The Margrave's Daughter & the Enemy Prince, Volume 1

The Margrave's Daughter & the Enemy Prince #1

by An Ogura

This enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance follows a strong-willed, sword-wielding heroine who takes control of her own destiny. 

Anna, daughter of the Margrave of Halmich, is tired of the expectations placed on women in court. She has no interest in marrying a nobleman because society expects it of her. Instead, she works hard on her swordsmanship and dreams of joining her father on the battlefield someday. Unfortunately, fate deals her a heavy when the hostile forces of the Kingdom of Albion invade and take the Halmich heir prisoner, she is given to the enemy prince in exchange for her brother's life. 

But even in the face of these tragic circumstances, Anna still has plans of her  

"I'll infiltrate their ranks as a tribute, and then... I'll defeat the man who killed my father." 
 

Genres: Manga, Romance, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Comics, Josei, Historical Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2025

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barely worth writing home about. Paint by numbers plot, one dimensional characters, an MC h who’s “Not liKe otHeR gUrls” and you have a snooze fest and a series this reader will not be continuing with.

2, I’m underwhelmed, stars.

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was anything but boring and I second a friend who said it's a more unhinged version of 7th Time Loop (but without the time loop) and completely second this!

From start to finish, this story was gripping! I was easily able to cheer for Anna and her goals! I hated how her Mom would slap her when she wouldn't act "ladylike" and never praised her UNLESS she was suddenly being docile. I was VERY upset because Anna is an incredible heroine and admired her so much for how she wanted to do sword fighting and KNEW how to do sword fighting. There is nothing weak about her no matter if she may feel inexperienced or ignorant about certain things.

Most of those "things" involve the Prince who is extremely unhinged! He really livened up the page and confess I didn't mind seeing what he would say to set Anna off, even though I feel bad for admitting that. *hides* However, I am baffled by the end. I'm unsure of why (minor spoilers directly ahead!!) she needs to go to a ladies school to be "worthy" to be his side when he already is deeply interested in her?

I admit that I was so caught off guard by the ending (and them potentially seeming to "split up" due to being in two different places??) that it really affected my desire to want to read more. Definitely an interesting and engaging story that didn't let up for a moment though!

TW: There is an attempted r*p3 scene and it IS triggering and intense. I know the rating on the back of the volume says OT for "sexual assault" and I believe it's very valid.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to be adjusted once series is complete


Anna, the titular Margrave's daughter, is the odd one out in her family. She takes after her father and is more interested in weapons and warfare than she is in being a lady. When things go wrong on the battlefield against the enemy kingdom, Anna is given over to the enemy kingdom's general as peace offering. Anna has no intention of going quietly and when she finds herself in a violent situation with the general, non other than the enemy prince comes to her aid. The pince, however, has his own plans for her.

The art is absolutely beautiful and this is a promising start to the series. Anna is so far quite the typical arch type character of noble lady who would rather swing a sword, but I definitely like her so far. There is a good balance between humour and dark scenes that make the stakes feel reasonably high. The prince's motives are hard to read so I think this series will offer interesting romance dynamics.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Anna may be a little too "not like other girls" at times, she's sincere and determined, which goes a long way in overcoming some of her naivety.

Prince Kenneth is the typical cold but probably not as cruel as he seems, love interest, but I'm a sucker for it every time.

I'm a little hesistant for the etiquette school plot starting in the next volume, as I want to see more of the scheming Anna and less of the aforementioned naivety, but hopefully this will help her mature.

[Mehsi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure entirely how I feel about it. The MC is definitely going through all the tropes of Not Like All The Other Girls and at times I just was annoyed by her but I do like how strong she is and how she keeps going and is determined with her goals, the prince is just icky and I don't like him at all. Plus, a few very iffy scenes that had me questioning if I should continue.
So yeah, will I read more? Not sure yet.

[Mk · Rating 1 out of 5]

its sexual assault trash

[Jessica Calaway · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Hisgirl85 · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/3 stars. Uneven characters and storytelling with quick turns that are just "Yes, and"-ing to nowhere. It started as a girl is not like other girls. She likes swords. She wants vengeance. She fails and is getting sent to a lady's school???? What now? Engaged to a prince...kind of? But only if she becomes a lady? Because she was innocent and naive during a sexy time scene with the betrothed? Huh? How does that make sense? She goes from having poisoned daggers to assassinate someone to now going to boarding school when she failed to seduce or entertain her fiancé? What kind of school is this? If it's for courteseans, you'll have my interest, if it's how to be a "lady"...what about the sword fight? What is going on here? Does the author know? Does the character know who they are anymore? Did they ever?

