PenReads

Hey Im Pen (they/them) I like to read trash and try to write about it, this blog is just me talking to myself :)

[penreadstrash]

Hi, as stated in my bio I'm Pen (they/them). Over the past couple years I've gotten really into manhwa, manga, webcomics, and that sort of thing. More specifically in the Otome Isekai genre but I read whatever catches my eye. I'm just making this blog to write reviews about what I am reading and to catalog what I have already read. Am open to suggestions; but this is my first time making a blog like this so be kind. And I hope everyone has a great day!! :D

[penreadstrash]

Anyone Can Beat the Original

Currently on chapter 60

I had so much fun reading this story, I have been very busy the past year and most manhwa I've read have been very turn your brain off or a story I have been following along for years. This feels very fresh and new and just a joy to read.

The summary is Eve dies gets reincarnated to a side character who gets married to the main villain of a book she read in her past life. So to avoid her death she tries (and fails) to not marry him. Like ok sure I've seen a plot like this before its fun and should be a nice turn my brain off read. I was so wrong and I am so glad to be wrong.

After the first 10 or so chapters I fell in love with the mc and the ml. They are such strong characters who have great chemistry. It gets even better with the messages the story tells. Also the art is so cute and well done and does a great job showing the characters emotions and being hot. After this point I will be getting into spoilers but if you are looking for something new and fresh to read I highly recommend this manhwa.

I read this all in under 24 hours and so some thoughts here might be a mess but I wanna talk about the messages this story shares. The first one being in how the man is the one remembered for success and the women is the one remembered and blamed in some way for his failures. Which I wasn't expecting from this and it felt so refreshing to hear, especially in this historical fantasy setting. It makes the characters aware of how they need to act to best help each other to succeed. It does a great job of showing how this idea is unfair while also using this to paint how each character has to act in society to help the other. Its really fun to read them balance this understanding while also showing how it sucks.

Another thing I love is Eve herself, she is such a strong well written character. Due to her status as a commoner turned noblewomen and her past knowledge as an amazing prosecutor she does some amazing things. Regularly turning her knowledge an how she knows other expect her to act in her position on their heads so she can get the upper hand. It is just so much fun to watch her crush those expectations. Along with how smart she is using what she learned as a prosecutor to help her and her husband over through the current throne.

Lastly I love the unreliable narrator. The story does a great job of showing both Eve and the mls POV by going back to past events and seeing what happened through the others eyes. It is so much fun to learn what the other is thinking and to get a cleaner view on what happened. It also tells us that both characters are unreliable narrators and I got to put my own judgment to see what I think is fully going on. It makes the story even more fun to read.

So please if you got this far and haven't checked it out please do.

[ace-and-the-rpg-horrors]

he's so relatable

[ladycrimsonandblack]

cale's desire to be a slacker is honestly so relatable, but the fact that he follows it up with 'to be able to do that, i need to first achieve world peace' is unhinged behavior.

[weirdplutoprince]

I love villainesses isekais because they always open to some shit like "I've reincarnated as Evilla Von Lily, the empire's only princess and I'm destined to die after becoming affianced to Prince Rytius de Citrus?!?!?" and you think ok so just not marry him, right. Cant be that hard? But then chapter 1 in kicks in like " Evilla, sweetie your father and I are sooo glad you're marrying your Highness prince Rytius otherwise all these 56 orphans we tend to would spontaneously combust. Like, immediately. don't ask, we dont know how either. anyways proud of you" and youre like oh shit evilla

[weirdplutoprince]

PRINCE RYTIUS?????

[weirdplutoprince]

The mad dog of the North, ✨ Duke Sekonde Maiye Leed✨, the best option for a convenient one (1) year contract marriage..? And...

