I'm not surprised I enjoyed this book! As a Dramione fan growing up it definitely ticked all the boxes for me. However, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I will say, I'm not usually a 'dark romance' reader, as it tends to make me feel a bit uncomfortable in places. However, while this was dark and disturbing, the author also did a great job of not making me root for anyone despicable - which I feel some dark romances try to do. Toven - like Draco in almost all Dramione fanfics - was more asshole than evil, and I appreciated that it was clear from the start where his loyalties lay. Briony, as well, was an interesting character to view the story from.

The only downside I had, which I find in most fanfic turned to publications I read, is that I sometimes find I want more character development. We know these characters because we know Draco and Hermione, however, I felt that if they were fresh on a page, I wouldn't quite grasp their backstories and personalities as much as I could because it was a fanfiction previously.

Despite this, as I said, I really enjoyed it. It's a super romantasy, with enemies-to-lovers/romance/plot, and I will most certainly buy the next book. Kinda mad I got an arc because now I have to wait even longer!

4 stars! xx

Where to start? At first when I started reading this book I thought 'I'm not sure about this' as it seemed quite dark which I am not normally a fan of. However, as I kept reading, I kept wanting more and more and towards the end of the book, I was hooked! I really enjoyed this book and how it constantly keeps you in anticipation of what will happen next. i would definitely recommend this book to any romantasy and enemies to lovers fans and I look forward to the next book in the series.

Thank you to net galley, the publisher, and Julie Soto for allowing me to receive an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Julie Soto’s Rose in Chains is an absolute page-turner! It’s a thrilling and romantic story with intense drama, a slow-burning romance, and a magical world that’ll keep you spellbound. Another fantastic book by Julie Soto! I couldn’t put it down.

I absolutely LOVED this. I have read and loved The Auction (that this is based on) and I am a Julie fan so I had high hopes for this and it did not disappoint! Dark and troubling in a way that is addictive and hard to walk away from this had everything I love about the fanfic space but combined with stunning worldbuilding (the familiars!) and some vey welcome twists and additions. Highly excellent!

Hands down my new favorite fantasy book of all time. Julie Soto can do no wrong in my eyes and this book proves that she can write any genre. This book follows Briony, who was an Evermore princess. Her whole family and kind are either killed or taken under control by the dark forces. She goes to auction at a very high price to someone who would use her. Except she wakes up and instead is under Tovens rule. Token is a high ranking bombardsun but also her rival from school. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I could not put it down. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this early.

I had mixed feelings about this one. While there were elements I appreciated—some of the character dynamics, for instance—it ultimately didn’t fully land for me. The pacing felt sluggish, and the world-building wasn’t rich or immersive enough to pull me in completely.

One thing that always makes me hesitant about novels adapted from Dramione fanfic is the tendency toward darker themes, and unfortunately, this one leaned into that a bit too much for my taste. There was a constant sense of looming danger, that made the reading experience more stressful than enjoyable.

As for the romance, it was a very slow burn—so slow that it barely felt like a burn at all. Waiting until book two for any real payoff felt like a letdown after so much buildup. I can appreciate a slow burn, but there has to be some emotional or romantic development along the way to keep me invested, and I didn’t quite get that here.

Overall, this just might not be my thing. I can see how others might enjoy the tension and character work.

Chefs bloody kiss
The slow burn
The tension
Seeing misogynists get their comeuppance
Delicious.
And apparently it’s Dramione FanFic. Obsessed.

Crying that I now have to wait EVEN LONGER than most for the sequel 😭

ARC from NetGalley thank youuuu Harper Collins

Writing the review for a Rose In Chains has been incredibly challenging. I have loved Julie Soto’s work since discovering her fanfiction writing and loyally following her breakout into traditional publishing. I highly recommend her romance books without hesitation. Her debut romantasy, Rose in Chains, didn’t grab me. Maybe if I had read this fresh, I would have found the magic within, but The Auction has a long shadow. I want to say upfront that before I launch into my review of Rose in Chains, I have not tagged Julie Soto or Harper Voyager in this post – never tag an author in a review that is not absolutely glowing.

Rose in Chains will delight anyone who loves a compelling, slow-burn, dark romance with enemies-to-lovers, blood feuds, and emotionally riveting angst and tension. Julie Soto has brought together the perfect ingredients for a romantasy with her riveting writing style that creates a potent world of war, politics, and powerful magic. She has developed a complex host of characters with rich layers, fierce fighters with hidden motivates, and some very undesirable, straight-up evil without a saving grace and easy to hate. The chemistry between Torven and Briony is an infuriating enemies-to-lovers dynamic with a palpable tension that blows hot and cold but with an unexpected sweetness that blooms into tender affection and care.

