I started on a whim. I loved it. Then I hated it. Then I dropped it. Then I picked it up again. Then I loved it again.

All that in the span of 2 days.

>The story follows a blind girl who's hired (more like forced) to be a spy at the Crown Prince's palace at the orders of his half brother. Her job is to seduce the secluded and eccentric prince and distract him until the assassination comes. The problem? Well, the man who was said to be kind and gentle was actually ruthless and cruel with a twisted hobby: drawing the people he killed. And she's to be his next muse.

First and foremost, I love the characterization in this novel. Both leads are ao well written, consistent and coherent in their personalities.

They don't act in ways that make you doubt what you know about them and they don't change without a reason. Besides, they're just fascinating to look at.

It would be an euphemism to call Felix (ML) eccentric. In reality, he's a weirdo obsessed with painting and beautiful things. His behaviour is erratic and his train of thought is just something else😭. Everyone says it all the time: he's not right in the head. It's a fact.

At first, I found his quirkiness a little cute and funny, but as the story develops, we notice that his weird behaviour and lacking social skills actually comes from an inability to feel empathy. He cannot feel sorry for others. He doesn't see anyone else as a fellow human, not even the people who supported him for his entire life.

His lacking emotional depth leads him to live to fulfil whatever intrusive thought that crosses his mind, be that positioning a corpse for his new piece at a dinner table or painting the female lead. Not her on the canvas. She's the canvas.

Slowly he becomes obsessed with her and all the expressions she makes. He wants to paint them all and keep them all for himself, but his obsession is quite egocentric. He cares about her only because it affects his hobby. He doesn't truly cares about her.

That much is obvious when he constantly acts on a whim and do things that will hurt her on an emotional level and his possessiveness that know no boundaries. He wants to monopolize her every smile so she will only look and think about him, but he's incapable of making her happy.

He manipulates, violates, destroys and eventually begs, but none of that will stop her from leaving for she can't stand his presence.

Diana (FL) is someone who knows too well how cruel people can be coming from a colonised nation, branded as slave, forced ro work on a brothel since a young age and then blinded by the jealousy of noble lady. She knows how fickle and twisted the interest of someone like Felix will be, but if you're too thirsty and the only water you have is poisoned, you'll eventually die from poisoning not from dehydration. So, she gets closer to the prince despite her fears and tries to rebrand his cruelty towards her as "something that she chose for herself". She finds solace in the little freedom he allows her and his taciturn company.

However, he betrays, uses and abandons her. He broke her in so many ways, yet he can't seem to let her go, afterall. So eventually she leaves on her own and crushes his hand while she's at it.

What I love about this story is how she genuinely despises him at this point. She leaves without a single regret and when the third arc begins and they meet again, she still hates him just as much.

Amd this arc is just perfection, seriously. The way she quite literally tames him and turn him into her guard dog? Delicious. The way he finally understands the concept of empathy and realises just how awful he was to her? Gratificating. The way she claims him as hers even if she marries another person and has children, even if she never wants sees him again? THE ABSOLUTE CINEMA.

Until the very end, she holds the reins of this relationship and she doesn't marry him, she doesn't even allow him to live nearby. They just occasionally see each other when SHE wants and then he waits until her next call.

One final note of appreciation: I love that he became the talkative person in the relationship 😭😭she gave him a magical "device" for communication and he just can't shut up for a second asking questions and talking about his day to the point she had to "block" him.

This one is a 4/5 stars for me. I really like it, but there are some things that I would change, especially the amount of angst. I like the suffering, but argh 50% of the story is pure misery for the fl and I wish she would snap at him and tell him just how disgusting he is, but she doesn't so that part got me really frustrated and I almost dropped it. I did for like 10min.😭

If you're gonna read this, beware of the trigger warnings. YOU WERE WARNED:

Rape, graphic violence, miscarriage and suicide.

I've been reading this since yesterday and you guys:

The angst is superb🛐

>The story follows a blind girl who's hired to soy the crown prince by the orders of his half brother. She's to seduce him and keep him distracted so that he can be killed. However, man said to be kind and gentle was, in reality, much more twisted and cruel, obsessed with painting fleshly dead bodies... And she's his new muse.

I didn't screenshot the vilest moments, but know that the ML is really one of the worst I have ever read and I have read BAD. This guy completely foreign to the concept of empathy to the point that the romance is hindered and they can't form any deep connection other than this twisted obsession laced with lust.

The writing is really good and I really wish we had an official translation, because if the FT is this good... The official would have been delicious 😭 a girl can only dream.

It's somewhat similar to Kneel Before Me structurally, but if I had to compare, this one hits exactly like Origin of Evil (by the same author), except the story is more interesting. I like the leads better here.

Have you guys read it?

YOU SAY IT, KING😭🛐

I just procrastinated my way through this and I'm kinda shocked.

I started it because of the smut and halfway through it became really psychological so I was taken aback by the shift. I half applaud the author for the interesting take and half grieve the hardcore yandere bdsm smut we had in the beginning 😭

Off: it's a harem and everyone feels like a yandere, but the emperor is the biggest of them all. He actually KILLS every single person she has sex with and they were a lot😭😭

It's been months since I read this novel and nothing can top it for me. I think about it all the time and I mean all the time. I'm hoping to find something with a similar vibe?