✨✨ My forgotten childhood friend....? ✨✨

[weirdplutoprince]

If I can break the curse during this one year contract, I can quietly step down from Goodette Goodheart's place .. really looking forward to that peaceful life away from all these good looking men and influence once all this is over wish me luck you guys👍

[weirdplutoprince]

He doenst want a d Ivorce

[weirdplutoprince]

Guys stop saying Goodette is in love with me. Just because I haven't antagonized her in this timeline and we're somewhat friendly and she keeps turning up on my house and doesnt seem to like Duke Sekonde all that much it doesnt mean she has feelings for me. In fact, I'm on my way to meet her right now to try and gauge how far off of the original story we're at. like maybe i can still get them together. i think its possible . anyways crossing fingers.

[weirdplutoprince]

im supposed to meet her for tea but she changed the meeting place to her room all of sudden. More private, I guess! im just glad she trusts me that much. its good to have friends for a change.

[weirdplutoprince]

awful lot of rose petals in her house today. funny how they seem to lead to her room too. maybe she was gardening early. anyways going in 👍

[weirdplutoprince]

She s not wearing anyhting

[weirdplutoprince]

i think the plots changed

[weirdplutoprince]

Guys come on stop cheering. Like, ok, clearly I've underestimated the female lead's charm. Fine. But, I can't just be with Goodette now, I mean. Think about all those 56 orphans relying on me... I can't let them down... !!!

And I'm technically still married to Duke Sekonde, too. I just don't know what to do now that the original story is so different!! Ugh!!!

I guess I could talk to him about it, I mean... We're technically really distant cousins or something? If only he could marry someone from the de Citrus family instead, then maybe we could all be happy.... !

[weirdplutoprince]

It's not impossible, I guess....I mean, He's good friends with your highness prince Rytius in this timeline. And now that I think about it they've actually been spending a lot of time together since me and Goodette....uhhhhh you know.

Anyways, I guess I can talk to them?? See if your highness could introduce him to his sister...? They should be at Duke Sekonde's home now I think, we'll see.

[weirdplutoprince]

...The servants gave me the weirdest look when I asked about my husband's whereabouts. They're just in his office so what's the big idea? ....I hope I'm not interrupting their boys time or something.

[weirdplutoprince]

I'm prepared to do my best to talk them into the idea, but I can't help but be nervous... Come on, Evilla. think of those 56 little orphan's individual faces. They're counting on you...

It's now or never, everyone! Your highness, Duke Sekonde, I-

[weirdplutoprince]

WAIT WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!??!!??!?!

[weirdplutoprince]

Ok, can we just- Look, I'm not against it, but- Listen, I-

Well, ok, but I don't think it's fair to go on about 'cheating' when you were kissing my husband?

[weirdplutoprince]

With tongue?

[weirdplutoprince]

Can we just please just bring Goodette into this conversation. I feel like this is her business just as much as our ow-

Well, if your highness is going to call her my 'mistress' then I might as well point out that makes you my husband mistress as well. Yeah maybe we shouldn't do that? Huh? Huh?

[weirdplutoprince]

Ok, we're all here so let's get this straight. The Von Lily have to get married to the De Citrus to break the curse placed on the 56 orphans under my family's protection. Considering our...situation, it is clear your highness and I are not getting together - which would leave Duke Sekonde - a very distant cousin of the Von Lily - and Your Highness with the marriage duty. But even we if go on with the marriage - yes, I would be divorcing him, your highness, - we'd still need the Pope's blessing to undo the curse's effect.

But with Duke Sekonde currently leading the search for the corrupt forces in our Empire in the north, many of whom are allied to the church's power, it's hard to believe he'd just agree to-

[weirdplutoprince]

What do you mean he's dead

[weirdplutoprince]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN GOODETTE IS THE NEW POPE

[weirdplutoprince]

NO I DONT NEED TO SEE YOU IN A POPE COSTUME TO BELIEVE IT, I NEED AN EXPLANAT why is that red .

[weirdplutoprince]

Ok. Ok. So, let me see if I got it.

