Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim is a captivating and emotionally rich story that I adore. So much angst and pining between the heroine, Maxi, and her husband, Riftan, who were forced into marriage by Maxi’s father three years prior. This story is character-driven, focusing on the intricate development of its characters rather than a fast-paced plot.

The character development throughout the novel is exceptional. Watching Maxi and Riftan navigate their own faults and attempt to understand their partner’s desires is both heart-wrenching and deeply relatable. The pains of their relationship contribute to a sense of realism, reflecting the complexities of staying in love while dealing with personal struggles.

I ended up having to DNF this book. I had a really hard time getting into it. The writing style just wasn't it for me, and I felt like the story didn't quite transfer over from manwha to novel very well; to me, it was quite one-dimensional and I could not get invested enough to continue reading and see if it got any better.

This book is very consuming. Once you begin reading it, you won't want to put it down! There is so much that happens in this story, and I absolutely loved it! The relationship between the main characters is very well written. I love the character development of all of the characters, and even the side characters are lovable. Highly recommend!

I cannot tell a lie I did dnf this book.

The writing just wasn’t for me. I can tell that my friend would really enjoy this book. I do enjoy fantasy novels but there was something about the writing that didn’t jive with me. I can’t put my finger on it. I will definitely be telling my friend to read it though, it is right up her alley.

I got this book as an arc from NetGalley.

I’ve bee waiting a long time to get a physical copy of Under the Oak Tree. And even better, we are getting a novel and the graphic novel printed! I’ve kept up with the graphic novel through the webcomic. So I was definitely interested in seeing it written out in a novel form. This is just the beginning of Maxi and Riftan’s story. Three years ago, Maxi was married to Sir Riftan. A lowborn knight who has come a long way and is one of the most powerful knights and war hero. But the same night he married her, the next morning he was gone. Sent on his next conquest by the king. Maxi has stayed in her abusive father’s home. But Riftan has returned and is taking Maxi to his home of Anatol. While Riftan thinks she ignored her duties to have already gone to his home, the truth of the matter is Maxi had no idea. Maxi has been viewed as nothing because of her stuttering speech. She has been beaten among many tactics to “fix” her but to no avail. Her father has kept her in his home to avoid anyone seeing her. In doing so, Maxi has no clue how to be the wife of a war hero. But she will do her best. She will travel with Riftan and fulfill her duties in her new home with the hopes that Riftan will not toss her aside. But the more time she spends with him the more realizes that he has genuine affections for her. And that perhaps she can make a home here. It was really neat seeing the story so far in this form. I’m enjoying the story all over again and getting even more details than my first time read of the still ongoing comic. I can’t wait to get the next volume and seeing the story continue!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't typically love historical romance. I'm a contemporary romance girlie, because I hate to read romances with a power imbalance where women have many fewer rights and decision-making power than a man has. I know that that is historically accurate, but I hate to relive how women were considered only a male property. 

So, I don't know why, despite that this is marketed as "Historical fantasy romance" I expected something different in the romance aspect. Maybe it was my fault for expecting a historical fantasy book where women are equal to men, because you know, this is a fictional world (and a fantastical one) so why not make it happen?

Well, if you love a historical fantasy romance where the female MC is a damsel in distress and the male love interest is this giant, super grumpy guy who is there every time to save the girl but has some serious anger and communication issues but will do anything for the FMC maybe this is your book. If you are not into that, maybe run the other way.

This book was so long for no reason, it takes too long to become minimally interesting, but I never managed to connect with the characters. In the fantasy aspect, it was very lacking, and the explanations felt very poor for me.

Maybe the graphic novel felt a lot different while reading, but this novel wasn't for me.

So, a quick disclaimer: I haven't read the manhwa of this novelization. I wanted to see how the novelization stood on its own terms and see if it would interest me enough in reading the manhwa.

Before I get into the bulk of my review, I want to say that the novelization read pretty well overall. It didn't seem overly stiff or clipped. I think if you like the manhwa, reading the novelization would definitely be worth your time.

