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lovelymisanthrope 's review for:
Rose in Chains
by Julie Soto
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
I was very excited to pick up this novel because it is a reworked Draomine fanfiction.
"Rose in Chains" is a novel that follows Briony Rosewood. Briony was captured when her castle was taken over, and the comfortable, noble life she knew is gone forever. Now, she is imprisoned and going to be up for auction, and as the heir's sister, she is highly coveted. The man that buys her is a high ranking Bomardsun, Toven, who Briony has been lusting after for years.
I was absolutely blown away by how much I enjoyed this novel, and how much I am dying for the sequel! I have not read the specific Draomine fanfiction that inspired this story, but I am so curious to pick it up now!
This novel is very dark and does explore some sensitive topics, but I felt like the author did a great job of handling these topics with care and grace. I would encourage everyone to look at the trigger warnings before starting this novel.
Briony was a beautiful character point of view to read from. She radiates empathy and intelligence, and I loved being inside her head. She has so much compassion for the other women in the same situation and despite her own imprisonment, she shows concern for the others and truly wants to help. I also enjoyed the little breadcrumbs that illustrated how intelligent and academic she is.
Toven seems like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is closed off and does not share what is on his mind, but I think underneath all of the cool bravado, he has a heart of gold. I think he really does care for Briony and is doing everything he can to protect her, but he cannot let on how much he loves her. There were several moments I was DYING to be able to read from his point of view and get his inner monologue, especially toward the end.
This is definitely a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance, but there is political upheaval as well. I think this novel did well at balancing the romance and smut scenes with discussions of war and political upheaval. There is so much more to this story than just Briony and Toven, which I appreciated.
Julie Soto did an impeccable job at world building and painting incredible imagery. I truly felt like I could visualize everything going on.
"Rose in Chains" is a novel that follows Briony Rosewood. Briony was captured when her castle was taken over, and the comfortable, noble life she knew is gone forever. Now, she is imprisoned and going to be up for auction, and as the heir's sister, she is highly coveted. The man that buys her is a high ranking Bomardsun, Toven, who Briony has been lusting after for years.
I was absolutely blown away by how much I enjoyed this novel, and how much I am dying for the sequel! I have not read the specific Draomine fanfiction that inspired this story, but I am so curious to pick it up now!
This novel is very dark and does explore some sensitive topics, but I felt like the author did a great job of handling these topics with care and grace. I would encourage everyone to look at the trigger warnings before starting this novel.
Briony was a beautiful character point of view to read from. She radiates empathy and intelligence, and I loved being inside her head. She has so much compassion for the other women in the same situation and despite her own imprisonment, she shows concern for the others and truly wants to help. I also enjoyed the little breadcrumbs that illustrated how intelligent and academic she is.
Toven seems like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is closed off and does not share what is on his mind, but I think underneath all of the cool bravado, he has a heart of gold. I think he really does care for Briony and is doing everything he can to protect her, but he cannot let on how much he loves her. There were several moments I was DYING to be able to read from his point of view and get his inner monologue, especially toward the end.
This is definitely a slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance, but there is political upheaval as well. I think this novel did well at balancing the romance and smut scenes with discussions of war and political upheaval. There is so much more to this story than just Briony and Toven, which I appreciated.
Julie Soto did an impeccable job at world building and painting incredible imagery. I truly felt like I could visualize everything going on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Pregnancy