Rose in Chains

The magic system in Rose in Chains, central Soto’s world-building, revolves around the distinction between two forms of magic: mind magic and heart magic. This fictional system evokes an idea that goes back to antiquity: that of a dichotomy between the emotions (symbolized by the heart) and the intellect (the mind or brain). In the world of Rose in Chains, the heart is seen as inherently more authentic and natural, while the mind is suspect—seen as treacherous, duplicitous, and manipulative. Mallow, the novel’s chief antagonist, rises to power by exploiting this anti-intellectual prejudice to stoke distrust between Bomard and Evermore: “We are the true magic…Mind magic isn’t an evolved magic. It is conniving and duplicitous. The Eversuns want to keep you weak, to take away your familiars, and to sever your heartspring bonds. But we are stronger than them, and they know it” (47). Mallow’s rhetoric derives its power from a claim of authenticity: She wants the Bomardi to think that they are more authentic than the Eversuns and that their claims to authority are therefore inherently legitimate, while the “duplicitous” claims of the Eversuns are inherently illegitimate.