Ok, I already knew this author for her other very well known romances but also for her fanfics.
And this book is the best rewriting of a fanfic I have ever read!!!!

I got my heart broken more than once (This is quite dark) but gosh the magic system and relationship between the chararcters were just perfection!!!

Thank you so much for allowing me to read what ended up to be one of the best books of 2025!

3.5 stars rounded down.

Rose in Chains follows Princess Briony Rosewood, who is captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, stripped of her magic, and auctioned off to the highest bidder. She’s sold to Toven Hearst, whose family is known for their cruel control of magic, and her long-time, and unresolved, infatuation. Yet despite the horrors of her new world and the role she must learn to play within it, all is not lost. Help – and hope – may yet arise in the most unlikely of places.

I adore Julie Soto’s contemporary romances, so when I saw that she was releasing her first romantasy book, I was so excited. I expected to be obsessed with Rose in Chains, and while I did overall enjoy it, I was a little bit disappointed.

I knew going into this book that it was based on a Dramione fancfic called The Auction, which I haven’t read. While I think this story may have worked well as a fanfic (I have seen glowing reviews) I don’t know if it worked well as its own story, separate from the source material.

The world and magic system felt unique, and while I could see the similarities to the source material in the politics, it still felt different enough to stand on its own. Although the pacing dragged in the middle for me with some repetitive scenes, the plot was overall engaging, with lots of intrigue.

However, I think where this book fell short was its characters. Toven and Briony did not feel like fully fleshed-out characters, but instead felt like echoes of the characters they were based on. It felt like the author removed the characterisation that made them “too Dramione”, but didn’t replace that characterisation with her own ideas. This made the characters feel stuck somewhere in the middle of Dramione characters and their own fully realised characters. They felt one-dimensional, and lacked personality.

I spent the entire book waiting for Briony to snap into action. While I understand she has been through so much trauma, I rarely felt any emotion from her. I was expecting more rage and despair. She didn’t seem to have much of an agenda or motivations of her own. Occasionally, she seemed to remember that she was a captive and should be doing SOMETHING, but these moments were few and far between.

I enjoyed Toven’s character slightly more, but I think that may be because we weren’t in his POV. I can tell there is more than meets the eye to him, and I found him very intriguing. I enjoyed the slow-burn, yearning, tension, and angst between him and Briony, and I’m looking forward to seeing their romance develop in the next book, as well as hopefully finding out Toven’s true motivations.

This book has some darker themes, and I would urge anyone wanting to read it to check the trigger warnings if they have concerns. Although women are treated terribly in this book, I found the unity between them very moving.

While I found the ending a little predictable and had some issues with the characters, I will still be picking up the second book. I am excited to see where the story goes, what secrets are revealed, and how the romance between Toven and Briony develops. I’m also hopeful for some character development.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK/Magpie for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hands up, I'll admit that I have never read Dramione fanfic (younger me only had eyes for Remus and Sirius boys my own age were meh, including Draco). I have heard of The Auction through my time on Booktok. I'd read the blurb of this without realising the link until I noseyed at some reviews.

The blurb sucked me in! I was very lucky to be passed for an ARC and, let me tell you, I was SUCKED in! I naively started this book near midnight on a work night and inhaled the first 30% without stopping (or sleeping).

The tension between Briony and Toven could be cut with a knife! The flashbacks of their acquaintance through school helps to set the scene for the enemies to lovers. But all is not what it seems with the defeated Evermore revolution and the new Bombardi government.

The first third of the book leading to the auction was rife with danger and tension. I literally couldn't stop reading until I found out how it ended! And the ending set up the next book perfectly! I did feel a bit of a lull within the 60-80% mark, some repetition of events, but it didn't take away from the overall story.

Quite a tease in the romance department 😏 this is slooow burn romance at its best and the addition of some mind magic scenes left little to the imagination of what might be to come in book two 👀

Before I get into that review, I have to say that this book has an epilogue that was just whoa and helped to up my star rating!

This story is based on a fanfic and is still clearly Dramione coded. This is its strength, but also its weakness.
I've not read the source material, but I assume this worked very well as a fanfic. For me though, it did not work well as a story of its own.
I have to say though, that the world is completely new and unique and has some very interesting aspects.

However, I have the feeling that the characters are stuck in a weird place between (not) being the characters they are based on, nor fully developed characters of their own.

Mostly, during the book I've waited for Briony to develop an agenda of her own, or develop... anything. Rage, strength, something to make me root for her. Instead it's a neverending repetition of spicy fantasies mixed with a lot of abuse (and with magic mind s*x).

