WHEN I CATCH YOU JULIE SOTO! HOW DARE YOU WRITE THIS ABSOLUTE MASTEPIECE THAT HAUNTS MY DREAMS. YOU MUST COMPENSATE FOR ELEVATING MY HEART LEVELS BECAUSE I NEARLY HAD MUTLIPLE HEART ATTACKS READING THIS.

Warning- this book is DARK. If you do not like DARK romantasy, you should not be picking this up and honestly, I don’t care for your review. The whole premise of the book is on the synopsis- these women are being AUCTIONED off after war to the victors of the war and are being exploited! Princess Briony starts the book by learning her brother, the prophesied, one is dead. Their kingdom has been taken over, their mind magic has been banned, and Mallow has won the war. Yes, awful things are going to happen in this book.

I know I am biased because this book has all my favourite tropes

• Childhood rivals to something more
• Slow burn
• Forced proximity
• Hidden agendas
• Flashbacks
• Familiars
• Morally grey characters
• Heartbreaking sisterhood

Yes, I have read the Auction (only after I read Rose in Chains) We of course do not review fanfiction- but I want to make it unequivocally clear that I love Rose in Chains more. I really think the magic system, world building and the relationship dynamics between Toven and Briony show that amazing fanfiction can absolutely be adapted for publication and be elevated and turned into something truly original. I want to give Julie Soto her flowers in this regard (a blooming rose bouquet of course).

The magic system and world building

Julie Soto put thought and time into developing her magic system and the world building aspect of this book and it shows. I absolutely loved the conflict between using mind magic (Briony’s kingdom) and heart magic (Mallow’s kingdom) and the philosophical questions each one brings. I loved that Soto fleshed out how these two magic systems actually work and showed us how our main characters were able to enhance their magic. The incorporation of meditation into the magic systems was very interesting and made a lot of sense. I also like how the magic systems form a seed of conflict between Toven and Briony as each character looks down upon the use of the other’s magic system.

I also really enjoyed the flashback to their school days. You realize all the different connections and underlying tensions between the characters. It is also a horrifying example of how when some men are given power and agency over women, the true beast within them come out. Many of the vile men we see in the books went to school with the women that later became their slaves. Because they of the political regime at the time, they were unable to act out their grossest fantasies. At most, they were jerks who made vague, sinister threats.

However, when given that full power and agency, they treat these women, their former classmates like playthings to be used! What a sinister parallel to the world we live in today. This book also really highlights the “hive mentality” as particularly when the boys come together, we see the women being used as a social tool to establish dominance within the group. Would any of these boys have the balls to act the way they do if they were not supported by Mallow’s regime? The simple answer is no. That is what makes their behaviour even more disgusting to watch. Even Toven is forced to perform – a true reflection of how everyone, even men, are hurt by toxic masculinity and unhealthy patriarchal systems.

Toven and Briony

I adored our two main characters. With Briony, I think in a heavily saturated romantasy space often female main characters bleed to one another. However, Briony was someone I found unique, relatable and her perspective was a joy to read. Despite being in captivity and having her agency stripped away from her, Briony found meaningful ways to assert and resist Mallow’s regime. I found her dynamic with her brother interesting to read through and reflect upon because she does so much invisible labour for him and is clearly restricted as a woman when she is more competent than he is to rule. I love that Briony is not completely naïve to Toven’s feelings towards her. The question is- how far do those feelings stretch? Are the feelings enough to seduce him into turning over his ideals to spare her further captivity? Or is his families ambivalent nature more of a reflection that the war has not truly been won?

Toven is a testament to what a great writer Julie Soto is. We always filter our opinion of Toven through Briony and her feelings towards him. Yet, Soto tells us a lot about Toven with the tiny observations she makes, that Briony herself cannot fully understand. She does so in a way that doesn’t make Briony totally naïve and does not paint Toven in a fully heroic light. Toven is morally grey- he is a man full of plenty of internal struggles not just towards Briony but his ideals and beliefs about the magic system.

If you are a sucker for slow burn, THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU. Most writers who attempt slow burn do not know how to do tension, relationship dynamics changing, pacing and pining. This book on the other hand, has done it perfectly. These two already had mutual feelings for one another and were classmates who knew one another before the war which greatly helps this book from veering towards the Stockholm syndrome” problem. There was a good possibility of them ending up in an arrange marriage to preserve the political alliance between the two kingdoms, prior to Mallow’s ascension to power. All of this forms an added complex layer to their relationship. There is very little spice in this book between Toven and Briony which is perfect because you can focus on the deeper bond forming between the two characters. I love how they challenge each other’s beliefs about the world yet also subtly influence the other to see things in a different way.

