Remin is the last surviving member of a disgraced House every member of his family put to the death by the Emperor for treason. He has made it his life's mission to take back everything the Emperor took from him and do that end he has done the impossible reclaimed lands taken by the Empire's enemies centuries ago. By doing the impossible Remin knows that Emperor, who has spent decades trying to kill him as the last of his line, has no choice but to reward Remin not just by giving Remin back the title that was his by birthright but by also rewarding him with the Emperor's own daughter;s hand in marriage. After establishing a fort town that Remin is determined to make the crown jewel of them Empire he sets out to Aldeburke to meet his wife, Ophele. While he knows that this gift of his daughter to Remin is bound to be little more than another assassin and probably a spoiled one at that he also knows that by marrying Ophele he will be protecting his family line for generations to come. However, once he meets her, he finds that she is nothing like he expected. Ophele is meek and shy, she apologizes for every little perceived mistake she is nothing like the spoiled princess on an assassination mission he expected. But Remijn can trust no one and he knows that if he lets his guard down around this woman it may very well be the last thing he does.
This is Under the Oak Tree by Suji Kim let's just get that out of the way. I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a straight up fanfic but it walks that line precariously. And there is nothing wrong with that at all, but it is so close to Under the Oak Tree that I would think somewhere there would be at least a reference to the it being inspiration, but there's not. I'm also going to say that if I'm wrong here I will 100% admit it but I don't think I'm wrong. I'm also not saying you shouldn't read it because of this, actually quite honestly, for those who found Under the Oak Tree a difficult read this would be a perfect alternative. It is far more lighthearted than Under the Oak Tree and has much less violence.
Moving on.
This entire book from beginning to almost the end is one long miscommunication trope, which given what both of the characters have endured in their lives it's forgivable. Ophele is the bastard daughter of an Emperor who seems like a real peach to say the least. She's basically imprisoned in her home and at the mercy of guardians who treat her like she is servant, at best. There is clear mental and emotional abuse that has taken place and really up until the very minute she leaves Aldeburke her guardians keep it up. It's painfully obvious her father had probably completely forgotten she had even existed until she could be of us to him. So, it is understandable that she would not speak for herself as she clearly lived in an existence where no one cared to hear her to begin with. Remin has a similar backstory his family being completely wiped out and then the Emperor spending pretty much two decades trying to kill him. But, with Remin have a tad bit less sympathy as he just takes it way too far. He recognizes this as well, he is 100% Ophele's bully to the point where she makes herself ill. He does eventually apologize, but the manner in which he does is emotionally manipulative and unnecessarily cruel. It's so over the top that no amount of being chased by assassins his whole life is an excuse for what he does. That being said when Ophele and Remin are getting along they are truly adorable. It is wonderful to watch Ophele to gain confidence in herself, to know that the things she has to say other people not only want to hear but they may be important. That she has good ideas and she's funny. In all honesty i could read a whole book just on Ophele coming out of the shell her trauma has trapped her in. Remin is a good human all in all, he really goes about things in the worst possible manner and absolutely does not listen to the people he should, however, most of this is forgivable. The guy is actually trying, and I pray to every god ever that this is it the rest of this series is going to be these two people who have been royally screwed over the emperor choose to trust each other and move forward to move something solid together. No more trust issues, no more miscommunications that is The Duke, His Duchess and their Knights against the world.
There's a side story about these mysterious undead (honestly they sound undead so I am going with that) that come down from the mountains and attack villages at night and only in the summer (which is oddly specific), that also may be the result of the magic that exists in Velleth (The Empire doesn't have magic it sounds like for some unknown reason magic doesn't work in the Emperor) that takes up a huge chunk of the story. I'm not really sure how much it matters to me how this part plays out. It's like they were just thrown in there to prove how "wild" this land that they are trying to settle truly is. I also feel like they may be tied back to this evil Emperor, some sort of new assassination technique, not sure but the places where this story drags are when we are dealing with these "devils".
The world building isn't the greatest, however, this even without being as similar as it is to Under the Oak Tree, is such a kind of cookie cutter world that I don't think a ton of world building was truly necessary. Cave thanks a couple of authors on her website for inspiring her but honestly this whole world is your run of the mill fantasy world in found in literally any anime. That's not a bad thing either it really allows the story to focus more on the development of Ophele and Remin not just as individuals but as a couple as well.
Like I said earlier if Under the Oak Tree wasn't your cup of tea this is an absolutely perfect alternative. While it's not going to crack my top ten reads this year it was for the most part an enjoyable way to kill a few hours today.
As always thanks to NetGalley and Owl and Bear LLC for the eArc!
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