I was already a fan of this story before I read the official English translation. I am a fan of the WEBTOON and the light novel. Comparing those to the official translation is why I cannot give it 5 stars. The translation is a little rough but the plot is still there. I love the characters and the relationship.

Under the Oak Tree - Suji Kim

I’m not going to lie, I’m not too sure what to do with this review.

Beautiful cover and I’m in my fantasy era, but my head is a little scrambled about if I liked this one or not. This was definitely spice forward so keep that in mind when picking this book.

Here are some of my concerns:
Do I even like these characters?
They were both very insecure and didn’t communicate
Grey area with the spicy scenes that threw me off
More spice than plot -- I like spice don't get me wrong
FMC has a speech impediment (which is completely fine) but it threw me off a bit with the audiobook
Wasn’t fully fantasy - fantasy light

I still think give it a try, but go in knowing what you are stepping into.

#bookreview #netgalley #fantasy #undertheoaktree #beautifulcover #bookstagram #booklover #bookaddict

Thank you NetGalley and Inklore for this ARC Copy!

This was such a cute story, I just loved every minute of it. From the first chapter I expected something completely different from this story but I was so pleasantly surprised once we left her fathers castle. Watching the characters learn and grow was so fun, and this was truly an enjoyable slice of life story with a fair amount of spice. I will definitely be continuing on with the series.

My friend loves loves this. I like the webcomic version (mostly because of the beautiful artwork). However, the novel version is just not for me. First off, kudos on describing all the things that would have been drawn out on the page (Did the book come first or the webcomic?). The author does that part well (hence the rounding up to 3 stars). The smut parts are also decent.

Now, the parts that aren't for me.

There isn't really a plot. Not even a conflict other than what Riftan is upset about this time. The miscommunication trope is overwhelming in this book. The two don't get each other and they reconcile by having sex (good smut though lol). The serious dubcon in the beginning also bothers me. I think there are better smut out there that won't make you uncomfortable.

It is nice seeing Maxi slowly coming out of her shell, but she is a total damsel in distress through and through—a far cry from the ass-kicking FMCs I've been reading. Riftan needs to let Maxi do her thing. Let her live a little other than have sex with you! Maybe she needs a Rhysand to save her from Tamlin hahaha (IYKYK).

Apparently, there is a part 2, but the lack of a plotline doesn't entice you to keep going. This is like a fantasy slice of life except Maxi's life isn't that exciting.

Did i read this already? yes.
Did i still sign up for an arc? double yes!!

The art is so beautiful, it’s like visually stunning, so I want to thank you for my eyes being blessed. This is the novel which allows us to have better information and more clarity where the comic failed. The story line wasn’t entirely the best for myself but that’s a personal matter however it was entertaining nonetheless. I say give this a go.

Thank you netgalley for providing me with this arc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🌶️🌶️
💭My thoughts: I read this comic before just the first volume so I was excited to read the novel. It is just as good! Riftan is so drool worthy, Maxi has my heart everytime with her adorable stuttering, and Ruth is just as fine. Now I look forward to more!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I have not read any of the previous works so I did not have any knowledge of the story when I began. Unfortunately I am not the happiest with this book. I felt like there were so many misunderstandings and I was very uncomfortable with the intimate moments. There were so many times I wanted to quit because I felt like these moments for SA. The first encounter I felt both parties actually wanted to be together was 61% in. I’m glad we got there but I would have DNF’d already if this wasn’t an ARC. The reason I still rated it 3 stars was because I did like the change in the FMC and enjoyed the parts when the MMC wasn’t around. Especially when the knights showed their support for her by allowing her to help them. I thought it was a sweet moment between the characters.

I have been hearing about his for a while so I was very excited to get a ARC copy. Thank you Netgalley. This book is well crafted and so beautiful. A lot of details I love it! However it’s only Volume 1 not the entire story. So hopefully we will not have to wait for to long. Read it.

This essentially reads as self indulgent fanfiction, but drags on too long and without any signifanct growth in characters or relationships to have any payoff.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.
This book was probably the most disappointing read of the year unfortunately. I did stick this book all the way to the end so I could fairly review it but every time I stopped reading I didn’t want to pick it up again.
As mentioned by another reviewer there is straight up SA in the first chapter with no prior warning. As a dark romance reader this threw me for a loop.
The most frustrating part of this book is that NOTHING ACTUALLY HAPPENS. Like yes the characters are doing things but there is zero plot.
With there being no plot there surely must be some good character development right? WRONG. While Maxi had the most growth it was still abysmal. She’s constantly trapped in this imposter syndrome mentality and it’s exhausting every time it gets brought up. And Ryftan is just annoying with his constant outbursts and then acting like they never happened.
And this these characters is constantly miscommunicate or just straight up not communicate at all.
But surely the romance parts must be good and well written? Again NO. While spicy scenes happen often they’re just so cut and dry. I’m talking no foreplay and they seem like they come out of no where.
Lastly wtf was that cliffhanger?? Nothing happened the whole book but somehow felt like the first book was incomplete.

TLDR:
If you want to read this I guess give it ago? But I’m easily entertained and I did not enjoy this for the majority of the time.

Single POV, Spicy, Arranged Marriage, Fantasy, Protective & Possessive MMC, Touch Her & Perish, Found Family, Opposites Attract, Sheltered FMC

Under the Oak Tree is a fantasy arranged marriage romance between a sheltered FMC and one of the kingdom's most renowned knights. Maxi has suffered abuse from her father her entire life and assumes her marriage will be the same only she never could have imaged how caring, possessive, and protective her husband is despite his rough nature. Watching Maxi and Riftan fall in love is heart melting as Riftan struggles to balance his duty with his need to provide for her. Looking forward to the next book to see what lies ahead for Maxi and Riftan.

