A Stepmother’s Marchen
A Stepmother’s Marchen
By 酒煮核弹头
Completed
68284 Views
62 Chapters
4.25
28 Reviews
The iron widow, the spider widow, male hunter, the witch of Neuwanstein castle, the embarrassment of noble ladies……. These were all the words used to describe the Marchioness, Shuri Van Neuwanstein. Despite receiving such criticism from the world, she raised her ‘children’, who were unrelated to her by blood and were old enough to be called her siblings. And finally, on the day of the first son Jeremy’s wedding, she felt that all her hard work had tied all the loose ends together. But she had been terribly mistaken. After hearing the message requesting her to not attend the wedding, she got caught up in an accident and died while leaving the castle. When she opened her eyes, she woke up on the day of her husband’s funeral, seven years ago. I refuse to suffer any more. I won’t live as I had in the past a second time!
Chapter 56
Review is for the comic version, not novel.
The good:
    1. It feels very accurately European, which is pretty rare.
    2. Though it could have gone that way, it is ultimately not a "you should have been cuter/ nicer/ more feminine, and then you wouldn't have died!" story. I HATE those. Shuli, our MC, does better the second time around simply because she now has the calmness and efficiency which come with age and experience. I.e. She isn't a friggin 16 year old trying to balance tasks grown ups would have mental breakdowns over. It's nice because she is a rare rebirth MC who doesn't start behaving like a baby, but acts her actual mental age, and it doesn't feel like she's trying to "fix" things. She did a pretty good job the first time around. This time, she's mainly just better at her job and less worried, so she has more time to enjoy herself and notice others.
    3. Shuli isn't endlessly sweet, and neither are the kids eternally cute. They annoy the bejeezus out of each other, and fight, and disagree, and sometimes don't like each other. Just like real people. A+ on the complex characters.
    4. Despite having lived through things, Shuli doesn't have a mental calendar of every single detailed event that will happen, complete with plan on how to come out on top, unlike most rebirth heroines. Sure, there a few big ticket things she recalls, but she is largely going with the flow. Her small changes significantly alter her re-lived life, to the point where it's almost a completely new one. Which is nice, because that's how I imagine an actual rebirth would go, and find it silly when things don't change
    5. There's a lack of a protagonist halo. People react like normal people would react, not like someone dazzled by a protagonist. So there's no cheap and easy deus ex machina moments where everyone loves the MC and proclaims she's a genius. The side characters get to be real, fleshed out people, too, which is very nice.
The bad:
I have SIGNIFICANT issues with Johan, Shuli's dead husband, and the entire premise.
Shuli was 14 (!!) when she married a pushing 45+ Johan, and he's got 4 kids. The oldest of whom is only 2 years younger than Shuli! Shuli is only 16 when her husband dies and she's left in charge of everything. It is creepy and weird when Shuli is treated as an adult by the actual adults. It is creepy and weird when Shuli calls herself the kids' mother, and even weirder when they go along and believe it. Like, no one is saying it's bizarre and strange that she is their "mom", rather than her switching to a protective older sister type relationship.
I get that Johan gave Shuli a huge opportunity by marrying her and then training her as his successor, but ultimately, he used a child as a sacrificial meat shield for his own children, and the whole thing is just ick. He could have gotten a relative, or a steward, or something.
I find it helps me if I pretend, and think of Shuli as being about 30 years old (roughly her actual mental age) and then imagine Johan marrying her as an appropriately-adult woman in exchange for her promising to be their guardian after he dies. Makes the entire situation far more palatable.
70
0
2023-08-04
Chapter 1
I personally love this except for the fact if Johanan I just hate it that he is portrayed as a good person when in reality he was just a selfish dad who wanted the good of his children by using a 16 yr old against all life's hardships letting her suffer his childrens wrath while making it her responsibility to make sure his children grow up naturally like heck!!
Else I love the plot the characters
28
0
2023-08-04
Chapter 1
This work was very well written, the author managed to create a very realistic atmosphere of the nobility, unlike many other works of this genre, MC cannot do everything just because he is from an influential family without worrying about other people's options. I think it's amazing how the author dealt with the part of how the gossip of society can influence our lives and how MC, even though it worries about it, never let what other people think interfere with her children's upbringing. The evolution of MC is extremely realistic, about how the mistakes of her first life are caused by unexpectedness, since she was only 16 years old and how she was more capable in the second life because of the experiences she had. Nothing magically improves only because the MC has gone back in time, or everything is easily obeyed by the power of protagonism, the scenes are built with extreme realism, a reflection of noble society in Europe.
