This is a great story however the FMC is exceptionally naive and terrified of all men at the start of the story. This gives a great sexual awakening perspective but it also has a rough start. The explicit scenes are explicit and that includes the first scene that feels extremely grapey.

# Under the Oak Tree, Vol. 1
# 1/5/2025 ~ 1/7/2025
# 4.0 / 5.0

I received an advanced reader copy of this book quite a while ago and just got around to reading it). I can confidently say that I am definitely NOT the target audience for this book. I had heard of the manga before but manga generally is not something I am interested in either, though there seemed to be a large fan base for this one so I went in hoping to find perhaps a new genre I’d like, but unfortunately, did not.

The main reason I did not like this book was because I just did not resonate with the main character at all. She was extremely unlikable and very much “manic pixie dream girl” but without the quirky and eccentric personality traits that are often redeeming qualities so she did not even have that going for her. While I understand that a lot of her issues stem from her abusive childhood/father, it’s like she didn’t want to get better because losing her naive and innocent front would leave her with as much personality as a cardboard box.

Her husband was also just very middle of the road as we mostly saw him ravishing her any chance he got and only learned about his life and past from other characters sharing anecdotes.

I hope the fans of the original manga/webtoon enjoy this, but I do not think I will be containing with the rest of the volumes when they are released.

This book completely captivated me from start to finish. Under the Oak Tree is an emotional, slow-burn romance with rich world-building, complex characters, and just the right amount of angst. Maxi’s journey from an isolated, insecure noblewoman to someone learning to stand on her own is incredibly compelling. Her struggles, fears, and moments of quiet strength make her such a relatable protagonist.

And then there’s Riftan—intense, brooding, and utterly devoted. The tension between them is delicious, filled with misunderstandings, yearning, and some seriously swoon-worthy moments. (And yes, the smut? Absolutely top-tier.)

Beyond the romance, the novel offers a well-developed medieval fantasy setting with magic, politics, and monster-hunting. Some info-dumping occurs, but it never felt overwhelming. The story is immersive, and I was completely invested in Maxi and Riftan’s relationship, their growth, and the obstacles they face.

This is a must-read for fans of romantasy with deep emotional beats, passionate romance, and a heroine finding her own strength. I’ll be impatiently waiting for the next volume!

I went into this knowing absolutely nothing about it. Please, be aware of the content warnings if anything may trigger you. I enjoyed the ease of the writing and was surprised by how quickly I got through it. The most disappointing thing about this is that it ended. I want to find out what happens next. I had many tears throughout and it left me thinking at the end.

Non-Spoiler Review of Under The Oak Tree – The novel- volume One

Full disclosure, I read through the web comic on Manta before reading this novel. I was already madly in love with this story. I heard rumors the actual web novel was even better however I never got to reading it. When I saw, this was coming to a physical copy, my heart was so excited.
Under the oak tree is a Korean romantasy novel about Maximilian and Riftan.
Be ready for Riftan to become your new book boyfriend.
Maximillian is the daughter of a powerful duke in the kingdom. Her father is always sceaming for more control and more power than what he has. Maxi struggles with her speech and is shy and mild mannered. She is not what her father deems as a noble lady.
Riftan is a peasant born knight. He has a gruff exterior and is intimidating on the battle field.
Maxis father offers her up to the night in an arranged marriage for one of his latest schemes. They are married and the next day he goes off to fight in another war. Maxi does not see her husband for three years. Rumors went around the kingdom that marriage was talked about between Riftian and a beautiful sorceress, who is also a princess. To her surprise he returns to the kingdom to claim her as his wife.
The story really starts here where Riftan takes Maxi away from her family home to her new home with her husband she knows very little about.
Maxi meets new challenges along the way, ones she never thought she would be able to handle. She starts to find herself as well as grow in the most amazing ways.
What will become of the stuttering dukes daughter and the rugged monster fighting knight ? Ill leave you to find out.
Be aware that this is an adult novel and not suitable for children.

- Additional Note: The physical book is absolutely stunning! The art is worthy to hang on your walls and showcase, the sprayed edges are beautiful!

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for this copy read and give my honest review.

First and foremost, thank you NetGalley for the ability to read this book.

I entered into reading this with no prior knowledge of the storyline or web comic. Maybe more information would have helped? Unfortunately, I could not get past the less than stellar writing, abusive father and husband, and starting out the entire story with SA was heavily jarring. Others, I know, love this story, so I know this is a "me" issue and not an overwhelming issue with the book as a whole.

sooooooo beautifully made. The webcomic was one of my faves, and seeing it here was just as enjoyable. Lady Maximilian is just so pretty, so wonderful. Honestly just this whole comic is. i hate how much i love this romance. and i want the second volume out already. I know I can go read the webcomic----and i probs will--but holding it in person is so much better sometimes.
THANK YOUUUU for this!!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the free copy for review.

I've been getting into my romantasy era and this for me started off way too violent. I don't read this genre to read about women being violently attacked by her own husband. I know the story is based on accurate medieval marriages, but it definitely wanted to make me DNF within the first 5% of the book.

