The day of battle is approaching, and though Lady Isys has a growing uneasiness about the whole thing, the gears have been set into motion and it is much too late to stop them. Her anxiety is proven justified, however, when it’s revealed that King Rohan has been in cahoots with the Crown prince all long! After years of careful planning and deliberation, when Aria sees Mielle on her knees awaiting execution, she realizes it may be time to reap her rewards—only, the best things in life should be saved for last, right?
Damn, did we get plot progression or what! The traitors have been captured, Isys is dead, and Mielle is losing it. Things are going to escalate very quickly from here on out.
I don't understand why she is dragging out events with Mielle. Revenge should be cold and fast, not playing with fire. I find myself absolutely baffled by the nonsense going down in this volume. It almost feels like the author is dragging their feet for more volumes. Why can't she just wrap up her revenge and move onto her family stuff and future?
I went into this volume expecting the story to wrap up and end only to doubt they will in the next volume either.
I remember reading this manhwa before but I think I may not have followed-up on the side stories since it was still ongoing at that time. But even if it’s a reread, The Villainess Turns the Hourglass is still as great as the first time I read it <3 It was really so good!
I always love revenge stories, but I don’t like reading their backstory. It’s because it’s usually tragic, and I want to retain my sanity so I always skip them. Luckily this story didn’t have a lot of that. It only has like 1 chapter detailing her tragic life and on how she ended up like that. There were some flashbacks here and there, but fortunately it was only short so it didn’t make me uncomfortable.
Another thing I love about this manhwa is the female lead. I usually don’t like villainess but she’s a different kind of villainess. She’s a total badass! And I am glad that she’s true to her character all throughout the story. Usually, villainess characters in an isekai or regression stories are only villainess at first but ends up being a saint (well, she has that title but I’ll let you discover why, hahaha) at the end, but the female lead on this story stayed true to her character till the end. She doesn’t tolerate bullsh*t and calls out people who are determined to step on her, but that doesn’t mean she’s out there killing innocent people. She also made sure to see through her revenge till the end. That said, the end of the antagonists were all satisfying to read. Yass!
Aside from her badass side, she also has her moments of weakness especially at the start of the story. She cried and got frustrated but still acknowledges her weaknesses. But despite all of that, she still continued to fight on, which helps to make her even stronger. And I really like reading that! Btw, I didn’t like how she always thinks of using people at the start of the story, but it’s a good thing that she outgrown that one and learns to really have a proper relationship with people. Her growth really is interesting to read.
The male lead on the other hand is a big green flag. I love seeing how dedicated he was to the female lead. His love for her can be a bit too much sometimes, but it felt natural for me. It feels like that’s just how it should be. The FL just deserves everything!
I also love the addition of family, especially highlighting FL’s relationship with her mother. At first I didn’t have a good impression of her mother because she seems a bit negligent. But as I read further, I get to see what kind of mother she truly is. So I certainly agree with most readers that she’s definitely the most accurate representation of real life mothers.
She may not be saintly and affectionate like most commoner mothers in manhwa, but you can’t deny that she really loves the FL in her own way. I was really glad we got to read her own perspective. So her not abandoning the FL after the father left them makes me appreciate her even more. It was also quite fun seeing their interaction together on planning on taking money from the antagonist family, lol.
I feel like the meeting with the biological father was anticlimactic that what I expected. But I guess it just proved that the FL doesn’t need her biological father’s family and influence to be strong. That she can definitely shine and succeed using her own strength. Go girl!
I also read some comments that the epilogue was dragging, but I don’t feel that way. In fact, I love that the epilogue has its different highlight story. The longer the story, the better for me, *wink.
This manhwa also has some sets of likable characters; each of them has unique qualities that I’m sure readers will also love. They definitely made this story even more entertaining!
As for the romance, I liked it. It was not too fast and definitely not too slow. For me it was done smoothly. And I like that! For me, this story just balances everything perfectly. We get to see heartwarming family scenes, sweet romance, and also the dirty and complicated side of politics.
Btw, I didn’t expect the addition of a god and felt like this story could still go on without mentioning one. The reincarnation of the other antagonist was also kind of unnecessary but after seeing the graphics, I can’t help but get interested since it is hinting at a romance to a certain young king. Hmmm, I wonder if the artist will write a spin off.
The antagonist Mielle was annoying, but it was rewarding seeing the FL winning every time so she really didn’t bother me that much. I guess I’m still a bit soft since seeing some of the criminals dying and such still makes me feel kind of bad especially on the brother. I can see that he mellowed down and really changed which I thought at first that it’s impossible. But thinking what the FL went through, he still deserved it.
If you’re looking for an amazing story with an equally amazing art and satisfying end to the antagonists, then The Villainess Turns the Hourglass is definitely a must read!
It's interesting to see others reactions to Mielle and the other traitors as well as the few that learn of Aria's true parentage. Sarah and at least the original two maids are as reliable and friendly as ever, even though Annie now seems to have the toughest challenge of all with Mielle. Asher and Aria continue to prove to be a good match as well, with Asher continuing to go along with Aria's plans and seemingly even understanding what she's asking for when it comes to the sentencing. Mielle on the other hand, doesn't seem to learn at all and continues to try to manipulate and make excuses. With Aria's knowledge of Mielle's latest ploy and just how far it looks like Mielle is willing to go even while telling herself she shouldn't, it'll be interesting to see how things play out in the next volume.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I did enjoy this volume especially the scenes of Aria with her mother I find their relationship to be quite beautiful. I also really enjoyed the pure friendship Aria and Sarah have. And perhaps my favorite scene was Karin and Cora bickering like kids. I actually laughed. This volume had a lot good moments in it in my opinion but was not as good as volume 4 or 5. I found the way Isys went out to be quite lackluster and I really didn’t like what happened to Oscar when he legitimately didn’t do anything but be a weak frightened kid. Also I am so sick of Mielle. I was really hoping this would be the end for her but here she is not learning anything and being as insufferable as ever and Aria wanting to continue this revenge makes her look petty and juvenile.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I do enjoy just how much Aria is committed to her revenge, and seeing her weave a web to make Mielle's downfall something she directly caused instead of something like the treason allegation is so different from how these stories usually go. And I adore Aria and her mother and how similar they are, its so fun!!!
Mielle me parece algo tonta y patética ( será su edad (?), quién sabe) Creo que le falta algo más a la historia, es como, meh... esta bien..., pero dame más. No sé si fuero mis expectativas las que estaban muy altas o simplemente no estoy en sintonia con la historia en general. Asher me agrada, pero no siento el romance.
can i just say that this was extremely satisfying? aria stayed true to herself with this life, finally executing her revenge with perfection and grace, and had a badass asher beside her all this time? yes!! the art is beautiful too. enjoyed it so much.
SO AMAZING. I loved everything. The drama? The romance? The revenge???? Absolute masterpiece. This series is PERFECT. I can’t recommend this enough. Aria is a queen. A QUEEN. Metaphorically speaking.
Such an amazing story! I love Aria's character and I love how she did her revenge. All of the revenge she did is so satisfying, especially what she did for Mielle.