Once upon a time, there lived a king and queen who wanted only the best for their little princess…
Abigail has resolved to be the best mother she can be for Blanche, but she may have her work cut out for her! With the Queen Mother’s abrupt return to the capital, a sense of unease falls upon the palace… Moreover, Abigail detects sinister vibes from Blanche’s new piano instructor and must get to the bottom of his schemes. The enemies may be endless, but with Sabrian’s and Verite’s help, Abigail is determined to keep her baby safe!
Updated Review 11/12/25: I am SO bummed my library does not have any more volumes of this series because I am not ready to even say a temporary goodbye (as I will be doing what I can to get the next few volumes because I WANT to keep reading)!
The communication as a family is absolutely amazing to read and find to be super inspiring! The way the romance is blooming, too, is so very beautiful as well!
Really, really glad I came back to this series! It has been a wonderful reread!!
Original Review 9/8/24: I'm convinced there is no other family-oriented manhwa/manga that is as good or as family focused as this one!
What a beautiful volume! I deeply admire how this family is striving for open communication among each other as an ENTIRE family and making decisions together so that they all know they are being supported and not alone. It is extremely touching and very compelling! I was even happy to see another character now become part of this family!
The new "villain" is creepy and I don't like him at all. Period.
Just when I think this story can’t get any cuter! Bibi and Sable with their little Blanche are the most precious characters. And they better keep that slimy Gideon away from our lovely princess. I have a bad feeling about him.
Sadly, Not-Sew-Wicked Stepmom Volume 5 is a bit weaker than its predecessors. The heavy focus on the new music teacher in the second half felt rather boring, especially when compared to the otherwise cute and adorable tone of the series. Fortunately, the interactions with the core family remain a strong point. Overall, I'd give it a 3 out of 5.
These three continue to be the sweetest family ever. My favorite part of this one was definitely seeing Sabrian call out his terrible mother and protect his family.
I despise the new character, Gideon, though, so hopefully he either doesn't stick around too long, or develops some depth that makes him if not likable, than at least sinister in a way that's believable.
The romance slowly develops in this one, and I especially like to see how much Blanche "ships" her parents. Sabrian is so awkward, but it's endearing, and it's clear Abigail is truly just as awkward, so they're very cute.
Unfortunately, no word on when the next volume is out. :(
So cute! Sabrian and Abigail are so awkward and adorable, and Blanche is great too! I'm glad that she introduced the two of them to Verite. Excited for the next one!
J'aime tellement cette histoire ! Abigaïl continue de se rapprocher de son mari le roi (Sevlian) et avec Blanche ils forment une véritable petite famille. Au programme de ce tome : quelques complots ourdis par la reine mère et un jeune professeur de musique qui souhaite se rapprocher plus que tout de Blanche et Abigaïl. Le plus : Veritas, le miroir devient enfin un membre de cette famille recomposée et j'ai aimé voir qu'Abigaïl ne le cache plus à ceux qu'elle aime... J'ai adoré les émotions de Sevlian à ce sujet d'ailleurs (mais je n’en dis rien pour ne pas spoiler). Les dessins sont toujours superbes et l'humour omniprésent un vrai plus à ce webtoon.
Some trashy antagonists show up in this volume. The queen mother looks weirdly young at times, and is good at seeming sweet to Abigail and Blanche while showing her true colors and being horrible to Sabrian.
Glad Verite has been introduced to the family so he can work more openly and not be so lonely, though a certain king is wildly jealous. I do think Blanche could at least consider Karen a friend at this point, no?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Abigail and Sabrian decide to start sharing a bed together, but Blanche doesn’t want to be left out. This cuts down on the awkwardness between the two parents at first. Then, the Queen Mother, Sabrian’s mom, comes for a visit, and Sabrian worries she will continue to be manipulative. She tries some of her tactics on innocent Blanche. Abigail and Sabrian converse about the best way to raise Blanche as a potential future ruler — is it better to be strict and raise her with a firm hand? Or is it better to let her enjoy her childhood and raise her with compassion? Then, a new music tutor is appointed, but Abigail gets a bad feeling from him and begins investigating his motives and family business. Sabrian also investigates, and what he finds out makes him more than a little perturbed.
