Originally, I read this story when it was a webcomic on Manta, and I absolutely loved the story so when I saw that it was being adapted to a novel I was so excited.

Overall I did like the story however, I found myself constantly wanting more emotional development between Riftan and Maxi. Typically I am okay with CNC, but I found myself getting slightly uncomfortable with how the romantic scenes were initiated and that Maxi just gave in to please Riftan to fulfill her marital duties. It felt like Riftan just constantly wanted to jump Maxi’s bones at every single interaction they had, and there wasn’t a deeper emotional connection between them on Riftan’s end. We do see more growth and character development as Maxi finds her voice and comes to being able to stand on her own. There is definitely a miscommunication trope throughout the entire novel between the main characters and they constantly struggle to express their true feelings to each other. I enjoyed the representation of someone with a speech impediment, and being able to experience her perspective and feelings throughout the novel’s development is a refreshing point of view. When comparing the manga and the novel I definitely prefer the webcomic more. I felt that there were a lot of rewritten portions in this novel that made the interpretation of scenes vastly different from the Manga which in turn resulted in conflicting feelings of this story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

2/2.5 ⭐️

Under The Oak Tree is a book with some magic, monsters, castles and romance.

The romance had quite an interesting, and disturbing start to it, but it did develop some. There are major triggering warnings to watch for in the spice, as the MMC never asks if she wants to be physical and just takes, even if she doesn’t want him to. She does seem to eventually enjoy it, but be mindful of that.

The storyline just seems kind of lost to me. I’m unsure of what the plot and conflict actually is.

I do enjoy the magic happening, but there wasn’t much of it until the end. The FMC had a stutter, and I did enjoy the representation of that. However, she does endure abuse and shame because of it.

The FMC is very…. Ashamed and anxious almost the entire book. I was really hoping it would get better, but it’s a slow journey to confidence.

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. It ended so abruptly and that was really disappointing. I wish I could give this a better review.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Pub for the read.

Publish date: 11/5/24

DNF at 10%. This was difficult to read. The opening marital rape, uneven dialog and unusual pacing put me off. I know the intent was to present the web novel true to form, but this needed an editor for those of us unfamiliar with its previous iterations.

Under the Oak Tree is a novel with the main focus of self discovery and empowerment. While there are scenes that are explicit and controversial the bones of the book are solid. While I was surprised and taken back by there being SA depicted in the first chapter I wasn't thrown from the story of Maxi's journey to find herself. I actually really enjoyed seeing her small steps into becoming more confident and self assured. The romance is very heavy in this book and the only draw back I have is that it didn't seem like much really happened. I would also say that the content/trigger warning should be more detailed as to what exactly it is that's in the book.

Enjoyed the story. I liked the main character Maxi. I was cheering for her to open up during the book and become more confident. I enjoyed the supporting characters. I look forward to the Vol 2 see more of Maxi and Riftan's relationship grow.

Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim was such a good and enjoyable story.
The storytelling and characters held my attention.
I enjoyed reading it, and found it to be entertaining.

I loathe this book L the smex parts just didn't sit right with me. I understand that the story starts out with Maxi as a naive timid girl with an awful father that didn't deem her worthy but the lack of consent the MMC that is suppose to this great guy as you continue reading I could never see him as the hero in this, i thought of him worse than her father tbh.

I don’t think this book was meant for me. I struggled with loving the characters and it felt like they had little to no development until the very end. I really wanted to love it when I saw the cover and the summary seemed up my alley but alas it fell flat.
The romance felt cringy at best and I’m not sure if it’s because it just didn’t translate over well from a webtoon /comic?

I applied for the ARC of this one because of the stunning edition they are releasing, and I am still not sure why I did not DNF it.

There was absolutely no plot to the story. The FMC felt so young and naïve that it was borderline intolerable - and while I appreciate disability rep in books, the need to type out extra letters EVERY TIME she spoke to show her stutter was incredibly distracting. The MMC was very quick to anger and controlling which made him very unlikeable to me, even if he did try to improve his behavior. Don't even get me started on the uncomfortable "consummating the marriage" scene.

Definitely not my cup of tea unfortunately. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

I received an advanced reader copy of Under the Oak Tree from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine. This review will be posted on Goodreads (/mariaviale) and Fable (@mariii) starting November 5th.

Under the Oak Tree follows Maxi, a girl born into a noble household who has faced cruelty throughout her life due to a severe speech impediment. After marrying the most respected knight in the land, Riftan, she must navigate her new life when he returns from a three-year quest to slay a dragon. Maxi’s sheltered upbringing makes this journey both challenging and transformative.

The writing is impressive—descriptive and immersive, bringing to life a world filled with magical elements and charming characters. However, I struggled to connect with the story.

