This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I was completely and utterly consumed by this story.

The writing was absolutely addictive, I couldn’t put it down! I was so immersed in the world that Julie crafted and I will absolutely be picking up book 2!

If you’re a fan of dark romantasy books with a delicious enemies-to-lovers romance with forced proximity, this needs to be on your tbr!

Julie Soto has once again created a fantastic romance, the tension between Briony and Toven is so expertly created you feel it from the first chapter. I found myself pulled in every direction with her expert use of flashbacks to tell the story. Her creative magic system was also so fun to learn about -- the balance created between heart and mind magic left me wanting more.
This is a dark romance, and with that comes the need to verify trigger warnings before reading -- however Soto utilises the magic and the romance she creates to discuss important points in regards to the treatment of women.
Proceed with caution as the ending will have you on the edge of your seat, and.I am desperately waiting for book two.

first book by her and i love it! my only complaint is that is is in 3rd person but its fineeee! i love the flow of the writing as well as the place and format

I didnt enjoy this book. I hated the characters and the story and really thought that i would love it. Im really sad I didnt like this one but it just wasn't for me. I found myself so bored during it that I was so close to giving it a DNF.

I have waited so long for this book! As a big Julie Soto fan as well as fanfiction fan my expectations were sky high! And it didn’t disappoint! Alongside Ali Hazelwood and Taylor Swift (yes, I said it!), Julie Soto puts pure crack into her writing! I devour everything she writes and beg for more! The story is so well written, so addictive and nearly impossible to put down! The very delicious slow burn and the layers of political intrigue kept me hooked from start to finish.

I adored our main characters, Briony and Toven! And let’s face it, they are both idiots, you want to smack them on the head a dozen times but the tension!! The tension had me screaming! Their chemistry is amazing! I especially loved flashbacks chapters, which gave us glimpses of their lives as they were in school, from before the war.

The world building, magic system and political intrigue despite few gaps were really well developed in my opinion and I hope those gaps are filled in future books. Was the plot a little predictable? Maybe. But that didn’t stop me from enjoying every moment.

That ending, though. That cliffhanger! How dare you, Julie?! I’m already counting down the days until the sequel, especially knowing we’re promised dual POV!! and I simply cannot wait for the chapters from Toven’s point of view!!! Do you think we will get flashbacks to their school years? And see iconic scenes from his perspective? A girl can dream and this girl in particular is so ready for some pining and tension and a little bit more idiots in love!!!

Of course we all know that Rose in Chains is one of the “big three” fanfic to novels releases this year. I am myself a big fanfic reader, although I haven’t read the specific fic this book originated from, so I can’t compare directly. But I can compare to books and fics in the fandom in general. And let me tell you!! This book can definitely stand on its own!! I see NO similarities to The Books but fanfic readers will find easter eggs to their favourite pairing sprinkled throughout the story that will make it that much more enjoyable for them! Readers who never even heard of fanfiction won’t feel like they’re missing anything and will still get an incredible experience and enjoy this book for what it really is: an amazing fantasy romance with slow burn, masterfully crafted intrigue and the strong protagonist to root for! ( and of course tortured blond boy, my personal weakness!!)

Rose in Chains is a gripping dark romantasy debut, featuring layered dual timelines, a haunting magic system, and an emotionally raw narrative. Briony's harrowing journey from cursed captive to resilient survivor unfolds against a backdrop of magical enslavement, fractured political power, and slow-burn romantic tension with her captor, Toven. Julie Soto handles complex themes of trauma, autonomy, and consent with nuance, never romanticizing coercion but deeply exploring its moral complexity. The emotional stakes are high, the world richly textured, and Briony emerges as a compelling heroine who uses intelligence and grit to navigate an unforgiving world.