What I love about this series is just how much we get in each volume without feeling overwhelmed or rushed. Mo9Rang has mastered a pacing that keeps everything flowing by introducing one major crisis at a time to focus the tension on while developing character relationships. There are still through-lines and ongoing story points that carry from volume to volume, but readers are able to move at a decent pace as Mo9Rang gives each thing weight and a seriousness that these topics deserve.
In Summary A really nice balance of drama and comedy in this volume. On one hand, we have Sabrian’s painful memories as well as unscrupulous characters trying to manipulate Princess Blanche. On the other hand, we have hilarious awkwardness between the royal couple as Sabrian’s affection for Abigail grows. Overall, a charmingly engaging and beautifully illustrated read.
The Review There are a few references to fashion and Abigail’s reputation in this volume, but the focus is less on the Queen and more on Princess Blanche. Specifically, those who would use the princess to advance their own agenda.
First up is the Queen Mother. We already know that there is a rift between her and Sabrian, and now we get to see that element at play. The Queen Mother is ambitious, conniving, and most importantly, her top loyalty is not to Nerghen or her son. Rather she is striving to gain power for herself and advance her home country of Morca. Upon arriving at the palace, she wastes no time badgering Sabrian about state affairs and manipulating Blanche into considering marriage with a Morcan prince.
Her present behavior sparks flashbacks of her past actions, which paint a clearer picture of how the royal family ended up as dysfunctional as it did. Thus, Sabrian becomes an even more sympathetic character, and when Abigail helps him uncover and end the Queen Mother’s meddling, their victory is all the more satisfying.
Next is Gideon, a new court musician who has been appointed to give Blanche music lessons. However, Abigail remembers him as the unsettling character hovering around the princess at the Foundation Day celebration. Thanks to a tip from Karen (who’s apparently now Abigail’s tsundere-type friend) and Verite’s monitoring abilities, Abigail’s able to foil Gideon’s plan before he can get his clutches on Blanche.
However, it has the unexpected result of forcing Abigail to reveal Verite to Sabrian and Blanche. The reveal scene is hilarious, with Blanche wildly delighted by Verite’s powers and Sabrian overcome by jealousy. The king’s already freaked out about Gideon’s womanizing reputation, so seeing the mirror act so familiarly with Abigail pushes him over the edge. The argument between Verite and Sabrian is one of the funniest scenes in the series, and even though the arc has yet to conclude, it’s sweet to see Verite end up a member of Abigail’s little family.
Extras include Verite’s Character Sheet and Artist’s Notes.
Sabrian ist wirklich niedlich! Wie er mittlerweile reagiert, wenn es um Abigail geht, ist einfach nur herrlich. Selbst Verite ist das schon aufgefallen und er hat ja nur eine beschränkte Sichtweise auf die Welt. *gg+
Und dann dieser arrogante Schnösel? Was bildet der sich denn ein? Warum ausgerechnet Abigail und Blanche? Man gut, dass Blanche schon ein gute Gespür für Menschen entwickelt hat und trotzdem noch eine so schöne unschuldige Art hat. Ich finde sie einfach toll. Abigail lässt ihr aber auch gut Freiraum, um sich selbst entfalten zu können. Das finde ich wirklich toll. Abigail macht sich als Stiefmutter wirklich wahnsinnig gut. Und auch ihre angepasste Schlafsituation hat sie akzeptiert. Dadurch sind sie und Sabrian sich näher gekommen und doch kapiert sie seine Gefühle nicht. Der Ärmste kann einem manchmal echt leid tun.
