somnia's manga / #Interesting(164)

FL is an unassuming count's daughter... who got a side-hussle as a popular romance author and a lively personality which most see as unfit for a lady. Not that she cares, she's not like other girls hihi. She gets engaged to her absolute opposite, the crown prince's right hand who's super knightly and sought after as a marriage candidate. It turns out FL's tendency to snoop around and blend in (to get a scoop on high society drama typically) is also of great help when it comes to political affairs and other mysteries, as she does so by virtue of helping her fiance with his work and worries, no matter how much he protests. The story's been great so far. The only thing I was annoyed at is FL's insecurity at the start, thankfully it went away and wasn't that overbearing. I wasn't feeling the romance between FL and ML at the start either, I was rooting for Lutin at one point, but their development is very realistic and mature so I fuck with it regardless. There is this case-by-case mystery solving structure to the story which honestly is a hit in any decent shoujo manga. FL's personality makes this an enjoyable ride too. At first I was kinda cringing at yet another "sHE's nOt Like oTheR giRls"-stick, but were fr this time. Since this is shoujo ofc all the characters go uwu over her at one point, but it's more or less justified and adds a bit of spice too.

This one basically gender swaps the positions of a cold hearted Duke and the lost princess looking to get away from trouble via marriage. So far it's pretty fun and refreshing. The only thing that rubs me the wrong way is our FL constantly misunderstanding people and their interest in her. Maybe that's something personal because I'm dead tired of FLs that can't read other people and misinterpret every little thing just to create artificial tension in the story, but anyway, it's a point to make. Also, I love how the relationship between FL and her sister is established. Their dynamic is interesting and lowkey keeps you on your toes despite knowing they'd never betray the other. Looking forward to future chapters.

Camellia, the bastard daughter of a Marquis, is forced to take on the role of the younger bastard *son* by the marquess, the wife. She is basically live insurance to protect the family's stability until her brother can recover from his illess. You know the drill, the wife is bitter as hell- but at least Lia is able to grow up with care thanks to the Marquis, her brother and the servants being fond of her. Not to mention all these dudes with a high rank that lowkey thirst after what they think is a girly looking him, "Cammelius". Anyway, I really love the story so far. I really want Lia is come into her own and find her mom. But MAN, I don't like that Claude is the main lead. He was such an ass in the beginning, and lowkey I'm disgusted how Lia is blushing over him because he is nice to her here and there, when he's a cold stone slab to everyone and everything any other time. Have you seen how he treats his fiance?? He is just glaring down on her like a mad dog bc she tries to establish a good relationship with him. Maybe I'm being too realistic here but that's a red flag. It's just ASKING for another salty ex faince villainess scenario where she beats down on Lia for stealing her mans or whatever. When I saw that banquet scene it felt like I was looking into the future already. Please tell me I'm wrong, I hope I am.. Fr Claude isn't any different from the princes. None of them really seem to care about her as a person or what she is going through. Giving her candy bc she likes it is WEAK, sorry not sorry. I'm just here to see Lia get to a point in life where she can be happy, all these dudes can go back to their palaces for all I care.

If you think too much about it, you get tired of the plot fast. Honestly, the writer(s?) could've left out the whole thing about her possessing the villainess of a novel and it would still be the same. At first you assume this is about more than just FL, but this story is pretty much just a power fantasy where you're meant to put yourself in her shoes to slay and enjoy the vibes. It's not for everyone, and certainly not for me. The whole thing about the ex being the ML also turns me off. It's refreshing to a FL who doesn't blush or think about her main love interest asap, but their whole dynamic is so predictable, and their chemistry is the equivalant of filtered still water. Ah, another reason why story may get boring for you is how shallow the "business lore" is explained/portrayed. One thing happens and she loses her ENTIRE customer base only to go on a mini mission to gain them all back (and repeat that formula every few chapters)? This is why I said that thinking too much ruins the fun. Later chapters only get worse.