There is a lot of action though toward to end, and as much as I was longing for it, I also was confused.
And then bam! - this epilogue.

I had wished for something like this to come sooner, and I don't think it's good to have to suffer through abuse and stuff for this long before there is finally a ray of hope.

3,5/5 stars but I might give book 2 a chance.

Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollinsuk for the eARC!

#RoseInChains #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Dark, complex and emotional. This dark fantasy read will have you up into all hours of the night. So beware if you’re an adult with adulting things going on the next day.

This story is about Briony Rosewood, the underrated, overlooked twin that would do anything for her brother. She goes through hell and back in the wake of defeat. She’s a strong MC with so much capabilities - that I personally can’t wait to see evolve. Her arch nemesis (or is he?) is mysterious and there at every turn. The way he quietly revolves himself around our girl is chefs kiss!

The only thing I want to see for book two (other than more 🌶️ 😉, is the back story on our villain since she is 100 percent not a girls girl!

I had very high hopes for this book, and it did not disappoint! I am a big Dramione shipper, and while the Harry Potter origins of the story are obvious, it stands very well on its own. The world-building is very interesting, and the explanation and exhibition was very well done. The romance itself is a very slow-burn, as it has to be, with with enough hints to the characters' true feelings that it made me so excited for the relationship to progress. The plot is very well-written, and it made me very interested in what was happening outside of the romance. There are some excellent plot-twists and I am very excited about the rest of the trilogy. The book deals with pretty dark themes (definitely check out the trigger warnings), but it all makes sense in the context of the world created and it never felt hopeless. I love the main character, Briony, and how she fights for herself and her people. She deals with the hand she was dealt very well, and she is an absolute bad-ass. Toven is wonderfully mysterious, but you do get some glimpses into his true feelings and motivations. The secondary characters are also quite interesting, and I look forward to them getting bigger roles in the sequels. I loved this book so much, it truly had me kicking my feet in joy.

Julie Soto delivers another captivating romance with compelling tension and emotional depth. The chemistry between the characters is undeniable, and the writing is effortlessly engaging. Fans of angsty, slow-burn romance will absolutely devour this!

I am a latecomer to the fanfiction world, but it is a world that has taken over my entire being once I delved. I only recently read The Auction and to say I think about it multiple times a day would be an understatement.

In a way, I knew how the plot *may* develop, but i truly loved the new narrative and learning this new world and new magic system, the concept of different ways of mind magic and heart magic. It’s a slow burn and full of angst (angst is my favourite theme.) My heart was gripped from the beginning and I devoured this book in two days (would have been less if life didn’t get in the way!)

Thank you so much to Harper Collins UK via Net Galley for this advanced copy. I cannot express how overjoyed I was to be approved, especially when I was so excited for this book to come out that I’d only preordered it the day before! I cannot wait for my gorgeous edition to be delivered in July. (The only downside to receiving an advanced copy is now having to wait even longer for the next book!)

“If you insist on forgetting your manners, Rosewood, then maybe I’ll be tempted to forget mine.”

WHAT DO YOU MEAN I NEED TO WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK TO COME OUT IN THIS TRILOGY??!? This book altered my brain chemistry and once I started I physically could not stop. It’s the closest I have ever come to taking a day off work just so I could finish this masterpiece of a book. Julie Soto is one of the most incredibly talented writers I have ever had the pleasure of reading and I am going to need 10-15 business days to recover after Rose in Chains. I experienced every spectrum of emotion reading this - it is physically gut-wrenching and heartbreaking and exhilarating and full of hope and it is just everything I could have wanted and more.

The Bomards and Eversuns have held an uneasy peace for generations, until a dictator takes the seat of the Bomardi and begins her tyranny. The story follows Briony Rosewood as she is captured after her kingdom is overrun by the enemy, and then auctioned off to the highest bidder. It explores history through past and present retelling while we fear for Briony’s future as she must learn to play the game of the Bomardi ‘boys club’ to survive.

This book is not for the faint of heart. There are explicit references and awful things that happen to the women of this book. It explores dark themes through vivid storytelling and the idea that hope will prevail no matter how bleak the future seems. The relationship between Toven and Briony is infuriating yet sweet, hot and cold, and has enough slow burn to light a candle for the next year. The depth and complexity of the characters is unmatched, especially for our main characters and their family - though there are a few of the chauvinistic males who are completely one-dimensional and they can certainly go crawl into a hole for all we care.

