P (6)

Lady Maximilian (Maxi) hasn't seen her husband Riftan in some time - he left to go fight a dragon shortly after they were married, and they barely knew each other. After Riftan defeats the dragon and is hailed as a hero, there are rumors that he'll divorce Maxi and marry the princess. Maxi's father is furious at the possibility and wants Maxi to stop it, but Maxi, who has a stutter, has no idea how she's supposed to accomplish this.

Then Riftan arrives. He's angry with Maxi for some reason, show more but rather than divorcing her, he declares that she's going with him back to his castle estate, barely giving her time to pack. Maxi has no idea what's going on and is initially somewhat terrified of her husband - he's intense, somewhat cold, and her memories of their one and only night together after their marriage aren't good.

However, as gruff as he is, he's gentler and more considerate than she remembers him being. He tells her she's beautiful, doesn't seem to care about her stutter, and wants his knights and servants to treat her well. She becomes determined to stay with him, but it's clear that, mentally, he has her on a pedestal, and she worries that he'll be disappointed when he finally learns that she isn't the elegant and treasured young noble lady that he seems to think her father raised her as.

I pre-ordered this pretty much the instant I could, not really paying attention to the details, so it was a surprise when this came in the mail and it was a hardcover. I gasped at its gorgeousness when I opened the package - it's such a pretty volume.

I think my first exposure to this story was via this webcomic, although I've read more of the serialized novel than I ever read of the comic. I'm looking forward to seeing what the official English translation of the novel is like, but, so far, I'd say this comic is probably my favorite way to experience this story. The artwork is gorgeous, with rich colors that look just as good on printed pages as they did on my computer screen. Also, the comic glosses over some of the novel's more discomfiting aspects, and gives all the sex Maxi and Riftan end up having a less prominent place in the story.

I loved the characters' facial expressions and the way Riftan was obviously hopelessly, embarrassingly (from the perspective of his knights) in love with Maxi. Maxi, meanwhile, worried that she wouldn't measure up to Riftan's expectations - he left all castle renovations up to her, not realizing that she'd never been trusted with anything like that before, and he thought she was used to nothing but the best, not knowing that Maxi's father was abusive and treated her as less than her sister. The story moves a bit slower than I'd like (not much really happens in this volume, honestly), but still, I can't wait for the next volume and am looking forward to seeing this couple grow together and eventually communicate with each other.

Extras:

Six pages of character designs and sketches.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

With a BEAUTIFUL art style, UNDER THE OAK TREE tells a charmingly cute love story. While both characters have had rough pasts in entirely different ways they've become GOOD people and the perfect salve for each other, which was so pleasant to read.
It's honestly an extraordinarily cute manga (webcomic?) and sweet to the point there were many times throughout my experience reading it that I described it as DREAMY. Though, not without its darkness entirely with those dark pasts coming back to show more haunt them and responsibilities pulling them apart.
However, from the sweet, often sparkly, vibrant, and flowery art style that conveyed emotion so poignantly well, to the story and the characters that the story builds, this actually managed to make me giddy at times, which is a rare feat to achieve, and I can't wait to get my hands on volume two.

While the TWs weren't too intense with this, there was physical and verbal abuse upon the FMC by her father - mostly via remembered snippets - and two instances of vaguely dubcon, fade-to-black intimacy scenes (I would describe the rest of the scenes as fully consenting) as the FMC was at first "consenting" to her husband only out of wifely "duty" and fear of her father's retribution were she to make her husband mad, etc. (the MMC was a sweetheart and a gentleman, however). show less

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Inklore) for promotional purposes.

This was so so so good!

Prior to receiving this book, I had never heard of this webcomic/webnovel series before. I’m so glad it was put on my radar because I’m kind of obsessed with it now. I can see why it’s a popular online series.

First off, the artwork is gorgeous. This is a full color graphic novel printed on thick pages. The colors are vibrant and the art style really made it feel like show more I’m right there with the characters. Reading the book often felt like watching an anime.

The storyline is fairly basic (arranged marriage trope), but I didn’t mind it. Sometimes simple is better.

As for the main characters, I loved Maxi and Riftan. They were such a cute couple. Riftan was so protective over Maxi and I loved how he showed her love and kindness. Maxi had a rough upbringing so Riftan was exactly what she needed. For supporting characters, I found Ruth (the sorcerer) fascinating. I’m eager to learn more about him.

Overall, I cannot wait to continue this series. I was also sent the novel version, so I will be reading that in the meantime. If you like romantasy and graphic novels, definitely check this one out! show less

This book had been on my TBR for quite a while and I finally cracked it open, only to finish it in a day! Wow. This romantasy really snagged all of my attention. I loved all the pieces. The action. The fantasy. The romance. Even a little humor is thrown in there and I loved that too. All of those elements blend together to weave a completely captivating romantasy. The artwork is pretty stunning too, adding more intensity along the way. I'm excited to see how this story progresses!