Unfortunately, I... didn't like this... at all. There are multiple reasons for this. Primarily, the love interest, Riftan, is just terrible. I couldn't get behind his and Maxi's romance at all. Especially not when it does that thing in some romance novels that I hate: noncon to dubcon to consensual sex. Maxi starts out afraid of Riftan (for good reason, guy is huge, has anger issues, and is generally a grump). Some of this makes sense because Maxi is very heavily abused by her father and thus, afraid of men. And a lot of Maxi's and Riftan's relationship is obscured by misunderstandings and lack of communication. Whether this resolves later in the manhwa, I don't know. The point is, I cannot root for a romance where marital rape is a factor and is also barely addressed. Riftan also almost never seems to take accountability for his anger and is very paternalistic to Maxi, which I also hate.

Again, maybe this is resolved later, but the fact is I don't care enough to continue and I don't really care to see Riftan redeemed (if he even is at all).

So, maybe good for fans of the manhwa or people interested in the manhwa, but not for me.

I was excited for this book because of the original Webtoons story. However, I struggled the entire time due to the SA the took place right at the beginning.

It was hard to follow along with the characters and I struggled with the plot.

Maybe one day I will re-visit and feel different.

I was gifted a copy for an honest review. Potential Spoilers ahead

I have read both the original rough translation of this novel and the manwha. The novel covers the first 76 chapters of the original novel and the first 2 seasons of the manwha. The beginning is a little slow in terms of plot development. However, that energy is given to character development and world building. You really get to know our FL (Maxi) and the ML (Riftan).

To keep it vague as possible Maxi is of noble blood and lacks self confidence due to her disability and her rough upbringing. She is forced into a marriage with a knight who leaves immediately for 3 years for battle. Upon his return she is swept away to his kingdom and begins to learn her new royal duties all the while trying to not let those around her down for fear of rejection.

To say that this novel is spicy is an understatement. The consent in the beginning is questionable at best but not the worst I have read, and given the feudal setting it doesn't surprise me. Don't misunderstand, I don't condone non-consensual relations but all I say is take into consideration the broader story.

If you are coming from the comic the interactions and Riftan are a lot more intense, so it can catch you off guard. So be prepared as the comic definitely portrays him more favorably in terms of his actions. ( I think it helps having pictures to go with the dialogue rather than just the text).

This novel really picks up halfway through and we get to really see the beginnings of, albeit slow, changes in Maxi (and Riftan). Given that this adaptation will most likely be at least 6 volumes worth of novels we are in for the long haul. Watching Riftan and Maxi get to know each other and their love blossom is truly a beautiful thing.

If you love fantasy, tremendous character development and world building, blossoming love and a weak to strong FL then this novel is for you!

Thank you again to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

4.0

Thank you Netgalley and Suji Kim for this eARC

I confess that I had an interest in this book series long before this beautiful ARC of the novel was announced. It initially caught my eye on Manta, however, I could not wait any longer for updates to come fast enough, so I have read the entirety of the translation, up until the most recent release (currently Season 2 book 5).

The novel translation, although it is an ARC, it has better formatting, and it's easier to follow the dialogue and the explanations of worldbuilding. In the beginning, our main characters Riftan and Maxi are borderline INFURIATING. An arranged marriage, and neither are willing to leave their comfort zones to communicate with each other in order to have some sort of understanding. They have a lot of good intentions, but it results in such a disaster because they both don't know how to deal with each other and their own wants and needs.

The worldbuilding is also expectedly incomplete in the first book ( you can't really explain everything on the first book can you?) and it has more spice than I expected when I first read it, but their earnestness in wanting to provide each other genuine love and care. A lot of readers tend to drop this because their growth is difficult to watch in the beginning. I still feel that way when I was rereading this ARC. But imagine a sheltered, abused daughter of a duke marrying one of the strongest knights, and they have never truly interacted with each other. Relationship pains are heavily present, but it contributes to some part of realism when it comes to wanting to stay and love a person, but you're dealing with your own faults and navigating your partner's.

I like this book, it was annoying at first, I can definitely say this is not for everyone. Jump at your own risk, love at your own risk.

I am a big fan of the webcomic. This is a cozy, romantic fantasy I originally went into this book blind. I totally judged it by the cover and im so glade that I did I love it !!!!!

2.5 stars. I was excited to see that this was becoming a book BUT I liked the comic WAY more. If I had not read the comic beforehand, I don’t think I would have enjoyed this at all…Rifton did not have the same appeal to me anymore. Plus I know Maxi has the stutter but reading in book format with the pictures became annoying to me.

