Julie Soto
Forever - Hachette
8 July 2025
464
eBook - EPUB
Romantasy
ARC via Edelweiss
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, 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.
Stripped of her Mind Magic and her freedom, Briony and the other survivors are quickly auctioned off to the highest bidders in an auction – and as the heir-apparent’s sister, she fetches the highest price.
After a fierce bidding war, she’s sold to none other than Toven a high ranking Bomardsun – and her long-time and ill-fated infatuation. Scion of a family known for their cruel control of Heart Magic, the Hearsts are ruthlessly ambitious, and Briony knows they will use her however they can to further their own interests.
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…
Rose in Chains was a mostly enjoyable start to a new romantasy trilogy by Julie Soto. Briony was a tad annoying at times, but not unbearably so, and I did enjoy the evolving relationship between her and Toven, who was suitably brooding. This book ticks a lot of trope boxes yet still manages to present some fresh ideas. The world building was generally good; I wasn't left with too many questions, always getting the information I needed. The pacing slowed now and then but, again, was mostly good, and the story ended on a cliffhanger that did leave me wanting to learn what would happen next. All up a solid opening that is sure to please fans of the genre, and I would certainly be interested to read on to book two.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
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