This webtoon started out promising but unfortunately, falls notably short of its potential.
The story centers on the naive Yvona who finds herself reincarnated a year in the past before her self-destructing events. She uses her knowledge to reclaim her agency. There's potential in this premise for a gripping, empowering narrative, but that's not what we're handed.
First and foremost, while the storyline itself is acceptable albeit mediocre, the characters in "The Soulless Duchess" are disappointingly flat. I love stories about OP main characters, and think that stories with settings like 'a misogynistic aristocratic world in which women show that they are just as capable as or even better than their male counterparts if given the chance' can be so much fun to read. However if you are looking for stories like that, this webtoon should be avoided.
Please proceed with caution. Once you see the problems, you cannot unsee them. SPOILERS AHEAD:
The author's wish-fulfillment wet-dream fantasy of being the perfect woman - beautiful, intelligent, kind, powerful, and desired by many men - shines through Yvona, making her character unrelatable and even obnoxious, especially to those who appreciate nuanced, flawed, deep and evolving characters. The story tumbles into the pitfall of its protagonist turning from an unexperienced doormat but powerful summoner to an unrealistic Mary Sue overnight overshadowing every character in the story. With the reincarnation gimmick, Yvona's character makes a drastic 180-degree turn, creating an incoherent narrative between her two lives.
For example, the perfect social adeptness she displays in her second life, despite her antisocial past of having barely interacted with anyone besides her ex-fiancé and her cousin, is jarringly unrealistic.
Everything goes her way, everything works out for her, she can do no wrong. Apart from her magic, she had no experience whatsoever in her past life, yet finds always and all solutions to every problem in her new life. The story only amplifies its protagonist Yvona to impossible heights of perfection while reducing all its male characters to flawed, misogynistic villains.
Why am I writing about misogynistic male characters? Because apparently the author is a total misandrist. The male characters are depicted with such a distinct bias that a pervasive sense of misandry seeps through the narrative as most men are portrayed as self-centered, stupid, sexist, narcissistic, and/or manipulative. This trend is so pronounced that it feels like a deliberate attempt to vilify the male characters, which takes away from the complexity and authenticity that should be inherent in a good narrative. Furthermore, the blame for wrongdoings in the story, especially those perpetrated by female characters, is unjustifiably and always directed towards the male characters - /women can do no wrong whereas men are bad. Because adults totally shouldn't take responsibility for their own actions no matter what sex or gender /sarcasm off. This pattern, once noticed, makes it hard to connect with the story on a deeper level. As a woman, it is insanely frustrating and bewildering to read.
Here are some examples:
In her 2nd life, Yvona's new fiancé, Duke Azentine, is stripped of his depth and reduced to a lovesick caricatural accessory to the perfect Yvona. His character, originally introduced as a powerful figure and someone who avoided love at all cost for the heavy responsiblity as the empire's sword, fails to develop beyond his infatuation with Yvona. Btw, he fell in love with the perfect Yvone because she smiled.
The emperor, who only has one child - a daughter, is misogynistic despite loving his daughter to the T. Due to the misogynistic world setting, he only thinks of marrying his beautiful princess off rather than making her a successor to the throne. His daughter however exceeds his expectations on top of making him question his initial judgement, as she turns out to be a very intelligent and capable strategist befitting of an empress.
Lady Celdon, a side character, displays the typical characteristics of a villainess. She seethes will jealousy and envy of having lost Duke Azentine as a potential suitor to the female lead. Despite having worked hard her whole life to be called the "perfect" woman, she was not able to win over the Duke, so she does what a typical villainess would do. Undermine the female lead and try to humiliate her to put her in place. However Yvona saves her from being assaulted by bad men, thus intitiating Lady Celdon's change in personality (so quick) and ambitions, and her past vindictive actions are blamed on the misogynistic society that the world is set in.
The female lead's fiancé in her 1st life is a dubious, cunning, two-faced, selfish, sexist raging narcissist who used Yvonne's magic abilities to boost his ego and influence in society, pretending to possess powerful magic. A total scumbag and one of the main antagonists (which is okay, every story needs one).
However in Yvona's 1st life, despite doing everything for her fiancé, she eventually gets betrayed by him - she finds out that not only has he used her the whole time and never actually loved her, he had also cheated on her for most of their relationship. BUT! Do you know who he cheated on her with?
Wait for it .... That's right. It's another bad man (LOL).
"The other man" is her cousin to be exact. Someone who was supposed to be like her sibling growing up. Despite his backstory making you kind of sympathise and understand the roots of his behaviour and actions, he does not get an alternative positive ending like the female villainesses in the story.
Yvona gets betrayed by one of her longest-known maids who deliberately put her in danger multiple times, even intending on having her killed. But you know who Yvona blames? Her ex-fiancé because the maid fell in love with him through a manipulative setup. So apparently the maid bears no responsibility for her actions of betrayal because it is all a bad man's fault.
In summary, "The Soulless Duchess" struggles with character inconsistency, lackluster storytelling, and unrealistic plot progressions. A disappointing read for those seeking well-rounded characters and believable story arcs. It reads more like an author's self-fulfilling dream through a heavy-handed portrayal of Yvona's perfection than a well-balanced story.
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