I believe that the main theme of this work is about how our parents influence us, and this influence is good and bad, how we develop a character and traumas by mistakes that our parents do not realize they have committed, since they themselves have difficult childhoods with severe parents. That said, Shuli is the best mother in the series, which says a lot, when she is just a 16-year-old teenager (23 years old if you count on regression), and yet, 23 years old is too young to be responsible for 4 children.
23
0
2023-08-04
Chapter 1
Novel Absolutely Not Recommended to Read
I can sum up this whole novel in one dreary bloated sentence:
Useless mentally deficient perfect Mary Sue heavenly all-caring gentle pushover loser girl is reborn to the past after facing near death, and then works like a s*ave for a family that hates her simply because she's so perfect, selfless, kind, and s*upid. (Basically a better title would be: The brainless heroine chooses to be abused by her heartless family and ultimately is satisfied!)
People that rate it five stars enjoy watching the moronic MC suffer, which is pretty fun through to midway point. Ironically, MC is actually a horrible disgusting person for not ever honestly talking to anyone. There are at least 10 times in the novel where the MC could defuse conflict or ensure a better living condition for herself and those she cares about by ACTIVELY communicating any of her thoughts. She knows things would be better if she did so. She does not.
Misunderstandings in the novel? Not really. The children genuinely wanted to kill MC early on. MC is of course fine with this because she's so perfect and kind.
Honestly haven't quite seen a novel like this before, where the MC deserves every bit of suffering coming her way because she's the one endorsing her pain. This is a very harsh statement to make, but it's one reiterated throughout the whole novel. There's no behind the scenes trickery or even evil mental brainwashing. Nope! MC even knows that her situation is bad but chooses directly not to do so. Her entire reason for being upset at the start is not the countless troubles she had while acting as the heir to the wealth or managing the situation but just pouting that she didn't make it to a wedding in society. She's that shallow and forgiving. It's actually baffling since the MC likes to complain yet does nothing to avoid any of the troubles. She won't talk to others, won't use any of the countless riches she has available to improve anything, can't think of any plans, and basically just wants to relive her life again. It's impossible to understand how the MC could live two lifetimes and still not do anything right (except when plot armor actives and she's a perfect accountant, genius mother, and practically a human saint).
Author blatantly lies in the narration when they have MC say that she thinks her luck is bad. She enjoys every second of her miserable life =_=. This is a work of art in how bad it is.
-900Hextillion/10 A really horrible story with a really horrible MC and even more horrible scum family.
P.S. Worst story in quite a while, yet not depraved with constant s*xual assault or racism. No, this is more of a case of gentle MC being lazy and accepting a lifetime of pain. Very much hate it. It's shocking how many perfect 5 star review's this novel has gotten. The fact that the top review is for the manwha is baffling too. Guess people approve of this kind of story.
Sigh, novelupdates keeps reminding me I can't vote zero ;~;
12
1
2023-08-04
Chapter 1
Novel Absolutely Not Recommended to Read
I can sum up this whole novel in one dreary bloated sentence:
Useless mentally deficient perfect Mary Sue heavenly all-caring gentle pushover loser girl is reborn to the past after facing near death, and then works like a s*ave for a family that hates her simply because she's so perfect, selfless, kind, and s*upid. (Basically a better title would be: The brainless heroine chooses to be abused by her heartless family and ultimately is satisfied!)
People that rate it five stars enjoy watching the moronic MC suffer, which is pretty fun through to midway point. Ironically, MC is actually a horrible disgusting person for not ever honestly talking to anyone. There are at least 10 times in the novel where the MC could defuse conflict or ensure a better living condition for herself and those she cares about by ACTIVELY communicating any of her thoughts. She knows things would be better if she did so. She does not.
Misunderstandings in the novel? Not really. The children genuinely wanted to kill MC early on. MC is of course fine with this because she's so perfect and kind.
Honestly haven't quite seen a novel like this before, where the MC deserves every bit of suffering coming her way because she's the one endorsing her pain. This is a very harsh statement to make, but it's one reiterated throughout the whole novel. There's no behind the scenes trickery or even evil mental brainwashing. Nope! MC even knows that her situation is bad but chooses directly not to do so. Her entire reason for being upset at the start is not the countless troubles she had while acting as the heir to the wealth or managing the situation but just pouting that she didn't make it to a wedding in society. She's that shallow and forgiving. It's actually baffling since the MC likes to complain yet does nothing to avoid any of the troubles. She won't talk to others, won't use any of the countless riches she has available to improve anything, can't think of any plans, and basically just wants to relive her life again. It's impossible to understand how the MC could live two lifetimes and still not do anything right (except when plot armor actives and she's a perfect accountant, genius mother, and practically a human saint).
