Charlotte Kersten

Summary

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…

Review/brief thoughts

The man owns the woman but he takes care of her and protects her. All the violent acts against her are just acting, necessary to keep his place of power in the authoritarian regime (to protect her), so they don’t actually impact her. All of the violent acts against others to maintain his place of power in the authoritarian regime (to protect her) are, well, ? She actually loves and desires the man even though he’s quite mean and whiny. His ownership is not a real, tangible power difference or form of violence that divides them in any way. Her agency is expressed in her willingness to playact sex slavery and abuse by the man For The Cause. She is normally very practical and bookish but she has to wear makeup and braless dresses but she is only doing it For The Cause.

For those of you who do not know, this is the reskinned tradpub version of the popular Harry Potter fanfiction The Auction. The Auction was bad and this book is bad, and here are a few additional things that stand out:

-The new, non-Harry Potter world-building is about as elaborate as the descriptions of a made-up European country for a Hallmark movie with a Christmas Prince

-The magic system divides magic into “heart magic” and “mind magic,” the key difference being where the practitioner decides to source the magic from in their body. Idk if Julie Soto knows that in order to consciously direct power from your heart into creating magic, you would still have to use your brain to do it

-Someone was clearly responsible for helping her dial back the more egregious bits of The Auction, including the Draco sexual assault scene, the gang rape of the 13 year old hostage who then falls in love with the adult man who is pretending to own her after that, and the fact that Hermione repeatedly expresses jealousy towards whoever Draco is pretending to abuse when she can’t go to the wizard Nazi parties. Also the mentions of magic being used in American chattel slavery and Native American genocide are gone because this is a secondary world, thank god, and the only “heartspring” woman of color in this book is specifically, deliberately described as being owned by a man of color….phew, you sure saved yourself there, Julie!!!! Extremely respectful choice.

-SHE THINKS HER TWIN BROTHER IS DEAD. She believes he has been killed by the regime that Draco/Toven belongs to and participates in! Briony seems to forget about this a lot but I remembered through every contrived scene of bickering, banter, hurt/comfort, playacting, and sexual mind invasion. I remembered.

-They have to put her virginity in a jar (??????) because the dictator lady is extremely personally invested in confirming that Toven is raping Briony. Truly do not know where to begin in unpacking the implications of this but my dear friend and I are Writing Something about The Auction/Rose in Chains and Manacled/Alchemised so I better think of something to say at some point idk.