10000/10 TIA AND CEDRIC ARE THE STANDARD. THEY ARE THEEEE COUPLE, THE MOMENT. ... more>>

first of all, tia is TRULY a villainess. none of those "misunderstood" type shtick (although i do enjoy those as well), she is truly one and she never pulls any punches with her schemes. she is truly a queen, she is an empress, i love her!! I LOVE HER. her schemes are not only intricate and cunning, she's also such a nuanced character, and you can see how her environment shaped her and how her new environment with cedric (ML) is making her heal and accept herself in ways she had never cared tot ry before because she devalued herself. ALSO IF ANYONE DARES TO f*ckING SAY SHE GOT WEAK WITH CEDRIC SHUT UP BC YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH SHE HEALED AND HAD GROWN TO LOVE HERSELF BC OF HIM WHILE NOT CHANGING AS A PERSON BC HE LOVES AND ACCEPTS HER （πーπ）she can be a bad bit*h and also love herself god damn she doesnt need to be traumatized to be a compelling character.

and CEDRIC my god he is more than kenough he is in the stratosphere of kenough-ity he is the STANDARD literally men should take notes. he's just such a good, genuine person, while not being naive. he knows what tia is doing and never shames her or thinks badly of her, and he always is open to constructive criticism (irl people take notes please). he's open to change while asserting his point of view, and he and tia have such a healthy, sweet relationship while being an absolute power couple.

and so many side characters here have such nuance and depth! they have clear motives and clear seperate ideals and ideas from both MC and ML, and they all affect the story instead of the story being one-sidedly pushed forward by the MC and ML. it makes the political intrigue actually intriguing bc everyone is to some extent competent. <<less

10/10 I LOVE MAOMAO SO MUCH. I'VE LOOKED FOR A PROTAGONIST LIKE HER FOR SO LONG. do you know how DIFFICULT it is to look for an MC that both has the ability and the skill BUT also has the EQ and self-protection ability to recognize when she should keep her distance from issues that she may have a hard time handling ESPECIALLY IN A HISTORICAL NOVEL??? i was so shocked when i saw her say that while she knew what was going on and planned to help, she would firstly protect herself and not act recklessly. WILD.... more>>

and of course every single arc is so well written i cannot truly do them justice in this brief review. just know that the forshadowing and build up is GODLY. excellent. i love the way you, as a reader, can also figure out stuff rather than the author springing some "oh yeah btw there was another person" type twist. they know how to commit to the bit and the plot.

the ONLY con, is sometimes there are side characters i dont care as much about (like in the latter half of the story there are these companions for maomao that are just the most obnoxious characters in the novel like why... sigh) but i could ignore that. for maomao.

jinshi is fine too i guess. he's down bad. it's what maomao deserves. <<less

9/10 this list would not be complete without this bad b*tch. i love how she STAYS ruthless and very clear regarding who she should affect and not. i also really like how ML is a bad bit*h too, and the power couple they become is amazing to behold.... more>>

if there is a gripe i have, it's the weird trope of "ML being jealous over his own kids" that i find really questionable. good thing in this novel it's mostly because he's worried about the MC, but i still dislike it. but it isn't a whole lot if you hate that like me, but it is the reason for the minus point. <<less

10/10 again this list would not be complete without this bad b*tch. ML is contentious among readers but i actually liked him, he was also an interesting character, especially with how his backstory tied into MC's.... more>>

the things she went through, i would've just quit tbh. she's built different. i love how the lands and their people were fleshed out beyond politics and the "big picture", and the concerns of the people were given a voice, and MC learned from all her experiences. you can see not only her physical growth but her emotional growth. earlier on i actually really liked how she insisted on keeping her cards to herself and not trusting anyone even if it became unhealthy later on, because it was in character and made complete sense. realistically, could she have really trusted anyone? anyway i liked her. <<less

10/10 tbh i read both the WN and LN at the same time so they blur in my mind. they were both equally enjoyable personally

9/10 i actually think this is the first BG novel i read lol and it was great... more>>

i like how ML took care of MC. if i had anything to complain, MC was a bit too reticient but it was in character and she tried her best to communicate well with ML, so no real issues there. it was a relatively stable relationship <<less

10/10 i know the title is MC focused but the ML's GROWTH was amazing here. ofc the MC's pov is entertaining to witness... more>>

tbh i'm unsure if the author intended it but i like that MC genuinely at first thought she was okay-looking, but as time passed in the courtyard she began to internalize the insults abt her appearance even if it was in a joking way :(( i do like that she never devalued herself, it was more like "it is what it is" mindset. still though

also liked that ML's past behavior was called out and corrected. the changes were perfect <<less

8/10 was a fun read i love how MC's sweetness and softness underlied a tough and resolute interior. she is gentle but she stands by her decisions. i love that duality. and ML's fierceness and his clingy behavior with MC is delicious lmao... more>>

i loved how MC doted on ML! and how ML tried his best to reciprocate and express love <<less

9/10 their dynamic is giving both old married couple and newly dating... more>>

i like how communicative they are! although it started off with MC knowingly marrying ML because she thought he would turn out good, and ML because he had to get married, it turned out well. i liked how smooth their relationship was, and they worked through rocky patches together <<less

9/10 i love the character development of both the MC and ML! it's so nice to see the progression of their relationship as they both... more>> struggle through their individual problems while trying to work out their relationship. some parts are frustrating, sure, but i think it makes sense for the characters to act that way. later on you also see how far they've come, which is just so good <<less

10/10 ML is a walking green flag honestly.... more>>

i like how MC really worked on herself and also elevated the people around her, which is great to see! the misunderstandings in this novel were funny for me to an extent, because when ML did realize he was mistaken i got sad... but i like that MC made up for it by being expressive and chasing him! we love that. i love their friend group too, it's such a warm slice of life novel <<less

10/10 i love the way MC sort of disses ML while also validating him. true romance. and i like the way their relationship develops from... more>> them being suspicious of each other (for good reason) to partners in crime. ML is a bit obsessive/yandere but he never controls MC and they always communicate which is god tier! <<less