I have previously read the manhwa that the novel is based on, so I was very excited to read this. I love Maxi as a protagonist, and I enjoy seeing how she grows throughout the book to meet and interact with new people and places. She is a great character to follow, and it’s great to see an MC with a disability. I root for her so much to get everything that she deserves and wants in her life. Rifton is a good character, but I will admit I did not like him in the beginning of the novel or manhwa. Slowly he grew on me, and I started to root for their slow burn romance. The two still have a long way to go, but I enjoyed being with them.

I did miss the subtle changes in expression and emotions that are seen in the comic compared to the novel, but I think overall it was done well. This is a very cozy and character driven book where you can get lost in Maxi’s story. The world is but, but you have to suspend belief a bit for the passing of time and some explanations of the magic. I will pick up the next installment of the story (both in manhwa and novel) when it arrives to continue seeing Maxi’s story unfold.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC in exchange for a review!

I’m sorry but I could finish this. The impression in the memory of their first night together felt more like a child being raped. I understand there were warnings but this… still wasn’t expected. Her age doesn’t matter much when things are thought and said that make the main female character seem like a little child.

I really wanted to love this book because I’ve heard amazing things and I was extremely excited to read it. This is a character driven story which will definitely work for some people.

This is the first book I can remember reading that wasn't plot-driven but focused solely on character development. Surprisingly, I couldn't put it down. There were times when it seemed like nothing was happening besides redecorating a house, but I still found it engrossing. Although the pacing was a bit off and choppy at times, I enjoyed it.

I suspect that in the next volume, Maxi will gain confidence, and Riftan will reveal the reasons behind his insecurity and emotional nature. There are hints suggesting he has some kind of magic, with foreshadowing around his abilities, skin temperature, speed, and so on.

The book ended abruptly, which I found disappointing.

I understand that many other reviewers disliked the non-consensual elements at the beginning of the book, and I felt the same way. I struggled with the start and thought Riftan was awful in the way he treated Maxi, making me doubt if I could forgive him later.

However, as the story progressed, I began to understand the characters' motivations and grew to like them. I didn't expect to connect with such a demure, meek, and naive female main character, but I ended up liking Maxi a lot.

Many people said Ruth made the story better, but I didn't care much for him. He seemed one-dimensional to me.

Despite everything, I will read the next book.

I really wanted to enjoy this but I found I struggled with the pacing and the choppiness of the dialogue. There were some aspects that I enjoyed but overall this was a difficult read for me as I was not interested in the storyline by the end. Not the same feel as the webtoon.

I will confess that I have not seen/read the original format, so I think that would have helped. I also realize that this is part of a larger storyline, but I felt the ending was abrupt...not just in a cliffhanger way, but Maxi is in thought and then done. One of my least favorite tropes is (lack of/mis) communication. I realize Maxi has some trauma and has never had any sort of real friendship or relationship or even seen a decent one, but geez. I'm assuming she grows into a more powerful and confident lady going forward. I would have liked to have seen her have a female friend as her servants don't count. I know the area is remote so there aren't a ton of options, but still. Also, we (I guess intentionally...maybe it's in another volume) get very little backstory on the main male character. I realize he has his own trauma/feelings of doubt and unworthiness but why does he act so hot and cold toward Maxi? Also, I am going to guess this is supposed to be written back in the "olden days" Medieval style in terms of how the sexual relations were written (Maxi not understanding her wedding night or her body or not caring about consent/it is her wifely duty so she feels obligated). However, any time the main male character basically mauls her because she gives him an innocent kiss or he complains about blue balls (crude but you get the point) for Maxi simply being around seemed a bit over the top. When they are having sex, there are repeated references to his skin's extreme heat and his sweat. Made me think there was something more to it, like a foreshadowing. Anyway, the writing itself was ok, just a bit too long and drawn out for my taste (some people like more character development vs plot moving forward ratio)....but again, I might like it more in original format. Thanks for the ARC opportunity NetGalley and the publisher.

I appreciated the trigger warnings in this book but I was not a fan of the not-so consensual scenes. I browsed reviews beforehand and was aware but it just was not to my liking. I understand a FMC having a disability which is something you never see in a lead character. But the stuttering made it very difficult to read and I could not get on board with it.

While I read the trigger warnings, I also browsed other reviews and reviewers were correct about not-quite-consensual scenes. I also had a hard time getting into the book with the stuttering written out.