Queen of the Scalpel

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She was a terrible Queen in her first life and was executed along with her family. In her second life she was a orphan but became a genius surgeon to atone for her past sin as Queen. However she died in a plane crash without fulfilling her wish. When she opened her eyes she had travel back in time when she was a noble.This time she will give it her all to avoid the prince and help people. She won’t be Queen or cause her family any trouble by being a surgeon. However the king is determined to make her his daughter in law.

Associated Names
One entry per line
Doctor Elise: The Royal Lady with the Lamp
Nữ Vương Đích Thủ Thuật Đao
外科医生爱丽丝
女王的手术刀
외과의사 엘리제
Related Series
N/A
Recommendations
Daughter of the Emperor (1)
Suddenly Became A Princess One Day (1)
The Special Agent Princess (1)
The Pharmacist Lady’s Secret Trading (1)
My In-laws Are Obsessed With Me (1)
Doctor Player (1)
Recommendation Lists
  1. Transmigrator, Regressor or Reincarnator FEMALE MC
  2. Doctors | Medicos
  3. Mine Favorite
  4. Romance
  5. Fav Kr novels

Latest Release

Date Group Release
06/20/22 The Enchanted Forest c1 part9
12/18/21 The Enchanted Forest c1 part8
11/03/21 The Enchanted Forest ss 1 part7
06/15/21 The Enchanted Forest ss 1 part6
06/06/21 The Enchanted Forest ss 1 part6
05/30/21 The Enchanted Forest ss 1 part5
04/20/21 The Enchanted Forest ss 1 part4
03/14/21 The Enchanted Forest ss 1 part3
03/10/21 The Enchanted Forest ss 1 part2
03/10/21 The Enchanted Forest ss 1 part1
Write a Review
16 Reviews sorted by


shoujoenima
shoujoenima rated it
November 26, 2018
Status: --
I have read the webnovel for this and it's a really interesting book! Right now the MC is on her third lifetime, she learned her lesson hard when she was executed during her first lifetime since she was an abusive queen. During her 2nd lifetime, she was an orphan, she vowed to make up for her past mistakes during her 1st lifetime thus she became a great doctor. Sadly, she died again and went back her first lifetime, before her marriage to the prince. She was infamous to be evil... more>> and her changes peaked the prince's interest in her.

I look forward to more of the story, I'm so glad someone picked this up! Kudos to the translator!! <<less
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MsBibliophile
MsBibliophile rated it
October 19, 2020
Status: Completed
I'll be honest, I finished the novel b/c of the art (sue me, I'm a hoe for good art). I'll probably continue following the manhwa.

+1 For having a strong start and potential

+0.5 Actual story and character development (or lack of. At least the initial state of the characters didn't annoy me so I can tolerate minimal development)

... more>> +1 Beautiful art from manhwa (A reference so I can visualize scenes when reading the novel)

+1 Medical terminology

It's a nice filler for time, but nothing remarkable. I did like random throwback to medical terminology (finally, a book that I can somewhat relate to). Super unrealistic, can be bland at times. Elise is just too OP. Eh, at least the isekai is done appropriately (if you are going to be granted a do over, not once, not twice, you better as heck be competent at your job the third time).

Spoiler

I don't like the second ML. Honestly, I hate love triangles so he was doomed to begin with, but he was clearly in the wrong, yet people always like to fixate on the fact that first ML killed MC in their previous life (when MC even admits she deserved to die, she probably wasn't a great person). Problem is, the writer made Elise TOO saintly, so now the mere thought of her being executed ever is triggering people who have protag bias (which is the fault of the writer, Mary Sues are hard to fault/hate but are also not the most interesting of characters).

Readers will excuse anything if the guy is nice to the MC (and then condemn him to hell if he is wrong to the MC, even if he might be right in the context of the situation). Michael was a selfish brother who was eyeing his brother's wife, after ALREADY trying to displace Linden (who ended up developing into a proper character). What is likeable about him besides his inherent charm to MC - his other actions don't come across like "the nice guy" to the other people. Just because he thinks he is justified (protecting his mom, who DID THE WRONG THING TO BEGIN WITH) doesn't make him right to move in and try to take EVERYTHING away from Linden. People were actually cheering for Michael to swoop in and win Elise? The f*ck is this?!

