I am an avid Manwha reader and I had read the Manwha with same title a long time back too. So it was obvious I would jump at the chance to read the light novel.

What's unique about this novel? At a glance, the plot follows your typical MC that wakes up in the Villains body of a novel she has been reading in her world. She needs to win over the affection of one of the male leads and survive before the orignal heroine comes back. But everything in this world is working against her. The system gives her ridiculous choices. Her affection levels are already at rock bottom with her family and her reputation in society: she's called the mad dog of House Eckart.
Not only that, everything is so unpredictable, and each scene has a purpose. Not only can see the affection scores of the leads, but also they have different colours. And when you think something unexpected has happened, the system window pops up with an unexpected hidden quest that makes you question if everything was supposed to happen this way.

Despite being a noble lady, everyone in the manner treats her like dirt, she could very well die from starvation or poisoning, and no one would notice.

I love Penelope's character. She's cold, calculating and above all very clever. She's willing to do anything to survive, wether it be grovelling at the floor for forgiveness, or risk dying at the hands of the crown prince. It's amazing how she chooses to let the maid that abused her, continue serving her and manages to tame her into a loyal servant. Not to mention she manages to tame the murderous Eckles with just words.

This was a fulfilling read and you should definitely give this a try. Not only will you related with the main character, but you will despair and cry for her.

It was really fun getting to know more of Penelope's thoughts that are not depicted in the Manwha. And after this I went and read the rest of the chapters in the Manwha and I love her character even more. The story too is insane and definitely not one you should miss.

I am 100% into this series. I love the manhwa and I love this light novel. I am HOOKED and am seated, quivering in my chair for the next installment.

I have ordered this from my store and have it sitting prominently on my "keepers" bookcase, next to the manhwa volumes that are out thus far.

If you love the isekai villainess sub-genre, this is one of the truly great ones that are out there. I have scraped the bottom of a LOT of barrels to scratch that particular sub-genre itch and this one is CHEF'S KISS.

Penelope is smart and determined, though she doesn't do things perfectly all of the time, she is focused on her goal and won't stop until she reaches it. Of course, if she stops, she's kind of dead, so you can say she is like a shark in that respect. As such, she doesn't let herself relax and actually FEEL anything for anyone other than herself, and I think while that makes sense in what she is going through, that is her Achille's Heel.

I love how she isn't perfect, she's very human, but she is MAGNIFICENT despite, or maybe even because of it. She isn't OP, her struggles are real, and you want her to vault over each and everything that blocks her path. When she does, it is so cathartic!

I know my ship won't sail for this one, but that's ok. The final ship is one I can also get behind. I highly recommend this series, both the manhwa and the light novel. It's all amazing and one I re-read when I need to break a book slump.

5, I can't give any less to Mai Queen Penelope, stars!

My thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press/Ize Press for an eARC of this book to read and review.

Villains Are Destined to Die is a Korean isekai reverse harem/dating game light novel set in a fantasy empire. A Korean college student gets hooked on a dating game where a long-lost daughter of a duke returns and wins the hearts of her five suitors despite the fake daughter, Penelope, trying her best to kill her. There’s also a hard mode of the game, where one plays as Penelope. But try as she might, she always dies on that mode.

And then she wakes up inside the game, as Penelope. Knowing that she’ll die, no matter what she does, she sets out to improve her odds of survival. It’s not easy for her though. Penelope’s circumstances are too much alike her own life as a reviled daugher by a mistress of a wealthy businessman. She’s angry even, having just fled her miserable life, only to land in a similar situation.

Step by step, she improves her life, like gaining the ability to say what she wants instead of having to rely on the game’s dialogue that always gets her killed. She needs to reach 100% affection with one of the five men for the game to end, preferably before the real daughter returns and ruins everything in a few months’ time, and some of the counts start at zero, or even below. She’s even more careful after she realises there’s no reset button in this game. If she dies, she’ll stay dead. And she’ll die if the affections of any of the five love interests drop below zero.

One by one, she meets the men. Two of them are her step brothers who hate her the most. There’s also an insane crown prince, a sorcerer, and a former slave she buys from an auction and makes her personal guard. All are difficult in their own way for her to make to like her, let alone love. On top of which, the entire household hates her and tries to make her life miserable.

This was a good start to a series. I’d read the first volume of the manhwa adaptation and liked it very much, but the book was better. It’s fairly fast-paced, well-written and engaging. The new Penelope is a very different person than the Penelope of the game, and little by little, she changes everyone’s perceptions of her.

