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dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Sexual harassment, Classism
Moderate: Abortion, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
Call me Cocaine Bear because I gobbled this up and left no crumbs. How am I going to be able to wait a year for the next book and 2 years for the final book? 😫
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Torture, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, War
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-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
I was thrilled to receive an audiobook ALC of Rose in Chains. Julie Soto is one of my favorite authors, and her stories are incredibly captivating. Rose in Chains is a dark romance/romantasy book about the fall of the magical Evermore kingdom to Bomard following a long civil war. This novel is the first book in the Evermore trilogy. The backdrop of war was violent and sometimes difficult to read, but the desperation and fear that the characters experienced was so powerful. Listening to the audiobook, I felt the urgency and danger of this new world that the people of Eversun were facing.
The main characters of this book are Briony and Toven, who are longtime frenemies from school and different kingdoms. They often competed and were unfriendly to each other in the past, but cultivated a friendship during their final year in school before the country erupted in civil war. Both harbor deep, secret romantic feelings for the other. Briony finds herself imprisoned after the fall of Eversun and forced into slavery as she is sold to a citizen of Bromard. Miraculously, Toven is able to outbid everyone and she becomes his property, which doesn’t end up being as horrible as she feared. Soto masterfully builds the chemistry and tension between these characters agonizingly slowly throughout the entire novel.
The novel is in Briony’s POV, and we feel her anguish and terror through the intense emotion and rapid pacing of the novel. This feeling of urgency was well narrated by Ella Lynch, who spoke quickly and with great feeling throughout the entire novel. Her voice compelled me to keep listening as I agonized over Briony’s fate. The novel alternates between the horrors of the present day and Briony’s idyllic past in flashbacks. There are heroes and villains, and Briony’s despair kept me glued to the novel until the end.
The author teases the reader with an earth-shattering epilogue. How will we wait a year to find out what happens next? Dark romance is not usually a genre I read, but this novel drew me in from the first page. I can’t wait to receive my hardback special edition copy of Rose in Chains with the gorgeous sprayed edges. Order or download this book today, you will not regret it!
Thank you to Julie Soto, Forever Publishing, Hachette Audio and NetGalley for an advance listener’s copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, War
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, War
challenging
dark
mysterious
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
This book was a rollercoaster. You go back and forth between past and present events. Navigating Briony's journey in this new world. Who can she trust? Who SHOULD she trust? The end?!? 🤯
I've never read anything by Julie Soto before and I enjoyed her storytelling. The world building was amazing. This is book one of three and I cannot believe I have to wait for the conclusion. Truly a remarkable start to what I think will be an incredible trilogy.
Enemies to lovers
Magical prophesies
War between two magical groups
Dark themes throughout
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC.
I've never read anything by Julie Soto before and I enjoyed her storytelling. The world building was amazing. This is book one of three and I cannot believe I have to wait for the conclusion. Truly a remarkable start to what I think will be an incredible trilogy.
Enemies to lovers
Magical prophesies
War between two magical groups
Dark themes throughout
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, War
challenging
dark
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
I absolutely devoured this book. The tension between the fmc and mmc was so amazingly done. Definitely left me wanting more and have so many unanswered questions. Can’t wait for more books in this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Infertility, Rape, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
sad
tense
I'm conflicted about this one. To start with, if you don't know - this is a rewrite of a Dramione fic (The Auction). I never read the Auction, but you can still sometimes see the scaffolding of the stories and characters that this used to lean on.
please check all trigger warnings before reading this - there are a lot of horrible things that happen to women in this world.
So yes, this originally was based on a story based on characters by JKR. Just want to make it clear that I do not support her in any way, and intend, to the best of my abilities, to treat this as a work separate from its source material.