Such a moment of "tragic backstory doesn't excuse actions" somehow not applying to Michael b/c he is a charming playboy who changed his playboy ways after meeting "not one of the girls" Elise. After reading KR novels, I feel like there should be a graph showing the proportion of sh*tty things you can do in relation to how nice you are to the female lead - seems like the allowance for selfishness goes up exponentially the nicer you are to the female lead (the antagonists were doomed, they are just cannon fodder. Female leads can run wild with any action, villainess or not). Too much protag bias in KR novels; it's why I stay away from revenge fulfillment/villainess getting revenge novels, I don't like female leads starting off so OP and then steamrolling the competition. I prefer isekai with the concept of bettering themselves or fixing mistakes - in most times, you see more character development from those novels.

Rant aside, I liked Linden more b/c he had more build up with Elise. He showed more character growth in contrast to his previous life (even if he grew into a lovesick puppy).

Elise had too many people tripping over themselves to get with her. Writer should have just focused on the core romance and developed it better. I don't need guys to glorify why MC is amazing; I need you to show it to me with her actions (but then, writer goes overkill and makes MC an OP workaholic). Conflicted about this book; it was like I was never happy with the direction with the writing - the MC was just too Sue-ish with no character development. Sorta dampened the entire story and character development of the others.

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It's a good book for the days I wanted to turn my mind off and just immerse myself in mindless fantasy, which is fine since reality has been so terrible in 2020. <<less
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X2XO
X2XO rated it
September 23, 2019
Status: c100
It starts off strong with a lot of potential. But goes no where. Shortly after the beginning, Elise became a boring, one dimensional character. ML is even more boring than her. He fell in love with her easily for no reason, just because!

Story is OK, but it's more on the bad side though. I wanted more focus on her family. Author could've spiced things up by making some characters regain their memories of that lost time midway through the story.

... more>>
Spoiler

Also Elise should've ended with her friend Mill. He was her only ally other than her family in better or worse. And he's one of the few interesting characters in this novel, what a shame.

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In conclusion, knowing all of that, would I regret not reading it? Yes. It was still enjoyable. <<less
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Bloomoone
Bloomoone rated it
December 9, 2020
Status: --
The novel started off strong, the MC was likeable and she had a good motive, I looked forward to seeing her go through hardships to establish herself and develop... except none of that happened.

At first, I dismissed her OPness, but the more I read the more irritated I got. The MC did everything perfectly and everyone worshipped her. Anyone who doubted her or disliked her were deemed 'bad' and was immediately proven wrong by her perfect skills. Seriously, we don't ever see her actually working for her skills, she already... more>> started off with the skills of a perfect doctor from her previous life but it wasn't ever proven to us that she worked for it, she was just that 'perfect doctor'.

Her character became more boring and bland in the story to make way for this perfect saintess, no one opposes her without backlash and her being kind and perfect is literally mentioned at every chance the author gets! Soon, whenever there was a conflict I would roll my eyes because I knew perfect Elise was going to solve it with her perfect skills. Not to mention the main love interest is just as flat as her, the typical 'dark, handsome, mysterious' type of guy who adores and protects the MC. Right, have I mentioned how irritating it is that every guy just seems to fall at her feet? I mean, it's expected with this kind of typical love story but literally every guy she breathes in the same vicinity of just immediately loves her, and if the guy doesn't love her then they are 'evil'.

Conclusion: Story that had a lot of potential, but fell flat. MC is a mary sue. <<less
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blazikens
blazikens rated it
May 31, 2019
Status: v1c17
Edit: Feelings I currently have on the story

... more>>
Spoiler

Personally, the more I think about this story, the more I get disappointed by it.

Maybe it's because I read the webtoon, where someone in the spoiler sections says she acts more girlish / younger than her mental age would suggest while in the novel she's more mature, but I feel like there was a lot of lost potential in Elise.

In her first life, as I mentioned in my review, she was extremely 'evil' to the point that it was unreal. Especially considering that.... there's sort of no justification for it? The rest of her family is the typical upright and honest family full of talents who are 100% loyal to the royal family, blah blah blah. And there's the old Elise.... who rather than just being a spoiled and arrogant noble miss, she's extremely selfish and willing to do anything to bring others down... it's like, where did this extreme personality come from??? Maybe it's explained later in the story but as of now, it just makes her seem like a trope rather than an actual character.