The pacing is honestly fantastic, and this book truly felt a quarter of the length that it was because of how easy it was to read. We go between present and past tense throughout the chapters, and I greatly appreciated that the deep and complex history was told this way. Instead of feeling this overload of information that has been hastily dumped on us in a climatic moment because we need to know, we actually got to explore these moments as part of the plot. This was a really immersive experience for me, and allowed me to better understand the rich world-building and big plot points.

This book was amazing and I will spend forever raving about it. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eARC of this book.

Ce livre ne sort qu'en juillet en anglais mais j'ai eu l'opportunité de le lire en avance! Il faut savoir que ce livre est une fanfiction Dramione qui a fait grand bruit et qui est maintenant remastérisé pour pouvoir sortir en librairie!

Briony Rosewood vient d'être capturée par ses ennemis et d'apprendre que toute sa famille est décimée. Elle et toutes les autres survivantes de l'attaque vont bientôt être mise aux enchères. Lors de celle-ci, elle va être achetée par Toven, un jeune homme mystérieux qui l'a toujours tourmenté à l'école... Mais à force de le côtoyer, elle va découvrir des mystères encore plus grand et tout remettre en question...

Alors oui, les traces du monde originel ont été effacés mais on voit quand même certaines ressemblances mais j'ai beaucoup aimé ma lecture et surtout cet univers qui s'annonce riche et vaste! J'ai beaucoup aimé la plume de l'autrice qui s'est maintenir l'attention du lecteur jusqu'au bout! Il y a quelques longueurs mais la fin rattrape le tout et j'ai clairement envie de lire la suite! J'ai beaucoup aimé les personnages et leurs développement tout au long du livre et pareil j'ai hâte de voir l'évolution de leur relation

En bref, un premier tome qui pose de très bonne base et j'ai hâte de voir ce que va donner la suite!

This was my first Julie Soto book and I'm questioning every decision I've ever made on why I have never read any of her books before!

Thank you so much to Harper Collins for the advanced copy, I am so grateful.

You are immediately thrown into the action in this book from the first page, and the non-linear storytelling is the perfect way to unravel the depth of our protagonist Briony's character.

It was a real gut punch in places, the stories of all the different women and what they endure made me quite emotional. A lot of the themes in this book are very dark and tragic, I shed a tear a few times throughout. Even though women are treated horribly within this book, they are such strong characters with quiet strength and I found it deeply moving.

The pacing is wonderful, you will not want to put this down once you've started - I finished this in just over a day which is very unlike me!

The romance element of this book was TORTUROUS and I absolutely loved it. This is yearning that is borderline painful and it was done so perfectly in my opinion.

I will be not so patiently awaiting the next book in this series!

This book has absolutely blown me away! Did I read it in just under a day??? YES!
To begin, I think it’s important to remember that trigger warnings are not tropes, they are about protecting your mental health so please check them.

Whilst this book starts off exploring the darkness and despair in the aftermath of war, the women of the story light a spark of hope, which continues to burn chapter by chapter. Political scheming is rife and I loved making predictions about who was double crossing who… and why?
What started off with a sickening feeling of outrage and fear turned into a heart racing and optimistic promise of righteousness. I am fully ready to grab a sword and fight for these characters.
Not a spoiler - but the symbolism used in the form of grapes between certain characters touched my heart.

I enjoyed the slow development of the relationship between the characters, I think Soto handles this horror and trauma Briony goes through respectfully and does not force a typical enemies-to-lovers narrative into the mix. It takes into consideration the conflicting emotions of Briony.

The epilogue was phenomenal and I cannot wait for the next book already.

This was such a great reading experience! From the start, it’s very well-paced - I inhaled this in less than 36 hours. This has everything I love in a romantasy: slow burn, forced proximity, and lots of angst! The romance between Briony and Toven is such a highlight and the yearning was top-notch! Such a great start to the trilogy and I absolutely can’t wait to read more.

i will admit that i have read the auction so i went into rose in chains more so to see how soto would transform the story into something new. as someone who doesn't read a lot of fantasy, even i had trouble following all the names at times, so i wonder how well this novel will translate to those who hasn't had the background going in. however, i loved that the change up to the magic system rests on a simple conceit: the difference between pulling magic from the mind and pulling magic from the heart. although cheesy, isn't the point of life because of our ability to love? the stakes from the war drive up this point as well as what is left unsaid between the central romance in briony and toven's story. i can't wait to read more and loved that briony's strength and intelligence were at the center even though her people were the ones being hunted.

