Disclaimer: This review is NOT sponsored by or affiliated to Tapas media (or any of the creators). I read this comic/novel on Tapas with Ink bought using my own funds and I am voluntarily writing a review of the same. I do NOT own any of the images related to this comic. All credit goes to the original artist.
Blurb: I woke up inside my favorite novel, not as the protagonist, Luca Winterwald, but as Judith, his abusive aunt and the first character to die—time for a rewrite! I’ll hand Luca off to his loving, long-lost uncle as scripted, and then live my own life far from danger. At least, that was the plan. When his uncle arrives, Luca suddenly calls out, “Don’t leave!” Now, I must protect Luca from impending family tragedy, raise him to become the hero, and turn this villainess’s ending upside down!
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
My #1 favourite story!! Love the artwork, plot, characters, settings…everything!!
If I had to nitpick, then I would say that it lacks diversity. But does that really matter? Not every story needs to show diversity. Completely depends on the plot. And this particular plot is superb in it’s own way!
Judith, the female lead, is possessed by the spirit of the woman who read her nephew’s story in her past life. Luca, the nephew, is the protagonist of a dark revenge story called ‘Master of the Winter Forest’.
As per the original storyline, Luca is an illegitimate child and only son of Jonas Winterwald, the eldest son of the Duke of Winterwald. When he’s four years old, Luca’s mother (Judith’s elder sister) dies of some unknown illness. So, Judith becomes Luca’s only living relative. She is resentful and abusive towards her little nephew, blaming him for all her financial and personal problems. One day, Rudiger Winterwald (Jonas’ younger brother) comes looking for Luca, finds him alone at home with a fever while Judith is having fun at the village festival. He is furious with her and decides to take Luca away at once. Judith demands compensation in return and Luca is sold off to his own uncle. He reaches Winterwald and is welcomed as the new heir to the Duchy. However, the rest of the relatives covet his rightful inheritance. Faced with multiple assassination attempts at every turn, Luca lives a life of terror and unhappiness. Judith is used and killed by the same scheming relatives. Rudiger also sacrifices his own life in order to protect his nephew. Luca goes into hiding and returns years later to complete his revenge.
Knowing that she will be the first to die in this tragic tale, the new Judith decides to flip the script and avoid her miserable fate. Firstly, she must make amends with her little nephew – take care of him, feed him nice meals, spend quality family time and even nurse him through a fever. Then, if all goes well, she will hand him over to his Uncle Rudiger, send him off with a sweet farewell and live a quiet life away from the main storyline.
But when Rudiger arrives at her home, Luca is strangely hostile towards him. Instead, he clings to Judith and calls her ‘Mom’. Despite all her reasoning, Luca will not leave without her. Since she already promised to let Rudiger take Luca to Winterwald, she has no choice but to follow them now. Forget living a quiet life, now she must think of ways to avoid her impending death.
The plot becomes predictable in episode 3 itself when Judith bumps into Rudiger in the marketplace and comes home to find him waiting for her at her doorstep. Of course, these two are meant to fall in love while taking care of Luca together. However, I must commend the author and the artist for handling a predictable plot in an outstanding manner. The dark revenge story turns into an unforgettable romance through Judith’s efforts.
The story use elements of humour, intrigue and romantic entanglements along with beautiful artwork to capture the reader’s interest. To top it all, there are no awkward misunderstandings, no explicit skin-revealing scenes, and no unnecessary violence. Usually, in these kind of comics, it’s completely normal to see the female lead in low necklines or figure-hugging clothes and the male lead without a shirt. However, both Judith and Rudiger are completely dressed from neck to toe in clothes suitable for the extreme cold climate of Winterwald. Yet, their x-factor is undeniable. And their obvious attraction to each other, coupled with their lack of perception, is extremely cute. Each is learning to trust the other and develop a sweet platonic relationship, which feels like a more natural means towards a romantic end. Not even once did I feel that they should just kiss and be done with it!!
And Luca!! What a cutie!! Even Judith notices that he tries to act like an adult all the time, and is extremely possessive of his aunt, and won’t let Rudiger near her.
However, despite the flip in the script, the original plot-line is still ticking. Even during their journey to Winterwald, Luca barely escapes his first assassination attempt, and Judith must keep all her wits about her if she wants to save her nephew and his uncle from future strikes. She decides to become Luca’s ‘mom’ for real in order to protect him. But even though she knows what will happen next, can she really save the two people most important to her now?
If you haven’t got the point already – Highly recommend this story! Must read! I LOVE IT!!
One last note on the artwork – love the pastel and dark colour contrast, the clean and simple lines of each character and the flawless perspective shots!! The artist seems to be extremely talented in this style. I don’t know much about artwork but even I can see how much hardwork and skill is involved here.
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