To start, I love Julie Soto's writing, and this book solidly confirms my opinion on that - I just love how she builds relationships and layers tension so perfectly so that when romance eventually happens (at the 97% mark!!!!! talk about a freaking slow burn), it feels earned. Her characters feel real and solid in their world. I really just enjoyed the relationship between Briony and Toven - their shared history, the tension and slow burn between them, their whip-quick banter and interactions. (Toven had me yelling and shaking my fists at him for how slowwwwwww he's making things go)
However, the world building is a bit rough. Don't think too much about it, and it won't bother you (I got over it quickly). If you're a stickler for strong world building, maybe stay away from this one. But there are dragons, and I have a feeling that they're going to be a larger part of future stories. So there is that. I'm also intruiged by the greater things going on in the rest of the world that we haven't gotten much of a peek at yet.
That being said, this is a rough book. I like fantasy for how much it can remove me from what's going on in the real world. This is not a great book for that. the men in power are horrendous and abusive to women. there are talks of racial purity and racially motivated hatred and violence. lots of talk of sterilization and the value of virginity (among many many other things). it is a captive/captor/slave romance.
But it is, still, a romance. As someone who believes that we can still continue to have good things while the world burns around us, I am a huge fan of the romance against a bleak, horrendous backdrop.
I listened to the audio, and I would say that the narration is fine. not the most spectacular thing I've ever heard, and there were a lot of moments that I wished I had a physical copy in front of me. The narrator did a solid job.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio/Forever for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
please check all trigger warnings before reading this - there are a lot of horrible things that happen to women in this world.
So yes, this originally was based on a story based on characters by JKR. Just want to make it clear that I do not support her in any way, and intend, to the best of my abilities, to treat this as a work separate from its source material.
To start, I love Julie Soto's writing, and this book solidly confirms my opinion on that - I just love how she builds relationships and layers tension so perfectly so that when romance eventually happens (at the 97% mark!!!!! talk about a freaking slow burn), it feels earned. Her characters feel real and solid in their world. I really just enjoyed the relationship between Briony and Toven - their shared history, the tension and slow burn between them, their whip-quick banter and interactions. (Toven had me yelling and shaking my fists at him for how slowwwwwww he's making things go)
However, the world building is a bit rough. Don't think too much about it, and it won't bother you (I got over it quickly). If you're a stickler for strong world building, maybe stay away from this one. But there are dragons, and I have a feeling that they're going to be a larger part of future stories. So there is that. I'm also intruiged by the greater things going on in the rest of the world that we haven't gotten much of a peek at yet.
That being said, this is a rough book. I like fantasy for how much it can remove me from what's going on in the real world. This is not a great book for that. the men in power are horrendous and abusive to women. there are talks of racial purity and racially motivated hatred and violence. lots of talk of sterilization and the value of virginity (among many many other things). it is a captive/captor/slave romance.
But it is, still, a romance. As someone who believes that we can still continue to have good things while the world burns around us, I am a huge fan of the romance against a bleak, horrendous backdrop.
I listened to the audio, and I would say that the narration is fine. not the most spectacular thing I've ever heard, and there were a lot of moments that I wished I had a physical copy in front of me. The narrator did a solid job.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio/Forever for the ALC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Sexual harassment, War
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Julie Soto is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. Her storytelling and characters are so rich and captivating. I couldn’t stop reading
The world building was so accessible and I find the premise so intriguing. I cannot wait to see where this series goes.
I absolutely love how slow burn the romance is, the kind where you relish every interaction and where it’s obvious what to come will be nothing short of epic.
Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ALC. I highly recommending checking this out on audio. The narration was excellent!
The world building was so accessible and I find the premise so intriguing. I cannot wait to see where this series goes.
I absolutely love how slow burn the romance is, the kind where you relish every interaction and where it’s obvious what to come will be nothing short of epic.
Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ALC. I highly recommending checking this out on audio. The narration was excellent!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Infertility, Sexual assault, Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence, War
Minor: Abortion
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you NetGalley & Hachette Audio for providing me with an ARC in exchange for this honest review.