Maxi is a difficult character to like. While her insecurities are understandable, her negativity can be frustrating, which detracted from my enjoyment of the narrative.

The romantic aspect also posed challenges. The initial sexual scenes between Maxi and Riftan felt abusive rather than romantic. Although the importance of their marriage is clear, I found it hard to engage with these moments when Maxi is begging him to stop. This dynamic made it tough to root for their relationship, even as Maxi eventually begins to enjoy herself.

Additionally, Riftan is often absent, appearing mainly in violent reactions or sexual encounters. This limited my understanding of his character and the depth of his feelings for Maxi. While he expresses love for her, it often feels tied more to his sexual needs and knightly duty rather than genuine emotional connection. Maxi seems to have a more profound bond with Ruth, a character she can be vulnerable with, while her connection with Riftan lacks meaningful conversation and emotional depth.

Overall, while Under the Oak Tree has its strengths, I found the character dynamics and romantic elements challenging to engage with.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

I have been super excited since this was announced and I was not disappointed! I loved the characters, the plot locked me in.

The cover art is beautiful and I would have purchased it based on this alone, it would look really good on my shelves.
I tried to like this book but I could not get beyond the cringy sex scenes. Riftan is raping Maxi throughout the entire book. She never gives consent for the interactions and she is constantly speaking about the pain she is in. This is on top of her being treated as a subhuman by her father due to her speech impediment...

This book should have trigger warnings, to have a reader fall into this in the first chapter without warning is rough.

It's a no for me.

Thank you, NetGalley and Suji Kim for the opportunity to give my honest review of the e-ARC of this book I have received.

The cover really got me with this one. It's breathtaking. And the premise sounded promising. However, I could not make it past 5%. I never read the webtoons so maybe it came across different in that format, but it just doesn't flow right for me. I can't get behind this romance that has started with rape. And miscommunication or lack of communication is my absolute least favorite. I understand the fmc may have some issues but the mmc could have at least tried helping her along since he doesn't seem like the absolute worst (other than the marital rape of course).

Three years ago, Sektor the Red Dragon woke up, and the king called his men to subdue the beast, which included Maxi’s father and his knights. To avoid having to go, Maxi’s father, or the Duke of Croyso, had his eldest daughter Maximilian arranged to marry one of his lowborn knights called Riftan Calypse to shift his duty to this knight instead.

Now, Riftan who subdued the dragon, is returning and Maxi’s father is worried he will divorce her because Riftan was offered a marriage alliance with King’s daughter, a Princess.

However, when Riftan appears, he takes Maxi with him to his home instead. No word of divorce. And Maxi wonders if she can prove to him that she’s worthy of being his wife.

Well, this was an interesting read 😆

This read very much like a web comic or webtoon rather than an actual book. There’s a lot of unnecessary drama that occurs in here, but because of where the story originated, it totally made sense how it was written. Should it have been made into a book? Maybe not, but I still enjoyed it!

To me it’s a rather fast paced book. Nothing really happens and there’s a lot of smexy scenes that I didn’t expect and I mean a lot! It focused a lot on the relationship between Riftan and Maxi, which still needs work by the end of the book.

I actually enjoyed it a lot. Sometimes I need that book that is an easy read between other heavier books, and this was what I needed when I read it. I do recommend it! Love the cover too!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the gifted e-ARC to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I think the story has potential but sometimes it borderline feels like Riftan is taking advantage of her. I get that he’s obsessed with her but give the girl some time to warm up to you my gosh. I just wish we had a little more character development and that their relationship developed in a way that didn’t immediately jump into the physical but focused on their hearts.

I adore the manhwa but the novel fell a bit short for me.

From the start, this book was incredibly captivating and fascinating. It immediately captured my attention and held it. To be honest, I didn't anticipate that conclusion, but it was appropriate! The idea of a young, abused woman searching for her place in a world where men determine her fate is a good one. She nevertheless demonstrates a strong will and a determination to be capable and helpful. Overall, I like Maxi, the main character. She isn't always happy with Riftan, her husband and love interest. He can be kind and sweet at times. Others find him easily irritated. It's a little annoying that we don't know much about Riftan, so he's a mystery. I hope that books in the future will clarify

Lady Maximilian was married off to a knight so her cruel and awful father could avoid having to participate in a dragon hunt. The knight leaves right after their wedding night and she doesn't hear anything from him until he returns for her 3 years later. Sir Riftan may have been low-born, but he's honorable enough to want to honor the wedding vows he took and is ready to start being Lord of Anatol along with his lady wife. Neither communicates and Maxie spends every second fearing that her less-than-ideal upbringing will come to light and Riftan will abandon her. It takes facing up to her fears and realizing that she's capable of more than she thought possible for her to finally start finding some courage, but will that help make her marriage successful?