I wonder if my expectations for these books were too high, which is why I couldn't enjoy the second rewritten "fanfiction" as much as I hoped. But let's start with the beginning.
"Rose in Chains" is a dark story in which Briony not only loses her family and her home, but also ends up as a slave to Toven Hearst through an auction. Not particularly favorable conditions, and it must be said that she suffers considerably more in this story than he does. That doesn't mean, however, that his emotional level isn't just as broken and damaged as hers...
The vibes between the two really won me over. Toven is very distant, both emotionally and physically (unless he had to prove his "ownership"), but you gradually notice that he's had a soft spot for Briony for a while, and she's slowly but surely developing one for him as well.
If you keep in mind what kind of fan fiction adaptation we're reading here, you can grasp the mood even better. And the "magic system" itself was also interesting – but it took me a very, very long time to get into the story itself and to connect with the characters themselves, and not just the love story we all (more or less) hope for. Combined with the boarding school, which reinforces additional fan fiction vibes, you get the feeling that you're being given a kind of thought experiment about what could have potentially happened after "school."
And I actually wonder if the fundamental problem isn't that people are comparing this book to Harry Potter. Because if I consider reading this story without knowing the background, perhaps I could have focused more on other things than the ones my subconscious was fixated on. Overall, the story has some good starting points for me, but I believe that you really have to try to approach this book with no expectations and without any preconceptions to get an even better reading experience.

Briony and Toven

“Rose in Chain” by Julie Soto is her first romance novel and was previously published as a fanfiction about Draco and Hermione from “Harry Potter”.
However, I read the novel as a standalone story.

Whew. To be honest, I approached the story with very high expectations and was frankly disappointed.

The introduction to “Rose in Chain” was really very rocky. I was met with a confusing storyline that made it difficult for me to find my way into the story. The flashbacks weren't always logical or beneficial either. It must have taken me 45% to fight my way through the chaos and Connect with Briony and Toven.

The story has more then one dark twist. And this is what finally piqued my interest. And despite the difficult start, I couldn't put the book down.

I'm really looking forward to the second book!

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

This book was beautiful written, had good pacing and relatable characters. The feelings were shown, not told, what I always appreciate. Of course we do have enemies to lovers and forced proximity - how could I say no to that? When I read romance in books, I'm only here for the tension!
Get ready for political intrigue, sizzling romance with slow burn and yet enough action that you can call it a plot and not romance only, which is what I want from romantasy!
The world building was a bit overwhelming and the magic system could have been executed better - it was a unique and good concept tho!

Dieses Buch ist einfach großartig. Alle Romantasy Fans sollten es lesen! Ich bin schon hooked für den zweiten Teil!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC copy. I really enjoyed this book, the world building was great and the romance sizzled. My only reservation was that I easily could see it was based on a Dramione fanfiction, however I realise that is not necessarily a negative. The story was involving and suspenseful and I'm excited to read the next book. 4.5/5

This was not as spicy I anticipated, and it felt like not enough happened. Like, they saved a lot of plot for the next book. However. really loving the dynamic and the direction of the series.

3.5 stars.

A solid read throughout but I didn't get the hype I have heard for it. I think it says everything that my favourite character was Serena 😂

The last 60 pages had me very intrigued and has made me consider picking up Book 2 more than the majority of the book did

dnf 66%

i tried. i really tried, but in the end there were a multitude of factors that influenced my overall decision to drop this book. rose in chains was one of my most anticipated releases of 2025, but this book was not the exciting romantasy everyone on social media raved about. i went into reading rose in chains with an expectation that the world feels new and different—far removed from its origins. the beginning is riveting, full of heart-racing action and nail-biting moments as the war unfolds, but as the narrative continues it starts losing all momentum and that initial interest starts to fizzle. anytime i opened up my kindle, i either didn’t bother with reading or focused my attention elsewhere—i had to stop reading rose in chains twice and dreaded picking it up. that was when i decided, “no more”. the writing was repetitive and the overall structure could’ve been made cohesive if a substantial amount of this book was cut. we did not need the same scenes occurring each evening to ‘show’ character growth. much of the main story consists of briony being locked away for her protection, feeling sad and oftentimes whining about something; sometimes she’s allowed out to the social gatherings where women are sexually assaulted. the plot was slow and repetitive, with almost no progression to keep the narrative engaging.