What I like about it is how Nathaniel's yandereness is justified. I have a hard time liking mls who are obsessed with a girl just because. Can't sympathise.

I also love that first arc in which they were partners in crime/friends because it gives depth and a tragic tone to the later developments of their relationship.

I also love how Kyrie doesn't back down. I like fiery female leads who fight until their last resource is over. I hate reading angst in which I feel like I could do better than the fl in her place.

Finally, I love when stories explore other sides of obsession without relying only in SA. I don't have a problem with it, but you see I can't feel the angst if I'm horny 💀

I have already read How about cosmic horror and My husband cannot die which I found the most similar to KBM, but they're just too short😭 I need something longer.

Can you find something for me?🥹

I'll start:

My girls from The rules of Ivy Manor and My little tyrant (respectively)

They just seem so fun to be around, I like their silliness, I'm silly too. I feel like we would laugh a lot together 😭 and we even share common goals and values. Besides, I think the group chat or the tea time would be hilarious.

Actually they remind me of my real bffs😭

Your turn!

I'm going Rome and it's a long ride, so help me entertain myself during this trip, will you?

Tell me your absolute bias and if possible add a few lines about what he's like in case I haven't read the story.

Let the game begin ☕

Sometimes we read to turn our minds off and escape from this chaotic real world, but occasionally we will stumble upon a story that will force us to turn our brains on and start thinking, questioning, critiquing the status quo of that fictional world and even comparing it to our modern society. Are we really that different?

Stories like:

#1. Glass Wall | Completed

This is a story about a dispute of classes. From the very first chapters the author criticizes the hypocrisis of the “kind-hearted rich” who will pretend to be nice and different from their peers, but in reality they don’t even see the poor as people, but as tools for their image manipulation, while completely ignoring their suffering.

There are also critiques about work exploitation, the hierarchical class system and about how the oppressed can become the oppressor in their blind rage.

#2. The Spirit Queen | Completed

This story heavily embraces the feminist cause through multiple points of view: the fight of slave girl to rise in ranks in a society which only a man can give her that power, the combative spirit of a woman from a conquered nation to reclaim her country and her agency and a woman who took the power by force and will try to keep it no matter what.

It also approaches topics such as racism and the consequences of a war.

#3. High Society | Ongoing

High Society is about a girl who comes from the slums and enters the world of nobles, but she can never quite adapt to their ways. The story approaches topics such as social economic inequalities and the social wall between someone was born with privileges and those who have to fight their way to the top and the objetification of poor women.

The author also critiques the rich who apparently support the cause of the poor, but they cannot fathom the idea of having them as their neighbours or as a romantic partner to be more specific.

#4. My Beloved Opressor | Completed

My Beloved Opressor's main critique is centered around the fault of those who stay quiet in the face of injustices and profit from the suffering of others, even if they aren’t the ones causing it. However, it also approaches topics such as abusive relationships, the consequences of war, and, at least in my interpretation, misogyny.

#5. Lady Evony | Completed

The story talks about feminism from the perspective of a woman who was accused of murdering her fiancé and father, sentenced, tortured during her imprisonment, and now, freed, healing from her traumas and reclaiming her voice.

Lady Evony approaches sensitive topics for many women, even nowadays, such as religious oppression, the lack of representation in the high power positions within the state, especially in the judiciary, and multiple instances of ingrained misogyny in society.

✨

Do you guys have any other recommendations? Please, leave it in the comments, and feel free to discuss the general approach of these social issues across manhwas/manhuas/magas/novels, etc..

Childhood acquaintances to lovers, mind control, secret identity. These are some of my most hated tropes, and I usually avoid them like the plague, yet in this series, they don’t bother me, or better yet, I actually like them!

But that’s not all I find amazing and intriguing about this story. Take a deep breath and let’s dive:

#Subversion of Overly Used Tropes

As I said before, this manhwa is full of tropes that I would usually be the reason why I dropped this story, but unlike all the other thousands of stories using these classic plot points, Secret Lady manages to integrate these tropes into the story rather than just insert them as a list of boxes to be checked.

The leads met once when they were kids/teenagers, and the male lead was obsessed with her ever since, but his feelings aren’t that shallow! He was going through a really tough moment in his life, feeling guilty about everyone’s sadness and his brother’s imminent death, and she was the only light he had at the time, even if their meeting was but a brief coincidence.

He both hoped they would meet again and that she would be just a fragment of his imagination, an idol to give him strength and comfort without being harmed by the curse that takes the lives of everyone he loves.

What he felt for her at the time wasn’t love, and he acknowledges it himself. How can you love someone you know nothing about? That cannot be love. However, it was the spark of interest and obsession that led him to bring her into his life and fall in love with the person she is, not the one he had idolized.

The mind control is there, and it does take her agency in some circumstances and makes her forget her goal there, like the lotus flower in Percy Jackson, but:

1. It doesn't take control of her all the time.

2. It confuses her mind in determined situations, but it doesn't change her feelings.

3. The male lead knows what is happening, so no misunderstandings between them.

4. It’s not about her, she’s not the special one. The mind control is explained by the lore, and under the correct circumstances, other people could be victims of it.

These are all points that turn this annoying trope into something intriguing to read about without damaging the pacing.