And then in her second life, Elise does a turnaround and becomes Saint Elise, where she becomes extremely kind and honest and everything good - basically an angel. Which wouldn't be so bad, if it she weren't constantly praised and uplifted as if she were some goddess in her third life - to the point that she just becomes unreal.

The point I'm trying to make is that personally, I felt it would've been so much more interesting if either a) Elise still retained some of her 'evil' / arrogant personality, which would make her seem more alive and not just a boring saint or b) Elise does become a boring saint, selfless to the extreme, to the point she has trouble doing things for herself and not for others since she was so burned by her sins in her first life, but instead of the story depicting it as something good, it shows that becoming an Angel TM isn't the answer either.

Basically, I feel the story and thus Elise's character would've been so much better and more complex if:

  • She had an actual reason for her extreme 'evil' personality in the first life. (Disclaimer: She might actually have a reason / explanation, but as of now, the webtoon hasn't shown us why she was like that.)
  • If the story actually showed that Elise being so extreme in her need to repay her first life's sins isn't actually healthy or realistic - no one is saying she shouldn't have reformed herself, but to the point of becoming someone who feels like she can't be the tiniest bit selfish? Idk it would've been so interesting if the story showed her struggling to care about herself / do things for herself rather than other people all the time.
  • ALSO: Show her actually struggle adapting in the medical field in her third life - it was so boring how easy everything went for her. Like, I love the MC with her godly skills awing and surprising those around her who only doubt her / want her to fail just like everyone else, but there's a point where that gets stale and I'm starving for some conflict, to watch the MC actually have to fight for their goal rather than get it handed to them by the plot.

Anyway, idk if I'm getting my thoughts across, the story is okay as it is right now, but the more I think about Elise's character in her third life, the more I get annoyed w/ her Saint personality and the more I feel her character just feels empty and boring.

[collapse]

--

I'm currently reading the webtoon tbh, but since I'm almost certain the novel tells pretty much the same story (since the webtoon is based on it), I figure I can review both here.

Now that that's out of the way...

Imo, this story (and here I'm just talking about the plot) is one of the better ones out there when it comes to this trope of being reborn in a Western-styled medieval / ancient setting. I thought the idea of going back to her original life was unique and that the execution wasn't that bad, especially since the pacing is good. The plot doesn't drag and I found the 'romance' btwn the prince and Elise is okay, still quite clich

but whatever.

However, if we're talking about the novel itself, I have to say the writing is really... lackluster.

There is barely any descriptions nor any emotion behind the writing, so the story in the novel feels hollow. It works much better in the webtoon, where we can clearly see the story come to life and we can see the emotions in the characters - making it much easier to be immersed in the story and to connect to the characters.

Despite this, tho, I still feel the story (whether the novel or webtoon) is still lacking in some areas.

To be honest, the heroine sometimes annoyed me as I was reading the webtoon. Yes, I found her really cute and honest, but I also felt like she was taking the whole "repaying for my previous life's sins" way too far. It's like in her first life she was the typical cartoonish noble villainess while in her second she basically became an unrealistic saint.

There's no middle ground between both extremes and it just leaves Elise to come off as this very hollow character. Like....I just felt she was way too perfect, like she wasn't allowed to even make 1 mistake or be selfish at least once because she was so awful in her first life. And it just made me disconnect w/ her character and even annoyed because she just felt like this martyr type of character who needs to go save everyone even at the expense of herself. Also her medical skills were a bit... too much at times, to the point where she barely struggled tbh even if she did 'study', and she was overpraised as a fantastic genius waaaay too much.

It was also annoying that EVERY

guy that was young would blush and basically fall in love w/ her. Tbh,

everyone fell in love w/ her since she was sooo kind and hardworking and perfect all around, just like an angel - which is just SO boring.

This story would've been so much more interesting if she had retained some of her original personality instead of just becoming Saint Elise tbh.... it's also kind of unrealistic that she changed so abruptly.

