Reviews - Rose in Chains | The StoryGraph

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3.77k reviews for:

Rose in Chains

Julie Soto

4.18 AVERAGE

phamjulie703's review against another edition

3.5

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

allie_rose's review against another edition

3.0

Well it was an easy enough read, so even though I didn’t like it, it wasn’t too much of a slog.

thesandyreader's review against another edition

3.0

This one was a mixed bag for me - enjoyable, but not what I was hoping for.

I found the world building to be okay. Interesting conceptually, but difficult to understand at times. It felt like I wasn’t given quite enough information to firmly understand the history and conflict within the book, so I was left quite confused as to why they were sharing a school, why there were separate countries, were they even separate countries? The general structure of the conflict felt lacking, and as it is supposed to be the basis of the book that doesn’t work well.

Briony just didn’t live up to my hopes. In the beginning of the book, it felt like she was set up as the bada$s but quiet support to her brother. The one that was smart, strong, and underestimated within the family. Unfortunately, her personality and potential seemed to wash away the further I got into the book until it felt like she just didn’t need to be there at all.

One element that I was really expecting to carry this book based on the description was the tension between Briony and Toven. Neither character lived up to their potential and the tension… well I couldn’t find it. It felt half hearted and I would describe it more as them pining sappily over each other.

As for the “villain”, we know nothing about her, including no information as to why she is scary. I didn’t feel the nerves and fear when she came on page - she was just another flat character.

Overall, it the book felt light and like an easy romantasy read which is not at all what I was hoping for out of it. I wanted more depth, more tension, just more. I don’t know that I will read the next book.

I have not read the fanfic this is based on, but this feels like a book that did not flourish when separated from a previously well built world.

“She pushed it between her painted lips, her eyes burning with the fire of a revolution.”