I was excited for this book. I thought it was going to be a graphic novel, and even after learning it was a traditional novel, I was still ready to dive in. But, unfortunately, I'm not sure what I dove into.

If you are fan of the comic, you will probably enjoy this novel.
If you are not already familar with the comic, you might not enjoy this novel.

I felt like I was missing information that might have been established in comic panels. Mostly descriptions. I was fuzzy on the worldbuilding and this book was a whole lot of pages for very little plot.

For some reason I thought this would be a manga/graphic novel. I couldn't really get into the way this book started however and the writing felt clumsy to me unfortunately. I like the idea of this book though and maybe I will return to this later. 2.25/5

Not typically something I would choose for myself. With that being said it was a good book. Thank tou netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this one.

Suji Kim’s Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1 is a captivating fantasy romance that follows the journey of Maximilian (Maxi), a noblewoman with a stutter and deep insecurities, and Riftan, a knight who marries her before leaving for war. The novel explores Maxi’s personal growth, her relationship with Riftan, and her struggle to overcome her past traumas.

Set in a richly detailed medieval world, the story masterfully balances romance with fantasy elements, featuring intricate world-building and political intrigue. The emotional depth of Maxi’s character development is one of the highlights, as she learns to assert herself and understand her worth. The relationship between Maxi and Riftan evolves with heartfelt moments, though it is also marked by misunderstandings and vulnerability, which adds a realistic touch to their dynamic.

The first volume lays the groundwork for a larger, sweeping narrative, with a focus on inner strength, love, and healing. Fans of slow-burn romance and fantasy will appreciate the rich character-driven storytelling and immersive world-building.

If you like spicy with minimal fantasy then this book is for you. I didn’t realize this was a manga series that is now being published as a novel. Not my favorite read this year but still not bad.

Not sure if this title felt less toxic as as a comic, but since the first 20 pages start with both abuse and rape it just leaves a sour taste in your mouth. Not to mention that the main character doesn't speak a complete sentence during any of those pages. Yea, she has a stutter and is repressed due to the abuse, but this just doesn't send the right message. Unfortunately the cover and the edges are the biggest draw here. Overdone tropes and poor writing make this a bad choice overall. Not sure if it even fit in with the Romantasy vibe as there seems to be no real story. I'd put it with the rest of paperback romance if I were selecting for that collection.

This was such a roller coaster of a light novel to read and cannot believe how much I loved reading it. Can’t wait for the next novel!!

Delightful read- scratches exactly the itch I read web novels for.

This is the tale of a girl who has been treated badly by everyone in her life, and now has only a teaspoon of self esteem. She thinks her husband from an arranged marriage hates her and thinks she brings no value.

Her husband has the appearance and reputation of a brute, but actually cares very deeply for her. He’s a bit randy and assertive, shall we say.

This story is largely a compendium of misunderstandings between the two of them, along with our FMC Maxi slowly building self confidence and abilities. This book is alllll misunderstandings, which I love but I know many don’t. And it’s going to be for the long haul. But I love this dynamic of two people both thinking they’re in unrequited love due to their underlying trauma when it’s done well, and I think it is here. And Maxi is such a cutie as she learns to do things and starts to make friends.

CWs for dubious consent. basically I think the book goes along with the idea that she is just too nervous to agree but Maxi is presented as very passive in these scenes.

This book was really sweet and I really enjoyed reading it. I found the main character a little frustrating to deal with, but considering the trauma, maybe I just didn't understand it fully. I did empathize with the main character. The story itself was endearing and I found myself still wanting to know what was going to happen and how it was going to end. It was definitely spicier than I was expecting and they managed to make it spicy and sweet all at once.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher for the ARC of Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1 in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.**

4.25⭐️

I read a lot of manga and graphic novels and sometime they don't translate well to actual novels, but this did a fantastic job! There are a lot of tropes and styles that a more western audience might not be familiar with, especially drawn in by a pretty cover and intriguing premise, and it may take them time to adjust- if you are one of these people, read some fantasy/romance manga first, it will help you!!

The actual story was quite interesting, and I won't give anything away. But the translation was good, and I felt like I was actually reading a manga. The main character goes through a lot, but she grows. I hope to continue this series.

Got this off NetGalley after seeing how beloved the web comic seemed to be. Turns out not to be my thing as the noncon really isn’t my thing. I appreciate the rep for stuttering, but trying to read the stuttering lines just makes my head hurt and I think it could have been done better. DNF at chapter 3 as I just wasn’t into it and found it hard to read.

The cover of this book immediately drew me in. It is absolutely gorgeous! Personally, I didn't like the main character and found it hard to get through the story because of her, so I did DNF this pretty early on.

I was a huge fan of this story when it was on Mantra. Some changes were definitely made unless I’m misremembering and I’m not thrilled with all of them. The first half feels very rape-y between the FMC and MMC and despite Maxi being his wife, I’m not a fan of that. There also no communication between them. While that may be character flaws that are legitimate, it made much of the story a bit cringy. I wanted to love this but there were just some things I couldn’t get passed.

