Helpless girl turns into a self-directed woman after being forced to wed. This novel was interesting as the FMC had a stutter and when her husband she was forced to marry comes home a war hero, they begin to fall in love. I definitely appreciate that the MMC overlooks the stutter his wife has, even though it has been a thorn in her side her whole life. Also, there were some pretty steamy scenes. Very good book overall.

This was interesting. Romantasy is probably my favorite genre to read. The FMC was annoying to me but I usually feel that way about most FMCs. My attention was held throughout the entirety of the book and I'm interested to see what else comes from this author.

I should preface this review by saying that I hadn't previously read the original (translated) manga version of this novel. However, after reading this novel, I will definitely be adding it to my must-reads list. I also plan to buy a hardcover copy of this book once it's published because not only did I enjoy reading it but the first edition print is stunning! Diving into what I liked about this book: I liked that it flowed well and that I didn't need a pre-existing familiarity with the manga in order to understand this book and enjoy it. The characters were very well-developed and the world building was magnificent. I look forward to Volume 2 whenever it is released.

Thank you to Suji Kim, the publisher and Netgalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 ⭐
3 🌶️
3rd PoV(FMC) 📖

This is Volume 1, so rating it only based off this one alone I will give it 3.5 stars. It's a decent start to a story but not a lot happens in this one. We are introduced to the characters Maxi & Riftan who both are flawed & suffer from not communicating. Nothing is resolved in this Vol. & it sort of just ends.

As someone that read the Korean webnovel its originally from & even the Manhwa that's running on Manta, I do encourage you to keep reading on! There is more to these characters with so much growth to happen, especially with the FMC.

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

I wished very badly to like this book but it was just annoying. Both the leads barely had any character development over the course of the book and kept moving in circles. The heri esp was absolutely unbearable for me.

Since I was reading the manghwa I was very excited to see what the story would look like in novel form and asked for an ARC immediately. Under The Oak Tree follows the story of Maxi, the daughter of the duke who has been mistreated since she was young because of her stutter. Due to her mistreatment she lacks self esteem and is often misunderstood. Her father marries her off to a knight, Riftan, and after their marriage he goes off on to battle and becomes a hero. 3 Years apart he comes back and while she thinks he's trying to divorce her he is actually set on taking her back to his land as his lady.
The story has a lot of charm but the beginning is hard to get through because of all the misunderstandings between the two main characters. I loved to see the romance develop between them as Maxi grows in confidence and their trust in each other expands.
I know that there's a lot more story to go through but the novel kind of ends at a weird place as plot is still being set up, there's not really a cliffhanger just a to be continued. But overall I enjoyed myself and do want to see where the story continues from here.

I have yet to read the comic of this but I did enjoy the book! I thought the world building was nice! I did struggle with some of the miscommunications but overall I thought the book did well! I would recommend this book and I know need to pick up the comics! Can’t wait for volume 2!

I loved the webtoon version of Under the Oak Tree, and sadly the novel did not interest me the same way. It starts out too tense and straight into a painfully written sex scene. The addition of narrative did not add more to evoke feeling. It did add to the plot so that part was a positive. Overall, maybe if I had never seen the webtoon this would have been a fun read, but I just couldn't get into it after the horrendous opening.

5/5 STARS

I have been an avid fan of Under the Oak Tree for years, and often credit this series for getting me into manhwa, danmei, manhua, etc. I started out reading this series on Manta, where the comic version was being published. At the time, there were rough translations of the novel floating around, but nothing official. When the official announcement was made regarding Under the Oak Tree's Novel and Comic publication coming this year, I became ecstatic.

Maximilian, also known as Maxi, is the daughter of the Duke of Croyso. All her life, she went unloved, made to feel worthless due to her stutter, and lacks confidence due to her father's awful treatment of her. An arranged marriage between her and Riftan, one of the strongest and most fearless knights of the realm occurs right before he sets off for battle. Unbeknownst to her, or her father, Riftan expected Maxi to be at his castle, and was shocked when he found out she was still at her Father's estate after nearly three years. He comes to take her home as they begin their life together.

Maxi is terrified that Riftan will hate her as her father does, but is surprised when she is treated with love and kindness.
Riftan believes that she was a beloved and cherished daughter of the Duke of Croyso, surrounded by wealth and a lavish lifestyle. thus, he showers her with riches and anything she could dream of as he never wants her to feel like she sacrificed her life to marry someone as low as him.

Throughout this first volume, Maxi learns what it means to be the Wife of Riftan and the lady of their castle, becoming a more confident woman who is loved by him and their people.
Slowly with his love, she begins to grow into a strong confident woman who is loved by him and his people.

Suji Kim has created an incredible tale with moments of suspense, mystery, angst, and love in a medieval-fantasy world with magic, dragons, and monsters.

