Sneak Peek: Rose in Chains by Julie Soto

**ON OUR BOOKSHELF**

*Rose in Chains*
by Julie Soto
The long-awaited publication of Julie’s Dramione fanfic, *The Auction,* has arrived!

It’s here: our next romantasy obsession. Whatever your expectations, get ready for them to be surpassed.

Praise the true queen, Julie Soto. She’s created a universe that I am absolutely obsessed with, and I plan on reading this book over and over until the rest of the series comes out because I cannot get enough.

Grateful to have received an advanced reader’s copy of Rose in Chains via NetGalley!

The Sneak Peek

Briony Rosewood is the spare. She has spent her life fading in the sidelines, shining the spotlight on her twin brother, making sure he’s top of the class, the most powerful. All because of a prophecy that declared he was destined to be the kingdom’s savior. But when her brother falls, Briony is captured when her castle is overrun by the enemy, the dark forces of Bomard.

Briony is stripped of her Mind Magic and enslaved along with other Eversun survivors, auctioned to the highest bidders among the enemy. Unfortunately for Briony, the nightmare that is her new life only grows darker when the winning bidder is Toven Hearst, a high-ranking Bomardsun — and longtime recipient of her unrequited infatuation.

The Hearsts are ruthlessly ambitious and extremely powerful. And when Briony finds herself in their possession, she must adapt to survive.

What Victoria Loved

VICTORIA’S RATING: 4.5/5

From the moment Briony saw the explosion and felt her brother’s bond disappear from her chest, I was on the edge of my seat and turning the pages faster and faster. I could not stop fidgeting. I mean, the freaking auction. I read dark romance for fun, but this had my heart POUNDING in anticipation even though I knew what to expect from the synopsis. But really, Julie delivers so much more.

First, there’s her magical system and this universe. Now, I wouldn’t call myself a romantasy expert, but the idea of heart and mind magic is new and unique to me. Admittedly, it took me a few chapters to understand the difference between the types of magic — the school scenes help! But by the time it clicked, I was convinced I had heart or mind magic (I still may believe this because I’ve since gone back to practicing meditation, determined to tug on some threads when I’ve managed to clear my mind and access my library). I may have mapped out and annotated the entire first 25% of the book to understand the magic and the characters’ relationships. But once I made it through that bit of outlining, it all just fell into place and it’s absolutely astounding how addicting this is.

Second, we have the narrative structure. The story unfolds in a dual timeline which jumps between present day and the eight years prior while Briony and Toven are in school, jumping ahead a year with each flashback until present day. But with each visit to the past, we unravel the perceived truth, only to be met with more pain and frustration… and more questions.

Third, forbidden unrequited love. That’s all.

Warning: This is the SLOWEST burn. But you’ll rip through it to find out what happens between Toven and Briony. And this is a closed door romance, but there’s A LOT of implied sexual activity among the supporting cast. The tension building was SO beautifully done, I was just waiting for it to snap. The good (and bad) news? This is a trilogy! Which is great for us because there’s no way I wanted to this story to end… but also horrible because now we have to wait for the next two books. I do hope that we get more action in Books 2 or 3 because we know Julie has it in her, or I’ll be extremely disappointed and dissatisfied.

Pre-order your copy of Rose in Chains (Amazon) and read with me!

Favorite Scene

“Toven Hearst stared at her, and she tried to hold on to the times he'd been decent. The way he hated when the other boys were crass. The way he flirted, rather than intimidated.”

- ROSE IN CHAINS by Julie Soto

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BY THE AUTHOR:
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