The first chapter started off like every otome isekai ever, which was probably the point, but it still felt so familiar that it colored the next few chapters with a feeling of typicality that the story struggled to shake.

The first volume was packed full of tropes and had a hard time escaping or subverting them, and the execution of the tropes themselves seemed mediocre. The world-building was decent, but some of the fantasy elements seemed thrown in without much reason or development. Since the characters themselves were tropes (which is integral to trope-subverting stories like these otome isekais), they ended up feeling one-dimensional. There was a lot of promise, but not much payoff.

The pacing was well done, however, with clearly defined stakes that ratcheted higher after little conflicts, and the art was good. The story had enough potential that I picked up the second volume, and I'm glad I did.

In the second volume, the story came into its own. The tropes that had been established in the first volume were neatly subverted or wielded for the story's own ends, and what had seemed mediocre before gained depth.

The main characters developed and grew more dimensional, and the stirrings of romance felt genuine. Several minor characters that had been introduced at the end of the first volume got a good deal of screen time, and their presence gave more context and nuance to the main characters. One fellow in particular proved extremely likable, but despite how quickly he became my favorite side character, his relationship with the protagonist avoided second-lead syndrome. The antagonist revealed an actual motive (rather than just being excessively and pointlessly evil, as is often the case), and the plot was taut and page-turning.

The third volume was even better, with some twists I didn't anticipate (and given my knowledge of story structure as a writer and editor, in addition to my extensive reading experience with shoujo manga and its tropes, I don't get caught off guard very often).

Trigger warning:

The final conflict, rather than being gaudily violent in an attempt to be epic, fit the tone and motivations of the characters and concluded in a very satisfying way. The plot threads came together, and I don't think it's truly spoilers to say that we got a happy ending. The extra chapters at the end were pure fluffy goodness, and since we didn't get a lot of fluff in the midst of the story, they made the resolution especially pleasant.

Although the series started off slow, the first volume was simply laying the groundwork for the more inventive developments that came after it. All in all, this series is a worthy contribution to the otome isekai genre.

_Volume 1: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Volume 2: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Volume 3: 4.0 out of 5 stars_