Rose in Chains
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4.6 • 172 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
#1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Soto crafts a lush, dark romantic fantasy filled with intrigue, magic, and an irresistible enemies-to-lovers romance.
The war is over, the dark forces have won, and the hero who was supposed to save them is dead.
Captured as her castle is overrun by the enemy, the world as Briony Rosewood knows it is changed forever. Evil has won, and her people face imminent servitude, imprisonment, or death.
Stripped of her Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly sold off to the highest bidders in an auction—and as Evermore's princess, she fetches the highest price. After a fierce bidding war, she’s sold to none other than Toven Hearst, scion of a family known for their cruelty.
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…
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this thorny, series-launching romantasy, Soto (Forget Me Not) introduces a war-torn world split in half by magic forces. Princess Briony Rosewood, twin sister to the heir of Evermore, Rory Rosewood, is a master of mind magic. The people of neighboring Bomard, meanwhile, practice heart magic and the country has outlawed all mind magic following the ascension of Veronika Mallow to the Seat of Bomard. Veronika declares war on Evermore, which falls to her dark forces, leaving Briony captured and vulnerable. Along with other Evermore hostages, she is sold at auction to serve as someone's heartspring, a living source of magic more powerful than an animal familiar. To Briony's shock, her new owner is her former classmate Toven Hearst, heir to the sadistic Bomardi family. Briony won't surrender her dignity without a fight—but Toven is not what he seems, and Briony's time with him soon leads her to the heart of a brewing revolution. While allusions to sexual assault and on-page human trafficking place this firmly in the dark romance subgenre, Soto handles these difficult topics with delicacy and respect. The worldbuilding is robust, with Soto not shying away from the realities of war, and the political intrigue and enemies-to-lovers romantic drama keep the pages turning. Readers will be eager for more.
Customer Reviews
LOVED
Finished in 48 hours. Couldn’t put it down. The change between past and present made the story so much more interesting. So sad I have to wait for the next! Slow burn for sure.
Amazing
Amazing. Worth the wait!!
Wasn’t expecting that
Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting this to actually be an epic romance fantasy. I’ve enjoyed Soto’s other books. I think I was hoping for a little more spice between the two main characters only because I didn’t know it would end abruptly setting the stage for a second book. It was pretty well written. A lot of characters to remember in the beginning. I’m not sure if I like or dislike Briony. She seems extremely naive and childish at times. Also, do they always have to argue?? That got kind of old. I’m invested though and will read the sequel. I hope that has more romance.