Finally, the secret identity here is also played really well, and it lasts just until it’s necessary for the narrative. >!Besides, the author even added a bit of sugar, making the ML know everything from day one. He had recognized her right away.!<

#The Rich World Building and Politics

One of the most fascinating aspects of this series is the worldbuilding. The way the author introduces the legends of this world, little by little, in a non-chronological order, and the amazing narration shift every time they do it, is something to stand up and applaud. The quality and depth of this lore is only comparable to When Jasy Whistles’s in this industry.

On this note, I would highlight the prequel series after the end of S1. I loved those chapters so much that, for a moment, I even forgot the main story and wanted to read more about the story of Ranon and Gold, but we will get there. It’s also impressive the way Banana (artist) works in this prequel, completely changing the atmosphere to something darker and more greenish, while pink and blue are predominant in the main story.

The politics are also quite interesting here, although somewhat confusing to quick eyes. This is one of the few stories that genuinely makes me feel like I’m reading about an empire and not a kingdom the size of the Vatican. There are so many houses and different interests, ploys, and allegiances between them that if you fast read this story, you’ll get lost after 5 chapters. However, if you pay attention to the details, this will become one of your favorites.

#Leads Who Are Kind, But Complex

Usually, complexity is associated with morally grey characters, but this story proves that you can have characters just as deep, but who are also genuinely good people, who are kind, just, and live by their principles, who acknowledge their own mistakes and strive to become better than they were yesterday.

Rosentine is someone who, despite having a previous life in modern Korea, is the embodiment of nobility. She tries so hard to be perfect to the point that she would hide all her pain and discomfort, even from the people who love her the most, because she’s afraid that their love would turn into rejection, and if she doesn’t live up to their expectations, as happened in her previous life.

Thus, she’s sturdy, clever, a great strategist, and even a detective in her free time. She’s strong even without lifting a sword, and her determination is nothing short of admirable, but she also makes mistakes, which she’s ashamed of, for example, becoming so involved in her life as a noble that she forgot to look at her people, who are facing extreme poverty. Yes, she’s a great politician, but she wasn’t a good ruler. When this realization hits her, we get one of the most satisfying character growth arcs in this story.

Charteris, on the other hand, is someone who lives by his duty and his values, and he wears them as a façade to mask how solitary his life truly is after receiving the blessing and all the emotional scars that it caused him. He will be just the perfect ruler Kartazen’s people need when he ascends to power: just, kind, a pacifist, someone who deeply cares about the lives of the poor, but also someone who has the strength and the will to stop whoever tries to harm these ideals.

#A Romance That is Sweet, Sensual, and Tragic

This combination of adjectives might be making you frown, but let me explain:

The relationship between Charteris and Rosentine starts on a playfully flirty note that will enthrall you into their dynamics and eventually melt your heart when they become each other’s pillar and safe place where they run to when things get too hard, and they need to cry. I still can’t get over the scene in which she runs to him in the middle of the night and cries in his arms, finally freeing her real self.

As their relationship grows more intimate, we see a more sensual side to their touches, and this change is reflected even in the art that becomes redder.

This pairing is just beautiful, but also tragic since the more he cares for her, the more her life is at risk and watching the desperation in Charteris’ eyes in these moments is enough to make me want to cry on his behalf. If yearning is what you want, Secret Lady is what you get.

#I Don’t Think Ranon Truly Loved Gold

This is just a little extra opinion that I would like to share and see if you guys agree with me or not: I don’t think Ranon truly loved Gold. He was, at best, obsessed and infatuated with her.

From day one, he was trying to get her to follow him, and even though he actually started liking her in the process, he didn’t like her enough to think of her well-being first. He brought her to the middle of a war he created himself and then manipulated her into using her powers for him.

For a year, he saw that she was miserable because people were talking behind her back, calling her names, and deeming her useless, and he comforted her, but never offered a solution to that. He said he didn’t want kids because he could not love them if Gold died during childbirth, yet instead of wishing to be infertile, he chose to murder his own children, and again, let Gold carry all the emotional burden by herself.

Besides being a terrible father, he was never a good husband, and as a ghost, he should be ashamed to call what he felt for Gold love, while watching Charteris actually put Rose’s well-being and happiness above his own desires and aspirations.

My conclusion is that Ranon only loved one person in his entire life: himself.

✨

That’s it for my review/essay/random thoughts on Secret Lady. This is definitely a 10/10, must-read in the genre, and I hope the artist recovers from her condition😭🛐

OFF: Rosentine is the prettiest FL EVER, her shalalaaa panels makes me realise I'm no better than a man😭

I've been re-reading Secret Lady, this time reading the lore with more attention and giving each arc some time to settle before starting the next and I can't wait to make a full reviewed on the masterpiece this story is, but until then...

I just got to this scene and it's so incredibly beautiful both in art and in the meaning it carries and it instantly reminded me of Magic Shop by BTS, so I just had to put the two together and now there's eyelash on my eyes, you see😭

The lyrics translation:

On days I hate being myself

On days I want to disappear forever

Let's make a door inside your heart

Open the door and this place will await

It's okay to believe, the Magic Shop will comfort you

While drinking a cup of hot tea

Look up at the galaxy

You'll be alright, oh, this here is the Magic Shop

So show me (I'll show you)

So show me (I'll show you)

So show me (I'll show you)

Show you, show you

😭

That's it, soon I'll be writing a full essay on this instead of actually studying for my exams😗

Good chemistry. They match each other's freak.

Strong and scheming FL.