as the narrative unfolds, the finer details are handed to us through a series of flashbacks and, though this literary device doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t create engaging reading when we have little to almost no knowledge of the world, its magic and its history leading up to these points. the flashbacks were used too much and out of order and often at random moments, and the details we are given are vague and lacking crucial information. this works fine when it’s fanfiction, because we know the text it’s derived from and the world is already established, but not as much when it’s been traditionally published as ‘original’ writing. the concept of mind versus heart magic is really interesting, but the execution was lacklustre as the magic is never fleshed out—why is mind magic “acceptable”, but heart magic is inherently bad? why does one kingdom favour one form of magic over the other? maybe the answer will be handed to us in the next two books, but don’t expect me to be waiting around for it.

this is advertised as dark fantasy and while there's dark elements such as sexual slavery, forced sterilisation, and non-consensual moments (make sure to read the trigger warnings for further information), this isn’t as dark as i expected. that isn’t julie soto’s fault; it’s more so an issue personally with my expectations of what i want in my dark romances and what i assumed this book would involve. part of this book revolves around the intricacies of the war between the eversuns and the bomardis, and the bomardis' odd obsession with purity through women’s virginities and the purchasing of sex slaves who are used to bolster the strength of heart-magic. so, while dark in nature, our main character manages to remain unscathed bar her full agency no longer being her own but rather in the possession of toven hearst. i read elsewhere that briony’s sterilisation never actually occurred and unlike her fellow eversuns, her virginity remains intact within a bottle. magic!

♡ briony rosewood
for someone who has first-hand experience with war, death and slavery, briony rosewood was neither strong, nor weak. she was flat, bland and disinteresting. briony's personality doesn't mold, shift or show growth as her encounters with horrific acts unfold—i refuse to accept, “oh, she's become dissensitised,” as an excuse to cast aside her lack of characterisation. not once does she mourn the tragic loss of her twin brother, who also happens to be the leader of the eversun kingdom, but she has enough personality to hyperfixate on some random housemaid who kissed her. for someone described as intelligent, she lacked critical thinking and possessed an iota of emotion when faced with what should’ve been harrowing moments. she sits inside a jail cell writing words with grapes to show solidarity, meanwhile, there’s women being forced to perform sexual acts under the influence of substances or sacrificing themselves in vain to protect the other women. i wanted to witness a woman scorned and belittled by patriarchal social constructs to show some rage and fierceness.

♡ toven hearst
toven is meant to be a misunderstood, morally grey kind of main character. his actions, while abhorrent, have reason to justify them—he’s ‘protective’ of briony, hence one of the reasons for purchasing her for an obscene amount at the auction. it was clear toven has pined for briony for a long time, but maintained his hidden feelings. for what reasons? i don’t know and that was one of my biggest issues. we have zero reason to believe his feelings are genuine because we aren’t shown or even told the reasons for his feelings. i don’t have much else to rant about because toven, much like briony, is such a flat and uninspiring character.

♡ briony rosewood + toven hearst
the affection toven feels towards briony comes across as forced, with no substance behind it to make his feelings appear genuine. despite the series of flashbacks to, i assume, provide context and justification of toven’s actions leading up to him purchasing briony, i still walked away from rose in chains believing toven did not have an inkling of affection for her. this is supposed to be slow-burning, with so much tension and situations of forced proximity, however the chemistry was missing. i wanted pure obsession. i wanted yearning but the flashbacks were unconvincing and did not make me believe in toven’s affections. the lack of emotional foundation from the very beginning made each interaction unremarkable and unbelieveable.

