I have to say I liked this one! While it's not a top tier manhwa that will change your life, I found the premise compelling and Elena as a character very intriguing! As other reviews noted, it's so refreshing to have such a capable, smart and feminine leading lady, who does everything with tenderness and understanding. Even her revenge arc is somehow not that cold-blooded and bitter you can see she is traumatized and she does want to ger her pound on flesh for all the pain she was inflicted, but she's not a crazed lunatic.
Another citique the manhwa gets is that the second part, in the Academy, isn't as compelling as the first one. I for one have to disagree - the first part is a thrill ride, bait to make you fall into reading the manhwa, and the second part should be less thriller and more or a slow and deliberate path Elena takes to make her plans come true - step by step, very meticulously and with such attention to detail it's wonderful! However I do admit that the pacing is sometimes off, slagging a bit and getting into unnecessary side stories, but okay, it's not that bad. The story of how Elena and Ciel fall in love... Hm... Sadly I didn't feel Ciel. I can see that he would be further fleshed out if the manhwa had a contunation, but for now, he's a cold blooded, very pondered ML who didn't, in any way, make me want to learn more about him. I think this wasn't handled very well, although I do see what they wanted to show - a prince who developed a stoic facade to fight with the unstable political situation, whose power is largely taken from him, who seems to cold and calculated but is in fact a goodie behind the facade. A bit cliche, but could work, but he doesn't get the time to develop all of this properly.
The art and everything else is very nice. But the cancellation really cut it al of! This definitely had potential! Imagine seeing what Elena would have made, what kind of a literary salon, art circle or architectural school could she have created if given a chance! Too bad, really too bad... But still, recommended for those who want some depth to their manhwa...
(+19)
