Sleeps In Sunbeams's manga / #strong female lead(57)

Completed story Opinion: Thoroughly loved the relationship between a powerful couple with great communication. Rushed ending was a let down though. Main couple: 10/10 FL: 10/10 - Sienna Argent. Beautiful and powerful. Went from being a hothouse flower to a woman of heart and insight. ML: 10/10 - Kuhn Raad. A formidable man of many faces who was putty in the hands of the woman he loved. Story/Concept: Royal heir/Divine being x Kingmaker/warrior/rogue. The shining heart of this story was the dynamic between the MCs. There was respect for each other and the burdens of their roles and a truly wonderful ability to communicate well. Their problems were all external, each was able to manage independently but together they were something special. They never had a breakdown in their ability to talk things through, and each was sweetly vulnerable to the other yet also strengthened by them. Tropes: Stolen moments. Political intrigue. First time. Protective lover. Ending: VERY rushed, yet sweet and happy. Art: Pretty and full colour. Lost points towards the end was less effort. Smut: Implied only. Romantic overtones. Read novel for real smut. TW's: None.

Completed Opinion: It took several chapters to warm up to the MCs in this story but it turned out to be really enjoyable. Perhaps too many chapters sans the ML but it all made sense. Main couple: 8/10 FL: 8/10 - Imperial Princess Chaeyeon. Definitely a strong female lead, the amount of suffering she endured in her lives, especially the former one, was the stuff of nightmares. But she had incredible resilience and a will to survive and protect her loved ones. ML: 7/10 - Great Celestial Phoenix/Daeryeo. Started as a rather immature tsundere type that really needed to be socialised. It made sense given he isn’t human and was stuck yearning for his lost love. But he had some lovely growth and acknowledged his errors. Ultimately, he became a very likeable protector and a loving partner. Story/Concept: Ill fated princess x Celestial being. I loved the different mystical creatures and lore that peppered these pages. The human political sphere amidst an Imperial setting was a point of considerable influence on the FL but it wasn’t dull, thankfully. The character development for both MCs was very satisfying especially given the consideration given to the differences between a past life and a current one. Tropes: Reincarnation romance. Arch enemy- the resenter. Time skip. Evil step mother. Shoujo. Ending: Happy. Would have liked some couple time in side stories though. Art: Started as nice and really became beautiful towards the end. Smut: Zero. TW's: Gang rape. Abuse. Animal cruelty (implied).

Completed story Opinion: A sweet, easy to read romance. Main couple: 8/10 FL: 8/10 - Wendy Waltz/Olivia Hazlett. Illegitimate daughter of Lord Hazlett raised in a cold household. Gained a magical ability to grow any seed. Independent , emotionally guarded, in hiding as a commoner. ML: 8/10 -Rad Schroeder, Captain of the First Imperial Knight Army. Strong and protective. Respectful of FL independence and autonomy. Vengeful to any who harm Wendy. Story/Concept: Noble in hiding/magical florist x Captain of Royal Guards. A sweet story with steady pacing and set amidst some political intrigue between commoners and the nobility. Magical components with a fairy gifted power and a FL who wanted to live quietly as a florist. The steady romantic pursuit of the ML was lovely and I liked his darker side that came out when FL was threatened or harmed. But towards FL, he was a shoulder to lean on and a warm heart in her corner. Tropes: Fairies. Shoujo. Social class conflict. Protective lover. Sibling rivalry. Ending: Happy. Art: Pretty and colourful. Characters improved but often had very similar features. Smut: None. TW's: Kidnapping. Mild violence.

Completed story Opinion: I enjoyed this a lot but it had a few flaws. Firstly, there was not a lot of couple time as most of the story occurred with each in their separate residences and not even physically crossing paths for a while. Secondly, the entire arc of the FL sister and ex boyfriend was incomplete. There was absolutely no resolution for whether they ended up together, or turned on each other, or if the crown prince had a part in their relationship or even if the crown prince got to stay the crown prince. Extremely unsatisfying for all story aspects apart from the MCs.. Main couple: 8/10 FL: 8/10 - Liu Shuangshuan, eldest daughter of Prince Mu. I liked the FL, she was intelligent and kind, and refused to stay the victim in a toxic relationship. Transmigrated with her younger sister from the modern world. Her sister transmigrated to be Liu XiangXiang, younger daughter of Prince Mu and daughter of the current princess consort. ML: 8/10 - Fifth Prince . Poisoned as a child, the fifth Prince managed to miraculously survive but remained in a weakened body and remained sickly. However his mind was sharp and cunning and his calm presence earns him the love and loyalty of many. Story/Concept: An interesting story that has three connected people transmigrating together. In the Imperial era there is a lot of palace intrigue and the carry over hostilities between the FL and her sister and ex. The MCs dynamic was really lovely, but I would have enjoyed more couple time. We never even got a kiss. And as mentioned above, too many unresolved issues like what happens with the Mu men when they return home, and did the baby get safely delivered. Too much incomplete. Tropes: Historical. Royalty. Transmigration. Sibling rivalry. Cheating ex. Bitchy younger sister syndrome. Childhood meeting. Forgotten memories. Assassins. Palace intrigues. Smut: None. Ending: Too many unresolved plot points. Happy for MCs. Art: Consistently pretty. TW's: Extra: Available and completed on WebComics app.

