2.5 stars because of the cute ML, but he wasn't anything special either. Just a protective softie, a big golden retriever.

When I think of FL, it makes me want to score this novel a lot lower. Slyvia is such a party pooper. She always lets ML down. I hate her for what she was doing to him. She constantly tortured him. She demands something that will separate them and when ML is respectful of her OWN choices she DARES TO get annoyed????????? She doesn't treat him fairly, she gets embarrassed... more>> and gets her anger out of ML. And it continued like that for a long time too.

Since she changed after confessing her love I stayed reading but this time the story when stale. I skimmed the last 10 chapters because some new names where added and the plot keep getting more obvious.

Spoiler

It's going to be random but the demon named Lang's death was a bit comedic. He didn't stay for long too. I mean we didn't even warm up to him but the author used him as a stepping stone for FL's emotions.

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I also hate to read about a second couple (there was even a third) in these kinds of stories. They add NOTHING to the main plot either. UGH. GIVE THE MAIN COUPLE MORE SCREEN TIME, WHY ARE YOU CUTTING IT?? The author made the cuts in the most absurd way too. Every time you look forward to something, BAM! The second-couple chapter. BAM! What about we lose more time to the third?!

I probably should give this a 2 but the average score is more of a fit if we compare it to the other stories of this genre.

That's it. &Lt;3 <<less

Overall, it's an extremely average story, but something about it just didn't quite hit with me and it ended up feeling like a chore to read.

There isn't enough story for the length. One of the ways the author tries to pad out the novel is by adding two romantic side couples, but it doesn't really work: (1) Nothing ever happens in these side couples' solo scenes that affects the main storyline. You can skip them entirely without missing anything important. (2) The main couple are "reincarnated lovers", the first side... more>> couple are "childhood sweethearts separated by class", and the third couple are "enemies to lovers". It should have been exceptionally easy to keep them varied and interesting, but instead the author shamelessly recycles plot beats. There's one point where we get a scene of the male lead getting jealous because he thinks the female lead might like the Crown Prince, then a scene where Jeffrey is jealous because he thinks Philia likes the Crown Prince, then a scene where Auston is jealous because he thinks Rubia likes the Crown Prince. I felt so tired 😭

The main character, Sylvia, is very poorly established. I couldn't figure out why the author went with the premise of "reincarnating to my 100th life" instead of just having her reincarnate after her life as Alyssa since virtually none of her intervening lives are even mentioned. She acts and thinks like she *just* left her life as Alyssa. Relics from her time as Alyssa are (incredibly) still circulating, magic as an intellectual field hasn't advanced at all, none of her knowledge is outdated, and she certainly doesn't behave with the wisdom or patience of someone who has lived many lives. It's baffling to me that she would reach her final life and instead of saying "whew, last round - we're almost done so let's not ruin anything by pissing off God" (who punished her to be reincarnated and specifically TOLD her not to try to cheat by dying early), she runs the risk of incurring a second punishment by trying to not-so-subtly kill herself just to skip an amount of time that is trivial compared to how long we're told she's lived thus far. This is like deciding to do a prison break on your last year of a 100 year sentence lmaooooo

She isn't secretive or smart about how she tries to cheat God, either. At one point, she tells an enemy OUT LOUD "Target the Duchess, not the Duke" like LMAO sure the enemy doesn't know you're the Duchess because you're wearing a cloak, but do you think GOD doesn't know?? How can she have lived so long and be so s*upid??? She disrupts an arrest her husband is making of a succubus for forced prostitution, drug peddling, and mind control with the logic that ~maybe~ this succubus will be able to kill her in the future even though she has obviously already demonstrated to any god that may be supervising her that the succubus is no threat as long as she exerts herself. This is the problem with all her shallow schemes to "accidentally" die. What makes her think God would forgive her for not using her magic to protect herself when she obviously could as an super OP demon lord arch mage???? NOTHING. You might as well stick your face in a puddle and say "oh no~ I'm drowning~".

Oh yeah. Did I mention she's a super OP demon lord arch mage? She's also super good at fashion and trading and dancing - not that she ever cuts loose and has fun with her abilities. Oh, no. No fun allowed. The main character needs to be depressed so we'll feel sorry for her instead of questioning her decisions - e.g., how morally repugnant is it that she doesn't care how many innocent people the succubus (who, once again: committed forced prostitution, drug dealing, and mind control!!) has harmed or will harm in the future as long as *maybe* she'll get to die sooner? I can see why she became a demon lord and visited ruination on humankind in her past life - it's not because she's particularly tragic, it's because she's *intensely* selfish. (The succubus ends up torturing her husband, but that's okay, because she goes back and gruesomely kills the succubus. IDK why this is supposed to make me feel better about Alyssa/Sylvia. It just makes her look cruel lol)

I honestly found it difficult to like or root for the female lead. Alyssa/Sylvia has no character traits except self-absorbed depression (and a slew of haphazardly established OP settings - she's perfect at everything she ever does, ever). Even the way she thoughtlessly toys with the male lead's sincerity and emotions while trying to force a s*xual relationshop on him is so greasy. If it were a man doing the same to a female lead, the author would be flamed for writing such s*um romance. She does reflect on her behavior, but not until she decides that she's in love with him, which is my least favorite romantic trope. You should treat the people around you decently even if you're not in love with them. *Sigh*

Unlike the female lead, the male lead seems to have morals, along with a cookie-cutter "puppy-like devoted man" setting, but it's hard to root for him to end up with Sylvia. It feels like watching an inexperienced friend cling to his girlfriend just because she's his first.

The premise was promising but the author really wasn't interested in telling a story about reincarnation or the trauma of past lives. This novel has a manhwa which has currently completed its first season. You can check it out if you like but I don't love the quality of the art and would much rather recommend "How to Satisfy the Devil", a manhwa that has far superior art + story-telling and has an extremely similar premise (a woman cursed to reincarnate indefinitely who is traumatized and exhausted by events of her past lives, which are actually discussed and honestly my favorite part of the story - no spoilers, but the past life where she was a theater actress had me on the edge of my seat. Such dramatic tension!!)

This story aimed to be a bland rehash of already circulating rofan tropes. I won't say it didn't succeed, but it definitely wore out its welcome. It's not terrible, but. :/ 2/5. <<less