Ugh or meh

[Josi · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Fairly average manga. Not bad but not good either. The main character was also kind of annoying. I won’t be reading the other volumes lol.

[R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anna looks the part of the beautiful margrave's daughter, the same as her sisters, except her personality and goals clearly take after her father. She has no interest in society's expectations, but instead wants to join her father on the battlefield. When her father is suddenly killed in battle, Anna finds herself as the sacrificial lamb to exchange for her brother's life. While at the exchange, the enemy prince shows up and takes an interest in her, as well as her goal of destroying his kingdom. Despite his declarations that he'll make her his princess bride and they'll use each other, he seems to play to his own whims and suddenly has additional hoops for Anna to jump through if she wants to be worthy of earning the role of his bride.

[Mariána K · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a quick read for volume one but I do like the main character quite a bit. I was a little concerned that there would be non-consent but it didn't happen. I still haven't quite figured out the foreign prince yet, but I'm sure that's going to be one of those slow builds. Volume one is pretty much just set up, it's pretty fast paced but considering it's a setup volume it's perfectly reasonable to be that fast. I think if the other books weren't available already though I probably wouldn't remember the series long enough to wait for the next volume based on the first book though.

[Cassie Renais · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is middling. The concept is quite good - a militant daughter infiltrates the enemy nation to get revenge for her father, and an enigmatic enemy prince who is maybe kind, maybe ruthless, probably both.

My problem was in the specifics of the execution. The details of when she wants to assassinate someone, when she's shy vs when she's defiant, making deals with the prince but also waffling about trusting him... it all just felt too unrealistic.

Overall, if I was more bored I might continue the series, but as is, I wasn't hooked enough to want to keep reading.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was pretty bad from the art to the writing. Everything was so abrupt that we went from a big party to dad being dead in a blink. Anna is probably thought of as a strong FL, but she’s actually incompetent and not too smart. Her family sucks, and IMO won’t last too long with her weak brother as the leader. Complete waste of time.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was taken back by this when I first read it, and while it’s all seriousness in the synopsis it’s pretty silly manga, one I’ve been enjoying so far. This first volume leads us to where Anna knows she capable of handling more than what people around her give credit for, she is underestimated by everyone and under her awkwardness she is headstrong once she sets her mind on something.

[Andrea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Volume 1: (Chapters 1-9)

Every character is annoying except maybe Raven (the butler) Character inconsistencies and weird motivations were getting on my nerves. Maybe later Volumes would help us understand the Prince's crazy, but I don't feel like reading on to find out.

[Conni Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like that Anna is the strong, sword-wielding type of lady, but I'm worried she's going to become more lady-like throughout the series. Also I really can't get a read on Kenneth right now. Here's hoping he shapes up a little bit.

[Annemaria Cummings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent storyline but not incredibly original. I liked the twists added to the whole girl warrior/rebel/revenge theme. What I didn’t love was how Anna keeps flipping between competent and completely out of her depth. Please choose a lane!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a good start to a series, but I've been reading that the main characters are rarely together. That would absolutely annoy me to no end. Especially in a long series that has many volumes. So, I won't be continuing this one.

[Daisy Dally · Rating 4 out of 5]

***Mentions of SA***

So, the glazing over the sexual assault was really weird, especially our FMC being so unfazed by it...

Aside from that, this was a fun and entertaining read with no boring or slow parts.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

meh

[Jourdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh he has those crazy eyes, I fucking love it. How interesting, he said cmon let’s burn it all down babe. I’m into it.

[J-Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Something about the plot just doesn’t sit right with me….. I might pick this series up again when more volumes are out, but I’m not gonna be actively watching this series. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Hayeley Norris · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Emma (littledollreads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

wierd

[Sal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This can go both ways because I'm hoping Anna remains steadfast and just as relentless as she intended. No doubt Kenneth has a hidden agenda and he may not be the cruel heir he was made out to be.

[Vanna Lester · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong 4.5 🌟 it gave me the more that I want in characters and the prince demanding more of the margrave daughter for her revenge 🤩🥳

[August Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the concept and I hope that it's actually enemies to lovers to the point that they keep trying to kill each other but never actually go through with it

[Kimi Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I’ll continue this… I liked the art and the story was good enough that I felt like I want to know what happens.

[KristynRene SwissCheese JellyBean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I know there are things to hate about this story, and I get that, I even second it… Did I still devour this like I absolutely couldn't get enough? In record time.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wouldn’t say there’s much depth but I kinda had a lot of fun reading this.