Strong ML who's down BAD for her, but also hates her.

Peak Lovers-to-Enemies-to-Lovers.

Interesting politics.

Do you need more?

Then how about this peak art style with long haired male lead and the for the horny ladies and gentlemen among us: R19 smut🫦

The story follows a princess from a defeated kingdom who marries the old king of the winning nation to secure peace. However, as soon as she enters the palace, she realises: her ex-lover is her husband's son, and he's determined to take down her mask and make her pay for her past betrayal...

This manhwa was such a happy surprise and I can't believe it isn't talked about more in this sub.

If any of this made you interested, first: congratulations on your refined taste; second, this is the current state:

• 27 chapters

• Ongoing

• Official on Manta

• No novel

Have you already read it? Let me know your thoughts.

Share that panel that made you kick your feet, blush, bite your pillow and go wild like the werewolf meme.

SOURCES:

1. Serena

2. Tears on a Withered Flower

3. The sacred one speaks

4. The ghost duchess

Are you reading this series, but feeling a bit confused? Maybe you have finished it, would like to know more about the lore, but don’t feel like reading the novel?

Worry not, I shall clear up all your doubts:

#Manhwa vS Novel

The novel is an R19 dark romance with 3 main volumes and a special side story in the 4th vol..

The manhwa adaptation is still a Dark Romance, but R15. Because of this change, they had to tone down and sometimes even delete entire chapters from the novel, so if you’re feeling like you’re missing something, that’s because you probably are.

#About The Lore and Worldbuilding

We have 4 main people in this story: the demons (nox), the humans, the holy ones (knights and priests from Cairon) and the witches.

The demons have their own nation (Ippon), which was conquered by Cairon during the holy war. Their powers are inhuman strength, improved senses and telepathy with other demons. Although defeated, they’re still fighting against Cairon to recover their land and take revenge.

The humans aren’t very important to this story. They’re basically the side characters and the followers of the church of Cairon.

The holy ones are the followers of Cairon with divinity, aka holy powers, aka they can set things on fire. This power usually requires a medium, a sword, for example, but the male lead (Macklart) is an exception to this and can conjure flames at will. They believe in a ‘one true god’ and consider heretics those who don’t follow their religion. The purpose of the inquisition on the outside and is to get rid of the heretics.

The witches don’t have a nation; they’re wanderers. Their powers are all centred in the grand witch, while the others are “assistants”. The grand witch’s powers are: resonance with animals (they can see through their eyes after exchanging blood with the beast), controlling crows, high resistance, and their blood is poisonous.

The witches follow a different religion and adore an entity called “The Transcendent”. They believe that, to stop the end of the world, the Grand Witch who finds “Beast of the End” (the beast who survives after drinking the Grand Witch’s blood) must be sacrificed.

#About the High Priest’s Goal

The high priest has been the face of the church of Cairon for centuries. No one knows for sure how long he has lived, but the fact that he never ages is seen as a sign of god’s blessings towards Cairon. However, he started aging, and that represented a huge problem for the church for reasons you probably can imagine, so he tried to find a way to stop his aging.

His experimentations led him to a blood ritual that makes him the vessel of all 3 powers, basically transferring their powers to the high priest. The specifics aren’t clear, but apparently, the person (demon and grand witch) whose blood he drinks must die for it to succeed.

If you’re wondering why he didn’t kill Vienny right away after she was captured, that’s because he can’t have people knowing of this ritual, so he must follow the correct procedure on the outside and make it seem like a normal execution.

During his visit to Rave Castle, he had lunch with Vienny and tried to bring her to his side because it would make things simpler and better for him if she became a “converted witch” under his wing. Besides, before killing her, he would probably breed her because the grand witch can’t simply stop existing. He can’t be a vessel of nothing.

That’s precisely the future Vienny wants to avoid.

#About Vienny’s Desertion

She decided to hand herself over to the inquisition for one reason: to help them eradicate the witches, especially the grand witch’s bloodline. Why is that?

The blood of the grand witch is hard to pass on. They suffer a lot of abortions, the children die shortly after birth, and they just don’t get pregnant easily. Because of this condition, the grand witch is forced to lie with multiple men until they successfully conceive the next generation.

The fate of the grand witch is thus: to serve as a breeding machine, to be constantly bitten by multiple animals to use her powers, and finally, to be murdered once/if she finds the Beast of the End.

Watching her mother go through all this since a young age and almost being raped herself, Vienny wants to escape this fate and put an end to this cult forever by annihilating her kin.

When she offers to help with the inquisition, she’s not bargaining for her life; she’s fulfilling her goal there. She endured all the torture and the scorn because of this, and that’s why she’s so repulsed when the high priest offers to stop the inquisition in exchange for her cooperation.

That’s also the reason why she feels somewhat safe around Macklart: his disgust for her and his excessive devotion stop him from even acknowledging her as a potential sex partner, and she believes that he wouldn’t stop the inquisition, unlike the high priest.

#About Macklart’s Political Stance and Background

Macklart both the shield and the sword of Cairon, he’s known to be the most devoted believer, but also the most reluctant follower of the church.

He hates the high priest (his father) and the priests because he disagrees with their methods and because they have tortured him since his divinity first appeared. Their justification for that is that Macklart needed to be under strict control because his holy powers were too strong and dangerous, since their outcome depends on his state of mind.