Thank you so so much to NetGalley, Penguin Random House and Inklore for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I see this quickly becoming a new obsession. Although at parts this felt a little repetitive, I can see the potential for this story! I will definitely be keeping my eye out for the continuation. Thank you so much for this advanced copy. I will be picking up a copy for my shelves.

LOVE LOVE LOVE! I read the webtoon and the novel is even better! I love how out MFC steadily grows and develops. And I love a MMC who starts out as a jerk and slowly comes around. Also can we talk about how absolutely perfect the cover is?! It’s gorgeous!

I picked this book up because I liked the cover and description. I never read the comics but I still enjoyed reading this. went back to read the comics and definitely enjoyed the story more in novel form.

Maybe I'm at fault for hoping for more or maybe for having higher expectations but this was unfortunately not it. There was so much miscommunication that was so frustrating, there were moments that had me pulling my hair out. It was so bad. The pacing was too slow and then all of sudden it felt like everything was happening all at once and it didn't work for the romantic storyline. I've read dark romances but this wasn't that? I'm not sure what it was trying to be but it didn't work for me.

I enjoyed this story so much that I was able to finish it in a day. I didn't want to put it down, I even went and found the next part so I can find out what happens next. To me this book is a pretty fast paced book that not only focus on the relationship between Riften and Maxi. It also focus on Maxi learning to over come the physical and emotional abuse that she went through at her family home. She is learning to come into her own and that she is worth more than she thinks. I also feel that Riften is learning how to not be such a tough guy and come off as being this mean person. I am eager to know what will happened once Riften finds out that Maxi has not lived a luxury life.

On another note I like this cover of the book, not that the one for the current volume are not good. The colors in this cover is what initial made me want to read this book. I am glad that I have, I cant wait to read the next volume.

Wow. There was a lot on this book that I wasn't expecting. Warning, lots of sex that isn't fully consensual. I didn't like how mousy the FMC was. She didn't really stand up for herself much and that's kind of a pet peeve of mine. The MC was just, not my cup of tea. He SA'd her and was overall a rude and demanding jerk. Not my favorite. The world building also confused me; like it wasn't that concise. I did like the setting of the castle's and stuff. So if you like the tortured protagonist type non consensual sex stuff you'd like this.

I read this when it was first published as lite novel in small increments on Amazon for kindle, and I immediately got sucked in. The world building, in my opinion is so good. I loved learning about the magic system. Couple that with all that knights entail, and I was completely hooked.

Maxi is the daughter of a powerful duke who despises her for her stutter. She is generally either ignored or mistreated in his household. However, when the duke is called upon by the king to serve in the dragon crusade, he comes up with a clever use for his daughter. Marry her off to lowborn knight who will surely die fighting in his place.

To everyone's great surprise the knight Sir Riftan, not only survives, but becomes one of the most lauded knights of the kingdom. He comes back to claim his wife and we follow Maxi's as she learns to find her voice, confidence, and place in her new household.

I loved seeing Maxi's confidence begin to grow and the different relationships and bonds she formed with the different knights and members of the order. I can't wait for the second novel to be released!

For those who have already read the lite novels, not only is this edition beautiful, but I found the translations to be slightly improved for a better reading experience.

Warning to sensitive readers, this book does contain graphic scenes.

Highlights:
-Dragons!!!
- KNIGHTS!!!!
-Great world building
- Interesting magic system
- Grumpy, but soft on the inside, MMC

When I thought I was getting a graphic novel and found out it was a novel I was skeptical. Boy did that change because this world. The characters. EVERYTHING is magnificent. I immediately pre-ordered this book and the volume 1 bind up!

The main character in this book grows more resilient as you read, although I wish the author didn't write out her stutter. I am hoping in future volumes she gains more confidence and can work through some of her insecurities. The spice was definitely there, and even though most of it is dubcon, it is still refreshing to read about a character dedicated to his wife, even though a seemingly better option has become available. I don't trust Ruth, and I am wondering if more is going to come of that in future volumes. I also wish there was more world building and exploration as Maxi was trapped in her father's castle her whole life, and now she appears to not really have a lot of desire to explore her new home.

2.5/5
The story was just alright. The miscommunication trope was terrible. The FMC and MMC were unrelatable and forgettable.

This story is about a girl who has been abused by her father because of a stutter, who is then given away in marriage to a knight she doesn't know just to keep a war from happening. The day after their wedding, her new husband leaves for 3 years for battle and comes back a hero. Now that he is back, they have a chance to finally get to know each other, but they are both hiding their own insecurities, and they both feel as if they are not worthy of each other. They grow as individuals, and as a couple throughout the book, and fall in love with each other along the way. This was an easy, enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for this ARC of Under the Oak Tree, in exchange for an honest review.