Having read it twice now, since it came out and I bought it....It's really good, just like the rest, though not my personal favorite, the book holding that title would be 8. I was not overjoyed to learn of irl Penelope's illness, so that sucked. But otherwise, amazing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Absolutely unhinged volume! Will leave a full review tomorrow because I can’t believe my heart was so drawn to Winter this volume! 😱 ___________________
WOW!! What a volume!!
Considering the overwhelming heartbreak and grief that struck my heart with the end of the previous volume, it was VERYYY satisfying since Callisto put every single man in his place at the beginning of this one. The way he's the ONLY one asking the right questions while some people are outright accusing that Penelope did what she did for attention is so frustrating!
Which I guess is a great time to say… I FREAKING HATE DERRICK SO SO SO MUCH!! 😡😡😡😡 The man is even stupider when brainwashed, and cannot get over his blatant hostility towards and about Penelope!! He truly acts as if he hates her because who starts drilling someone with questions right after they wake up from being at death's door?! No one but Derrick! UGH!
BUT WAIT! THERE IS MORE! 🤪🤪🤪
This man not only acts the way he does in the most aggressive way, but when Penelope shares what her "punishment" should be, he's going to say he will never allow it?! EXCUSE ME?! What right do you have to say ANYTHING that implies you want Penelope around??? 😡😡
Oh, how this man boils my blood, so let's move on…
While it was deeply satisfying to see Callisto's anger on Penelope's behalf, it was also heartbreaking to see HIS heartbreak about her current state. I don't think there has been a question of his love for Penelope, but if there ever was any doubt before now, this volume shows how much he genuinely loves her. 🥺 It was hard seeing him leave her side for reasons outside of his control, and I can only hope we see him again soon! 🙏
One of the biggest surprises with this volume, though I will say, is my feelings towards Winter. He was the first guy I ever shipped with Penelope, but also the first character ever to make me feel such overwhelming betrayal that you would think the betrayal was against me personally due to how upset I was! 🫣
However, this volume had a very tiny part of my heart shipping him with Penelope once again because he finally was more open and honest than he has ever been! He redeemed himself so so so much in my eyes! I think him honestly doing a 180 in how he acted towards Penelope is what really gripped me because he can obviously be dangerous based on what we've seen before, but we've never seen him willing to go to the lengths he is now implying he will do or do anything dangerous to keep Penelope safe.
It was really such a turn of events, and I would honestly say EVERYONE was a little bit unhinged this volume! Yes, including even my best girl because hello to that conversation she had with Eckles?! I wouldn't want to be him in that moment with how cold and harsh she was! 😅
Though on the flip side of being unhinged, when someone mentioned that there are times that this series can read like a horror story, I get it now. 😳 Um, definitely yes, yes, it can, and it is CREEPY! I'm really thankful Penelope is getting out of that house because Ivonne is far scarier than I ever realized!
Overall, I LOVED this volume! It was crushing to see my best girl be so void of emotion for much of it, to the point she honestly comes across lifeless at times, but I think she's closer to escape and potential freedom than she has ever been! She has SO many more who really want her safe and help her in any way possible! (Shoutout to the wonderful Emily who was definitely an MVP this volume! 🥺)
WAIT! One other thing before I end this review! REYNOLD!! I LOVED the scene he had with Penelope so much! One of the best character developments I've seen in a story in such a long time! Penelope really does only have ONE brother! 😌
Ugh I love this series so much! This has to be my favorite series of all time! 😭 I love both Penelope and Callisto so much! My babiessss 😭😭 This series does not disappoint! I’m SO excited for the next volume already! I’m simply obsessed!!!!! ❤️
Oof that was tense. The guys are taking on more of their colours. Penelope really screwed up with Eckles. That guy is dark. The brother can screw off. The ones showing regret are the brother and father. The big bad is creepy AF. Looking forward to the next one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I never actually got around to reading the novels between manhwa volumes, so I'm not sure if those are ahead of the illustrated installments yet. It's also hard for me to tell how much of the manhwa's left to go...one annoying thing about manhwa releases is that a lot of times, instead of "volumes out in Japan" it'll say "number of chapters on tapas," and it doesn't really seem to align with the physical books I get. So, for instance, this manhwa is complete at 214 chapters but I have absolutely no idea what that means in terms of this story.
From poking around online, I think this (after Penelope's coming of age ceremony) is the start of the third arc, though? So maybe closing out in 12 volumes?
It does feel like it's heading into the final act, although it's hard to tell how much Penelope's going to have to slog through to defeat Ivonne. Some other answers are finally coming to light, though. There's a new mystery to unravel: who exactly is Ivonne, and why does she seem (a) entirely non-human (b) familiar with this story but coming at it from an entirely different perspective? Like Penelope, I'm confused by her talk of "returning" to the narrative.