An example of this is when he tried to kill the wolf that was biting Vienny, but he ended up accidentally setting fire to the other one because he was afraid that she would be caught in the flames.

Much like Vienny, he doesn’t know a lot of the world outside the church; he has never formed any deep connections to anyone, and the closest thing he has to a friend is his knights, but then again, it’s not like he can relate to them since they were allowed to live while he was just surviving as a tool for the church.

But then why didn’t he desert before?

Because he might hate the church, but he does love the god of Cairon, and he describes his holy powers as the love god has for him, and not in a metaphorical sense.

#About His Fixation With her Blood

Vienny’s blood carries the power to enchant men and make them mindlessly seek her, but that power doesn’t work on Macklart because he is the Beast of the End. He’s not falling for her because of her blood; that’s just his attempt of justifiying his interest in her. “Being enchanted” makes him feel less bad about betraying his god, so that’s just his coping mechanism.

#But is Vienny actually an enemy to his belief?

Yes.

First, because he was supposed to love only god. Second, because his god hates Vienny, which becomes clearer in the special side story.

Thus, falling for her is a betrayal of his faith. So, that’s why, by the end of the story, he becomes a heretic: not being able to love both, as they’re the very antithesis of each other, he ultimately chose Vienny.

#The missing parts

In chapter one (novel), Macklart amputated a guard for harassing and torturing Vienny in the dungeons.

He also mentions that the guards were often rotated for safety reasons, but this decision would sometimes prove to be problematic because some extremists would be violent with her to “prove their faith”.

In the manhwa, it isn’t clear, but no, he was not the one responsible for her torture in prison.

–

After their first-time scene, Vienny wakes up earlier than him and starts thinking that she feels comforted by the fact that he sees her as Vienny, not the grand witch. At this point, she has some affection for him, and she hopes her feelings are reciprocated. But this affection isn’t exactly romantic; it’s more like a mutual understanding and compassion.

She did like their sex, but she still hopes that he will keep his promise to her and let her die when the time comes.

In this same scene, he kisses the back of her head in his sleep while they’re cuddling, and she thinks that this affectionate side of him is one of the secrets she will keep.

– When Macklart realises Vienny saw him sparing her baby sister and finds out she ran away, he reflects about how he handled the child to the high priest expecting to win his and Vienny’s freedom in return. However, when he meets her by the precipice, he realised once again that all she cared about was ending her bloodline. Thus, sparing her sister was an act of betrayal.

She thinks something on the lines of “I don’t want him sparing me under the guise of some divine love that I never asked for.”.

–

After he brings her back to his castle, she’s not being obnoxious about not knowing why he wants her there, she’s trying to rile him up on purpose so that he would kill her on a whim.

–

During their second smut, she’s on top of him and bites his neck. She then thinks to herself that she could understand why he liked so much doing that to her.

–

There’s also one smut scene with a “holy relic” in bdsm style.🫦

–

After Gentian reveals to her the high priest’s plan to have Macklart impregnate her and then take her child (he never agreed to this plan btw), Vienny can’t stop crying because she doesn’t want to lose him if it’s true, but she can’t bring herself to ask him because she’s afraid of the truth. Then he starts kissing her tears away.

–

When Macklart kills the high priest and loses his holy powers, he’s stoned by the people (followers of Cairon) and Vienny protects him using her crows right before her powers also disappeared.

✨

The more I wrote these missing scenes, the more I realised how much the manhwa cut from the novel😭 there are a lot more, but I’ve been writing this for 3 hours already. So forgive me, but I’ll have lunch.

I hope this post was helpful 🫶🏽

I'll start.

1. Classmate

He murdered children/teenagers in very gruesome ways to vindicate and protect the FL from their bullying. (Some adults too)

2. The Sacred One Speaks

He gave a baby to the inquisition to experiment on and eventually kill to save the FL's life, tortured someone to know more about the time they spent apart, murdered countless people, and destroyed a religion to give her a peaceful life.

3. To Drown In You

She murdered whoever bothered him by dragging them to the bottom of the ocean. >!She did include his best friend in this group tho💀!<

PS: this is not a romance.

TEMPLATE SOURCE:

Game of Thrones

A couple of days ago, I made a post on why most allegedly enemies-to-lovers stories don’t hit the mark of this trope and how to fix it. Later, someone gave me a recommendation and said it ticked all the boxes I mentioned: The Spirit Queen.

And they were absolutely right.

The spirit queen follows a girl who rose from slave to concubine in her quest to find out the whereabouts of her clan. For that, she must climb the hierarchical ladder within the harem until the very top. However, this journey isn’t easy when she must tread carefully between a politically weak emperor, a dowager who controls the military, and the other concubines. In a palace where having a soft heart means having a weakness and having a weakness means you’re as good as dead, will she manage to come on top?

This story has all the ingredients to be a masterpiece: creative worldbuilding, realistic court intrigue, interesting side-characters, villains with relatable motivations, peak art, captivating love interest, and finally, a strong and extremely clever female lead.

And the recipe was a damn success, this is an unquestionable 10/10. The author ate and left no crumbs.

#Peak Enemies-To-Lovers

Their relationship already began on the wrong foot because she was appointed as a concubine by the empress dowager, the male lead’s main political adversary. But they turn this around rather quickly and become inseparable love-doveys, which I obviously found extremely weird. For a moment there, I doubted the author’s capacity. But, babe, after the plot twist in chapter 40, everything that you read for the first 39 chapters gains a completely different meaning, and you’ll be left collecting your jaw from the ground.