Und dann bleibt Abigail keine andere Wahl als ihr Geheimnis um Verite zu lüften. Denn dieser hat sehr eigenmächtig gehandelt, um die kleine Prinzessin zu beschützen. Was ich wirklich toll finde. Auch seine Art und Weise, sich anzupassen sind wunderbar. Aber immer noch am Besten war Sabrians Reaktion. Ist wütend wegen der Überwachung? Nein. Ist wütend, weil Verite "männlich" ist und Abigail auch im Bad hätte beobachten können? Da kommt man der Lösung schon sehr nahe. Ja, Eifersucht steht ihm wirklich gut und es gut, dass der Spieß endlich einmal umgedreht wird. *hehehe*
Dennoch bin ich wirklich sehr gespannt, wie es weitergehen wird. Die Story scheint sich in eine recht düstere Richtung zu entwickeln...
Well, Lady Karen is back, but she seems conflicted between liking Abigail and her family's position and what they've told her she must strive to attain and how to act like a proper lady of the court. All in all, she seems fairly harmless at this stage with her internal conflict around the Abigail and her friendship with Blanche. The new problem it seems is this Gideon character. Veritas caused a bit of a stir as well, but hopefully won't be so lonely now. How Sabrian and Abigail can be so observant and yet so dense at the same time remains a mystery, too. And why was Blanche so happy looking at that old portrait, especially with how stiff it looked? At least the birthday celebrations seem to be going well, especially now that no one is falling ill again, and the royal family really does seem to be getting closer. A close call there when the queen mother came to visit, but fortunately not very long lasting, especially when we have a rather adorable scene of the family coming together to talk things out. Sometimes, Sabrian does get it right.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Sabrian,Abigail and Blanche are getting closer as a family,despite outside influences trying to break them apart.
Sabrian’s mother visits and tries to convince Blanche that she needs to marry for the good of the kingdom,which doesn’t go well with her parents.
There’s a new music teacher for Blanche,that gives weird vibes to Abigail because of his behaviour and questionable background,and she vows to keep an eye on him.
Abigail has to reveal the existence of her magical mirror,Verite,to Sabrian and Blanche,which makes Sabrian jealous because of her friendship with it. He ends up using her nickname,Bibi,because the mirror uses it as well,and asks her to appoint a nickname for him too,which is Sable,like the animal.
Pretty good volume in my opinion,very cozy atmosphere.
I tried to keep these separate I really did. Ended up as another binge read so all blended into one volumes 1-5. Ize press is doing a great job cranking out stuff I want to read. The covers are beautiful, they all read the right way and genuinely I just look forward to the new releases. So much for cutting back on the pre-orders. In a way this was a retelling but very loosely based on Snow White. Stepmother that's not so evil but looks it, a talking mirror programmed to respond to the classic line.
The mirror was the best character and the king's jealously made me laugh. This one is pretty much a rom com in the child rearing genre with enemies becoming friends and allies. I've got a feeling the mirror is going to be Blanche's best ally. Looking forward to the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Finally we are making head away in the relationship of the king, queen, and the princess. I’m so happy that they are all growing individually and as a family. I wish the Queen will tell the King more about her true self and that the King would verbally express his feeling because the Queen is OBLIVIOUS haha but amazing read, super cute.
Okay so this first volume back to Now-Sew-Wicked Stepmom delighted me, not only did we finally have our MC standing up to his evil witch of an egg-donor (the only appropriate term for that woman) but it also really was a volume that had the family growing together which warmed my cold dead heart. Also Veritas getting to meet the Blanche and Bastian was a rather hilarious moment.
This is getting so good. There’s a lot of Sabrian doing internal work on breaking the cycle of intergenerational trauma in this volume. I love seeing Sabrian and Abigail learning to be protective but thoughtful parents. Also, the romance is a brewing and Sabrian is simply hot as hell.
I love this series! The art is always good and they are consistently funny.
This volumes introduces a few new characters including the Queen Mother, who is a piece of work, and a sinister music tutor who is definitely up to no good and after Blanche romantically.