Finished and Reviewed Novels 2

RegisterLogin

Theme

Finished and Reviewed Novels 2

Novels I have finished reading and reviewed. List is just in order the are read. I do have a tendency towards isekai and romance stories with a fair smattering of smut. I try to be specific and point out what I genuinely like or dislike.

1 1341 73

4 Followers

FreyjaVanadis

Created: Jan 21st, 2023, Updated: Feb 4th, 2024

Created Jan 21st, 2023

Updated Feb 4th, 2024

KR (3.9)

#26The Villainess’s Daughter Is Getting an Obsession

118 Chapters Every 25 Day(s) 2420 Readers 7 Reviews 05-03-2024

Fantasy Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one ended up kind of wild. There is a completely logical reason why the villainess (the FL's mother) hates the royal family and... more>>

KR (4.2)

#27Never Saved You

118 Chapters Every 46.4 Day(s) 3533 Readers 28 Reviews 07-04-2022

Completed Drama Fantasy Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This novel deserves every single good review it has and more, but it can be tough reading for some because of the lyrical, contemplative,... more>> and dreamy style of writing (which is impressively translated, thank you Yonnee, I am in awe of your abilities!). The writing style reminds me very strongly of Garcia Gabriel Marquez as to how the trauma the different characters suffer guides their actions and the magical realism is smoothly incorporated into the story. This tale is incredibly atmospheric, and I could write a thesis about how the themes of this work are Trust, Freedom, Choice, and Free Will, but y'all aren't here for a detailed analysis of the novel. Highlights - The writing is lyrical, meditative, and mesmerizing. This is a very dialogue-heavy novel, with the author concentrating on showing what the story is through the characters' words, actions, and though processes instead of outright telling the reader what's going on. It reminds me a lot of the works I had to read and analyze in college or for book clubs, and I LOVE this style but it can be heavy for those not used to it or who don't like it. The storyline goes through some unexpected twists and turns and incorporates elements from both the Hans Christen Anderson Original Little Mermaid and the Disney version. There isn't a clear villain, only characters' differing dreams, goals, and expectations. Driving the story by the character conflicts adds an additional layer of realism and drama to the novel, and I absolutely love how the angst plays out given the players working at cross-purposes to each other. If you're looking for a fast story or quick romance this is not the one for you - the burn is slow, and the plot is both intricate and subtle. I'm not usually a fan of that type of novel but this is so well-written that I just couldn't wait for the next little twist and turn. It's really a beautiful work, Detailed character analysis and spoilers[spoiler]Ophelia, FL, is intelligent, calm, and calculating. She has a deep understanding of people and psychology, and uses it to her advantage. Growing up as someone who has no power of her own and no resources because of her status as an illegitimate princess, Ophelia is very aware that she has no one to depend on and trust but herself. She can trust others to act according to their nature but not in her best interests without her giving them a reason to move the way she wants, and she ruthlessly uses that POV to calculate what ways she needs to coax others to act. I want to emphasize that Ophelia is never cruel, but she genuinely puts enormous thought into every move she makes. I'm not sure I've ever seen a heroine quite like her - the closest would probably be Artezia in The Villainess Lives Twice in that both are incredibly calculating but while both are strongly motivated bu guilt, Ophelia is determined to win her freedom from the oppressive life she is trapped in and Artezia is atoning for her sins and believes she deserves to never have any happiness or contentment. I love Ophelia's character so much - she's so different from the norm and SO well written. Alejandro, ML, is effectively walking a tightrope where he realizes that both Ophelia and Ian know information about what's really going on and won't or can't tell him and he has to decide who to believe and trust. He's working from the same script but he only has a few pages, which is exacerbated by his memory loss. Alei is constantly playing catch up while the other two can manipulate him into their plans by playing on his insecurities and offering clues to retrieve his memories, despite Alei actually being the most powerful piece on the board. Ian's unbridled hatred and jealousy and Ophelia's I Trust You But I Can't Trust You whirl Alei back and forth as he has to decide what perspective to trust, and it's fascinating watching him struggle against what he feels innately versus the information he can access. Ian, 2nd ML; a great analogy for the selfish side of toxic masculinity and yandere behavior. He feels entitled to Ophelia's time and person as her former husband, and does everything he can to trap