Sisterhood

What sets this romantasy apart from the others is the sisterhood displayed among the girls during the auction. They all are going though a horrific traumatic experience, and it is horrifying and heartbreaking to see the different ways these girls cope with their prolonged captivity and their degradation. The small acts of defiance and bonding with one another really digs at your heart, especially when you know this has happened throughout history. It really made me reflect on the resilience of women and the complexities of trying to survive unimaginable horrors. Will never look at grapes the same way again.

Mallow

What a villain! I love that Julie Soto decided to make the antagonist of this story a woman because, unfortunately, many women in power do co-sign/directly cause the sexual and criminal exploitation of other women in real life. That is what makes Mallow such an amazing villain. Her villainy is rooted in the evil we see in the world today. However, because Mallow is still operating in a fundamentally patriarchal society, we understand why she is so ruthless. (Doesn’t justify her behaviour; it only makes her more complex.). Particularly at the end, we realize how fragile a hold on power is, which is very reflective of real-life revolutions.

Overall writing

The pacing of this book was phenomenal, particularly considering this is only book one in a trilogy. There was a nice blend of world-building, plot reveals, and character development. I was always fearful for Briony’s safety, dignity, and mental wellbeing and for the other girls too. As strange as it sounds, Soto was not afraid to “hurt” the girls (which is necessary to establish the stakes and the trauma they are going through), but none of the sexual and emotional violence felt gratuitous. I commend both Soto and her editors because clearly, they thought through how to write a war story with inherent violence and subjugation of women central to the plot.

Conclusion

My favorite romantasy of 2025! Yes, I said it. So happy we have two more books to look forward to (although my impatient self may have binged the Auction afterwards). It doesn’t matter because I can see this story is diverging from the Auction so excited to see what happens.

I am eternally grateful to Netgalley UK and Harper Collins UK for gifting me an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review,

Thank you Netgalley, HarperCollins UK, and Julie Soto for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I do not wish to go into detail as to why.

This. Was. Everything.

I’m so, so annoyed at myself for waiting this long to pluck up the courage and read this piece of art. I had no knowledge of the originating story, The Auction. In a way I’m glad I didn’t as I got to come into this story with a fresh mind.

I just loved everything about the premise. I found the heart and mind magic systems to be so well thought out and written. The yearning between Briony and Toven throughout the story. The secrets going on between the Hearst family.

This is one that kept me guessing throughout and I’m still annoyed at how many questions I have after reading it. What happened with Toven and Larissa? Are the Hearsts the good guys? What’s up with Rory and the Dragon?

Just please give me the second book ASAP, I beg of you.

There are no thoughts in my brain other than I NEED BOOK TWO RIGHT NOW. Julie Soto you WILL be hearing from my therapist.

This book is about our FMC, Briony Rosewood, who at the start of the book has just lost her twin brother in the war they were actively in. This event capulets her in the new world where she's now being sold to the highest bidder in an auction, along with all her friends and family. This story is a dark fantasy so check the trigger warnings!

From the plot, to the relationship, to the found family there are no flaws in this book, not even one. This was so lush and captivating and dark and delicious — i could go on and on. The magic system in this world is so fucking cool; the mind and heart magic is so descriptive, you're able to imagine it so clearly in your head. I truly don't think I’ve ever read a book where reading about the characters using magic had me getting goosebumps. I can’t wait to see even more about the magic and learn more of the lore in the next books because I just know our main characters are going to become even more powerful and their magic is going to evolve with their character growth.

I need to talk about Julie Soto’s phenomenal writing. She’s truly a master at her craft because not only was her writing style just amazing, but the way she's able to convey the emotions our characters are feeling is truly a talent. My chest was physically hurting for the majority of the book. The past chapters were woven so beautifully in with the present — I’m usually not a fan of past/present because it always takes me out of the story, but with this they were perfectly placed to give us lore on the world and the characters. I’m just in awe of Ms. Soto.

Toven and Briony are EVERYTHING to me. The yearning!!! The angst!!! The flirting!!! He’s such a kind man — he’s portrayed as her enemy for obvious reasons, but from the interactions that he has with her and how protective and careful he’s with her, we can tell he’s actually just so soft and sweet. He’s just not allowed to be because of the environment and world they live in and I just want to protect him. Julie Soto PLEASE give me a Toven POV chapter, I’ll do anything.