It's fanfiction wrapped up in very pretty packaging and in need of some good editing. It's not the worst, but it's overly sentimental and anxiety-inducing with how much the heroine is always freaking out about everything. She has a reason to be the way she is and it's not a trauma that is quickly overcome, I would just have preferred a female character that develops a backbone sometime before the last 10 pages of the book.

Maybe it's the decades of reading romance and similar stories done right or maybe it's that those decades make me too old to get the hype of this printed fanfiction. Still, I also regularly read fanfiction and there are so many better-told stories out there. I don't get it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Inklore for the chance to read it!

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for this ARC.

I didn't read the original version of this story, so the blurb was what lured me in and I was super excited to read it. However, it just didn't deliver for me. I'm at 76% and can't read anymore - I just don't feel like much is happening and Maxi's lack of character growth is frustrating. The relationship between Maxi and Riftan lacks chemistry as well. I will say, I think Ruth is a great character - watching the relationship between him and Maxi grow was somewhat redeeming.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this title early on. The opening scenes included troubling content, including abuse from the main character’s father and a non-consensual encounter with her husband, who, based on other reviews, later becomes her main love interest. Despite the trigger warnings, I was uncomfortable with how non-consensual moments were framed as ‘misunderstandings’ or as the male character 'knowing' what the MC wanted before she did. I came into this book unfamiliar with the manhwa and was expecting something different based on the description. As I skimmed forward to see where the story was headed, I found more unsettling content and very little plot beyond the romance.

Although I saw potential in the mythical elements and political intrigue, I couldn’t move past the repeated lack of agency given to the main character, especially in scenes where her verbal ‘no’ is dismissed by her husband. I can see how this might be a story of personal growth and empowerment, especially if the main character eventually learns to stand up for herself, but as other reviews also noted, much of the book leans heavily into smut over storyline, so I ultimately gave up around 20% in. This one just wasn’t a fit for me.

“Under the Oak Tree” has a very special place in my heart. It was the manhwa that introduced me to light novels. I had originally read the novel when it was translated and made available on Amazon, so I was super excited when it was officially picked up by a traditional publisher. It is an amazing character driven medieval fantasy story. It follows our main female character, Maximillian (aka Maxi), the daughter of Duke Croyso, a powerful nobleman. For her whole life, she has been secluded and abused by her father due to her stuttering impairment. She was then forced to marry Riftan, a lowborn knight, as part of her father’s scheme to get Riftan to take his place in the deadly Red Dragon Campaign. Their first interaction left much to be desired. However, after returning from a victorious three-year campaign, Riftan takes Maxi home to his estate in Anatol where their life together truly begins.

The character development in this novel is so well done. Maxi is not your typical bad-ass, sassy heroine. She has had a traumatic past that has left her feeling worthless and unlovable. In the beginning we meet her as this timid character who is too afraid to speak up. However, after leaving her abusive home and being surrounded by people who care for her, we slowly watch her grow into this confident and capable woman. Although, the journey is still a struggle for her, I really do admire her perseverance and strength, especially her thirst for knowledge and her desire to learn healing magic. As for Riftan, I love his loyalty, protectiveness, and tenderness to Maxi. His love for her knows no bounds. However, he can be very direct and harsh at times. He can also be very dismissive to some of Maxi’s desires. Although we know it stems from a good place of wanting her to live comfortably and protected, it can also be very restrictive. Riftan is definitely not a character that is easily warmed up to at first. His inability to express his feelings is frustrating, but as the story progresses and we learn more about his past, you can’t help but fall in love him as well.

The romance is definitely intense and passionate. Miscommunication and misunderstanding are huge part of the story. Although the characters grow to love each other, the first few sexual encounters between Riftan and Maxi can be uncomfortable. When I first read it, I didn’t think much of it, because I was warned ahead of time of what to expect. However, reading it again three years later, I realize how jarring it can be. I understand that this story was written in a medieval time period where there is a lack and questionable sexual education (as seen from what Maxi was told by her maids when she lived at Croyso’s estate), but I think a trigger warning is warranted, not just for the dubious consent, but also for the physical/mental abuse in the story. There is also a lot of information about the world in this novel. Although I wished it was more incorporated into the story instead of block of text of information, I do appreciate the author’s attempt for a detailed world-building.

Overall, I really loved this story. I have read this novel when it was available on Amazon. The journey these characters go through and how much they grow as individuals is just amazing. It is filled with longing, angst, love and self-discovery. It also takes a realistic look into the relationship and brings up the question is love enough? It is a very slow pace, character center novel, but so worth it. I cannot wait for the future volumes to come out.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.