That’s when the real enemies-to-lovers begins, and it’s just so peak. Sadly, I can’t say a lot without giving you the spoilers that would ruin your experience, but the constant backstabbing between these two is simply amazing, and when they plot together, it’s even better because you never know when they’re really about to chop each other’s heads and when they’re acting together until the end.

Their relationship will keep you on the edge of your seat the entire time, but it doesn’t end there. If you like the bickering and banter part of the enemies-to-lovers trope, you just found the perfect story. I love their dialogues so much! #A Feminist Tale

I really love the romance in this series, as you can see. Still, it’s just my second favourite aspect of this story. The first place would be the women.

Every female character here has so much depth to their personalities, their motivations are reasonable, they’re genuinely interesting, and each one of them could even have their own book with how fleshed out they are. The female lead is the main voice in this, with her spotless strategies, strong attitude and her growth throughout the story: she never loses her compassion for the people who actually deserve it, but she becomes ruthless for everyone else.

I also loved the consort Madam Mystic. This woman is amazing, even if you dislike her in the beginning, by the end of the first season, you’ll be screaming, “Slaaaay queen”. >!I can’t get enough of her insulting the emperor with all available adjectives!<.

Finally, the main villain of the story: the empress dowager. She’s evil, period. But you can’t not love her political game, strategies, her powerful and cynical attitude and the way she’s been manipulating this entire country for a decade. Queen behaviour, ok. All that said, I was praying for her death the entire time.

#Random Positive Points That I Just Loved

The servants all have their own motivations, and they don’t act on mere loyalty unless they have something to gain from it. This isn’t one of the stories where the fl wins everyone over with some specks of kindness.

The ML and FL are equally manipulative. They have a very balanced dynamic, even if he holds the most powerful position in theory.

The betrayal comes from ANYWHERE.

The third act conflict is spotless. The battle here is what the battle against the king of the night in Game of Thrones was supposed to be.

I have a feeling I’m forgetting something important, but I’ll leave it to you after you read this masterpiece.

Thank you for the rec, u/Trackeys ?

This is a list for you to go back to whenever you’re feeling down or like you just want a big fictional hug. 🫶🏽

#1. Your Ryan | Ongoing

Follows the story of a young ‘housekeeper’ (forgive me, I forgot the correct term) and her idolised soldier, Ryan, as he takes a “vacation” in the countryside after the war under a different identity.

This is a really sweet and comedic love story that will make you laugh and kick your feet, but also touch your heart with themes of war trauma, healing, and forbidden love (?). I can’t say a lot because we’re still in the first season, but it definitely started strong.

#2. Secret Garden | Ongoing

Follows a mercenary who’s suddenly accused of murder after picking up the belongings of a dead man. Forced to run away from the city, he finds himself lying in the garden of the wife, now widowed, of the man he’s accused of having murdered.

Secret Garden is one of this season’s hidden gems, and God, it deserves more attention. The art is stunning, and the characters are so very unique: we have a cold and stoic female lead and an easy-going male lead who thinks he can have it all with his charms at first, but is easily put back in his place. It’s only the first season, but he has already grown so much as a person. Besides, his relationship with her son serves some of the cutest panels in this industry.

#3. Fallen to Paradise | Completed

Follows a newlywed and terribly mismatched couple formed by a lady from high society who was dumped by the crown prince and a former soldier and illegitimate son of the late king as they try to adapt (or run away) to their new situation.

This is a heartwarming story about overcoming differences while learning to respect and appreciate each other’s backgrounds and interests. It will make you laugh out loud and, to be honest, make you cry a little when you learn about their traumas.

Fallen to Paradise is one of those rare stories that treat traumas and their consequences seriously instead of using them to add “flair” to the characters, so beware of the TW. #4. The Prince Doesn’t Cry From Mere Onions | Ongoing

Follows a prince who’s on a quest to recover his emotions lost due to a “curse”. The only lead he has to do it is that he must settle his debts. When he arrives at the last person on his list, he finds out the man has passed away, and his daughter claims that he doesn’t need to do anything. Except he must. And that’s how the prince found himself peeling onions in a restaurant in a countryside village.

This story is one of my favourites in absolute for its perfect balance between comedy and drama. It’s hilarious when it needs to be, heartwarming and full of passion when it comes to their romance, and so sad when you think of everything these characters went through. However, rest assured, no tears were shed in the making of this review.

Full Review

#5. The Scent of Osmanthus (novel) | Completed

Follows a Japanese immigration officer (ML) and a Korean illegal immigrant (FL) as they enter a mutually beneficial contract marriage: he gets a promotion, and she gets the chance to find her missing fiancé. But the more time they spend together and learn about each other’s past, culture, and dreams, the less they feel like terminating this contractual relationship.

The Scent of Osmathus is the time of novel that will have you kicking your feet and squeaking while thinking of that “now, kiss” meme. This story is great not only because it manages to develop their relationship in a very realistic manner, even though they’re so different from each other, but because it immerses you in its worldbuilding. I found myself learning about how to prepare a traditional Japanese tea and saving Korean side dishes recipes.

This story is the very definition of cozy.