My favourite trope of all time is found family and the way Briony got adopted into Toven’s family made me genuinely sob. Since day one they have always treated her like one of their own and the way we get more insight as the book goes on is storytelling at its finest. Serena’s and Briony’s relationship is so perfect and i need to see more of them in future books. Same with Orion, because he’s so mean, but every time there has been any issues he never blames Briony and he has always looks out for her. and THAT scene — “Two candles. Two parents. The mother cleanses, the father bleeds her.” …. yeah dont get me started, I’ve been staving off a breakdown for months because of this goddamn masterpiece of a book.

Honestly could keep going and write an essay on how this a perfect book and also just a perfect first book in a trilogy, but I'll refrain. I've preordered both editions of this book and I highly recommend you grab yourself a copy of this book too. Thank you so so so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review! (I'll give you my first born for the ARC of the next book please.)

4.5⭐

Thank you HarperVoyager UK, Harper Collins UK, HarperFiction, Magpie Books, Julie Soto and NetGalley for the ARC!

Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, Briony Rosewood knows that the world as she knows it is changed forever. The dark forces of Bomard have won and her people, the Eversuns, face imminent servitude, imprisonment or death. Her brother, fated to be heir twice over and unite the warring kingdoms, is dead.

Julie Soto delivers a dark, gripping romantasy in Rose in Chains, packed with high-stakes tension, slow-burning attraction, and a richly developed magical world.

The romance between Briony and Toven is filled with emotional conflict and a mix of attraction, frustration, and forbidden tension.

There's tension and yearning while Briony and Toven are forced to conform to their roles, leading to a complex web of emotions. For the most part, it's very well-written, and I didn't want to put it down despite its heavy premise. I was transported into another world brimming with magic, war and politics, and I enjoyed the flashbacks for context.

Overall, a really incredible read! I adore this universe and I’m so eager to see what happens next, I have so many questions and things I want to see, I know this book hasn’t even been officially released yet but I’m already yearning for the next one!

Thank you, NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So far, I’ve loved the books by Julie Soto that I’ve read, so I was curious to see what she’d do with Romantasy. I believe this used to be a fanfiction, but as I’ve never read said fanfic, I can’t confirm whether that’s true and how much has been changed.

First and foremost - this book is dark. Even though the blurb hints at it, I didn’t expect that after reading Julie Soto‘s fluffy romances. So please read the trigger warnings and heed them.
But it was good.

The book starts out with plenty of action and it’s brutal.
I immediately fell in love with Briony, who’s smart and strongwilled. I loved the flashbacks explaining the history and character relationships and while I don’t expect any fantastic reveals, I was happy to see that there were already plenty of ambiguous characters. Not everything is black and white. I do wish we had seen more of Briony outside of school, but before everything happened. She’s supposed to be 24 - but I sometimes felt like she was a teenager, even though she behaved very maturely, because most of the flashbacks are from her time at school.

The world building confused me for some time, but I got there. The magic was a bit hard to grasp, but I enjoyed the system.
The writing style was lovely and really grabbed me.

Over the course of the book, the characters were fleshed out even more. Some were a bit too cliche in my opinion, but it was fine. Briony did annoy me slightly with her infatuation. I wish there had been more hatred and a stronger will to get away from Toven. I really loved him though, he’s great.

The book does slow down after the beginning. There’s less action and the story is more focused on the relationship between Briony and Toven. However, while this book is Romantasy, I would say that there isn’t that big of a focus on the romance. I feel like the relationship is more about being allies and while there is definitely loads of tension, and we do get some romantic moments, this is not the kind of book that smothers you in fluff or spice. The story still continues. There’s politics and scheming and it was enough to keep me curious.

The ending was good. I wasn’t surprised by the twist and usually it’s the kind of thing that annoys me, but it worked.

I’d like to read book 2 please.

As a longtime fan of Julie Soto’s work, I thought five stars would be enough to sum up my love for "Rose in Chains"—but absolutely not!! This book deserves all the stars, a crown, and maybe a dramatic reenactment in the town square.

I’ve been following this story since its early WIP days online, refreshing my inbox for new AO3 updates like a literary addict. To now hold this brilliant, aching, gorgeously woven tale in my hands as a physical book? It’s a surreal dream come true.

Julie didn’t just meet expectations, she demolished them. I came in wanting to treat "Rose in Chains" as its own entity, and it absolutely stands on its own as a richly developed, addictively emotional fantasy romance. The worldbuilding is impeccably layered. The plot is utterly absorbing. The emotional depth? Enough to make even the coldest hearts feel something.

Briony and Toven’s dynamic had me in a chokehold. Dual timelines (flashbacks and present-day POVs) are used to masterful effect, building a slow-burn tension that’s both devastating and delicious. There’s nothing better than enemies to lovers - except enemies to lovers who pretend to hate each other while secretly burning up with longing, and protecting each other in ways they’ll never admit out loud.

