Nope still not into it... and now I need to rant. edit: now that I've posted it I realise this turned into an essay... so sorry 🤭😨
This story is such a struggle. I've teetered between liking it and dropping it ever since Ibee healed Alejandro.
And the reason is that Ibee has rubbed me the wrong way ever since.
There's a bit of the fact that the transition between her taking care of him as a charge and her liking him was badly mishandled (sorry I still don't see how she fell for him, there are only two valid reasons I find understandable, and they aren't really enough: he's super handsome, and she was actually so in love with him when he was a book character that she changed worlds. They could be enough, but she played a sister/mother/servant role to him for a good chunk of time and that was when they bonded the strongest and not in a romantic way. I can see the love, and I want to see the IN love, but I don't).
More than that though... I don't think Ibee has much character, she's incredibly plain. Now there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but a main character needs SOMETHING to draw the story. They are the focus and therefore they need anything that makes the reader want to know their story. If they are normal, as she is, then they need a solid goal. And ever since she cured the ML she has had none. As an example just look at everyone's favorite character: Lily. Lily is badass and she draws the attention. But all in all she hasn't done that much, a few clipped sentences, a dry sense of humor, all good things, but is it enough to get all that love? Maybe. But I think it's because all her actions are bent toward one desire, one goal. And that is to protect her chosen master's interests no matter what. She is unswervingly loyal to Alejandro and all her actions and words are bent on ensuring his interests are protected. And that makes her super cool, and it explains everything she does, including how good she is with her sword and the fact that she becomes the perfect maid to ensure she can help Ibee out of tough spots and jobs. All for the sake of Alejandro.
Back to Ibee. Her goal before the cure was for the ML to get through his ordeal with less pain than the book, to be his support until the book FL could save him. That desire grew until she eventually heals him herself. But after that... her "goal" became to not be a burden to him. Until she left with the aim to live a normal uneventful life... no story driving goal there. She's not planning on exploring this world she still doesn't know well, she's not planning on making new friends, she's not even planning on learning a new skill or trade, all things that made sense and could have been interesting she just sticks to being a maid in a different household (meanwhile Alejandro was doing everything he could to ensure he had the power and standing and education that would allow him to bring her back and protect her. I feel like he's putting way more effort here than she is, and that bugs me, but it's not super important I guess).
Then the ML brings her back, but there's still no outline of a goal, she's witnessing things, she's barely come to understand that she's going to be the duchess, but there's still no intent on her part to do something with it she doesn't seem to want that position except that it means she's with the guy she apparently loves.
Honestly I wouldn't care if she set a goal to make the duchy into a gorgeous garden. It would make sense if she was making plans on how to establish herself over the servants when she was once one of them (hell that's something she should be worried about at least, right? Whether or not they will respect her? After she was kicked out? Some of those who knew her should still be there I think, like the guy who liked her?). But no, she's just letting herself be swept up in Alejandro's plans (which he hasn't really talked about either) and is watching as the story unfolds and the events of the book are drawing nearer.
She just needs to want something, just have a goal, that will make me want to keep hearing her story, it really doesn't have to be big, it can even be very temporary, but don't give me a passive MC chapter after chapter. I always like noticing a character that is looking over events and essentially empathising with the readers, but it shouldn't be the MC.
My guess is that tension will build when the prince rediscovers her and it will amp the enmity between the prince and the ML to the point that a possible repeat of the original book scenario will be in the works, and she'll want to prevent that.
I hope it will be handled well because if it isn't done well, I can just see it turn into a dog fight with her as a piece of meat in the middle passively worrying about what is going to happen, trying to stop Alejandro for fear that he will die and therefore inadvertantly taking the prince's side, at which point the prince will swoop in promise not to hurt Alejandro as long as she goes with the prince, which of course she will agree to. At which point our poor ML will be hurt and betrayed and retreat in a wall of fury and make plans to steal her back no matter what. But Lily, ever wonderful will get herself hired as an exemplary maid so that she can bust Ibee out and return her to Alejandro just in time to stave off the killing blow (I'm not sure who would be almost dying, I'm just sure there would be a killing blow to stave off).
I can see the story going like that so clearly I almost want to put spoiler tags on it... As epic as the last scenes with Lily would be, the rest would suck, I really hope that's not how it will go. And please, please let the MC set a clear goal for herself, because right now she's useless in the plot as well as in the current fight (this last one only bothers me in the sense that she's done very little other wise, i don't actually expect her to suddenly know how to fight).
I feel a lot better after this rant, and if you have read all of it, I am impressed, and I thank you for your patience in getting to the end.