This book shouldn't have worked for me - I'm no longer the target demographic - but I was approved for the audiobook so in I went with trepidation and low expectations. I had moved on from the romantasy genre because I found most - particularly those that are hyped - to be cut from the same cloth and unique stories were few and far between. It's ironic then, given the books origin as FanFiction, that the book managed to be something different.
Don't get me wrong - there are absolutely still the classic romantasy tropes. Forbidden romance. Enemies to lovers. Touch her and die. But it wasn't insta-love (my beloathed) - Briony and Toven have a history (albeit possibly unrequited from Briony's POV) and we get to explore that past and how it complicates their current situation through carefully placed flashbacks.
I think it takes a lot of care to execute a book that contains the content this one does the way Julie Soto did. I don't want to say tasteful, because I don't think there should be anything tasteful about themes of sexual assault / sexual slavery - but it isn't done for shock value and we don't linger on it. We're aware it's happening - and of course we, the audience are appalled so we want to see how the story is going to unfold to fix everything.
And the story is unfolding, but slowly like a rose trying to bloom in winter. I think the pacing of the book struggles - I understand it's a trilogy and this is certainly a set up for the rest of the series but I would've liked a little less pining and a little more world and story building. We're given glimpses - Orion's parents and their roles in everything, who is loyal and who isn't, I think more interactions with Mallow - or at least a bigger exploration of how *she* specifically took power - would have benefited the story. We're shown too much of these aspects for them to be teasers, it just seems like the author doesn't know how to leave hints leading to a big reveal.
I appreciate that a content warning list was provided at the start of the audiobook as I went into this pretty blind. The audiobook narrator Ella Lynch was enjoyable, but I disliked the voices that were put on for masculine characters. They were a bit distracting at times and kind of pulled me out of the story, Easy to understand, even at 2x speed.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and will likely continue the series via audio and I look forward to seeing how the story progresses and how Julie Soto progresses as an author of her own merit.
This book shouldn't have worked for me - I'm no longer the target demographic - but I was approved for the audiobook so in I went with trepidation and low expectations. I had moved on from the romantasy genre because I found most - particularly those that are hyped - to be cut from the same cloth and unique stories were few and far between. It's ironic then, given the books origin as FanFiction, that the book managed to be something different.
Don't get me wrong - there are absolutely still the classic romantasy tropes. Forbidden romance. Enemies to lovers. Touch her and die. But it wasn't insta-love (my beloathed) - Briony and Toven have a history (albeit possibly unrequited from Briony's POV) and we get to explore that past and how it complicates their current situation through carefully placed flashbacks.
I think it takes a lot of care to execute a book that contains the content this one does the way Julie Soto did. I don't want to say tasteful, because I don't think there should be anything tasteful about themes of sexual assault / sexual slavery - but it isn't done for shock value and we don't linger on it. We're aware it's happening - and of course we, the audience are appalled so we want to see how the story is going to unfold to fix everything.
And the story is unfolding, but slowly like a rose trying to bloom in winter. I think the pacing of the book struggles - I understand it's a trilogy and this is certainly a set up for the rest of the series but I would've liked a little less pining and a little more world and story building. We're given glimpses - Orion's parents and their roles in everything, who is loyal and who isn't, I think more interactions with Mallow - or at least a bigger exploration of how *she* specifically took power - would have benefited the story. We're shown too much of these aspects for them to be teasers, it just seems like the author doesn't know how to leave hints leading to a big reveal.
I appreciate that a content warning list was provided at the start of the audiobook as I went into this pretty blind. The audiobook narrator Ella Lynch was enjoyable, but I disliked the voices that were put on for masculine characters. They were a bit distracting at times and kind of pulled me out of the story, Easy to understand, even at 2x speed.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and will likely continue the series via audio and I look forward to seeing how the story progresses and how Julie Soto progresses as an author of her own merit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Slavery, Trafficking, Kidnapping
Moderate: Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Torture, Death of parent