Ophelia with him as her only chance for freedom from the oppression she is living under, and to make Alei doubt and mistrust Ophelia at every turn. Ian refuses to admit his behavior is to blame for Ophelia's misery in the previous timeline and is convinced that he is Ophelia's best choice despite all evidence to the contrary. He refuses to hear her opinions and will not take Ophelia's "NO" as an answer to his suit no matter how many times she tells him. To Ian Ophelia is a doll he can move as he wishes, disregarding her own will and emotions. He is both motivated by his guilt from the past where Ophelia is so miserable with his neglect and loss of love that she chooses death rather than to stay with him, and yet still refuses to change his behavior or admit his part in actually making her miserable - Ian is absolutely convinced that if he can just get Ophelia to come with him everything will magically change, despite the fact his actions and behavior manifestly haven't changed at all. There's an impressive emotional disconnect here that's beautifully written, to the point I'm really wondering if the author is a therapist or psychologist. This is behavior people exhibit in real life, and the writing for how Ian acts is a thing of beauty in its subtlety. Sante is the leader of the Sirens, and watching the contrast between the sirens and the mermaids is fascinating. Both are magical creatures and their thinking is alien from human thought processes but in completely different ways, and both can be seen as symbols of freedom. The sirens are the freedom of teenagers though - capricious, thoughtless of all consequences to their actions and not taking responsibility for whatever comes next - and when mixed with their complete command of anything in the air or sky, that capriciousness can be lethal. The sirens' power is parallel to the mermaids' but for the air - they can hear anything, create tornadoes, destroy cliffs, or even use the wind to cut down trees. They live for the moment and whatever takes their fancy for the next few minutes - then drop whatever it is without a second thought, abandoning those who might be depending on them or even physically dropping them from a height as their attention is distracted by the next interesting thing. Ophelia's handling of them is impressive - part preschool teacher and part whimsical Cheshire Cat as she tempts and frustrates them into playing into her plans. Sante is both fascinated and wary of Ophelia - he knows his old friend Alei cares deeply for her but he's also an amoral character and truly chaotic. He's so well written and I really enjoy all his scenes, although the young sirens never fail to crack me up. They're like teenage toddlers with magic powers - you've got to be VERY careful where you point those idiots! Ariel, 2nd FL, is in the novel SO much more than I expected - as Ophelia is the main character in this retelling, I thought Ariel's presence would be reduced to the same level as Ophelia's in the OG story - she doesn't even have a name and is only "the princess of a neighboring country" status. I loved how the author uses Ophelia and Ariel to draw parallels between two completely different women who have the same end goal - absolute freedom, and what it means to them individually. The mermaids' freedom is that of mature leaders - they have great magical and physical power and therefore great responsibility to use it wisely and for the greater good. In the sea the mermaids are almost as strong as gods - anything that touches the sea can be observed by them, including up to the farthest reaches of the beach and can be influenced with anything from typhoons to preternatural calming of the waters. Ariel wants to be on land partially because of loving Ian but mostly because for her it symbolizes complete and utter freedom - her mother went onto land and never came back, and as a consequence her family has denied her any opportunity to see anything above the waves. Ariel is still obsessed with the surface world as in the Disney movie, again because her family is overprotective of the poor little princess who grew up without her mother, but with the added layer that Ariel herself does not have the strong magic mermaids normally have. The Merqueen was ancient and incredibly powerful but was caught rescuing other mermaids from hunters, and if such a powerful person could be imprisoned and killed it would be too easy for the same to happen to Ariel. Ariel's family binds her to them because they love her so much and are terrified of losing her the same way they lost her mother, but these strictures only make Ariel more determined to flee to the surface. The taboo is the most attractive because it's banned. There are some other minor characters like Yennit and Cornelli the mages, the Second Imperial Princess Cadellia, and the odious Lillith and Lord Hydar, and all are really well written with their own motivations and end goals. I do love the character interactions, especially between Yennit and Cornelli - they're SUCH great friends and complete opposites. [/spoiler] <<less