This story is such a struggle. I've teetered between liking it and dropping it ever since Ibee healed Alejandro.
And the reason is that Ibee has rubbed me the wrong way ever since.
There's a bit of the fact that the transition between her taking care of him as a charge and her liking him was badly mishandled (sorry I still don't see how she fell for him, there are only two valid reasons I find understandable, and they aren't really enough: he's super handsome, and she was actually so in love with him when he was a book character that she changed worlds. They could be enough, but she played a sister/mother/servant role to him for a good chunk of time and that was when they bonded the strongest and not in a romantic way. I can see the love, and I want to see the IN love, but I don't).
More than that though... I don't think Ibee has much character, she's incredibly plain. Now there's nothing inherently wrong with that, but a main character needs SOMETHING to draw the story. They are the focus and therefore they need anything that makes the reader want to know their story. If they are normal, as she is, then they need a solid goal. And ever since she cured the ML she has had none. As an example just look at everyone's favorite character: Lily. Lily is badass and she draws the attention. But all in all she hasn't done that much, a few clipped sentences, a dry sense of humor, all good things, but is it enough to get all that love? Maybe. But I think it's because all her actions are bent toward one desire, one goal. And that is to protect her chosen master's interests no matter what. She is unswervingly loyal to Alejandro and all her actions and words are bent on ensuring his interests are protected. And that makes her super cool, and it explains everything she does, including how good she is with her sword and the fact that she becomes the perfect maid to ensure she can help Ibee out of tough spots and jobs. All for the sake of Alejandro.
Back to Ibee. Her goal before the cure was for the ML to get through his ordeal with less pain than the book, to be his support until the book FL could save him. That desire grew until she eventually heals him herself. But after that... her "goal" became to not be a burden to him. Until she left with the aim to live a normal uneventful life... no story driving goal there. She's not planning on exploring this world she still doesn't know well, she's not planning on making new friends, she's not even planning on learning a new skill or trade, all things that made sense and could have been interesting she just sticks to being a maid in a different household (meanwhile Alejandro was doing everything he could to ensure he had the power and standing and education that would allow him to bring her back and protect her. I feel like he's putting way more effort here than she is, and that bugs me, but it's not super important I guess).
Then the ML brings her back, but there's still no outline of a goal, she's witnessing things, she's barely come to understand that she's going to be the duchess, but there's still no intent on her part to do something with it she doesn't seem to want that position except that it means she's with the guy she apparently loves.
Honestly I wouldn't care if she set a goal to make the duchy into a gorgeous garden. It would make sense if she was making plans on how to establish herself over the servants when she was once one of them (hell that's something she should be worried about at least, right? Whether or not they will respect her? After she was kicked out? Some of those who knew her should still be there I think, like the guy who liked her?). But no, she's just letting herself be swept up in Alejandro's plans (which he hasn't really talked about either) and is watching as the story unfolds and the events of the book are drawing nearer.
She just needs to want something, just have a goal, that will make me want to keep hearing her story, it really doesn't have to be big, it can even be very temporary, but don't give me a passive MC chapter after chapter. I always like noticing a character that is looking over events and essentially empathising with the readers, but it shouldn't be the MC.
My guess is that tension will build when the prince rediscovers her and it will amp the enmity between the prince and the ML to the point that a possible repeat of the original book scenario will be in the works, and she'll want to prevent that.
I hope it will be handled well because if it isn't done well, I can just see it turn into a dog fight with her as a piece of meat in the middle passively worrying about what is going to happen, trying to stop Alejandro for fear that he will die and therefore inadvertantly taking the prince's side, at which point the prince will swoop in promise not to hurt Alejandro as long as she goes with the prince, which of course she will agree to. At which point our poor ML will be hurt and betrayed and retreat in a wall of fury and make plans to steal her back no matter what. But Lily, ever wonderful will get herself hired as an exemplary maid so that she can bust Ibee out and return her to Alejandro just in time to stave off the killing blow (I'm not sure who would be almost dying, I'm just sure there would be a killing blow to stave off).
I can see the story going like that so clearly I almost want to put spoiler tags on it... As epic as the last scenes with Lily would be, the rest would suck, I really hope that's not how it will go. And please, please let the MC set a clear goal for herself, because right now she's useless in the plot as well as in the current fight (this last one only bothers me in the sense that she's done very little other wise, i don't actually expect her to suddenly know how to fight).
I feel a lot better after this rant, and if you have read all of it, I am impressed, and I thank you for your patience in getting to the end.