For now, though, Penelope's main focus is just on survival. Her attempt to defy fate at her ceremony and poison herself failed. True, she defeated Ivonne's plan to drink the poison and pin it on Penelope, but she wasn't able to escape from the system. And she's terrified of Ivonne's mind-controlling powers that have the potential to turn everyone against her.
To Ivonne's frustration, it isn't working as well as it should - partly because of the shard Penelope stole from her, but also because this new Penelope put in a lot of legwork prior to Ivonne's return, building up everyone's affection meters to levels that Ivonne can't knock out overnight. Even Derrick, who's the most under Ivonne's sway (and my least favorite of the love interests), is fighting against her in unexpected ways.
Eckles has been doing her bidding, but only because Ivonne's manipulating him into thinking isolating Penelope from her family will leave her relying entirely on him and embracing his obsessive love. Reynold doesn't seem to be affected that much - although maybe Ivonne just doesn't particularly care about him - and Winter already chose Penelope over the seemingly gentle, kind, generous true daughter. Callisto...well, there's no point talking about him, because I doubt there's anything Ivonne could do to turn him against Penelope. In fact, she hasn't even tried; her big moves on that front were to raise an army (of the undead maybe...?) to ferry him far north and away from Penelope's bedside, then to send Eckles after him in an attempt to keep him out of the picture permanently.
It's all a huge mess...and increasingly frustrating and terrifying for Penelope, who has been doing everything she possibly can to just escape from this household and let Ivonne win. Unfortunately, she managed to make her family care about her too much to make that an easy task - and Reynold and the Duke still don't really trust Ivonne.
I'd given up on Winter as my second favorite love interest - after discarding Eckles, who is unhinged and incapable of actual selfless love - but he came back into the picture in a big way in this volume and will probably feature heavily in the next. I do really like him as a character and I hope he gets a good ending.
What's interesting, though, is that he would've discarded a lot of his principles for Penelope, which is...part of her impact on this otome game world, I suppose. She carried the Eckles route through to a pretty horrific conclusion, and I would understand if some readers write her off as a result. She manipulated him entirely as much as Ivonne did, then threw him aside and trampled on him when she realized he wasn't going to save her. He's not a good person - she didn't make him into the twisted, obsessive person he is - but she certainly didn't bring anything good out of him, either.
And Winter, who has a much clearer head and a stronger moral compass, offers to do her bidding, even if it means removing Ivonne from the picture - like he'd assumed was Penelope's reason for getting poison from him. (Incidentally, it doesn't make sense to me that Penelope's poison and mirror shard weren't discovered while she was unconscious and dying, but I suppose they didn't search her room...?)
Fortunately, Penelope is a good person, in her own way, and tells Winter she doesn't want him to do anything that would...well, that would ruin him the way she did with Eckles. She truthfully hasn't even been wanting to fight Ivonne; she just wants to escape and live in peace.
Callisto, meanwhile, is the only character who seems to be drawing a positive impact from his encounters with Penelope. While the other love interests are becoming more violent and possessive and off-kilter, Callisto is being pulled onto a better path. When he starts raging about what he wants to do to everyone who's hurt Penelope - which is his true nature, the person he's been forged into from childhood - he remembers Penelope's distaste for violence and pulls back, instead promising to simply care for her instead. To ensure she won't die. To love her, if that's what she needs.
The art continues to be stunning in this adaptation - I was particularly stunned by the panels of Derrick framed by the doorway as he watched Callisto pouring his heart out to Penelope on her sickbed. I'm definitely going to read the novels, and I hope I'll enjoy the story in that form, but the manhwa is so beautifully handled.
Another quick and enjoyable volume! As with the previous installments, I flew through this one. The full-color artwork continues to be one of the series' biggest strengths. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the character designs and outfits always make the reading experience feel a little extra special.
At this point, the story is heavily focused on intrigue, suspicion, and hidden agendas. Penelope is still trying to navigate a situation where trusting the wrong person could have serious consequences, and that constant uncertainty keeps the tension high. That being said, I'm starting to wish for a little more emotional depth. There are quite a few potential love interests by now, but I still don't feel particularly invested in any of the relationships. The interactions are interesting enough, yet I find myself wanting to understand the emotional connections on a deeper level.
On the other hand, maybe that's not really the point of the story. The focus has always been less on romance and more on Penelope's struggle to survive in a game that seems determined to work against her. In that sense, the slower development of the romantic aspects makes perfect sense.
Overall, I still had a great time with this volume and will definitely continue the series. I just hope that future installments start exploring the characters and their relationships a little more deeply alongside all the intrigue and scheming.