KR (3.8)

#28The Obsessive Male Leads Want to Eat Me Alive

149 Chapters Every 30.3 Day(s) 3753 Readers 21 Reviews 03-25-2023

Completed Drama Fantasy Harem Romance Shoujo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Full disclosure - this was a guilty pleasure for me. I do truly wish that the FL had said "Screw It - We're Going For The Harem Ending" and I'm STILL MAD at Heinrich for being a butthole and honestly I would marry Kyle in a freaking HEARTBEAT but this really was a fun, quick, easy and less angsty read. As ever for a Bluebells in Bloom translation, the TL was EXCELLENT and READ THE COMMENTS OMG THEY'RE THE BEST!!!!! ... more>>

JP (3.8)

#29My Fiance Told Me He Had Found His True Love and Broke off Our Engagement. It’s Too Late To Ask Me To Get Back Together Now!

90 Chapters Every 24.7 Day(s) 1382 Readers 8 Reviews 08-29-2023

Completed Fantasy Josei Romance Shoujo

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Impressively good - NOT isekai, there are actual real-world consequences for the feckless prince. I love that it also concentrates on how Mariabelle was basically railroaded into becoming a perfect princess because Edward was completely incompetent, and had no desire to become competent or a halfway decent ruler - therefore whoever he married had to make up for everything he lacked in manners, strategy, diplomacy, etc. Once Mariabelle ditched his lame as*, there was suddenly no one to make up for all his impressive shortcomings. Poor Annette certainly wasn't able to - she came from a completely different background and has no basic knowledge of where to even begin learning. Edward ends up being... more>> his own victim, and it's BEAUTIFUL. Poor Mariabelle never even questioned why she had to be perfect and Edward didn't until she met Renato, who is the crown prince of the neighboring empire and immediately proposes to Mariabelle,

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD - Ranato's fiance - who is actually his cousin - is in love with someone else and they were only engaged as basically a Make A Wish for a little girl (the cousin) who was not expected to live past the age of 12. She did, and fell in love with the doctor who cured her - who loved her back, and so she wanted to renounce her nobility and marry the person she actually loved. Renato, being a reasonable person, went along with this and therefore now needed a fiance, and since literally the most competent person on the continent suddenly came free, he asked her. I LOVE Renato - he's a kind and supportive person to the people around him, and his relationships with his aide and brothers are just hilarious. He anticipates that Edward will put all the blame for the broken engagement on Mariabelle, despite her being completely the only innocent party involved, and he moves to block Edward's tr*shing of Mariabelle's reputation with the play by writing and having his own performed. There's a lot of other plot points I would love to discuss - Edward is a complete IDIOT about the people around him, and part of the problem is that he only has yes-men surrounding him, and that lets some terrible influences in. Edward is a completely spoiled brat who does get what is coming to him eventually, and while I feel sorry for Annette - she's a surprisingly sympathetic character, neither a villianess nor a complete angel, just an ordinary person caught up in political games that she is neither prepared for nor willing to be involved in who gets thrown into the deep end and jot supported. Edward makes his own grave, and he's not happy about it but honestly he completely did it to himself. Mariabelle and Renato get to live happily ever after, and he gets to give up his right of succession and get shipped off with Annette, who he no longer is as enamored of as originally. Sucks to be you, buddy - next time try being a decent human being instead of a sinkhole of selfishness! <<less

CN (4.5)

#30Let the Villain Go

228 Chapters Every 53.1 Day(s) 6451 Readers 80 Reviews 03-11-2022

Completed Action Mature Psychological Romance Sci-fi Slice of Life Supernatural

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Let the Villain Go and Apocalypse Arrival are AU of the same happenings. I read LtVG first, but AA was written first and it probably makes more sense to read AA first, although I didn't think it made much difference. This series (and writer, because I have now found everything I could that they've written because I'M IN LOVE WITH THEIR WRITING) is ENTIRELY responsible for my new love of lavender scented ultra-soft soft boys. Her heroes are sweet, loving, have reasonable and rational fears, are aware of their immaturity, and are indescribably adorable. I love them. They are all just too pure for this world. ... more>>