I was immediately drawn to this book because the cover was so gorgeous. I did not know that it is originally based on a web comic, but I did kind of get a sense of that in the writing. While I enjoyed the story and Maxi and Riftan's relationship growth with each other, I did feel that the writing was a little bare bones where I feel that the comic might have conveyed more. I also did not know that there were trigger warnings for this books so the content surprised me when it came up. But, overall I enjoyed this book.

I think this is one of the coziest happily ever after books I’ve read so far. The spice was spicin’. Be warned, it was a little to difficult to read in the beginning so please be sure to read the warnings. It was a little intense in the MCs earlier memories and flashbacks of intimacy BUT as you read on you’ll understand why. The FMC is extremely timid. Shy, and fearful because of such a hard past dealing with so much abuse and hate from her father and sister. It in a way gives a similarity to Cinderella and how she was treated but much more intense. I honestly couldn’t put it down. I loved seeing her grow into the more confident woman she is and how her past had given her such a loving and humble nature. I loved this book and I cannot wait to buy the physical copy for myself!

4/5 - So good! A good story in a wold that is ultimately well constructed. Though this first book was a little rough for me given the dubious consent, meek FMC, and seemingly curt husbando, it was a pretty hard for me to get into. But, having persevered and finished the entire series, I have a much greater appreciation for this book given the character growth that occurs throughout. Definitely a book for you if you like epic love stories and/or fanfiction!

Also, just a heads up to all my readers out there, the novel came BEFORE the webcomic, and is ultimately about 10 or so books long. This book may not seem like much at first, but that's because it is one part of MANY and is necessary for the rest of the series to shine! It was originally a Korean series that was translated into English, which may help to explain the writing style. Enjoy!

Under the Oak Tree was not for me. I felt disconnected from the characters and the romance. I wonder if the graphic novel would've been better for me to read instead.

I had heard good things about the comic version of Under the Oak Tree and jumped at the chance when I saw it was available in the catalog. All I saw was a gigantic knight and stuttering lady in the synopsis. I'm in. Say no more. Maxi and Riftan were a very sweet couple, but it took a long time for them to be comfortable with each other. She constantly flinched at his touch, remembered abuse from her father, and wasn't given the birds and the bees talk before her wedding. A total recipe for disaster. Thankfully, over time they learned to trust each other and developed an intimate marriage. The writing did get repetitive at times and Maxi never knew what she wanted, but I did read this book in one sitting. All I can say is it's a wonder she didn't end up pregnant at the end of this volume. That woman was resembling a double stuffed Oreo by the final chapter, if you catch my drift. I'm leaning towards picking up the second volume when it's released. Enormous knights in cold armor have me standing at attention and it doesn't take much convincing. I wonder what direction their story will take Under the Oak Tree.

Loved this so much I bought the special edition AND started reading the comic. I look forward to further installments! I think this is a great way to introduce American readers to Korean fantasy novels.

I am not the target audience for this book. I originally requested this book because the cover art and sprayed edges are so beautiful. But after reading about 10% I realize that the characters aren’t working for me.

It feels very surface level and the MFC is too timid and anxious for me. I did switch over to the webtoon where this originated from and I did enjoy that slightly more than I did in novel form.

Maxi is put into an arranged marriage with Lord Calypse, the most famous knight in the kingdom by her father, Duke Croyso. Maxi, being abused by Lord Croyso throughout her life because of her stutter, is naive in the ways of the world when she is wed to her husband, who consummates the marriage and the next day abruptly leaves for a war with a dragon. Three years later, after returning from this dragon war, he comes to collect a stunned Maxi, who has been told by her father and others that he would no longer want her because he was offered the hand of the beautiful princess. Maxi is whisked away by Riftan (her husband) to his estate in the mountains and finds that even though his demeanor can be prickly, he is deeply insecure that she may not want him. As they learn more about each other over time, will true love bloom between these two arranged spouses?

I liked this book, but not all the way up to giving it a five star rating. I did find that the writing style was a bit stilted and felt like that may be a translation issue? I did not read the original webcomic (unlike me, I know), but I did think that this felt like the novelization of an anime at times. While I did ultimately like Maxi’s character, it is a bit annoying and frustrating how the two main characters never seem to be able to communicate in the beginning of the story. Riftan is always convinced that Maxi dislikes him because he isn’t highborn and Maxi is convinced that Riftan won’t like her because of her father’s constant cruelty regarding her stutter. Riftan is definitely unlikeable at times and (TW!) their first encounter into the spice realm feels pretty non-consensual and is explained as being less Maxi not wanting to and more Maxi being unsure of what to do. It still felt a little icky, though, in my opinion, and I could have done without it.

The rest of the spice (and it is plentiful) was alright. Not all my thing, but I can see how others might like it. It does tend more toward being spice-heavy and plot-lite, so if you’re not into that, then I’d suggest skipping this book. If that’s not a deal-breaker for you (and it’s not for me), then this may be to your liking. Having not read the webcomic, I’m not entirely sure how it compares to the original. However, having skimmed through a little of the original just now, I would say that while the main plot points seem the same, the webcomic seems to somehow go into more detail into Maxi’s point of view, which I would’ve appreciated more of in the novel. However, I found this to be an overall pleasant read and would recommend it to others.
If you’re looking for some anime-type smut that somehow manages to not be too dark even though it deals with some unpleasant subject matter, I’d give this one a try.

I thought this was an ebook of the graphic novel, but was pleasantly surprised that this was a real novel NOVEL. Please be wary of the content warnings. If you love older historical romance and role playing fantasy like DND then you will love all the magical references. My only complaint is that this first novel, or Volume 1, is not a complete story arc and ends rather abruptly. I am unsure when the next volume will be published so that was a miss for me.