I want to leave a good review because of the concept and characters, but there are two big problems- the pace and the translation.

The pace is very slow, with everything given way more detail and exposition than necessary. I wish I could cut out like 75% of the writing to get to the point.

The translation doesn't help either. I don't expect perfect prose, but it is often confusing. Tenses and pronouns get mixed up often. One small but significant typo in the first chapter says that Cesar is going to marry "his own sister, " misleadingly hinting at an in*est plotline. (It should be her -Irena, the FL's- sister that is marrying Cesar.) There's a whole paragraph in ch 7.1 where Irena's name is mixed up with Countess Elvira, the woman she's talking to, so it reads as Elvira thinking about herself and then getting surprised by her own reaction. Unintentionally funny, but not good for readability. There are many smaller instances like these.

That said, I feel guilty criticizing the kind efforts of the translator. I'm grateful for their work bringing the story to English readers. I just think they could use help from an editor.

I like the idea of FL and ML bonding and relying on each other because of their shared history of ab*se and isolation. Irena is promising as someone who is weak but assertive, kind but sticks up for herself and Cesar. I'm not sure if it's enough to make it a worthwhile read, unfortunately.