KR (3.4)

#31101st Confession

146 Chapters Every 7 Day(s) 863 Readers 15 Reviews 03-09-2024

Fantasy Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✩ There was a lot I REALLY loved about this one - the characters are written surprisingly realistically for the genera, especially the relationships and how they end up going. I ADORE that the exes are all genuine people who are not Evil Villains Out For Revenge TM but act like actual people with hurt feelings and in circumstances they don't necessarily control. This one feels more REAL in how it handles relationships and trying to get over the person you once loved more than anything in the world, and that's HARD. ... more>>

Gotta admit though, the ML is my least favorite character in this one. I ADORE Lucia - she's got guts, and shows a lot of character growth. She knows what she wants and goes for it, and is persistent. Eventually, after years, she accepts that what she wants is not going to happen and puts away her childhood dreams and decides to grow up She confessed to Herwin 99 times, got rejected every time, and finally accepts it as fate. She gives herself time to mourn her loss, and moves on. Herwin - now that Lucia has finally moved on with her life and accepted that it's just not meant to be, finally gets hit with the cluestick (THANKS ARISTA! YOU'RE THE MVP!) enough times to realize that he is a complete and utter idiot - he never accepted her feelings, but he always revolved around Lucia as if she were the unseen center of his world. Cue Herwin now desperately trying to get Lucia back, STILL NOT NOTICING THAT HIS REJECTION HAS tr*shED HER REPUTATION FOR THE LAST 13 YEARS YOU MORON, even though she has decided to marry Bern and is now moving forward into adulthood. Herwin's rejection - and Lucia's persistence - has made their society convinced that there's something wrong with Lucia, so her trying to find a new partner is a terrible experience for her. Luckily she finds Bern, who was in a very similar situation and is sympathetic to Lucia's plight. Bern is a WONDERFUL human being, and quite frankly the only adult other than Lucia in this whole mess. Bern is understanding, patient, and in the modern world would make an amazing therapist or other mental health professional. This does have a happy ending for all involved, and Lucia does make Herwin work to get her back - her not forgiving him and making him actually put in the time to win her trust again is beautiful, although I still think she should have made him work more for it. All in all, this was a much more realistic story than I was expecting, and I loved the character growth that Especially Lucia had - Herwin, Bern, and Celine all had huge growth too, but Lucia's was a great example of realistic growth from a kid to an adult, and I truly loved it. Special shout out to Arista - she's possibly my favorite side character EVER, and thank you Thank You THANK YOU for not making this a bullsh*t Mean Girls example of a female side character. Much appreciated! <<less

CN (4.3)

#32Apocalypse Arrival

305 Chapters Every 36.9 Day(s) 3369 Readers 29 Reviews 10-29-2022

Completed Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Apocalypse Arrival and Let the Villain Go are AU of the same basic story, and both of them are honestly amazing. They deserve every... more>>

KR (3.8)

#33How To Survive As A Princess Of A Ruined Country

22 Chapters Every 3 Day(s) 785 Readers 3 Reviews 03-02-2023

Completed Adult Fantasy Mature Romance Smut

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✩ The smut was REALLY good, the ending was surprisingly more wholesome than expected, the plot was okay. I did actually like how very broken the two leads are - Anserina has been crushed her entire life by the people around her - her mother was an incredible beauty but selfish and neglected her daughter, and in the end was blamed for all the kingdom's woes and deposed so another, smarter and more scheming woman with a stronger family could take her place as queen. Anserina's father also ignored and neglected his daughter, and doesn't care about her at all because while she's pretty, she's not the ground breaking beauty her mother had and therefore... more>>

KR (4.4)