Duke Sekonde was ready to agree to our divorce after he and Your Highness Prince Rytius became...close and went to see Your Holiness the pope to go through with it. Your holiness not only refused to go on with the proceedures....But he was also threatening the orphans himself. Duke Sekonde tried to stop him but he tried to harm- ok, kick - kick an orphan over the walls and you had no choice but to kill him then. He thought you wouldn't do it because by betraying the church, the next pope could very well activate the curse and kill our little orphans for good but...You realized this is only true in the case of no living Saintesses existing at the time- As the saintess is known to automatically inherit the head of the church in case the seat is open in her lifetime. So, as soon as you killed your holiness the pope, Goodette automatically inherited his role as well.

...I think I understand it, but...It's so much to take in. Why didn't the two of you tell me any of this- no, Duke Sekonde, you don't have to draw it for me, its fine I

[weirdplutoprince]

well thats very enlightening

[weirdplutoprince]

FINE, I get it, but that still doesn't explain why the two of you wouldn't tell me OR Your highness prince Rytius about any of this, I mean, even if the Goodheart's are covering up the pope's death for now it's been at least a week since everything, so I don't get why-

[weirdplutoprince]

... You were going to get me a birthday divorce? As a surprise? 🥺

[weirdplutoprince]

.

.

.

.

.

.

My name is Evilla Von Lily, the empire's only princess. And for a long time, I was sure I was destined for terrible things.

When I woke up in this world, I thought my future was set in stone. That nothing I did could ever amount to anything good...And that no one would ever stay by my side.

Today, I am here with the 60 people that matter most (56+4) and that have given more than I have ever dreamed of.

My beautiful bride.

My ex.

My second ex.

My mother and father,

And the 56 little orphans that have all been happily adopted now that we killed the - i mean, your holiness fell into Duke Sekonde's sword 46 times - And Goodette was able to break the curse in his stead.

It feels strange to be in a happy ending of my own...But none of this could have been possible without everyone here...And the pro-divorce laws we passed last week. I don't know what the future has in store for me anymore, but I think...

We will be alright.

[apeiron69]

Love all the shipping but i gotta remember why i started reading this manhwa in the first place xD

[spoiky]

Two grown men acting like petty children when it comes to each other.

[spoiky]

Behold. All of my TGED (mostly Lloyd and Javier) incorrect quotes doodles I've amassed in over a year all created because one day I was bored.

[penreadstrash]

Hey y’all this is the first time I’m doing something like this but I am live blogging my reaction to ‘The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud’ cause what the fuck is going on. It’s not bad it’s a very entertaining read but also like what the shit is happening. And the characters swing wildly between bland and interesting but that’s for me to talk about another day but I just had to read this with my eyes

Like you JUST met this person wtf. So yeah this is going to be my first liveblog since it looks fun.

[penreadstrash]

YOU GIVE UP WITH HER SHE IS A STALKER LIKE DO SOMETHING YOU ARE NO ONE TO GIVE UP EASY

Great now your kidnapped by plants wonderful

[penreadstrash]

Oop he is a red flag

That’s not ok why if you like love her talk to her and shit not do this kidnapping bs it’s just going to make her hate you

[penreadstrash]

There are a lot of cleavage shots

[penreadstrash]

Damn that princess kinda hot though ngl

[penreadstrash]

I love it when the mc has better chemistry with the women around her then the ml like just let them be gay please it would be so much better

[penreadstrash]

Hey y’all this is the first time I’m doing something like this but I am live blogging my reaction to ‘The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud’ cause what the fuck is going on. It’s not bad it’s a very entertaining read but also like what the shit is happening. And the characters swing wildly between bland and interesting but that’s for me to talk about another day but I just had to read this with my eyes

Like you JUST met this person wtf. So yeah this is going to be my first liveblog since it looks fun.

