Review by hopecobbledpots - Rose in Chains

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hopecobbledpots 's review for:

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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

"When the sun shines at night, he who will bring an end to war on this land shall be victorious. He shall be an heir, twice over, and a rightful sovereign over the continent." - The Prophecy

New to me, author Julie Soto surprised the heck out of me with Rose In Chains. Action packed and atmospheric, this story of rivals to lovers, mostly, employs two types of magic – mind magic and heart magic. Each Kingdom has its own magic, and that is that, or is it? The children of each kingdom are schooled together. One year in Evermore and the next in Bomard. Until the King of Evermore is killed leaving Briony and her brother Rory orphans and Rory King ultimately giving chance to the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy of a King Twice Over.

On the day we meet Briony, it is the day of the Eclipse. But her Kingdom is defeated, her brother presumed dead, and she is put up for auction as a “heartspring”(read and you'll understand) and purchased by her longtime Rival. And this is where the fun begins.

I listened to this on audiobook and kept it on 1x. I didn't speed it up at all. I savored each morsel of speech. I became in the setting, as it shocked me, awed me, sometimes amused me, and ultimately made me cheer.

What I loved:

🦊Vesper, Toven's Jealous Fox Familiar. She gets the first nod in what did I love. Way to go, Vesper!

🩶Despite himself, Toven was kind to Briony. Mostly. Sometimes he is a donkey's rear end. Sometimes he has to act that way.

🤍Toven's Mother. I adore how she treats Briony. You'll see.

🩶Toven's Father. Sometimes he seems gruff but ultimately, his priority is devotion to his family.

🤍Briony's twin Rory

🌻Briony is not a delicate flower. She is a fighter. Not just for herself but for others. Even for Toven.

What I liked:

🚫Toven refusing to take place in the fights using Briony as a heartspring

🤟Briony's camaraderie with the other girls who have been auctioned as slaves.

🫶Notable Side Characters who bring life to this story.

Will I read/listen to the next book? You bet your bippy I will! This book entertained me, kept me engaged the entire way through and left me screaming “MORE!!!!”.

Why should you read this book?

🌎Amazing Worldbuilding

🎭Political Intrigue

🩶Moral Gray MMC

😈Feisty FMC

🪄 Two different Magic Systems

🪆Cultural Biases

🤫Secret Pining

🙇‍♂️🙇‍♀️Forced Proximity

And, I would not compare it to any other series out there. Rose In Chains stands on its own as an individual Book One of a series. I congratulate Julie Soto for her accomplishment.

I'd like to thank the Author and Hachette Audio Group for this gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

#roseinchains #juliesoto #hachetteaudio #booksaboutmagic #atmosphericbooks #fantasyreads

Content Warnings