#34Predatory Marriage

382 Chapters Every 11.3 Day(s) 12979 Readers 123 Reviews 04-25-2024

Adult Drama Fantasy Mature Romance Smut Tragedy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Predatory Marriage is well known and highly rated, and now I understand why. It's GOOD. REALLY GOOD. When I was first reading it 2 years ago, I wasn't impressed, but man I was wrong! The story evolves slowly, and the narrators are unreliable but you find out why at the end. I remember thinking at the beginning that there had to be something more going on under the surface given how Ishakahn treated Leah, and the foreshadowing was correct but subtle. The story develops slowly because there are so many layers to it - worldbuilding is somewhat minimal, but suits the style of the story very well. The writing is sparse, not bothering to... more>>

KR (3.6)

#35The Pet’s Temptation

54 Chapters Every 3.2 Day(s) 959 Readers 5 Reviews 12-22-2022

Completed Adult Romance Smut

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This should really be named The PUPPY'S Temptation, since apparently in the original Korean the ML's nickname from the FL is a homonym to... more>>

KR (3.5)

#36The Villainess Will Leave Without Any Regrets

171 Chapters Every 41.7 Day(s) 2675 Readers 6 Reviews 10-07-2022

Completed Drama Fantasy Romance Tragedy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Full marks all around, but I have to put in some trigger warnings here. I personally have struggled with depression for about 3/4ths of... more>>

CN (4.2)

#37The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus

123 Chapters Every 40.4 Day(s) 6296 Readers 66 Reviews 11-25-2022

Completed Adventure Mystery Romance Xuanhuan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one was a freaking GEM. The author has a very deft, delicate touch, especially when it comes to demonstrating the mindset of the characters. I had started reading this one as the manhwa first, and it was good, but I think I like the book better since it's harder for me to really understand what the characters are thinking because their actions and thoughts are so different in this. Lu MiaoMiao (LMM, transmigrator) is the heroine we all need - she's neither dumb nor a super genius, not powerful and has no translatable skills when she is dumped unceremoniously into her new home. LMM is supposed to both attempt to split up the... more>> OG leads by backstabbing the OG FL and romancing the OG ML, AND romance the 2nd ML, who is obsessed with the OG FL and high key homicidal to anyone who might threaten the OG FL. These two missions are directly at odds with each other, especially since if she gets caught harming the OG FL the Black Lotus will kill her IMMEDIATELY.Poor LMM is spending her time in equal measures panicking, frantically trying to keep the story line going without getting herself killed by Mu Sheng, (MS, Black Lotus) or just trying to decide whether she should be cussing or crying or maybe both at once because of the sheer insanity of her task. LMM is an emotional brick most of the time, and is so paranoid about MS (which SHE SHOULD BE HE'S A FREAKING PSYCHO - he frames and has her entire household massacred in the original story within the first 2 days of her transmigration) that she genuinely can't tell when she's doing something that pulls him closer or offends him, and MS is a prickly individual to begin with before LMM and puberty both smack him in the face HARD. The scene with setting up the canopy and bells made me laugh so hard - poor dude! MS is having feelings other than hatred of all mankind and worship of his sister, and he does NOT know what to do with those.

The side characters are also SO well written - Mu Yao (MY, MS's adopted sister and OG FL) and Liu Fuyi (LF, MY's love interest and OG ML) are beautifully written and sympathetic characters. LF is deeply in love with MY, but has a low EQ and never expresses himself (and more importantly never says anything unnecessary, so it doesn't even occur to him to indicate anything one way or another) leaving MY constantly feeling neglected and ignored while LF is nice to everyone around them. LF also has the issue of being entirely too pretty so all the girls flock to him and leave MY feeling hurt and forgotten. MS is trying to use this to drive a wedge between the two and snatch MY away from LF when LMM drops out of the heavens and basically lands on his head via the transmigration. Comedy ensues as LF figures out REAL QUICK that LMM doesn't actually have any interest in him and starts pushing LMM to be around MS all the time with LMM and MS basically stalking around each other like a pair of cats trying to figure out if they're about to be in a huge fight or if it's safe to go back to ignoring the other one.