#6. Foam of The Sea | Complete

Follows a princess who is betrayed and murdered by her beloved fiancé, and reincarnates in the enemy country as a nameless commoner. She’s taken care of by an orphan boy who aspires to be a doctor, and, living under the same roof, they slowly develop a relationship of mutual support, friendship, and something more… romantic.

Foam of The Sea is a beautifully written and drawn story about healing from traumas, overcoming your fears and prejudices, and finding your voice (in the political sense). This is also one of my favourite stories, and I’m sure it will become one of yours too if you like a comedy drama with a heartwarming romance plot.

Full Review

#7. As The Heart Leads | Ongoing

Follows a shaman girl who’s reincarnated as a noble lady who is about to marry a murderous emperor. But to her surprise, he’s a much kinder and sweeter person than the rumours gave him credit for, and his “madness rampages” were actually caused by evil spirits who are clinging to him. Powered by her knowledge from her previous life, she will try to save his life by exorcising the spirits. Little did she know he would also save hers…

With stunning art and an extremely cute main couple, As The Heart Leads is a tale of love, selflessness, healing, and self-discovery. And it succeeds at portraying each of these themes with just the right amount of drama and humour.

Let it be known that I will never get over the scene in which she’s crying because Lee-Jae totem is broken and, even without understanding what that meant to her, he glued it back together.😭

#8. The Maid With a Child (novel) | Complete

Follows a newly hired maid who sees her master for the first time when he returns from war and throws a baby at her (literally), saying: “Raise it”. She’s reluctant and even tries to resign from her job because she doesn’t want to be a nanny, but circumstances keep her there. As they raise this child together, master and maid develop something deeper than a professional relationship: they become each other’s closest friends, but will it stop at that?

The Maid With a Child is one of the most interesting novels I’ve read with the silliest title. This story is the perfect blend of comedy, political intrigue, drama, and romance. It breaks all the typical stereotypes of a cold male lead without even making an effort, and it’s just amazing to see how much these two grew together as people, healing each other’s traumas and maturing their worldviews.

Full Reviw

#9. Deviation 1995 (novel) | Complete

Follows an aspiring Korean actress who desperately needs to practice for a role in R18 (not porn) movie, and an American soldier who has just completed his military service and becomes the perfect target for her practice sessions. With each day they spend together, their hearts become more entangled, but he must return to the US in 2 weeks.

Deviation 1995 is a captivating romcom that approaches sexuality in such a beautiful, sensual, and respectful way, but doesn’t make the smut the main plot. This is a tale about a fortunate encounter that brings together two people who just love each other’s companies and that’s what makes this novel so unique and precious. It’ such a comforting read.

#10. 4 Ways To Find a Wife | Complete

Follows a college student who accidentally watches a break-up scene between chaebols and is caught. After a series of misunderstandings and fateful situations, she ends up pretending to be his girlfriend, and he moves into her house. As he slowly integrates and becomes part of her family, their relationship becomes more and more real.

This is still my favourite romcom after 2 years, and I can only attribute this to how hilarious and yet profound this story is. The relationship between the male lead and her siblings is one of the cutest things I’ve ever read in manhwa, and I love the way he slowly understands what it’s like to have people who care for him and gives back this affection. An absolute masterpiece.

✨

These are currently my favourite cozy romances/romcoms, but there are so many more that I would have added here if only I weren’t too lazy to write about each one of them. This is one of my favourite sub-genres of romance, and boy, I eat these stories! Tell me if you have read any of these and if you would add other stories to this list.

A few weeks ago I made a similar post with my favourite romance dramas in case you want to check.

Which sub-genre would you like to see next?

I’ve been an enemies-to-lovers girlie ever since my Wattpad days. I love this trope and everything that it entails, but with the rise of its popularity, especially in ROFAN, I’ve noticed that… most of the stories intentionally written as enemies-to-lovers don’t actually hit the mark of what this trope actually is supposed to be.

And today, while doing absolutely nothing (all hail paid unemployment), I had this realization: all the good enemies-to-lovers features the villain as the love interest, and that’s no coincidence.

#Building-up Their Rivalry

Many stories simply state that: “this person is my enemy for x and y, but now I have to work with them”, and proceed to show us their banter. However, these heated discussions feel hollow without a proper background.

Despite my love for it, a fine example of this “mistake” is Dear Nemesis. We’re told that they’re enemies, but I can never truly feel that hatred. From the evils of her life, he seems the cutest one, and her dislike for him seems rather silly - which I know is part of her character growth, but I wanted more of the “nemesis” in the title.

>Bantering should be the second stage of a compelling enemies-to-lovers, not the first.

Before that, we need to see what makes this person so detestable in their eyes. Make them the villain of the main character’s story and make us believe that. Chemistry? Banter? Sexual tension? Babe, leave that for the second half or at least the second third of the story.

Do it as Olgami/Trapped did. Let us hate the love interest for what he did and pray that MC finds a way to defeat them because they’re the big bad villain of their lives. We don’t get to see them being playful or bantering with each other until we are more than 100 chapters in iirc, and that’s exactly the type of build-up an enemies-to-lovers needs.

Other examples of this build-up arc are The Cruel Prince (Folk of the Air series) and Captive Prince trilogy.

#Clash Of Opinions

With the proper build-up to this hatred set, there will come a situation in which they must work together for something, or even just stay around each other for whatever reasons, and in this moment, we must see how they think differently from each other.