While I enjoyed the sort of meandering pace of the story once she's at the castle, the miscommunication between the two main characters was starting to just become annoying. Their only conversations are usually just Riftan getting upset and agitated and Maxi crouching in fear. This is supposed to be a couple you root for? Who cannot even have an honest conversation?

I appreciated the disability representation though.

The writing was okay. I did find it mildly juvenile but I enjoyed the imagery of the landscape and the castle.

I will say for a story called Under the Oak Tree, you are only around an Oak tree I think twice in the entire book.

Will not be continuing on in the series, which is a shame because the cover is so pretty.

I received this as an arc from NetGalley but didn’t end up reading it until after publication!

I love this story and I can’t wait to continue reading the novel versions of the series.

It was exactly what I expected from it, a near direct copy of the graphic novel. As a result, there were a few moments that fell flat without the emphasis of the illustrations but I still enjoyed everything.

This book was a enjoyable read read much like the webtoon but with more details. I would definitely buy this book to have on my shelf the cover is stunning and would recommend for others to read if they were looking for something like it

While the romance felt formulaic (broody vs sunshine/innocent), which I can enjoy and often do, the darker scenes did pull me out of the story at times. There was also a repetitive, simplistic feeling from the writing. Still, it was a breeze to get through and I enjoyed my time. Thank you to the author and publisher.

First- trigger warnings! The SA is so tragic, emotional and gut wrenching. Very descriptive and the amount of tears I shed could have filled a bath tub

Well written story of historical romance. He wants to love, and protect her and she wants to be useful. He fights monsters and eventually she becomes a mage to assist. Spicy and hot story as you cheer these two on throughout their ups and downs.

First I’ll start by saying that the premise of this book was so interesting. Maxi has been married off to a newly made knight before he’s shipped off to battle and after years apart they are finally reunited and trying to learn to live together. Definitely hits hard the trope of arranged marriage if that’s what you are into. I love how Maxi also has a speech impediment and how her husband is one of the few that doesn’t treat her as less because of it. I’m interested in reading the original comic or webtoon this is based off of.

Absolutely not. I get there is a trigger warning but no. Just NO. The blatant rape and overall uncomfortable feel to the entire book was just too much! Poorly written and just disgusting.

I received a free ebook from ##NetGalley. #UndertheOakTree by #SujiKim has a female protagonist, Maxi, who has been mentally and physically abused in the past and has a stuttering problem. She never feels good enough and was left at her father's after she was forced at a young age to marry Sir Riftan who was forced to kill a dragon for Maxi's father. Maxi and Sir Riftan meet 3 years later and she never feels good enough and I suspect he doesn't either. There are numerous sex scenes so this book is definitely an adult fantasy. The book is continued in Vol 2 which I look forward to reading. There is an appendix explaining the types of knights and monsters but in this volume we do not see many examples in the story. We see mainly Sir Riftan and his people and how Maxi grows while she lives with them

3.5 Rounded up. Boy was this a lot smuttier than I expected. I am unfamiliar with the web novel so I didn't realize just how raunchy it would be. I was definitely taken in by the cover thinking we'd have a much more ethereal fantasy but nope. I'm glad there were trigger warnings because this story does begin with nonconsensual scenes and I was worried how this would turn out but as the story progressed it became a bit like popcorn. It's not the best but it was kind of addictive to see how this would progress and even though our heroine is extremely meek she was previously abused so it was nice to see somewhat realistic growth in her journey of healing and self-respect. I wished there was a bit more plot to this than just scenes that felt a little repetitive, I don't know how many times we needed to be reminded that he is obsessed with her essentially but like I said, this is popcorn and I ate the whole bowl.

This book is absolutely stunning, and I know that both my fantasy and manga customer will love this book!

Unfortunately this story was just not for me. I was not a fan of the characters or the relationship, that I just could not finish.

However, I know that this book will be perfect for many customers, and I will not hesitate to recommend to those customers.

Delightful read! The romance was enough to keep me reading despire how much I wanted to slap the both of them for their lack of communication. Also I would very much like to see her father thrown off a very tall hill. Very intrigued to see if there is a confrontation between her, her father, sister and her husband. Would love to see what happens next.

The first half of Under the Oak Tree is rough and I almost dnfed, but I'm glad I pushed through. In the beginning Maxi is peak blushing virgin and doesn't seem to even understand what sex is, let alone be able to consent to Riftan on her wedding night. There are a lot of sex scenes in this book (they use polite euphemisms for genitalia and are generally written well enough), but I'd say the first few are rape just because Maxi doesn't understand what's happening and believes sex to be a frigid, dutiful affair between man and wife. Riftan also doesn't listen to her when she says no or clearly seems uncomfortable because he's just so horny for Maxi.

Aside from traveling between castles and the dubcon/noncon sex, not much else happens until 50% in when Maxi takes on her duties as lady of Calypse Castle. Here we get learn more about the cast of characters, in particular Ruth the mage, and see how Maxi takes to her new life away from her father. I enjoyed seeing her grow and come out of her shell a bit more. The worldbuilding was also interesting with the politics between countries and the magic system. I'll likely read more, though I may switch to the comic instead as I grew tired of being in Maxi's self-deprecating head at times.

If you can get past the slow start and rape in the beginning, then the story actually gets interesting. I don't blame if you if you can't though.