MY is now the head of their family since the death of her parents and entire household 5 years ago due to sabotage and betrayal that goes back 20 years before the current timeline. The story unfolds slowly and has twists and turns that I REALLY didn't expect but were so well done, and I flew through this novel kind of ignoring everything else around me. The development in the romance between LMM and MS is the star of the show, but the development between MY and LF is also SO well done, and I love dearly the themes of blood family might betray you and stab you in the back, but the ones you genuinely decide to let into your heart and give your loyalty to who reciprocate are the ones to keep and safeguard. There are a lot of surprisingly touching moments interspersed with comedy that is excellently written and the translation quality is impressive. I think my favorite scene is in the later chapters when MS comes back late and is scared of LMM finding out what he has been up to and her attitude is "mu*der and arson? Whatever - I knew who you were already." It's so sweet! <<less

CN (4.6)

#38No One Saved Me

10 Chapters Every 82.9 Day(s) 2055 Readers 42 Reviews 01-31-2022

Completed Drama Psychological Tragedy Yaoi

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Before I get started I want to say the story is fantastic and the translation is excellent. The writing style is spare and elegant, but captures the sense of time and place effortlessly. The worldbuilding is sparse but adds just the right touch to understand what is going on and get a grip of the normalcy of the world without diving so deep it detracts from the story. You can probably read the whole thing in 2 hours as long as you can see clearly enough. ... more>>

CN (3.7)

#39Don’t Think About Hindering My Studies

84 Chapters Every 36.1 Day(s) 1894 Readers 20 Reviews 04-05-2023

Completed Comedy Fantasy Romance School Life Sci-fi Slice of Life

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This one ended up being not what I thought it would be and it was SUCH a hidden gem! The writing is impressive, eminently... more>> quotable, and incredibly nostalgic for high school. The story starts as a typical transmigration into a book where the FL, Ning Yi, is forced to keep the storyline going, but her interference ends up derailing the initial meeting between the OG FL and ML. and the train goes farther and farther off the rails from there. The original Ning Yi only knows how to go "yingyingying" ((yīngyīngyīng) represents the sound of crying cutely, can be generalized for acting cute, taken from description) is obsessed with and obnoxious about the ML, Lu Xu Nan, the boy next door - literally, his parents are best friends with Ning Yi's parents, and they grew up in each other's households - and while Lu Xu Nan and Ning Yi were inseparable as small children, he despises Ning Yi now and wants nothing to do with her. Since Ning Yi knows the way the story is supposed to go, Ning Yi tries to force the OG FL, Mu Wanqing, to meet with and attract the ML, which works about as well as you think it would - especially since Lu Xu Nan can now suddenly hear what Ning Yi is thinking. Newsflash - a lot of Ning Yi's thoughts are about how dumb Lu Xu Nan is, why she can't WAIT for him to fall for the OG FL so she can get out of Dodge and go study at MIT in the States, and worrying about the horrible crap OG FL has to go through Ning Yi herself is supposed to be causing and feeling terrible about it. Long story short, nothing works the way Ning Yi expects it to - Mu Wanqing, Ning Yi, and Ning Yi's seatmate and best friend Ju Meng because girl friend group goals, Lu Xu Nan figures out how to not be an absolute clueless teenager (honestly the stuff from his POV is freaking GOLD), and the entire transmigration thing the Ning Yi has done is .... not what she thought it was at all. The ending is FANTASTIC and pulls all the plot threads in together, and the writing is amazing and made me incredibly reminiscent about high school. I genuinely can't say enough about how incredibly GOOD the writing is - it reminded me in the very best way about the awkwardness and trying to figure things out of that time period, especially how you manage to get everything dead wrong but also fumble thorough correctly? It's hard to describe. TL:DR - this one is a freaking GEM and I am kind of shocked it's rated so low. It's freaking hilarious and poignant. <<less

CN (3.1)

#40Sweet Husband Pampers His Wife

48 Chapters Every 66.7 Day(s) 3076 Readers 30 Reviews 12-19-2021

Completed Drama Josei Romance Slice of Life Tragedy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✩ (Really should be 4.5) This is the ultimate in Chinese dog-blood face-slapping novels, and it's a glorious ride. The AUTHOR even includes notes about... more>>

CN (4)

