julie Soto is definitely not for me.
I will admit the magic system and the world is interesting, at first glance at least. Then you keep on reading and it just falls apart: mind reading? Metamorphosis? Mind magic and heart magic? Come on, it’s Harry Potter reworked, and not very successfully nor creatively.
This was a watered down version of Manacled that doesn’t even begin to compare. It lacks the depth and complexity of the characters and their motivations, which are absent at best and replaced by horny teenager attitude at worst (the characters are supposed to be 25 and over, mind you).
I was intrigued at first, but it just kept getting worse and worse. It completely lost me when we spent half a chapter discussing blowjobs without any reason for it, and without any actually happening. Pair that with the “virginity magically extracted to keep us unnecessarily waiting for a sex scene long overdue, and kept in a jar by the bedside table” (I’m serious), and you begin to understand this raging review.
There were several moments where blood purity was mentioned either directly or indirectly, which shows the lack of effort put into actually making this story its own.
So many plot holes, not enough time: why would the countries want to subjugate one another? Why the ruthlessness in the treatment of the losing side of the war? What makes the two countries so different and opposed besides what kind of magic they use? Speaking of which, what’s the difference between heart magic and mind magic, besides the source? How do we go from centuries of cohabitation and mutual respect to “let’s kill and abuse them in every way imaginable”? There’s no motive for this war besides a prophecy from 600 years ago, which also means there’s no actual commentary about ruthless war and it’s consequences to everyone involved. This is the least I expect in a book this dark, but alas, I was left wanting (and infuriated for it, tbh).
This also applies to every character’s motivations (Serena excluded. She was the only interesting character and I want to know more about her).
The FMC was insufferable to say the least. I lost count at how many times I said “how dumber can you be?” and “did you really need to ask that?” to myself about her while listening to this book. She embodies the worst character traits of Hermione Granger (special emphasis on the entitled and bratty ones), with none of her wit, intelligence, moral ambiguity and maturity, which are actually what defines her and makes her interesting as a character in fanfic lore (Fuck JKR, no TERFS here, thanks)
The same goes for the MMC: boring as a wet cloth and as transparent in their intentions and motivations as see through fabric (to everyone except the FMC apparently). We just know from the very beginning he’s playing a part when it comes to the winning side of the war. Again, there’s no grey scale for morals here, because there isn’t (and I bet my ass there won’t be) a redemption arc: it’s not possible when the narrative is “he was one of the good ones all along”.
At least he didn’t infuriate me with stupid questions, since he was just there to be though of as hot and *complicated* by the FMC, so there’s that I guess.
This shouldn’t have been traditionally published because it doesn’t stand on its own: the world building was interesting but lacking in depth and, well, building, and because the references to the Harry Potter universe are so prominent you just know who the characters are supposed to be in the original fanfic (Rory, really?) without having read said fanfic.
Even the “plot twists” were literally the same as in HP canon
The spice itself, sparse as it was, was cringe as fuck. There’s no tension and therefore no payoff: we’re supposed to believe the main characters have been lusting and having a crush on each other for years, but that attraction is not believable at all as we don’t know these people (Again, it relies heavily on the character depth and shared history Draco and Hermione have in fanfic lore, which doesn’t and shouldn’t be needed here for the reader to connect to the characters).
I don’t really think the slave/ slave master relationship applies here because beside the auction scene (awful and dehumanizing as it is), and the MMC being a bit of a bully in school to the FMC (not that I’m excusing bullying in any way, but this is a dark romantasy), that dynamic is nonexistent between our main characters.
The MMC just ignores her or looks at her in silence for the majority of the book, honestly.
However, We can see that specific dynamic between other characters in the book, especially in the revel scenes, but those are not romanticized at all but exposed for what they are, if heavy handedly.
The emotional reaction of the FMC to all the dark things she witnesses and all that she has lost is pretty inconsistent:
Also, miraculously, none of the heavy and dark situations in the story really touches the FMC, only the people around her. What a surprise.
Most importantly, None, and I mean NONE of the pretty grim themes in this book get addressed with the nuance and the thoughtfulness that they require: rape, forced sterilization, physical and mental abuse, slavery, forced drug induced submission, etc. This things just *happen* and then are forgotten about both by the FMC and the people they happened to in the first place.
For example, Larissa (Pansy 🙄) is drugged and raped with the consent of her father at the beginning of the book. Then she just reappears later on and is not worse for wear because of it. It’s as if it never happened, and it doesn’t get mentioned again.
We as the reader are more traumatized about this horrendous and vile things done to women than the women they happen to.
Ridiculous and an obvious use of violence against women as background for a supposed love story that isn’t even good.
Which takes me to the conflict and the distrust between the MMC and the FMC: it doesn’t feel real at all because there is NO conflict: all she does is ask him questions (obvious and unnecessary ones) and she just trusts he’s being honest. On his part, he tells her everything she wants to know, even though they’re supposed to be on opposite sides of a war. Sure, why not.
I could keep going but I would just repeat myself, so I’ll end with this: If you haven’t read any Dramione fanfic at all, are new to romantasy and want to read a darker take on some tropes, you could enjoy this book. However, If you’re planning to read this because you love Dramione, save yourself the trouble,
it’s not worth it.
All in all, I wouldn’t recommend it and I will not be continuing with the series.
Lesson learned: Julie Soto is definitely not for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Blood, Grief, Alcohol
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Violence, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Cursing, Infertility, Blood, Grief, War
dark
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
Julie Soto’s writing is fantastic. The narrator did a fantastic job. This book just was not for me. It was too dark. I received the book as an early audio copy and wanted to make sure I read and reviewed. I honestly couldn’t stop comparing this to the source material- the narrator also sounded like the original if you catch my drift.
If you like dark romance, you’ll probably like this. I won’t be completing the series.
If you like dark romance, you’ll probably like this. I won’t be completing the series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Slavery, Blood
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, War
Minor: Bullying