Thank you @netgalley for giving me an arc kindle edition of Under the Oak Tree! I really wanted to like this, as it was highly anticipated and looked really interesting. However, I couldn’t quite get behind the fmc. It just felt like a woah is me kind of thing, and I was hoping she’d have some major growth for what she endured, and I was really unimpressed with her male counterpart. I love a slow burn fantasy romance, but the intimate scenes seemed a little out of place and frequent. I thought the overall story and concept was interesting, and I could be interested in reading the following books, but as of now, it just wasn’t a personal favorite. I’d give this a solid 3 stars

As someone who has been following the graphic novel version of this story, I knew I was going to be getting much more as far as content. This story is what happens after the "Happily Ever After". Maxi is such a wonderful character, you read her background and see how she's lived and you see the potential for growth as the story goes on. Riftan has enough mystery that it makes you want more to find out about his character. The dynamic of these two characters is something romance lovers will crave, you want to root for these two and yet you want to shake them and be like "What are you doing! Talk to each other!". Kim was able to transport readers to a beautiful kingdom that opens a new world for Maxi as she is now a noble lady. Her struggles with fitting in and finding her place, are very relatable as a reader. You can also relate to the couple in how they interact with each other, awkward, nervous, but as they get to know each other, there's genuine affection, admiration, passion, and love with these two. A story beginning with the "Happily Ever After" and goes into a story that has something any reader will love. I look forward to the rest of the story as it continues.

Thank you NetGalley, Inklore, and Suji Kim for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I sadly couldn’t get into this one… But I recommend for others to pick it up still because that could have just been a personal issue. The cover is absolutely gorgeous as well and when it releases it will be stunning.

Fantastic!

Easily a favorite read of the year for me. I love the manwha and the novelization is equally as good.

I did find the chapters a smidge longer than my preference but this was still such a fun read.

Note: Thank you to Random House Inklore and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read the eARC for Under the Oak Tree Volume 1 by Kim Suji!

Rating: 4/5 stars!

Summary: Maximilian Calypse has grown up being the stuttering, undesirable daughter of Duke Croyso. Three years ago, she was married to rising knight Riftan Calypse before he left for a campaign to defeat an ancient dragon, and now, he is returning. Her memories of Riftan are painful and tense, and on top of that, rumors abound that the princess of the nation offered her hand to Riftan. Divorce would mean at the very least exile from the only life she’s known, and at worse, death. As Maxi and Riftan make their way to Anatol, Riftan’s domain, can she come to learn who her husband really is, and make a happy life for herself in Castle Calypse?

Content Warnings: Dubious Consent (due to period-typical lack of sex education and misogyny) and Physical and Mental Abuse (Duke Croyso to Maxi, not between the FL and ML)

Review: I included the content warnings above because I would have appreciated those warnings being given before I read. It’s hard to read where Maxi is at the beginning. Throughout the novel she grows to understand more about her sexuality and herself as a person apart from the abuse she’s suffered her whole life.

I love Maxi with all my heart. She takes the shitty circumstances she’s been given and does her best to find happiness despite that. Maxi alone keeps the rating at 4 stars because I just love how she’s been written as a character.

Riftan… he’s not the worst ML I’ve ever read in this genre but good lord does he need to like, communicate with Maxi. He did not grow up as a noble and thus probably doesn’t understand that noble women don’t know a whole lot about ‘marital duties’ but Maxi’s body language was giving off discomfort and fear pretty strongly during the first few times they had sex, and for that he’s lost a lot of likability in my eyes.

Perhaps throughout the course of the story, he will realize his early mistakes and apologize, especially once the truth of Maxi’s life before him comes to light.

Other than that I really liked this novel! Kim Suji’s writing comes across well with the translation work done by the teams at MANTA! It really brings out the medieval fantastical elements of the novel while retaining a lot of the emotion and personality of each of the characters. Though the sex scenes were a bit repetitive, they were fairly well-written, and didn’t leave me feeling bored or disinterested.

I will be looking out for Volume 2, and checking out the manhwa!

*Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1* by Suji Kim is an intriguing story of love, power, and self-discovery. Lady Maximilian, sheltered and insecure due to her stutter, finds herself married off to Sir Riftan, a lowborn knight, as part of her father’s schemes. Their relationship starts on shaky ground, and when Riftan leaves immediately after their wedding night, it’s clear that their journey together will be anything but smooth. However, the story picks up when Riftan returns years later as a war hero, and Maxi begins to find her own strength and courage in a world that has long underestimated her.

While the premise of the story is compelling, the execution could have been better. The lack of trigger warnings is concerning, as the content might be distressing for some readers. Additionally, Riftan’s behavior, particularly his insensitivity towards Maxi, especially after their marriage, was off-putting and made it hard to fully connect with him as a character. That being said, Maxi’s journey of self-empowerment is inspiring, and I hope the final print includes the necessary warnings to better prepare readers for the emotional challenges ahead.

#UnderTheOakTree #NetGalley

The stuttering in this book is what took me out. The main character's stutter I sentences long? That being introduced so early on in the book really took me out.