#41My Husband is a Flower

99 Chapters Every 27.4 Day(s) 955 Readers 14 Reviews 06-02-2023

Completed Comedy Historical Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✩ Okay book but I had a LOT of problems with it - mostly the setting, not the writing. Also needed about 1 more chapter... more>>

KR (3.9)

#42The Problematic Prince

179 Chapters Every 21.3 Day(s) 2040 Readers 22 Reviews 07-07-2023

Completed Adult Drama Fantasy Mature Mystery Romance Tragedy

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✩ more like a 3.5. I HATE the ML. Bjorn is the embodiment of the guy you should ditch and never look back. The man is made of all the selfish red flags I think I've ever seen. He's a selfish, terrible lover who is about a half step above a rapist (it's smut, so very valid criticism) and if you are a male-attracted person, please, for the love of whatever gods you believe in, do not put up with whatever nonsense this f*ckwit thinks is appropriate in bed from your partner. I finished the main story, I'm on the 3rd side story, and I'm not sure I can finish through the side stories, He's... more>> just so AWFUL. Yeah, he gets a redemption arc, but honestly at that point I was just so done with him I felt like he could die and be replaced with a cane or a d*ldo and the story would have been improved. The dude just doesn't value anyone other than himself, and by the time he realizes that he does value Erna it's far too little too late. I spent half this novel having flashbacks of my ex-husband, who's a narcissistic *sshole. Erna deciding she loves him enough to keep him is understandable, but I was disappointed Yes, I know it's the HE for the story, but it still seems more like a Bad Ending to me. Now she's stuck with this do*checanoe, and he can paddle himself right back up the sh*t creek he came from and everyone involved would have been significantly happier. No one needs a partner or spouse who undercuts them at every turn, and while he does eventually realize that he's been the worst partner imaginable to his wife, it's honestly pathetic what he tries to do to make up for it, and I don't see any significant support given to Erna after he realizes that he has literally destroyed her reputation and mental equilibrium by his neglect and lack of support.

Erna, the heroine, has major character growth and realizes how incredibly naive and s*upid she acts in the beginning, and takes steps to correct herself and her actions. She feels like a very real person, one who takes long, hard looks at herself and improves and moves on with her life. She starts out as your typical doormat FL, getting pulled around by the people around her while she tries to do the right thing but doesn't have the experience to really stand up for herself. I like that she stays such a kind person, because that genuinely is a choice - she doesn't strike back at those who have hurt her in the past, she just cuts them out of her life and doesn't care about them. That's a form of strength and shows character as well. She still (and Bjorn, the second he discovered it too) should have fired Karen, the head maid, for betraying her employers and being a double agent for the powers of a foreign country - that's called treason, boys and girls, when you work for a government official on a diplomatic mission. Karen should have been imprisoned, not just had it shoved under the rug, The shining star of this whole sh*tshow was Lisa, frequently called the handmaid from hell because she actually values and protects Erna. Lisa is the BEST and honestly I wish she was the heroine because she's actually got a backbone from the beginning, is as much a fish out of water as Erna but copes with it instead of shutting down, can change her mind when given reasonable evidence contrary to what she had thought previously, and is wary enough to anticipate problems before they arise.

I'll acknowledge that this was pretty realistic but honestly the real main character was probably the internalized misogyny of all the main characters and the self-hatred that stems from that Also the translation was kinda wonky - there were a lot of incorrect homonyms used, ad the most noticeable was using "bare" instead of "bear" every single time. It would have been so irritating except it was multiple times every chapter, and honestly my mother was an English teacher so I notice this stuff more than I should. I should be a lot more appreciative of people who are translating a story from a language that I don't speak or read, but it grated on my nerves (probably because I wanted to reach through the screen and beat Bjorn to death with something very slow and painful, but that's my personal problem and not anyone else's).

