Edit: four years on from the first time I read this, I can confidently say this is one of my favourite stories in the world. Unfortunately I'm delusional and believe this was written specifically for me, but I have my reasons. The art has developed into the most beautiful webtoon I have ever seen, bar none. It literally speaks for itself: there are panels without words where the story is told solely through light, and I fall to pieces about it. The webtoon itself has become something incredibly rich and dense with layering (my ideal way of telling a story). It has leaned fully into its strengths, which are the insane relationships that come about through grooming a child and throwing them into the political sphere. In doing so, my previous criticisms have been addressed --
- The hammy evil priest who ruined everything because he hated women has become a horribly convincing zealot that ruins everything because he fully believes in the trolley problem.
- Shuri is still projected upon as everyone's white moonlight, but the white moonlight is so incredibly complex and impactful. So far she has been in one scene as herself (and not an illusion) (everyone hallucinates her) and it had me on the floor. Ambitious, resourceful, resolute. Thematically she should be the "villain", but by god does the story respect and acknowledge her as a woman.
- The hinting of romantic feelings between Jeremy and Shuri which initially had me rolling my eyes for the cliche and gagging for the context has, unbelievably, become a core strand of the story in a way that I respect so much. It's so thoughtful, well-written, and upsetting. Jeremy is such a lovely person, categorically the worst character to be the second male lead, and has such a complicated and reciprocated love for Shuri that doesn't... not include romance. In another story he would be the male lead and it would make sense. In this world it also makes sense. It will never happen. I want to die every time it comes up. They don't talk about it.
I feel such intense emotion with every chapter. At one point I fell out of my chair with tears. I don't think it's a perfect story, but it's perfect for me.
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For a little bit I was worried that the potential of the premise and the prologue would be unmet, because the first few chapters (the aftermath of the funeral) were VERY weak. But A Stepmother's Märchen quickly straightens out; I really enjoyed the trial arc, and the current arc of Shuli's first life/death is great. Parts of this story will stick with me long after I finish it, I just know.
There's a lot of hammy characterisation, and stock tropes get whacked in here. The evil priest is a little unbelievable, considering his main beef with Shuli is that... she's a woman? But there has been a bit of development for his character and for the church which is really strengthening their role in the story and giving them a bit of complexity. Similarly, the crown prince character who seemed like an ordinary (annoying) love-rival has become something more interesting in regards to mothering, and trauma, and his very strange relationship with Nora (and Nora's parents) makes me go a little insane, I am obsessed.
Shuli's step-children are especially fantastic: I really enjoy how childish they are, because it's a wonderful contrast to Shuli, and a testament to her hard work that they are allowed to just be kids with her.
A Stepmother's Märchen goes through a real journey, in my opinion. In general, I feel like the storytelling holds back what could be an incredible story about claustrophobic motherhood and the horrible circumstances that get forced upon women. But there is still so much to like, and I have a lot of fun reading this! The high points, when they get there, are incredible, and the story getting better and better. Very much looking forward to seeing where it goes!
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