Para empezar, el nivel de OBSESIÓN que me generó este manhwa que llegué a estar al día en nose, ¿5 días? Me encanta. Amo a Penelope, lloré un montón, sentí su impotencia, su bronca, su historia real entrelazada con la del juego.. y cuando le muestran que realmente está en coma y están sus hermanos y su papá esperando que vuelva (que igual no quita que me caen del orto), yo sufrí en pedazos con ella. Y que decir dentro del juego, CALLISTO es lo mejor que tiene la novela, chabon yo te amo. Lo empecé odiando pero en algún momento ya sabía que no había otra alternativa, era él. Eckles culo roto. Los hermanos me hacen un mal, Derrick? me va y me viene, osea, un tipo muy sufrido pero bueno, fuerzas y que no joda. Que diga perdón. El menor de pelo rosa (Reynold) le doy cien abrazos lo quiero mucho, que mal que me caía al principio pero también tenía en cuenta que era un casi adolescente y fue el primero en disculparse y que se enfrentó a su propio orgullo. Winter es mi protegido y me da una pena, que tipo noble pero bueno mi corazón ya estaba con Callisto, gracias por tanto Winter. Aunque se podría ver como que la condenó, también (gracias a Penelope) permitió que la historia no quedara impune. Ojalá el final de Winter no sea así tan triste y que haya algún tipo de salvación. Al menos que lo dejen reencarnar😭
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is not the last volume but reviewing it here because I already finished the manhwa.
214 Chapters + Prologue (Complete) S1: 44 Chapters (1-44) S2: 41 Chapters (45-85) S3: 39 Chapters (86-124) S4: 38 Chapters (125-162) S5: 52 Chapters (163-214) Side Stories: TBR at the time of my review
The story: FL gets transported to the world of a game where she is the villainess and has to overcome the obstacles of playing on Hard Mode and win the affection of one of the MLs.
Drawing style: ♾️/10 I have no words about how beautiful it is.
Final Thoughts: I had been marinating this manhwa for a long time, only hearing how awesome it was and they were right. I could not stop reading. Penelope is a flawed FL but you cannot help but love her. Callisto is the greenest flag ever! All of the characters are really complex and their emotions are so utterly human. The author did a great job because you are hating a character in one chapter and loving them in another.
Qué bonito que se haya quedado con el que yo quería.
Hubo momentos en que la historia se ponía medio lenta, acciones de los personajes un poco ridículas y no puedo afirmar con seguridad que haya quedado alguno que otro hueco en la trama, pero estoy casi segura de que sí. Sin embargo, me gustó mucho el arte, igual la trama y los personajes aunque no parezca. El romance entre los protas es muy bonito (si no le prestamos atención al inicio).
Creo que es entretenido y se lee fácilmente, yo con eso estoy contenta.
A fantastic addition to the series and some truly wonderful scenes. The crown prince?!! Yes.
Did I mention how prettily these men cry? Ugh! Yes 🙌 Seriously some strong movement for the male leads and I am HERE for it. I'm pretty sure I'm not the inky one waiting for some heavy core apologies.
Our FMC was deep into her apathetic vibes this volume. I understand it and it is important to the storyline, but my favorite aspects of her character are those incredibly fierce sparks of emotion. The sneak preview at the end of this volume has me excited. Totally worth the wait.
Puta joya la dura Recomiendo leer la novela y luego leer el manhwa, ya que en la novela se nota mucho más cómo se sentía Penelope y sus pensamientos, me tuvo llorando a mares. Y luego, recomiendo que lean en manhwa ya que ayuda bastante a entender aspectos que no se logran entender o visualizar del todo leyendo, y plus, el artista es muy bueno plasmando expresiones faciales q rico el arte de esta cosa me excita me hace sentir cosas oh me encanta. :)
Emily is the best. Ivonne is such a bitch. And I can't wait to see what happens next in volume 10!
I really love the direction the story is going. I love the creepy and deranged scenes between Penelope, Ivonne, and Eckles. The artwork continues to be impressive with stunning details and expressions.
This series is engaging and always leaves me on the edge of my seat.
I'm hoping we'll be up North with a certain love interest soon.
From 2024 I have read this series and it is so peak the artstyle peak the characters peak and the plot is so amazing and intriguing, i crode we crode we all crode. Callisto and Penelope, istg penelope is one of the only manhwa mcs i actuslly like —> shes my favourite manhwa mc ever actually
I cant wait for the side stories and i literally hare that this is over. Please give us side stories… i need to see Callisto being a girl dad
I was NOT prepared for that freaky Ivonne jump scare! She's gonna haunt my dreams now... Aaaaaaah!! This series is so goood!! Cal and Reynold really be shining bright in this book. Derrick is creeping me out though, the way he's always lurking in doorways and making eyes at his sister. Like, bro, SISTER.
8/26 After the amazing last volume, this one was a disappointment. The MC spent the entire volume depressed and scattered, and the story took an ill-fitting horror turn...?? It's as if the author became as scattered as the MC. I'll read the next volume, but warily.
I am obsessed with the developments with all the characters in this volume! It gave the perfect amount of attention and show-cases a lot of growth that’s been slowly building up over the series.
Loved this volume! Her maid was awesome at the end—I really hope they reunite later on! And, of course, as always, Callisto is the MVP of the male leads. I just love these two together. He wears his emotions on his sleeve in this volume, and somehow that makes me love him even more. ❤️