Rose in Chains

by Julie Soto

Read Dates: 6/28/25 to 6/29/25

Review

I really liked the story and overall plot—it was engaging, well-paced, and had enough going on to keep me invested the whole way through. But I have to be honest: the main character drove me a little nuts. For someone who’s supposed to be intelligent and capable, her thought processes were surprisingly juvenile and self-centered. I kept thinking, Girl, seriously? It was like she had no emotional awareness or clue how the people around her felt, even when it was painfully obvious to the reader. With the kind of background she came from, I expected more maturity or at least a little more insight. Instead, I found myself constantly wanting to shake some sense into her.

She’s definitely book smart, but when it comes to people and emotional intelligence, she’s in the shallow end. It wasn’t enough to ruin the story for me, but it did make her a three-star character in an otherwise solid four-star book. Thankfully, the plot held it all together, and I’m still really looking forward to the next book in the series. I'm hoping we’ll see some growth from her because I genuinely want to root for her—I just need her to catch up emotionally to the story she’s in.