♡ the side characters
the sheer amount of side characters in rose in chains is insane and the fact that a majority of them had full names, as if we're supposed to know who they are, further irritated me. realistically, how many of these characters will be monumental to the overall narrative? i can’t imagine most of them, therefore we don't require full name introductions to an inane cohort of characters who won't mean anything in the grand scheme. it was wasted writing.

rose in chains is supposed to be a slow-burn romance with pining and yearning, with a hint of obsession from afar but it was everything but. for the slow-burn to work, there needs to be tension and chemistry however everything between toven and briony lacked emotions and connection due to the missing emotional foundation. our leading characters were flat, with no dimension or interesting aspects to their personalities—briony is nothing more than a captive princess (who can study, walk around hearst hall and still use her magic), but she has zero ambition to save her kingdom; toven is meant to be the villain and we’re led to believe his actions are justified under the guise of protecting briony, but we’re never told or shown the reasons to make his feelings appear genuine. the lack of world-building was the most disappointing aspect for me. i love to read fantasy because the worlds are far removed from reality, but when there’s a lack of information and expansion on what we do know, nothing about the world remains engaging.

Thank you so much for the ARC. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to read this because I didn't have the time.

Wow, wow, wow. I don't even know where to begin, I devoured this in 48 hours!! This was one of my most anticipated releases and it did not disappoint - this was deliciously dark and the most tension packed romantasy I've read in a while. Julie Soto's writing is nothing short of spectacular in this and I am already itching to return to this world, I genuinely cannot stop thinking about this book and these characters.

Rose in Chains is an absolute MASTERCLASS in an enchanting enemies to lovers story that is brimming with angst, yearning and anticipation. This is truly how you write a slow burn. My heart is so happy this is a trilogy and this first installment has set up a high stakes and mouthwatering series that I cannot wait to sink my teeth into.

Absolutely speechless and undeniably one of THE romantasy's of the year. Will be rocking back and forth waiting for book 2!!

This is a dark romantic fantasy - please check content warnings before diving in! The full list can be found on Julie's website.

The biggest thank you to HarperInsider at Harper Collins for sending me a proof copy to review - I'm so grateful!

While I enjoyed it for the most part, I feel this should not be marketed as a Romantasy. Dark Fantasy with a romance subplot for sure, but when I heard it’s a Romantasy I was expecting something a little more light hearted. Still very intrigued to see where the next installment goes!

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ½

Much appreciation to HarperCollinsUK and Netgalley for the eARC!!

This is one of those books that you either absolutely love or find to be a complete mess, and I can honestly see why. The premise of a captured princess and her morally grey captor with a secret past is compelling, and the slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers tension is either addictive or completely forced, depending on who you ask. The world-building and unique magic system are great concepts, but the book throws so many names and terms at you that it often feels like you need a glossary just to keep up. I appreciated the dark themes and the emotional depth, but some of the character choices like a slap that goes unaddressed and an unnecessary focus on the heroine's virginity, left me with questions. Ultimately, if you're a fan of a particular kind of dark romantasy with a heavy dose of angst and betrayal, you might just devour this. But if you're a new reader expecting a polished, standalone fantasy, you might find it to be a frustrating and disjointed read.

#RoseInChains #Netgalley

5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

I was hooked from beginning till the end with this book, it was such a wild, intriguing and intense ride. So much action, intensity?? Power?? You got me there.

Bri is such a queen character, doesn’t back down, truly refreshing. Was so great to see how much more she developed into her magic like the queen she is.

And Toven??? Where do I begin? I was waiting for him to enter the book, it got even more interesting then. I’m so curious about his character, I’d honestly love to be inside his head. The fact I underestimated him, but swear he and his fam are more than we think..

Then the tension between those two??? I was on edge, I need more MORE M O R E! And the ending?? I’m sorry??? I’ve got so much more questions than before, I can’t wait to see how book 2 is going to be like.

I was fully obsessed with this book! I loved the angst and drama and the slow burn slow burned 🥰
This book is dark, so check triggers, however if you pick this one up you won't regret it!