40/ Our MC, Helga, is the young lady of a powerful Dukedom. Her real mother, a maid who served the family, swapped her and her half-sister Hyllian out when they were infants - which was eventually found out by the Duchess. As you can guess, Helga went through hell trying to endure this family. Once Hyllian returns, they expect Helga to just quietly switch identities and give up all her accomplishments. Hell no, to put it kindly. Honestly, I feel this is one of the better "I may be fake or real, but I'll become a menace either way"-shoujo stories. The focus of Helga's revenge isn't Hyllian, despite her inner frustration and salt when they're together. Hyllian is more so a tool to hurt the Duchess. With that said, the bar isn't that high either, idk if I still need more info, but some cosmic coincidences just line up too perfectly sometimes. I have 2 questions: Why did the Duchess not hunt down her real daughter asap instead of waiting however many years? And how did Hyllian find out that Helga and she were gonna switch names/identities just by being told that "Hyllian" is getting married to the Prince? Also, thank god they both ended up looking similar enough to be confused as identical twins, Anime DNA is amazing. The Duchess would've looked even dumber otherwise. There was this annoying voice at the back of my mind, every time Helga brought up her escape plan. It just said "if she did it another, the easy way you wouldn't have to sacrifice your fortune and love interest for the sake of one last petty comeback", over and over again. After she succeeded and escaped I found it hard to keep on reading. At that point you kinda know what everyone's deal is and what side they're on, so guessing the outcome is easy. Despite that, I still appreciate this one for not pitting the sisters against one another, and treating their feelings for each other with respect and depth. Update: So after 100 chapters you can scratch the whole thing about Helga's sister not being made the ultimate bad guy. The author turned her into an opponent after all. As I said after Helga leaves her family the story's quality decreases rapidly. At this point stuff only happens for the sake of something happening, and every plot thread feels useless af.

109/ MC is yeeted back in time after having been betrayed by her fiance and half-sister. She sacrificed herself for her lover and family and, of course, all of them end up being huge, clout-hungry losers who stab her in the back. And this time around she is dead set on never getting engaged to that particular loser, while making sure to get a sweet, sweet taste of revenge. Let me say this. The drama here is should be spelled out in bold letters because god damn it, there's so much of it and most of it is frustrating af. Anyway, the characters have some spicy developments, but I feel like sometimes everyone's feelings are just a bit too dramatic and given too much pov. Why do I need to read about Isabella thinking she's the shit 24/7 when I already know she's just shit and no one asked? Also hate how the author made her some vain little hoe but Ariadne's literal murderer, the man who exploited her and threw her away, gets to have twilight with his boo-hoo-trauma-please-sympathize background AND is the 2nd male lead. Like eh? Can we not for once? Either way, I grew tired of the drama tbh. Ari been working at it, and I like the tension between her and the prince, but otherwise all these crazy people are turning me off. TLDR; Too much delulu yapping and too little screen time for people I actually want to know about.

MC is reincarnated into a romance novel with the typical "blessed maiden from another world falls for the Emporer, kicks off the evil fiance, and fights evil"-plot. SHE is born as the 2nd ML, who turns out to actually be a woman in disguise. First of all. I like that MC isn't all over the novel plot. She worries reasonably and has yet to fall into that annoying pattern of overthinking and jumping to useless conclusions. Her body morphing through artifacts also makes it more believable for her to pass as male, not to mention the other interesting magic stuff she got going on. It's refreshing to not be stuck in the child POV for like 30+ chapters for once. The story gets done with what it needs to convey and moves on. With that said, the pacing is tight, but a bit too tight. Some things just went and left without enough explanation. For example, I was left with confusion when they clearly show the Prince not liking his fiance, but after one sentence and whatever many years later they're bickering like true friends, without really showing their relationship progress. The story's weak when it comes to character development in general. Anyway, there is also this potential of the whole "omg no homo, thank god" narrative. But I personally hope that they'll play up the "idc about your gender, I love YOU" perspective, that'd be better than tasteless homophobic messaging. And even though Enok is lowkey nuts, I hope he's the ML, at least he admires her while knowing she's a woman. That'd be more comfy for sure. As for the saintess, an originally good main character who turns sus bc the story pov changed is always welcome. I hope the pace slows down now that she's there to basically signal the start of the og novel.

Inés has relived her life more than once by the time she chooses to become the fiance of the most handsome future playboy. She now knows to avoid the slimey, filth-ridden rag, that is the Crown Prince... and hops on the Carcel (the playboy) train, when she is reborn far enough into the past to change her fiance. That's one hell of a rough summary. The story so far is so nice. The whole time reverse thing isn't anything new, but the story makes it up with the characters and pace. It isn't anything world end heavy plot-wise, but the journey still feels important thanks to Inés' perspective. Honestly, her experiences made me cry multiple times, and this isn't even supposed to be a tragedy. Herself and her relationship with Carcel are the main driving point of the story imo. And yea, there is no actual smut in here. You barely get to witness them breaking the bed, it's vaguely shown and more so talked about by the characters. In a worse story I might've complained about lacking commitment, but here these scenes feel less like smut for the sake of smut, and more so to show the couple's development. Looking forward to future chapters for now.