I am likely rating this story much lower than I normally would because of the parallels between my own life and the characteristics the ML exhibited, and for that I apologize. I finished as much of this as I did through sheer spite and hatred, and I kind of hate myself for doing something so s*upid. <<less

KR (3.9)

#43I Met the Male Lead in Prison

245 Chapters Every 33.3 Day(s) 9612 Readers 40 Reviews 02-20-2023

Completed Drama Fantasy Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✩ Good but confusing. Honestly if I hadn't read some of the manhwa first I think I would have been lost. The Roses thing is fascinating and how the ending is done was brilliant but I was very frustrated because the translation ends in the middle of one of the side stories. Iana is a truly apathetic protagonist and her attitude is SO well written. She genuinely Does Not Care About Anything. ... more>>

KR (4)

#44I Become The Wife of The Male Lead

191 Chapters Every 8.4 Day(s) 6148 Readers 16 Reviews 02-01-2024

Action Adventure Drama Fantasy Psychological Romance

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Full Disclosure I read this MTL and without the side stories so I'll need to go back and read those - I LOVED... more>>

CN (4.5)

#45The Villainess Won’t Let the Main Leads Break Up!

87 Chapters Every 22.3 Day(s) 5123 Readers 59 Reviews 08-19-2023

Completed Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Romance Xuanhuan

CN (4)

#46Our Binding Love: My Gentle Tyrant

414 Chapters Every 31.3 Day(s) 5937 Readers 39 Reviews 03-13-2023

Completed Action Comedy Fantasy Martial Arts Psychological Romance

JP (2.7)

#47In an Otome Game World, I’m a Villain!? I Can’t Accept This!

82 Chapters Every 79.8 Day(s) 1202 Readers 6 Reviews 03-28-2021

Completed Comedy Fantasy Harem Romance Shoujo

⭐️⭐️⭐️✩✩- Translation was EXCELLENT and this is accurately described by the translator as "junk food fluff" and that's pretty darn accurate. I finished the whole... more>>

KR (3.3)

#48The Monstrous Grand Duke’s Fake Lady

149 Chapters Every 50.9 Day(s) 4354 Readers 10 Reviews 05-04-2022

Completed Adult Drama Fantasy Mature Romance Smut

JP (4)

#49The Evening The Fox Falls, I Think Of You

1 Chapters Every 2000 Day(s) 138 Readers 1 Reviews 08-03-2022

Completed Drama Romance Supernatural

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT AND IT HURT ME! This was REALLY good Nostalgic and really reminded me of summer as a kid... more>>

CN (4.3)

#50The Yandere Came During the Night

154 Chapters Every 73 Day(s) 9255 Readers 184 Reviews 07-05-2021

Completed Comedy Historical Josei Mature Romance Slice of Life Supernatural

← 123 →

Go to Page...

Comments (1)

Blob
Sushi

Post Reply Cancel

FreyjaVanadis· Author · Aug 20, 2023 08:15 PM
Honorable mention - I finished Follow The Breadcrumbs / Raised and Eaten before # 43, I met the Male Lead in Prison - quite good, the TL was from IceDrive (the link is in a bunch of the spoiler forums, and I don't own the drive so I'm not comfortable posting the link here) - story was about a 4.5, that low because the TL was iffy in areas, but that's also mostly because Korean doesn't distinguish between gender and that can make it tough to understand who is speaking and to whom. There's a manhwa as well that's called Follow the Breadcrumbs.
Good story - very cute. Dense FL, yandere-leaning ML, lots of fun pulling in classic fairy tales and for me the fun was spotting the fairy tale reference. Rose was possibly my favorite character - she's SO CRANKY - and I loved how they wove together prejudice against ethnic groups, politics, and how it affects the lives of people. Hansel was adorable as a kid and powerful as an adult, and Gretel is cute and energetic throughout. she's a GREAT little sister. Elle (Yielle in the manhwa) is dense but adorable, but more than anything else she makes SENSE as a sympathetic character. She's kind but doesn't want to be, she knows that as a witch she needs to hide her presence but she can't bear to abandon Hansel and Gretel, and she cares deeply and genuinely about the people around her. Andelov is a great tragic villain - much more villainous in the beginning, and I wish there was a better resolution for him. All in all an excellent series.
Reply · Like · ·

Finished and Reviewed Novels 2

Novel Updates

User Tools

Latest Series