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bookishvistareads 's review for:
Rose in Chains
by Julie Soto
dark
emotional
tense
slow-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:
Complicated
HOLY SPELLS AND SLOW-BURNS!!! This book was pure magic. Julie Soto didn’t just knock it out of the park—she lit the whole damn stadium on fire. Rose in Chains is easily a top read of the year for me. The storytelling? Immaculate. The worldbuilding? Like stepping into a dream stitched together with ink and thunder. And the way she wove together the layered the feuding magical systems? Intricate, dazzling, and utterly addictive.
Briony and Toven’s tension could strangle a god—it’s this taut, sizzling thread stretched to its limit, and I swear I could hear it hum between the lines. I need more of them immediately. That boy is one heartbreak away from combusting, and Briony? My girl needs to pull her nose out of her books and realize she’s walking emotional circles around a man who would burn down kingdoms for her. Like, bestie—connect the dots before Toven bursts into stardust.
And yes, I read the original AO3 version back in the Dramione days, but this? This feels reborn. Like Soto took the bones of that story and wrapped them in fire, grief, and glittering originality. Every twist carved into me, every moment pulled me deeper.
Honestly, my brain is still short-circuiting because I just finished it and I’m reeling. But if you love fantasy with gut-punch stakes, masterfully slow-building romance (seriously—it simmers like a charm waiting to be cast), and characters that ache with complexity—Rose in Chains is your next obsession.
Only bad thing about this read is that I now have to wait for next book to come out😭
Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Julio Soto for granting me this e-ARC on Netgalley! Review is my honest opinion!
Briony and Toven’s tension could strangle a god—it’s this taut, sizzling thread stretched to its limit, and I swear I could hear it hum between the lines. I need more of them immediately. That boy is one heartbreak away from combusting, and Briony? My girl needs to pull her nose out of her books and realize she’s walking emotional circles around a man who would burn down kingdoms for her. Like, bestie—connect the dots before Toven bursts into stardust.
And yes, I read the original AO3 version back in the Dramione days, but this? This feels reborn. Like Soto took the bones of that story and wrapped them in fire, grief, and glittering originality. Every twist carved into me, every moment pulled me deeper.
Honestly, my brain is still short-circuiting because I just finished it and I’m reeling. But if you love fantasy with gut-punch stakes, masterfully slow-building romance (seriously—it simmers like a charm waiting to be cast), and characters that ache with complexity—Rose in Chains is your next obsession.
Only bad thing about this read is that I now have to wait for next book to come out😭
Thank you so much to Forever Publishing and Julio Soto for granting me this e-ARC on Netgalley! Review is my honest opinion!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, Murder, War