The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead. Briony Rosewood has been stripped of her magic and sold to the highest bidder. Toven Hurst is part of a family well known for its cruel magic, but Briony is a fighter and sometimes hope is all you need! Superb storytelling that is a perfectly paced slow burn enemies to lovers, it ticks every box on a romantasy wish list, magic, tension, yearning, intrigue, and there is even a dragon! This is the perfect escapism, that leaves you eager for more

As a fan of Julie Soto since her AO3 days, I cannot tell you how THRILLED I was to be given an arc of this book. It's a re-skin of approximately the first third of one of Soto's most popular Dramione fics, but set in a completely new world, completely rewritten with a new magic system and characters and dynamics altered. Still it maintains the heart of the original story, though with less of an undercurrent of blood prejudice and more of an enemies-to-lovers dynamic across rival kingdoms. If you're looking for forbidden romance, addictive yearning, and a little bit of smuttiness (which I presume will be kicked up in subsequent instalments), this is absolutely the book for you. But be forewarned, it has very dark themes, most notably slavery, including sexual slavery. Definitely check the trigger warnings if that's a concern.

I'd give this book a 4.5! A slow burn, dark romance, with enemies to lovers in there for good measure. I liked the tension between the main characters.

A fast paced, exciting plot, ending on a cliff hanger which could go any which way from here!

Thank you again for the opportunity to read Rose in Chains. Loved it.

The fact that fanfiction is now entering the mainstream is such a weird concept for me to grapple with, considering I was in the fanfiction trenches as a teenager.

I recently read 'The Auction' and I was very curious to see how Soto would take the very familiar world, characters & plot from the original fic and transform them into something new. The plot was very much beat for beat the same and one could recognize the individual characters from the original work within the characters of the new story but I feel like the book can stand on its own without having the fanfiction there to hold it up. I did catch myself trying to figure out who was who but that quickly became tiring and not at all the point of this work being published.

The main thing that attracts people to fanfiction works in the first place is the fact that you, as a reader, have to do little work to understand the worldbuilding, the overarching plot or the character dynamics. You are already familiar with key elements so it's almost effortless to dip into a story because it's like spending time with people you already know and love. Translating that feeling into an original reworking is very difficult. I do feel like the book needed a bit more explanation or exposition on some of the magical elements & the political standings of some of the neighboring countries.

Both Briony & Toven were fantastically written but I wonder how people who have not read the original work, would interpret the Hearst's grey morality & their motivations. The fact that a fanfiction relies heavily on preconceived personality traits and relationships, it's easy to write within those set dynamics. Transforming it into something new without having that base is tricky. Will others, who are not familiar with the fic interpret the characters motivations the way we do? Does the writing allow for it?

I feel like I should not have read the original fanfic before picking this up because it definitely affected the way I see this book. I feel like if you know that this is based off of a fanfiction, you'll purposefully look for those distinguishing elements instead of focusing on this original work.

I do think that Julie Soto is a talented and crafty author and I can see her vision clearly in my mind. It's one thing to write a book, it's another to take a passion project from the internet and turn it into something new and exciting. I find that this book will garner a lot of success by standing on its own merit, removed from its past. But I do think the original fic will come in the way if people are aware of it or have read it in the past.

All in all, I had a great time reading it and I was hooked from the very start. Curious to see how the trilogy will end considering some plot points that were altered to fit this narrative.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book. A gorgeous 4 star read book from me. What an exciting plot, vivid storytelling and relatable, rich characters. I couldn't put this book down – absolutely loved it.

Netgalley eArc review - Please check the trigger warnings before starting this book.
4.75 ⭐

OH MY GOODNESS ME!!!! My heart is still racing from all the tension the book has put me through the past 24 hours, especially after that cliffhanger after the epilogue.
Wow.
My mind is reeling from all the possibilities of where this book will go into the series, while also trying to wrap up my feelings and thoughts.

I must say that this book blew anything I thought this book would be out of the park. I have loved Julie Soto's previous romance books with a burning passion, so I thought I might know what I would be getting with her first fantasy, but I was wrong. This was everything and more.
There were times when certain scenes unnerved me (so please check trigger warnings), but the general story plot was super gripping and I was putty in this narrative's hands.

The dynamics between Briony and Toven throughout this book are constantly changing. They were enemies to barely peers, to family and the slow burn of something potentially more. I found their dynamics interesting, they are both complete opposites but at their core, there are so many things that make them similar (no spoilers from me).

If you like these tropes, then you should read this book:
- Slow burn
- Dark Romantasy
- Adult
- A deal of convenience
- Dragons (or should I say one dragon 👀)
- Familiars
- Enemies to lovers
- Mind vs Heart Magic