Author blatantly lies in the narration when they have MC say that she thinks her luck is bad. She enjoys every second of her miserable life =_=. This is a work of art in how bad it is.
-900Hextillion/10 A really horrible story with a really horrible MC and even more horrible scum family.
P.S. Worst story in quite a while, yet not depraved with constant s*xual assault or racism. No, this is more of a case of gentle MC being lazy and accepting a lifetime of pain. Very much hate it. It's shocking how many perfect 5 star review's this novel has gotten. The fact that the top review is for the manwha is baffling too. Guess people approve of this kind of story.
Sigh, novelupdates keeps reminding me I can't vote zero ;~;
12
1
2024-01-13
Chapter 1
An absolute master piece! I love it so much and it deserves 5 stars! I saw this manhwa and I had read the summary and I thought that this was gonna be another one of those rebirth mangas but boy I was wrong! The characters, plot and development was so good that it got me hooked.
I usually drop many isekais when they get boring or when I can predict what's gonna happen next and then the thing I predicted happens. But with this manhwa it was different and I knew that the moment I finished with 5 chaps of the it. Let's talk about the characters a little!
MC: Our MC is Shuli Von Neuschwanstein, 2nd Marchioness of the Neuschwanstein family. She was wed..... actually sold off to the Marquess Johaness Neuschwanstien by her mother at the mere age of 14. She was trained as the next marchioness by her husband so that when he dies then she can act as the temporary head and later secure her stepson Jeremy as the Marquess. Unfortunately Johaness died when Shuli was only 16, so she became the head at a very young age. To make sure that no harm came to the family she acted grown up and mature for her age and was later called the Iron blooded spider widow or the witch of Neuschwanstien. Unfortunately she too died when her stepson Jeremy was going to get married. Given a second chance she decides that she will live differently. Now this is how she develops. Her development is my favourite of all the characters! She doesn't have fully mapped plan of everything that's gonna happen in the future... thankfully like a normal person but she does have all the big events in her head. She goes with the flow and this time she lives as someone who won't think of others opinion of her. This time she doesn't panic like she used to and tries to stay calm most of the time. She's not shown as a miraculous genius who is loved by everyone like other heroines but her little steps make a big change and that is what I like to see. She thinks rationally and doesn't let her emotions get the best of her but she doesn't live like a cold person either and I like this balance. Tho not gonna lie it's weird how her step children call her mom
Jeremy: He is the oldest stepson of Shuli and I really like his character. He also wants to get pampered instead of being the mature kid he tried to be after his mother's death. He didn't like Shuli at first but he later knows how much his stepmother has suffered to raise them. He couldn't tell her his feelings in the past life because the knots were tied too tight. In the second life he likes Shuli because he can see how much she is suffering after all she is almost his age. He understands her more than anyone. I like how he lets go of his over mature self and just becomes another 14 year old. It's nice to see him acting his age.
Elias: He is Shuli's second step son and he's lowkey tsundere. He never mean to hurt Shuli but in the end he couldn't get his words across to her. He's scared because he used to believe that his mother's death was because of him but now he's more open and not mean but funny and super cute and sweet. All he needed was to open up.
Rachel and Leon: It's sad that we don't get much of these two's screen time but I really like them. These twins can't accept another mom. They believe she's fake because she didn't give birth to them and they can't believe how easily their mother was replace by another but as they open up they realise why their father bought her. She's not a bad person and that she's kind. She knows that she is just a step mom but she tried her best to raise them and just like the other two siblings they couldn't say anything because the knots were tied too tight but they really liked her and hated to say that they loved her even if it would br their last time together and they could never see each other again.
Theobald: The crown prince.... getting hella sus feelings from him and I don't like him a bit.
Nora: I simp him! I really hope he's the ML. Nora is the next heir of Duke Nürnberg. He's rebellious not because he's a teen but because no matter what he does his father dotes on the crown prince. His mother can't do anything but cry because of his rebelliousness. He want's to escape cuz everybody says that he's not suited to be the duke but Shuli believes in him and that gives him courage. I'm waiting for the time he will open up to his parents and when his father will tell him that he actually loves him. He fell in love with shuli in her last life and he loves her now also. Overall I love his character!
Cardinal: Sorry I couldn't remember his name but he's the cardinal at church.
Spoiler
He fell in love with Shuli at first sight in her last life.... If I'm right and then proceeded to kill her because he didn't want anyone to have her cuz he couldn't have her. I'm not sure if he loves her in this life also but I guess he does.
He's creepy AF. Don't like him at all.