All in all, despite my gripes w/ the main character, the story is still enjoyable but waaaay better in the webtoon. It's the type of story I would read when I have nothing else to read or when I'm bored, something for relaxing since the main character can pretty much solve all her problems w/ her godly medical skills. And when I can get over my annoyance at her saintly behavior lol. <<less
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raveindaeyo
raveindaeyo rated it
December 28, 2018
Status: v1c8
I love this!! I always re-read from chapter 5 when I've already finished reading the current chapter. I can't wait till the war and till the prince who looks at her indifferently fall in love with her after she breaks their engagement. ?
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xiaoliyang
xiaoliyang rated it
August 4, 2020
Status: --
I am so mad because I absolute love this story and its premise. I love the MC's character, she's a beautifully written character. Everyone deems her a genius but lol, no, she underwent a rigorous pre-med, med school, and residency before she became that qualified kind of person.

The only clincher for me is the translators. I have no problem with the wordexcerpt team's grammar. They're great. But what I do have a problem with is their continuous cutting of chapters and separating it into different updates. That's such a cash... more>> grab move and also, I've been following one of their TLs for so long which was only in the 100s and it took so long because the update they have on their site is at 300s. <<less
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ValSkye
ValSkye rated it
April 2, 2019
Status: c15
I came across the webtoon for this novel and went to search for the novel immediately. Enough to say that I was not disappointed since the novel is greT as well! I love how this novel is focused on modern medicine and surgeries and the author made it realistic as compared to other asian medical novel I read here. After her reincarnation for the third time, she became level-headed, matured and a genius (since she possessed medical knowledge from her past life) Not only that, since this is her 3rd... more>> reincarnation, she could plan things smoothly based on the knowledge from her first life. I enjoyed reading this novel so far and I am certainly looking forward for more translated chapters. Trust me, this novel is a gem! <<less
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Skite
Skite
June 16, 2021
Status: --
I'm torn. On one hand, sometimes I am total tr*sh for a mary sue FL saving everyone with god-modded, amazing abilities. On the other, if it literally takes 3 lives and multiple inhuman feats, like single handedly stopping a plague and revolutionizing modern medicine, in order to catch a boy's attention, that boy is just not that into you and seriously isn't worth the effort.

I get so, intensely angry when I think about how much effort she put into the things he liked and trying to get him to love... more>> her during her first life, when he could not be farted to even bother, and she went full evil from neglect to get attention he never gave. I also feel bad for the legit medical geniuses she overshadowed with her cheater knowledge from modern times.

It does get bonus points for it being Western medicine, (the 'cultivation' type always requires me to substitute "magic" for the medical abilities, in order to suspend belief) and for having a strong start. <<less
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Junjaykimchi
Junjaykimchi rated it
April 10, 2020
Status: --
I read the webtoon, it should be similar to the novel?

I did really enjoy the front part. Elise's passion was endearing, her conflict with Linden (I'll just go with the Prince since she only ever calls him your highness) was interesting and her achievements were exciting to read. But for me, the chemistry between the leads is just so lacking. After all their drama with Elise's past haunting her etc. they finally get together and they're just two... smiling blushing lovebirds. I've seen it work before but it doesn't really... more>> work for me here. The prince develops, which is good, but it feels slightly hollow. After the Prince started liking her and becoming more caring his personality just becomes one-dimensional. It basically dissolved into..."I like Elise and that's my only purpose of being in any frame".
Spoiler

Oh, and while running away from soldiers from an enemy country out to KILL THEM the prince actually brings condiments to salt food. Hey he might as well have packed an 8-course meal while he was at it.

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It's like he turned into wish-fulfillment.

Also, there are some things the writer writes that just draw me away from the story. Firstly, the fact that the writer has never explicitly said (in the webtoon at least) what Elise did in her first life. Every time it's brought up Elise just goes "I was so awful" but we're never told what that means. It feels almost like the writer is trying to preserve Elise's good image from her third life, when actually learning about what she did could help flesh out her character more.

Spoiler

Secondly, the blood tower tragedy was built up to be so dramatic, how it shaped all the characters' lives. But then Queen Rebecca actually gets sent to the blood tower with her daughter because there was "irrefutable evidence" for the fact that she "made insulting remarks". It's not a very big problem but... it really highlights the lack of realism in this story. Even if the King was unable to cover the matter up, making insulting remarks is hardly a crime severe enough to warrant being confined to what was basically prison. The author could've replaced making insulting remarks with anything. Treason, adultery, you name it. Because this writing choice made me completely unable to take a main event that drives character motivations for both Linden and Micheal seriously.