I’m grateful for the chance to receive a Netgalley eARC of Rose in Chains. I’m absolutely gutted at heart that I didn’t absolutely love this book. This is an incredibly dark story. Please do check the trigger warnings before reading, as there are some extremely uncomfortable explicit scenes and awful things being forced onto women that are not for the faint of heart. Even my stomach twisted in some of the descriptions, which are gory and bordered on fantasy horror realms.

Hands down my new favorite fantasy book of all time. Julie Soto can do no wrong in my eyes and this book proves that she can write any genre. This book follows Briony, who was an Evermore princess. Her whole family and kind are either killed or taken under control by the dark forces. She goes to auction at a very high price to someone who would use her. Except she wakes up and instead is under Tovens rule. Token is a high ranking bombardsun but also her rival from school. This book kept me on the edge of my seat and I could not put it down. I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Julie Soto was BORN to write romantasy!

I don't think I've hyper fixated on a book quite this much in a long while. I absolutely adored every single second of this journey and I am only mad at myself for not discovering the original fanfic iteration sooner.

Despite the original fanfiction coming from a well known universe, Julie did an excellent job of building on her original work to create something wholly new. The magic system was really interesting and the way she described it was so vivid and easy to wrap my head around.

Although there are a number of dark themes to this story, it still felt very much like a story of hope rather than of defeat. I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next...

Thank you to NetGalley and RedForever for providing a copy of this amazing ARC!

I want to start by saying that I've read The Auction before and actually discovered my love for Julie Soto’s writing through the Rights & Wrongs series. I still reference the series as my peak for pining/slow burn and I’ve read a lot of books since I’ve discovered it. Because of that, I admit I’m a little biased toward this book, due to insane my excitement in seeing The Auction get a published rewrite.

I made an effort to approach the story with fresh eyes to experience it as a new fantasy novel, and it still absolutely hooked me. Julie Soto did a great job in rewriting portions of the story and making this one its own tale. She was able to craft a world with interesting political tension between two opposing sides, and I’m excited to see where she takes it.

The romance, as expected, was the highlight of the story for me. Soto truly nailed the tension between the two characters, keeping it high throughout the entire book without giving too much away. The flashbacks added depth to their connection that was just chefs kiss.

I also really liked that even though the villain was absolutely horrible, she was surprisingly layered - would love to see how she evolves in the next book. I think her character was a good example of Soto’s success in separating the two works while maintaining the same integrity. She showed brief moments of intelligence and righteousness, while still remaining a terrifying antagonist in a “I’m scared of what you’re capable of because you’re insane and horrific” kind of way.

One minor critique is that I wish the fantasy and world-building were a bit more fleshed out. At times, it felt a bit sparse or unfocused compared to the rest of the story, though expected in the first book when it’s laying the groundwork for character relationships and past lore.

Because I’m so familiar with the original fanfic, I didn’t think the twists and cliffhangers would have much of an effect on me - but I’m already crying in wait for the next book!

Overall, I really enjoyed it and can’t wait for the rest of the series.

Rose in Chains by Julie Soto
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4/5🌟
Release date: 8th Jul 2025

Just finished Rose in Chains by Julie Soto, and WOW I was not ready for how much this book would consume me! 🤭 I went in blind (haven’t read The Auction), and it completely swept me away. The magic? Fascinating. And the slow burn romance? Absolutely addictive.

It took me a sec to get all the characters straight, but once I did, I could not put this book down. Briony and Toven’s chemistry is insane, the tension, the way he protects her? 🔥 I was living for it. And those darker moments? Made everything even more intense. That ending?? I need book two asap!

Huge thanks for the arc, this was unforgettable!

Rose in Chains is a reimagining of the popular Dramione fanfiction The Auction, adapted for traditional publishing with an entirely original world and magic system. This book contains dark and heavy themes so make sure to check the TRIGGER WARNINGS as well as containing TRUE enemies to lovers.

As someone familiar with The Auction, I was thrilled to see how well this novel followed the original plot while expanding upon it with a richly developed setting, additional introductions, and necessary flashbacks to flesh out the complex world.

One of the book’s biggest strengths is its unique magic system and world-building. The author does an incredible job of crafting a world that feels fresh and immersive, whilst also been familiar, making the transition from fanfiction to original work smooth. The added context helps ground the reader in this new setting, making the stakes feel higher.

A major aspect that carried over from the original fanfic is the novel’s dark and heavy themes. This story does not shy away from these, and it may well be the darkest book I’ve ever read from HarperCollins.

That being said, I did have a few issues. The book ends at a point that doesn’t feel like a natural conclusion, likely due to the story being split into a trilogy. While I understand the reasoning behind this, it left me feeling like I had stopped in the middle rather than at a satisfying checkpoint. Additionally, the sheer number of names introduced throughout the book became overwhelming at times, making it difficult to keep track of who was who in this intricate world.

