A Stepmother's Märchen

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Have you ever felt 'suffocated' while reading a manhwa?

That's exactly how my experience reading this particular manhwa was. The feelings of isolation from all the restrictions, always surrounded by very high expectations, always needing to give it your all even though it's not particularly rewarding, and most importantly, constantly feeling lonely in a hard, unwanted journey. Such were the things that I have felt as I began following Shuli's, the main character of this story, journey.

Shuli led a tiring life. Being married off to a Marquis at a young age by her very own family for financial advantages, her once commoner life turned ... into a noble one wherein she finds herself taking on the responsibility of becoming the head of a noble family while being a mother, a stepmother to kids that were very close to her age. The burden became heavier when the Marquis she married to died from a disease, making her shoulder the responsibility the Marquis had.

As I already mentioned, her life is a very restricted one. She did not have the freedom to do what she wants and instead, live a life that someone else decided for her. It was very suffocating to see how much she struggled in order to bear the responsibility that she vowed to carry. Reading this manhwa was like managing an endless maze, it's dark, uncertain, and scary. But perhaps that's the reason why it always felt so fulfilling and warm whenever she accomplished her goals, big or small. Being acknowledged not just by the nobles that expect much from her, but by her own (step) children that she felt had once shunned her (from her previous life), are the greatest and happiest feelings I felt reading this manga.

Seeing Shuli get rewarded for her efforts was the sole reason why I was able to keep reading this manhwa. Despite the seemingly endless suffocation I had to feel, every happy moment she was able to gain due to her persistence was enough to make me continue to follow her hard, yet incredibly fulfilling and warm journey.

The Fantasie of a Stepmother, or A Stepmother's Märchen as it is my preferred title, is a highly melancholic and somewhat realistic story. It's not the typical royalty manhwa where the main character is highly talented and unique that she was able to fight obstacles that came in her way on the new world she finds herself in. No. Shuli may be brilliant but it was made apparent that she can't handle the issues concerning nobility alone. She had to rely on others in order to get over whatever obstacle that came in her and her family's way. And that is what I think that makes this story "somewhat realistic". There are so much we could do on our own, but there's even more that we could do surrounded by the people we trust and love. Her hardships don't feel foreign and at times, feel oddly familiar. It's melancholic at the same time as you can really feel the sadness and disorder every character feels whenever something goes wrong.

A Stepmother's Märchen is a great story. It's like being trapped in an endless, dark maze, where every small leeway gave you enough motivation to keep going and watch over Shuli's journey. I make it sound really depressing but it's also really wholesome to see her family, despite a 'fake' one, develop full of love and affection. It's definitely not for everyone, but if you're in for some nobility social warfare and some kinda heavy drama, then you're in for a great ride.

Pretty messy and long review but I hope I was able to convey my intent.

Girl/Woman fixing her past mistakes which led to a broken and disconnected family. I'm sure anyone with a dysfunctional family can relate to the plot and find something in there for them. The moments when the family would come together would warm my cold heart to its core and make me smile form ear to ear. When this happens, it's a real feel good moment.

The conflicts in the story weren't the most like deep, complex, or moving, but they kept me entertained and helped further develop the main cast, as a conflict should. For example, the girl's family are greedy and continually ask for money. ... However, there is a pretty interesting love development with the crown prince brewing that should be a decent conflict in the future.

All the male characters are badass and cool, damn I wish I was hot like Jeremy or Nora. The main character Shuli is perfect girlfriend too, wish I had her in my life. I have trouble reading stories with female protagonists, but this one pulled me in and I enjoyed the ride.

[More info about my review style can be found on my profile]

▶Summary and recommendation: -----------------------------------------------------------------
[The Fantasie of a Stepmother] is an Otome Isekai story focused on child rearing, and the theme of trying to live up to the expectations of your parents. I recommend it to fans of the genre, with the caveat that it is very slow.
So slow that I ended up dropping it at chapter 91.

▶Story: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The story is set in an alternate reality/history Holy Roman Empire sometime between the 1500 and 1700. It is refreshing how well researched the author is on the historical setting.

It follows a time regressed (She died and ... woke up years in the past with her memories of the future) lower class girl who has to take on the role of mother to 4 children of nobility. She is too young for the role and the story is about her and her allies trying to navigate a hostile political landscape. The story is far from shallow, but the author is quite up front about wanting the story to have a heartwarming tone. Which means that you might feel a lack of tension even during the more serious chapters.

▶Characters: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
All the main characters are more than two dimensional and are given the opportuniy to grow throughout the story. Their beliefs and problems are realistic and portrayed well. While not everyone is likeable, they are at least understandeable.

▶Romance: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the Manhwa focuses on a child raising other children as their mother, it has little time for romance. This does change as the story progresses, but much of the romance will come off as problematic to our modern sensibilities. The Manhwa does not try to defend its problematic parts though, and does present them as wrong.

▶Artwork: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When the artist does their best, this manhwa has some of the best and most detailed artwork out of any comic I have read. For most of the comic however, the art is fairly good, and serves the story well during emotional and expressive scenes.