[penreadstrash]

YOU GIVE UP WITH HER SHE IS A STALKER LIKE DO SOMETHING YOU ARE NO ONE TO GIVE UP EASY

Great now your kidnapped by plants wonderful

[penreadstrash]

Oop he is a red flag

That’s not ok why if you like love her talk to her and shit not do this kidnapping bs it’s just going to make her hate you

[penreadstrash]

There are a lot of cleavage shots

[penreadstrash]

Damn that princess kinda hot though ngl

[penreadstrash]

Hey y’all this is the first time I’m doing something like this but I am live blogging my reaction to ‘The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud’ cause what the fuck is going on. It’s not bad it’s a very entertaining read but also like what the shit is happening. And the characters swing wildly between bland and interesting but that’s for me to talk about another day but I just had to read this with my eyes

Like you JUST met this person wtf. So yeah this is going to be my first liveblog since it looks fun.

[penreadstrash]

YOU GIVE UP WITH HER SHE IS A STALKER LIKE DO SOMETHING YOU ARE NO ONE TO GIVE UP EASY

Great now your kidnapped by plants wonderful

[penreadstrash]

Oop he is a red flag

That’s not ok why if you like love her talk to her and shit not do this kidnapping bs it’s just going to make her hate you

[penreadstrash]

There are a lot of cleavage shots

[penreadstrash]

Hey y’all this is the first time I’m doing something like this but I am live blogging my reaction to ‘The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud’ cause what the fuck is going on. It’s not bad it’s a very entertaining read but also like what the shit is happening. And the characters swing wildly between bland and interesting but that’s for me to talk about another day but I just had to read this with my eyes

Like you JUST met this person wtf. So yeah this is going to be my first liveblog since it looks fun.

[penreadstrash]

YOU GIVE UP WITH HER SHE IS A STALKER LIKE DO SOMETHING YOU ARE NO ONE TO GIVE UP EASY

Great now your kidnapped by plants wonderful

[penreadstrash]

Oop he is a red flag

That’s not ok why if you like love her talk to her and shit not do this kidnapping bs it’s just going to make her hate you

[penreadstrash]

Hey y’all this is the first time I’m doing something like this but I am live blogging my reaction to ‘The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud’ cause what the fuck is going on. It’s not bad it’s a very entertaining read but also like what the shit is happening. And the characters swing wildly between bland and interesting but that’s for me to talk about another day but I just had to read this with my eyes

Like you JUST met this person wtf. So yeah this is going to be my first liveblog since it looks fun.

[penreadstrash]

YOU GIVE UP WITH HER SHE IS A STALKER LIKE DO SOMETHING YOU ARE NO ONE TO GIVE UP EASY

Great now your kidnapped by plants wonderful

[penreadstrash]

Hey y’all this is the first time I’m doing something like this but I am live blogging my reaction to ‘The Archduke’s Gorgeous Wedding Was a Fraud’ cause what the fuck is going on. It’s not bad it’s a very entertaining read but also like what the shit is happening. And the characters swing wildly between bland and interesting but that’s for me to talk about another day but I just had to read this with my eyes

Like you JUST met this person wtf. So yeah this is going to be my first liveblog since it looks fun.

[penreadstrash]

The Perks of being a Villainess

Currently on chapter 45.

Overall rating 10/10

This manwha is about Dohee who in life was a pushover but after dying in an accident was reincarnated to be Deborah Seymour. A villianess from a book she read in life, someone who is as rich as she is mean. With this transformation she needs to learn how to act mean herself leaving her old pushover ways behind. So far this is character driven story as Dohee figures out how to be a villianess while escaping a terrible fate that does often meet these type of characters. This is another story I would highly recommend with amazing characters and a honestly cute romance. As before past this point I will be getting into spoilers but I do recommend this story.

Here is the break down in 3 parts.

First the art: 10/10: all the outfits looks beautiful and the characters fit well into the world and like they belong in the same world. There's not a lot to say here it looks good and functions well in the story. The best part is how cute Deborah can look and how happy she is to see how scary she is now. It does a good job of making her look beautiful and mean at the same time.