I absolutely LOVED this. I have read and loved The Auction (that this is based on) and I am a Julie fan so I had high hopes for this and it did not disappoint! Dark and troubling in a way that is addictive and hard to walk away from this had everything I love about the fanfic space but combined with stunning worldbuilding (the familiars!) and some vey welcome twists and additions. Highly excellent!

Thank you Net galley

Wow!! This was absolutely incredible! I couldn’t put it down and read this in one day! I preordered this when I was only 30% through the book as I knew it would be a 5 star!

I felt instantly connected to all the characters and I couldn’t guess what was going to happen. I cannot wait for the next book! What an amazing read!

4.5 ⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!
Ohhhhh this was so good! Exactly the vibes I was looking for and I was entertained the entire time. Very slow burn but any bit of romance had me sooooo invested. My favourite thing in romance in good yearning and this absolutely delivered. Very easy and digestible writing, I flew through this book. The ending had me shook and I am so ready for book 2!!

I thought giving five stars would sum it all up for me, but absolutely not!!!!!!

Ok so first of all, I've been here. I've been here since it was a WIP, impatiently waiting to see my a03 notification to see the new updates. So when I tell you, I can't even begin to explain the feeling of seeing one of my favorite sources of literary pleasure going to be in physical form, even better, it's so surreal.

Second of all, Julie, when I thought it cannot get any better, you proved me wrong!! I tried not to go in biased as I wanted to treat Rose in Chains as it's own story, and I was absolutely hooked. The world building was so different and thorougly planned. I loved how they were star crossed from the the flashbacks and the present day povs did not fail to make me feel the years worth of yearning and longing Briony and Toven felt for each other. What's more better than enemies to lovers? Enemies to lovers, who can't help but fall for each other but pretend they hate each other but secretly look out and yearn for each other. I have seen alot of comments on the pacing of the book, I thought it was done just right and specially it may feel weird switching from past povs to present but with two more books to come out, I think the story is unravelling just fine!
I am hoping to see more depth to Briony's character in the second and third book, and really push to be the badass she was supposed to be (no thanks to her annoying dad always holding her back) and I have no notes on Toven Hearst but heart eyes!!! I am so so glad most plot lines are changed and the ending (at least I think) going to be different because I will be counting my fingers and toes till the book is out so I can physically own it and for the second book because wydm everything I thought that was going to happen did not and I have no idea what to expect???

Enemies to lovers and slow burn is sooooo back because wdym they just kissed and we are back to square one?😫

thank you publisher Harper Collins and netgalley for the e arc it means alot!

Are you ready for your next book boyfriend? Toven Hearst won't disappoint! You can't yet gauge what his intentions are with Briony but I'm looking forward to book 2 to see how they develop. He clearly cares for her but is holding back.

The worst part about this book is that I didn't realise it was a trilogy, and now I have to wait for the next book (big sad face)!

If you like fantasy/romatasy books with tropes like enemies to lovers, secret pining, war torn world, the bad guys win and magic then I highly recommend you give this a try.


Please be mindful of the trigger warnings in this book. It contains dark topics which some may find disturbing.

Oh my god, I thought I loved Julie Soto before but now I completely worship her! Rose in Chains absolutely went above and beyond my expectations! The only downside to early reading this is having to wait extra long for book two.

While many know Soto as a fanfiction writer, she truly made Briony’s story and the world unique. You can fully go into this series with no knowledge of the HP world (and thank goodness for that).

Adding my TikTok video below so you can see more of my thoughts!

I INHALED this book and basically didn't put it down until I was finished, what a ride! I LOVED Julie's writing and I can't wait to find out what she has in store for us in the second installment. I didn't know about The Auction and I haven't read anything else by Julie Soto.

This book is dark (very reminiscent of the Handmaid's tale as others have mentioned) and I found myself reading about situations that were tough. But, at the same time, I think it adds so much more to the storyline and creates a long lasting impression and emotional impact. I found myself extremely invested in the young girls' journey and instantly felt part of the sisterhood.

The slow burn is SLOW but DELICIOUS and Toven is a great MMC, I love to hate him and I'm curious to see if he will make me forgive that slap in the next book. Bryony is so strong and resilient, you can't help but root for her. the dual timelines were a great device and works very well to provide us with the backstory.

If you are a fan of the genre, this book DELIVERS. I genuinely think Julie Soto has created an amazing story, with unique magic system, political intrigue and strong female characters. I hope and wish to see this book being talked about everywhere, it truly deserves it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Soto and HarperCollins for this review copy, all opinions are my own.