Again, it’s very common for writers to add banter in discussions where they’re both on the same side, and that’s just ridiculous and makes the characters look silly. Why are you pretending to disagree with someone who’s saying the same thing as you, ma’am?

If we’re gonna write about real enemies, you’ll have to show how different they are and their clash of wits until one of them comes on top or they compromise.

A very good example of this can be found in the middle arc of Kneel Before Me, even though this story isn’t an enemies-to-lovers. The main leads have a major disagreement that defines their entire relationship and how they wish to proceed. Thus, they argue a lot and have a somewhat remorseful banter, and it’s so good because both sides are reasonable within their own understanding of the world.

This is also one of the high points of Dear Nemesis. During the second arc, it becomes painfully clear how different the leads’ morals are, and when they finally get to discuss it and fight for their own worldview, it’s just perfect.

#Don’t Be a Coward

Please, dear authors, don’t backtrack their rivalry to make the romance work. Don’t make it so that everything was a misunderstanding, and the enemy is actually the sweetest and most respectful person in the MC’s life. Be courageous!

Face your readers and say: yes, they did all that to each other, and now they’ll fall in love regardless. So what?

Instead of erasing all the tension you put so much effort into building, isn’t it much better to slowly have them show their vulnerable side? To have them unintentionally start caring for each other? To make them realise their own views were wrong, or even better: to have them respect each other’s different positions now they know where they’re coming from?

It was done in Lift My Curse, Sir Knight and Gimme That Pacifier, so I’m sure it isn’t impossible.

Let me know your thoughts!

I was listening this song nonstop this morning and I couldn't unsee how well the lyrics and overall vibe matched Vienny's from The Sacred One Speaks.😭

So I out my obsession to good use and made an edit✨🤧 I'm not good at this yet, but I'm satisfied.

Do you guys have any tips to improve it?

Original (probably with better quality): https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSQBM7Xbu/

Hilarious, frenetic, heartwarming, and deep. This story has it all.

I stumbled across this novel by accident, and I didn’t think much of it until I opened the novel update’s page and saw a review saying that ML offered to kidnap a man for the FL, whose dream is to marry and form a family. It sparked my attention, and the result is a new 5-star favourite in my reading list.

Let’s get down to business, shall we?

#Resume

The novel follows a newly hired maid who sees her master for the first time when he returns from war and throws a baby at her (literally), saying: “Raise it”.

But Adelen (FL) is sick of caring for other people’s children, being the oldest kid in the orphanage. Besides, her lifelong dream is to marry and have children of her own, which she can’t do as a full-time nanny. Thus, she’s set on quitting this job, but what to do if she’s the only one who knows how to take care of the baby, and circumstances do not allow them to hire new personnel?

In the end, she accepts the job with the condition that her new master will find a good husband for her, but the more time they spend together caring for this child, the more she feels like she has finally found the family she has always wanted.

#Review

This novel is fantastic from the first chapter until the very last line. The pacing is so well thought out that you just never get bored, and the action keeps going until the epilogue.

I would say my favourite character is the ML. Rakalt gives a cold and intimidating first impression, but as the story progresses, we realise just how wrong that perception was. In reality, he’s such a down-to-earth, respectful, funny, sweet and caring guy.

But he's not only an empty green flag. One of the high points of this novel is how it manages to subtly add depth to it’s characters:

Rakalt aims to be the perfect nobleman because of his upbringing, and he’s genuinely a good person, which makes it even more painful when he describes all the abuse he suffered from his parents with a half smile and calls it “necessary”, because that’s what he believed his entire life. To which the FL answered:

>“If someone understands words, why would you need to hit them? It’s not like you were some kind of beast.”

This is only one of the many heart-to-heart conversations they have, trying to heal each other’s emotional wounds, and I love each one of them. I wish I could show you all the quotes, but then what would be the fun?

With time, it feels like Adelen is setting him free from the mental cage his father had put him in. Meanwhile he’s helping her see the worth in herself and stop accepting anything (and anyone) just because she didn’t think she deserved or could find anything better.

Their relationship is as beautiful as it is funny and chaotic. Additionally, I love how they become each other's closest confidants before they even consider becoming something else. It solidifies their bond and trust in each other, which makes the third arc crisis hilariously angst for everyone but them.

Lastly, but not least, their relationship with this baby is so cute. I’m one who usually dislikes childcare stories, but this one genuinely made me hope for the next scene with the child, and I like that the FL didn’t just suddenly start liking the kid. At first, she saw him as a burden, and she almost even let him be “kidnapped” back (if that makes sense ahaha), but slowly she starts caring for him, and so does the ml, who’s surprisingly good with children despite the kid not liking him much.

They even go as far as dressing themselves as characters from a fairy tale to read for the children during an event, and that scene was so sweet that it made me kick my feet.

This connection also comes with a moral dilemma because the male lead kidnapped this child, his biological family is searching for him, and they’re also good people. When this reality finally hit, I was torn between thinking: “Our main characters are obviously in the wrong here” and “Whatever, give back their baby. You don't need to be blood related to be family 😭”.

✨

Guys, this review sucks. I always tell myself I shouldn’t write about stories I loved as soon as I finish them because my thoughts are all over the place, but I can’t help it: I really want to show it to the world and talk about it with someone else😭

So just trust me and read it, it’s totally worth it.