Story 10/10: There is only the first season out right now so it works hard to establish the charters and the world for most of the story. The best things here is it leaves me asking questions, like whats going on with the og mc and why is she so fucked up. Overall it is very character focused which I quite enjoy so things haven't gone off the rails yet.

Character 10/10: This is the best thing about this manwha, the characters are amazing. I love Deborah, it is so rewarding to see her become a confidant person and how there are misunderstandings due to just how she is. She is also just super cute, like the moments with the fireworks and her just wanting to go adorable. The the ml is also a good character who compliments Deborah very well as business partners. It is also really funny to watch him fail to seduce her cause shes sus of him. I can't wait for her to find out the guild leader and Isidor, the ml, are the same person. The cast is a lot smaller then a lot of manwha's I've read but this make it so each character can have more moments to shine. These 2 are just the main cast the supporting characters like Deborah's father, brother, ml's assistant, the 5th princess, and cookie are all there and are interesting characters but the best of the side cast is cookie. Like look at her.

An amazing cat.

But I can't wait to see what happens next season whenever it comes out and amazing story with wonderful characters. Thank you for reading my rambling thoughts have a good day.

[penreadstrash]

Cassmire: The Loyal Sword

Currently on chapter 67.

Overall Rank: 9/10

This Manhwa is one of my personal favorites, with a story about Cassmire, the lead, risking her life becoming a mercenary to get the medicine her younger sister, Aria, needs to live. Through an accident where she hit her head Cassmire she regains memories of her past life and a story where her sister is the lead character. Though she used to be the villainess in the og story she sticks with her sister and will do anything to help her. Past this point I will be talking about spoilers and specifics of the story so you are warned.

From here I will be breaking down the story in 3 main categorizes and just talking about things I really want to touch on overall.

Firstly the art: 10/10: I dont care that some of the costume choices are interesting, I've heard a lot of people complain about BDSM wear but it honestly isnt that bad. No, the reason this gets a 10/10 is Cassmires design, like she has muscles are scars and looks hot as fuck like look at her.

I am gay and love muscle women and it is very lacking in this genre so it is really good to see. And she is also very cute on top of it. But overall the art is good to look at and has amazing character design for all of the cast as well.

Story 8/10: This one is hard to quantify as we still haven't really gotten into the meat of the story. There some talk about things that happen later in the story like how in the og story Aria saves the world we haven't gotten into anything that bad yet. Though that might make it seem slow it really isn't, the story has more been focused on character moments and while things go off the rails it doesn't seem to be world ending yet. I have quite enjoyed the most recent aspects of the story, it is good to see both the main characters flaws and her strength all in the couple chapters.

Characters 8/10: This was the hardest one for me to choose a rating for as I love Cassmire she is one of my favorite protags, she has so many good moments and has and sticks to her morals to help people. My only issue is how they weaken her by making her overly reliant on her aura but even that makes sense. And her relationship with her family is just so good to see. I love how ruthless her sister is in defending her and how her brother cares about her and how they fight like real siblings. And how her dad cares about all his kids in his own way and just wants to support and help her and it just so sweet and they all care about each other so much and that's the shit I love to see I love a good family dynamic. The reason this is an 8/10 and not a 10/10 is because of all the ml's. They are all kinda mid it is just the same troupe over and over again and I get it shes kind she saves people but 4 dudes and they are all the ml's from the og story. And I dislike all the hair color changes it doesn't make sense also they are boring. Also none of the leads have good chemistry with Cassmire, they are all cowards who won't talk to her about what they are feeling. I hate them all have open secrets and not talk with each other, but this is a me thing I know I have seen people like these ml she doesn't really seem to have chemistry with any of them. This story would get a 10/10 if she ends up with no one and just lives happily with her family but it probably just me who thanks this.

With all these combined this overall story is a 9/10, a beautiful story with an amazing main character and her family but the weak ml's stop this story from being a true 10/10. Thank you for reading my unedited review have a great day.