Completed story Opinion: For me, this was a lovely story. I really liked how the FL rose from being an orphaned commoner turned slave to being one of the most powerful people of the empire based on her own strength of character, intelligence, and hard work. There was no luck of birth, no sudden lost royal family reunion to pave her way. She was the one to bargain with the emperor when a slave, the one who studied until exhaustion, and the one who worked all hours as the emperor’s secretary. Her compassion and sweet nature suited the tyrant emperor who pushed her to achieve and fell for her. Yeah, I really liked the story. Main couple: 8/10 FL: 9/10 - Celestia. A strong FL, with the ability to negate magic. A ML: 9/10 - Emperor Van. The Emperor of the Burg Empire, known as the Red-Eyed Psychopath. Tyrant but a man of strength for his empire and soft for his FL. This was not a man to mess with but people gonna try anyway. I really liked his Roman emperor hair style and stance. Story/Concept: I love a rags to riches story and I liked how this author didn’t fall back on old tropes like a sudden royal family connection reveal or being universally loved. This FL worked hard and the ML was a great mix of vulnerable inexperience (with respect to love) and phenomenal power, ruthlessness, and ability to endure. Tropes: Historical. Royalty. Tyrant falls in love. Rags to riches. Cheating ex. Political intrigue. Smut: None. Ending: Happy. Art: Consistently pretty. TW's: Slavery. Ruffled pink work outfit.

Completed Story Opinion: There was a lot of drama about this being a story of grooming but it really wasn’t. It’s got a 9yr age gap between Estelle and her knight but when they get to the time of realising their feelings she is an adult and even then there is a lot that happens and a lot of character development before they become a couple. The healthiest relationship was actually between the Castielo family members with a doting dad and protective brother. The irony that they were so strong and loving given their demon heritage often intruded on my thoughts. Main couple: 8/10 FL: 8/10 - Estelle Castielo, Pink Eyes. Abused for her first 11 years, the FL had a lot of insecurities and trauma to deal with, but she was sweet, strong, and likeable. I loved her coming into her adult strength too. ML: 8/10 - Knight Emile. Around 9 years older than FL? Protective of Estelle, has a darker history than you would think given his personality in the first half and a more dangerously unpredictability to him. Story/Concept: The story was told in two distinct stages. Childhood and adulthood. In Estelle’s young years, there were a few highly traumatic arcs but overall it was a time of strong family bonds and the everyday innocence and sweetness of childhood. In her adult years the story changed pace intensely, introducing angst, drama, self sacrifice, and a significant time of separation for the FL and ML. There were times you just want things to settle down, but there was a lot to resolve and overcome. Overall I enjoyed the roller coaster ride and it’s subsequent character growth. Tropes: Historical. Shoujo. Family love. Elementals. Demons. Dragons. Magic. Tough childhood. PTSD. Smut: None. Ending: Happy. Art: Consistently pretty. TW's: Child abuse. Kidnapping. Child trafficking. Torture. SA (not from ML).

Completed story Opinion: From beginning to end this was a fast paced story and I found that suited the characters. Both FL and ML were rather blunt, honest, and upfront. They communicated so well and there was a lot of mutual respect so they progressed through the story rather swiftly. Their filler scenes weren’t made up of misunderstandings and angst but lovey dovey moments and shared interests like sword fighting or solving the problems surrounding the FLs situation. Main couple: 9/10 (bonus points for best communication) FL: 8/10 - Jeongyun/Lecian Fucernien. 17 -> 18yo. Very self confident, pragmatic, upfront, and self sufficient. Not one to be restricted by social norms. Well versed in self defense. ML: 8/10 - Duke Kiernan Satosian. Captain of the imperial guard and close friend to the crown prince. Similar personality to FL only a bit softer than her at times; forthright, honest, supportive, respectful, great communicator. Story/Concept: This is an isekai story featuring truck-kun. When Jeongyun finds herself in the body of the marquess’s unloved daughter she knows that she will be killed before facing a revenge arc. But this FL would rather skip the death given her encounter with truck-kun and stay alive first time around. With her strong, independent personality she immediately takes charge and makes changes. Along the way she meets and befriends characters who were barely mentioned in the original story and gathers herself loyalty and love strong enough to withstand a long nurtured nefarious political plot that risks her own life. Tropes: Historical. Shoujo. Isekai. Strong, independent woman. Political intrigue. Royalty. Supportive ML. Smut: None. Ending: Happy. Art: Full colour, average art especially with respect to historic outfits. TW's: Child abuse. Kidnapping. Murder. Cruelty.