I’m 46 chapters in, and while the story isn’t too bad, the execution of the art direction and narration can be a bit shaky. At times, you’ll find yourself scratching your head in confusion.
The biggest issue so far is Kris himself, he’s basically the author’s deus ex machina. We’re never given a clear explanation of what the “chosen ones” can actually do, but no matter the situation, you can bet someone (usually Kris) has the perfect ability for it. How and why? No clue. This is the first story I’ve read where the author seems to give both the FL and ML’s plot armor to a side character. Kris is everywhere and nowhere at once, doing everything while somehow still “resting.” It feels like he’s discovered cheat codes for ability training, while everyone else is barely making progress. At this point, it wouldn’t even surprise me if Kris turned out to be both the villain and the FL in disguise—his ex-machina presence is just that broken.
On the romance front, it’s fine. The characters are at war, so there aren’t many chances to get lovey-dovey, especially since the ML and FL spend most of the story apart or fighting for their lives. Honestly, I appreciate the realism there.
The plot leans heavily into politics, with characters scheming to overthrow a power-hungry monarch. If that’s the kind of story you enjoy, you may find it worth reading. But as I said earlier, the execution is often sloppy, which makes things confusing at times.
Despite its flaws, I would still recommend this to others, as it’s written better than most regression stories (yes, I know the bar is low). The author actually tries to make the side characters feel meaningful. While the FL eventually hits that “every idea she has is perfect” stage, the side characters are the ones who make it possible for her and the ML to accomplish a lot of their goals. I also appreciate that the cast doesn’t exist solely to gush over the brilliance of the FL, the effort to give them their own weight in the story really shows.