I’ve seen some discourse about the pacing, but personally? I think it's spot-on. With two more books on the horizon, it feels like Julie is letting the story breathe and unfurl exactly as it should. I’m thrilled that certain plotlines have shifted from the original, and the fact that I don’t know what’s coming has me counting down the days until book two.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the e-ARC—it truly means the world. This one’s going to fly off our shelves.

📚 Recommending for fans of:
Star-crossed lovers and high-stakes longing
Court intrigue with a slow-burn twist
That perfect enemies-to-lovers tension
Characters who break your heart and stitch it back together

Do yourself a favor and pre-order now. Your bookshelf will thank you.

Basic info:
- Fantasy romance/Romantsy
- Single POV, 3rd person, double timeline
- Part of a series (a trilogy as of the date of this review)

Tropes & hooks:
- Initially it was a Dramione fanfic
- Two rivaling nations and types of magic
- FMC sold on an auction + captor/captive
- Prophecy/Chosen one

My opinion:
- I haven't read the original fanfic, but I do know a lot of people love it. Since I haven't red it I can't make any comparisons on that front.
- The writing is very simple, you can really see this came from a fanfic. I do believe the writing is different form other Julie's books.
- World-building. The base of the word-building is interesting: two rivaling nations with two different types of magic. I'm not sure though if it was explained well enough. There are things I don't understand and have question about. Like for example how you determine what type of magic are going to be using? Why each county have chosen exactly that type of magic? Can everyone use both type of magic, or is this something unique? Why do both nations hate each other? And this are just some of my questions. I don't know if it's me or the book.
- Characters. There are so many characters, I sometimes just get lost especially in the battle scenes or any other scenes involving a lot of characters. "Who is who?" and "who is where?" were my constant questions. I believe in the original fanfic this is not a problem since we already familiar all the characters.
- The romance. The romance is still developing, we don't get anything definitive in this book. It really looks like we are getting a slow burn here. We see how Toven and Briony interacted years before when they were in the school and their interactions nowadays, when she is his property so to speak. I can see that Toven is ready to do anything to protect Briony, but I'm still not sure I saw or understood how or why they actually fell in love. We might get more on this in the next book.
- I do need some more explication on all the actions taken by Toven and his family and especially on their motives and what is their final goal. Why are they on the side they are on? I can deduce some of it, but I need confirmation to see if I understand everything right. I do believe it could be something we expand in the next books on.
- All in all, despite everything I told before, I did enjoy reading this book and I'm interested in continuing the series. The plot kept me invested in reading this book.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, my thanks to everyone involved in ARC distribution,

Not my favorite in fantasy but I enjoy It, I think is something releate in the type of writting.
For a romantasy is good if you like enemies to lovers

So so goooooood!!!

This was my first time diving into a Dramione-inspired story, and what a way to start. The world-building is dark and immersive, blending the intense emotional tension between the leads with a completely fresh magical setting that pulled me in right away.

The story doesn’t waste any time — it throws you straight into the action, with flashbacks that add depth and context without slowing the pace. While the plot tackles some very heavy topics like slavery and sexual violence, it’s handled with a sensitivity and realism that adds weight without feeling gratuitous. Don’t let that scare you off — it’s powerful and well done.

All in all, this is the slowest of slow burns wrapped in a haunting romantasy world, and I’m beyond excited to see where the rest of the series goes!

I love that all of the dramione fanfics are being published and keeping us FED! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

Briony Rosewood is a princess of Eversun, and her twin brother is the chosen one - prophesied to save them all. Except Briony is more magically powerful than him and has been secretly boosting him for their whole lives. But when their kingdom is invaded by their former allies, Briony is captured, auctioned to the highest bidder and sent to live with the blonde and brooding Toven Hearst - her school rival who she's always secretly had a crush on.

'Rose in Chains' is a reworking of a popular fic called 'The Auction' with new characters and a new fantasy world. I enjoyed some of the new elements but there were a few aspects I struggled with. There were a LOT of characters in the beginning - which was tricky as I couldn't remember who everyone was. I also couldn't take a villain called 'Veronika Mallow' seriously - it doesn't seem a very intimidating name and I kept imagining Veronica Mars saying, 'I'm a marshmallow'.

A lot of the plot elements were identical to the original fic - apart from the ending which diverged in preparation for a sequel. An enjoyable read, and I liked Briony and Toven, but I don't think this was as successful a reimagining as 'The Irresistible Urge to Fall for Your Enemy' - which I loved.

