Post-timeskip story: romance, drama that does not matter, the most lovable character fl is content and gets less screen time, very very generic. 5/10
WARNING: I've avoided spoiling plot points, only commenting on the overall story structure but you might want to stop here if you want to go in knowing nothing.
Fantasy of a Stepmother is not the first manhwa that shifts its focus and becomes average as a result, but damn I was surprised. Given how strong it started, I was almost certain the author would stick with the unique and original themes it excelled at instead of trying to be like everyone else which it did.
The beginning chapters are incredible, we see a broken girl trying to mend a broken relationship with her adopted children. The FL is strong, selfless, cute, the side characters feel like they exist not only for her sake, overall the manhwa was a breath of fresh air from the cheap romantic otome isekai trash I've been reading recently. The story picks up around chapter 30 when one of her adopted family members is put on trial, and culminated for me during 57-65 with Shuri's heartbreaking backstory of misunderstandings which I won't spoil. It was unfathomable to me how the author could write such a creative, sympathetic and relatively plot-hole-free-ish (don't think too much) concept and then drop the ball...
Welp, chapters 65-90 featured a timeskip, and the manhwa became the romantic otome isekai I've been reading recently. Granted it was not cheap, I was still invested but nothing happens in 25 chapters, there's some insinuations of an incestous development, which god I hope won't happen, overall the female lead is pretty happy and thus stakes are zero. I felt the post-timeskip arc was pointless, because the time that was skipped was the initial goal itself. After that, there's romantic rivalries, pointless family drama, some sword/hunting competition but even if war breaks out everyone dies I don't care since the family has already struggled and prevailed. Beyond that we have A Before Midnight 2013 moment, a hollow attempt at fabricating a family ordeal, and reliving past romance.
In conclusion, do read Fantasy of a Stepmother for chapters 1-65, I gave them a 10/10 (understand I'm quite stingy, and elitist). I think the author should have not done non-familial romance altogether, extended the struggle prior to the time skip, adding 3-4 political/family arcs before the trial, and ended with an epilogue after the time skip but eh, I'm still very grateful for getting to experience the story as it is. I stand behind what I said in the intro, chapters 1-65 are the best of manhwa I have read. Going forward, I don't think the story has and will reach such heights again, but I shall be waiting and hoping to be proven wrong.