The Characters are very nice and the development is super good. Those who said that the MC is s*upid for wanting to be with the Kids again after they hurt her I want to ask a question. Would you accept your father marrying another woman after your mother died? I can't believe that you would love her immediately. The shock that your mother died and this "New" mother has come.....I would feel the same as the siblings.I would not like her. She took place of my mother and this I know as one of my friends has a step mother and she feels the same way so please don't blame the siblings. I also agree with the people who say that the marriage between Shuli and Johaness is kinda messed up and I'm not trying to justify it either. That part didn't sit with me... especially the fact that he used a mere 16 year old girl to take responsibility of the family but I would like to say one good thing about Johaness is that he didn't try to make a move on her. He treated her like he would treat a daughter and not as a marriage partner. He never touched her nor did anything to make her uncomfortable. But the fact that he used still makes me sad.
Overall this story is super good! The politics is not too heavy but just enough to make the story really interesting! And as someone who has read many isekai and rebirth Manhwas this was the first one in which I cried. Isekai's and rebirth stories can get hella repetitive. This and "Ebony" are two historical stories where the charcters are strong and not overpowered. They use their brains and not the fact that everything is already known to them and all they need to do is approach it differently. It's a good read 10/10 would recommend.
HAVE A GOOD DAY READERS!!
11
0
2023-08-04
Chapter 1
It's a masterpiece, damn those fools who rate it low, translate is a little bad, but I read manhwa and it was great, even though there is only prologue now, I learned some facts, that where not mentioned in manhwa.
11
0
2023-08-04
Chapter 1
It's a masterpiece, damn those fools who rate it low, translate is a little bad, but I read manhwa and it was great, even though there is only prologue now, I learned some facts, that where not mentioned in manhwa.
11
0
2024-01-13
Chapter 1
I can tell half of these people in the review section haven't even read the novel fully or has any brain cells to comprehend the story *cough*7starkiller9*cough
Spoiler
First of all it may seem like Johan is being a kind and 'good guy' even though he married a 14 year old as a means to take care of his kids, BUT that's only because that's how Shuri remembers him. Her brain suppressed her abusive memories of him, which happens irl too if y'all didn't know. And some of you guys have this issue with her taking all the abuse, like what is a 14 year old gonna do? Especially in her society, what she gonna do? You want her to start recruiting random hot dudes into her Mary Sue army or maybe marry a king who just so happens to see her and propose to her like those other 1938838273728 stories. Or maybe do a contract marriage with a really powerful duke and all she can offer is a sweet deal of all of Johan's financial riches plus a bundle of kids so she can ride off into the sunset. Maybe you guys have been reading too much fantasy fiction that yall forget empathy existed too. Shuri cares about the kids and she empathizes with them. She understands they are kids and just lost their parents. Does that mean she likes being mistreated by them? No, but she isn't going to do the nearly the same thing to them because she had to mature faster than other kids her age and that is sad, it is part of her past and character, not her personality. I can't comprehend how people look at her and all she's been through and expect her to be their perfect perception of a protagonist. A "badass" woman that can just do whatever she wants with no consequences because it fits the genre. Shuri THINKS about her choices because she is not responsible for only herself. She knows that the whole estate and kids rely on her also, so she can't move freely and act childishly. And yes she is kind and due to the abuse/manipulation she experienced all her life, can't help but blame herself for all the bad things that came her way. If you don't think that children can grow up to be silenced and have low self esteem, you've never been abused or something is seriously wrong with your waterlogged brain and you need to think past your own self and ego. And even though she is more quiet about her problems she isn't whiny, she rarely complains about her situation, nor does she blame other people indiscriminately. She toughs through it and doesn't spend money like crazy because she is preserving it for Johan's kids. Literally she is trying to balance herself between not having so much power to threaten his kids' position and just enough to not be looked down upon. Shuri is not perfect and may not be your definition of strong, however she is doing her best throughout it all and will fight for her kids. If you're just looking for a light, fast-paced, romance, fantasy fiction, reread the genre and prologue buddy, you got the wrong novel *cough*7starkiller9*cough*
10
0
2023-08-04
Chapter 1
Nothing I say can cover what the other reviewers have not said. Only one thing.
A lot of reviewers are cribbing about the age gap between Shuli and Jonathan. Might I add, considering the time era, this might have been uncommon but it is not weird. At least it is not like one of those weird CN novels that have a couple with 15 years of age difference in modern era and everyone pretending it is fine. Their relationship was platonic and he groomed her to be his proxy after his death because he knew that his own relatives are unreliable and he cannot marry a woman of his age because he cannot give her love and she could be greedy for his wealth, robbing his own children of inheritance.
8
0
2023-08-04


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