Rose in Chains is an incredible romantasy that ticks all the boxes—intriguing politics, royalty, extraordinary powers, and a tantalising slow-burn romance. Initially, I thought this would dive into the darker side of romance, but to my surprise, it unfolded into a beautifully crafted slow-burn romantasy. The plot captivated me from the very first page, effortlessly drawing me into its world.

One of the elements I adored most was the seamless interplay between the present and the past. Writing time shifts can be tricky, but the author executed them flawlessly—I never felt lost. It was fascinating to see the contrasts and connections between the current events and the past.

Ah, Chapter 33—pure brilliance. It’s the one you’ll want to savour; trust me on this.

The emotional depth in the storyline and the dynamics between the two main characters were phenomenal. Their journey was so gripping that I genuinely couldn’t put the book down.

I would recommend Rose in Chains to fans of ACOTAR, From Blood and Ash, or These Twisted Bonds. It will stay with you long after you finish reading

Absolutely delicious!

I haven't read anything based off dramione before so this dark world was the perfect introduction, it kept all the key angsty aspects of their relationship whilst totally forging a whole new world with spell-binding magic and characters who just immerse you in the story.

I love that we started straight off into the action with the flashbacks to the build-up set the scene perfectly, the whole premise of the book is quite dark, involving slavery and heavy topics of SA and r4pe but it was handled in such as way it felt real and sensitively done so don't let this put you off! Briony was such a standout FMC for me, she was strong, clever and so determined to figure out what was going on and fan the flames of a revolution she didn't even know was still burning. And TOVEN, my man my man, I just know I'm going to love him already. He's very clearly different from the rest of the bomardi boys (as is his family!!) but there are layerssssss to unpack here.

Overall, this was the most delicious, slowest of slow burns in a dark, twisted romantasy world, I can't wait to see what happens with the rest of the series!

Rose in Chains is an incredibly addictive read. It is a dark romantic fantasy with a interesting magical world. It is inspired by Dramione fanfiction and although I have not read any Dramione fanfiction you can definitely see the basis of that world within this book yet it is also something new and unique. The book follows Briony, the Evermore Princess, as she is taken prisoner when Evermore lose a war with the dark forces and auctioned off to the highest bidder. We also get flashbacks to Briony's time at school before the war when both countries were educated together. I loved the character development of both the main characters and also the glimpses we get of the wider cast and the role they may play as the series progresses.
The pacing is so well done in this book and the tension and build up between characters is brilliant. It has the slowest of slow burn romances and I am dying to read the next book. I haven't stopped thinking about this world and the characters since I finished this book.
Absolutely loved this book and am desperate to read what happens next!

Fantastic read with difficult subject matter. Will definitely be reading the next in the series - it would have been 5 star if we had a little more of the story in the first book and less build up

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!
I had to get into the world at first. But after that, I really enjoyed the story. It was magically dark but also romantic. I am looking forward to book two!

With a slow-burn romance to die for, this high-stakes romantasy will leave you breathless and begging for more.
I was once again blown away by Julie Soto's writing - she fully immerses you into her stories and makes you feel all the feelings alongside her incredible characters.

We love a strong FMC, and with the added female friendships - I was sold on this empowering cast.

The slow-burn was s l o w, but done incredibly well.

Whilst I do still see some similarities to the fanfiction, it has been adapted enough that unless you're in the know, you won't be affected much.

I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy, and whilst I am impatiently biding my time, a reread is definitely in order!

A fantastic fantasy romance story with a lush fantasy setting and a heart stopping romance. I am a huge fan of the original fa fiction this was based on and was eager to see how Julie would adapt the story and I can wholeheartedly say it’s just as incredible as the fanfiction. Prepared to be obsessed with Toven and Brinoey. I can’t not wait to continue on with this series.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

This book was a wild ride! This is my first Julie Soto book and I don't think it'll be my last. This book was intense, lush, and from the 40% mark onwards had me hooked. The last 100 pages? Could not put this down! It was very easy to read and very easy to binge. I found the worldbuilding to be solid, the characters well written, and the magic system wasn't overly complicated.

This book was very atmospheric and there were so many little moments I loved. The ending was good and perfectly set up the next book, which I can't wait for!

I do wish that the pacing was a little better. I found the book hard to get into at the beginning, however once we hit the 40% mark I was fine. I also found that the changes to flashbacks took away from the main story a little as it would happen after "big" moments in the main story. I did enjoy the flashbacks! I just wish they'd been integrated a bit more smoothly in to the story.

I really enjoyed this book and I'm eagerly anticipating book two!