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avjung27's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Aristia la Monique has spent her entire life preparing herself to one day marry the Emperor Ruvellis. It is a lonely life she is destined to live, but she has taken to it kindly. It helps that she has fallen in love with the Emperor. She plans to devote her life to him. When a girl from another world, Jieun, suddenly appears outside in the castle yard, everything begins to change. Aristia, who was once fated to become empress, is pushed to the side and brought to the court simply as a consort. Problem after problem arises, until Aristia meets a fateful day. The one where she will be beheaded for her crimes against the throne. Only, she awakes the next morning, completely alive. How could this be? And why is she ten when she was just seventeen?
I’ve been on the lookout for a manhwa that I might be interested in reading. I’m not super big into shounen action or isekai, so I skipped out on most of those. This one, however, caught my eye. At times, full color can throw me off, I don’t know why I avoid it, but The Abandoned Empress had character designs that drew my attention. I liked the color for the most part, so I ended up buying it without much more thought. As per usual with a great deal of my books, it went on the shelf not to be picked up for some time. Today was a day of reading random books that I only had the first volume of, apparently. Luckily, this one was a hit as well. I think maybe I know my tastes better than I thought.
It’s a little strange having a seventeen year old’s mind inside of a ten year old girl, as is with most time travel manga and manhwa (although I guess technically this is my first time travel manhwa). But then, all of the guys she could end up with are a few years older than her anyways, so it probably all works out in the end. She just gets the upper hand for once. Anyhoo…
I do hate, though hate isn’t the right word here, that I like the Ruvellis’ character design over the other possible love interests. I’m also not blind enough to think she doesn’t have the strongest chance to get back with Ruvellis when all this is said and done, but I really would prefer her to find someone else. We should have a new guy show up and her take the power of the crown. That’s my hope. Do I think it will truly happen? Of course not, but I can hope. I could see myself thinking they have cute moments together, then remembering the start of the series and vomiting in my mouth a little. I believe in second chances, this isn’t even really a second chance since they’re literally changing the future. I still just also believe in tossing dirt out.
My only main bother from the first volume is just stupid, I acknowledge, but it’s an annoyance nonetheless. I am starting to get a bit tired of their greeting that they have to say to the royalty. It’s far too long for my taste. I think the problem is I’ve always felt guilty skipping even a word in my books, so I just don’t want to have to read it through but then I fear I’ll miss something. I go back and read it only to be like, I didn’t need to read that for the fiftieth time in this volume. Again, I know it’s dumb.
There was one thing I was confused about, when Aristia talks with the god, the god agrees that the only reason her heart yearned for Ruvellis is because of the emptiness Jieun left since she wasn’t in the world. Or something of that nature. I didn’t know if I was meant to take that as literally the god made it so that Aristia yearned for him because of that, or like a more, broad I went through this simply because she was missing. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I just reread it a few times confused when I got to that part. But I feel like the god bit was generally a little confusing for me.
I do not have two series that I’m going to buy the next book tomorrow at work… I should definitely be reading what I already own, but I am pretty sure I’ll be buying volume two of this tomorrow. Oops.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood and Miscarriage
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