[collapse]

I really enjoyed the start and middle, would recommend reading it. But don't expect any development from the MC, she's still the... saintly, passionate and skilled person she started out as. <<less
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Gigz
Gigz rated it
August 15, 2019
Status: v1c2
It’s an interesting premise. I like the feels involved. However, certain approaches feel forced and unrealistic, albeit seemingly explained/fixed later on, and there are certain grammar errors and translation issues with this novel.

Spoiler

Ex. “Ah. It Time.” “Father, It me”

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Punctuation is a bit off and it almost feels like baby talk. But it’s still relatively easy to understand and the errors can be ignored with enough speed to your reading.
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elish
elish rated it
April 7, 2019
Status: --
I'm currently reading the webtoon too, it was enjoyable, MC is smart, reasonable though a bit reckless but still likeable, the romance is decisive so I really love it, looking forward to the continuation!
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chande
chande rated it
February 13, 2024
Status: Completed
Because this story was released on 2016, I tried to review this by my 2016's novel standard. I think at that time, this story was already good enough. The manhua version also had a swoon-worthy art so that's a bonus.

But still, it didn't mean that this story was without flaws.

  • I agree with other reviewers that MC was too kind until it became a bit unrealistic. She also forgave ML a bit too easily. I know that maybe what happened in the past was her fault but I think ML wasn't entirely blameless. And from phycological perspective, for the person who you loved all her life to kill you by his command, it had to leave some trauma but MC was quite calm when she met ML again and she also didn't have any psychological burden when she fell in love with him (again). I know that for her, it already happened decades ago but it's still impossible not to leave any mark in her life. Also, her being too kind maybe wasn't a good thing if she wanted to be an empress. But she's lucky though because when she became an empress, the opposition faction was already eradicated by ML so ML didn't have to experience what his father faced in the past (forced to take a concubine, forced to persecute his love ones, etc). ML was also devoted to MC so I think MC would become the most worry-free empress in the world.
  • ML was a typical man who fell in love with a woman when that woman was longer interested in him. Yes, the "you chase me, I ignore; you ignore me, I chase you" type. At first, he was cold to MC but when MC wanted to break the engagement, his attitude instantly changed. And it took a short time for him to fall head over heels in love with MC which felt a bit fickle to me. I wish he too could remember the past life like MC so he knew how hateful he was.
  • Gosh, I hate love triangle so much, especially when 2nd ML was good enough until it made have a 2nd ML's syndrome. Rather than ML, I like 2nd ML more because in the first life, he was there for MC when everyone else loathed her, including ML. I hope MC would end up with 2nd ML in her third life but MC chose to be with ML again.
Aside from that, this story was enjoyable enough to read. It might be a little cliche if you read this in 2024 so just lower your standard to a few years before and you're good to go.
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Er xiao jie
Er xiao jie rated it
March 21, 2021
Status: --
Have a good start but then it goes down the drain. It's no different than reading the overused OP MC troupe you used to find in chinese novel lol (though I've to admit that lately lots of Korean novels are started to use that cliche trope too).

Anyway I think this author is such a s*ave for 'OP MC troupe' and 'marysue' MC. I also don't enjoy her other work (the capable maid).

Give 2 stars just for the webtoon adaptation's wonderful art.
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luckyneko rated it
March 17, 2021
Status: c50
This story started out promising, but was just plain boring. Basically an OP medical professional transmigrates and must put her knowledge to the test. The only problem is the situations are so easily overcome and the drama is so lackluster that I was left feeling like I wasted my time.

Translation quality: very good

Writing quality: Plot was alright, but not engaging enough. Would probably make a good piece for someone in their teens.

2 stars.
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Angry
Angry rated it
June 21, 2019
Status: v1c17
I really do like this serie, but I've not read enough to make an evaluation. The opening is pretty cool to say the least! (4/5 for the debut).

The translation makes the reading easy, but like the same as "May I ask one final thing?": We have no news from the translator (s) and there is no new chapter. Hope that everything is fine ^^'
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