I liked Penelope and all the love interests were interesting and potential end-games. I don’t know if she has to win over only one of them like in the game, in which case any one of them will do at this point, or if she’ll end up with all of them, which would be fine too. No one is a sure winner yet, even if her guard is in a lead, and it’ll take the whole series before 100% affection is reached. Looking forward to reading more.

If you’ve ever read those Korean webtoons where a woman wakes up in a dating sim, you know the basic plot of this book. You’ll also know the tropes, the pitfalls, and the conventions of the genre. For those not familiar, everything is laid out cleanly and clearly as the character has to adapt to Penelope’s life while still abiding by the rules of the game — and that is to raise the affection levels of five men from 0% to 100% in the hopes of waking up in her own life.

But this book takes a slightly different approach. (Or maybe it doesn’t; I haven’t read all the webcomics, after all) and for the first few chapters the girl who is now Penelope can’t speak unless it’s something Penelope would say, and when forced to make a choice — such as eating a meal or tipping over a table — her body moves without her, making her feel like a puppet being used.

But what I really like are the glimpses of the original girl’s life that sneak through the story, because — like Penelope — the main character also came from an abusive home where her adoptive father and his two sons mistreated her, bullied her, and hated her. Comparing the memories of her real life against the game, being able to change the game in a way she couldn’t her original life leads to interesting possibilities.

But this is only book one of five! And I can’t wait to read book two. For someone who likes webnovels and webtoons that focus more on characters than romance with a nice edge both of comedy and angst, you’ll enjoy this book. I know I did!

Thank you so very much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC!

What a fun, immersive read! We’re pulled into the world of a video game right alongside our FMC, and the way the two stories mirror each other is such a clever storytelling choice. We follow her as she navigates not just Penelope’s life, but also her own growth and reflection.

Our FMC has played this game countless times before, but now, trapped in Penelope’s body, every decision matters. What do you remember from past playthroughs? How can you survive when every wrong move could be fatal? Though the game seems innocent at first, darker themes and cunning strategies quickly come into play.

Will she win the affection of one of the love interests? How will the story change now that she’s in it, instead of it being “just a game”? Reading this feels like following a high-stakes chess match, where every move counts and we’re figuring it out right along with her.

Fun, suspenseful, and surprisingly thoughtful, this is a fantastic start to a series that balances romance, strategy, and character growth.

A special thank you to Yen Press and NetGalley for the advanced digital copy; All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Yen/Ize Press, and to the author Gwon Gyeoeul for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novelization of the manwha original.

I've been reading a lot of manhwa lately and was interested to try a novelization. I really liked this. There were a couple of translation blips and tbh I missed the beautiful artwork but I really enjoyed "Penelope's" journey from a misunderstood "villain" destined for a gruesome death, to a protagonist with a solid chance at success. I found Eckles a little creepy but I hope that his oddness isn't a poor omen. I liked both (step)brothers. The crown prince had some real crazy-guy energy but he hardly showed up in vol. 1, as did Winter the mage, so I assume we'll be seeing more of both of them. My favorite parts though were the unbending of the relationship between "Penelope" and the Duke.

The only really unfortunate thing about this novelization is that I really missed the art. I think the thing to do is to read the novelizations and then read the manhwa corresponding to it so I can get better visuals on the characters. Overall this was super fun and unfortunately for me that means now my TBR is getting even bigger, since I'll be adding this author and the rest of the series to my list.

⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2

🖤 Villains are Destined to Die Vol 1 ARC Review 🖤

Thank you so much to Gwon Gyeoeul and Ize Press for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Villains are Destined to Die is a fantasy romance transmigration novel and Vol 1 in the series. As a fan of a common romance reverse-harem video game, struggling college student Penelope identifies most with the villain. But when she wakes up in that world as the villain herself, can she survive the brutality of the game?

This was such a fun read! I absolutely loved Penelope and her adjustments to life within the game! She’s gone through a lot of struggles and I enjoyed seeing her growth throughout the book. I really liked the “gaining affinity” concept with her male love interests and each of them was super unique!

Overall this was a wonderful five star read! This is such a fun world and I can’t wait to read more in it! This book definitely has some heavy elements, so please check triggers if you’re sensitive. While this series is potentially leading up to a reverse harem romance, nothing spicy happened in this book and no rating will be given for spice

If you’re a fan of fantasy romance with strong characters, unique world building and engaging lore, then absolutely pick this one up!

I have to praise the translation, it keeps the heart of the story intact and makes it easy for English readers to enjoy. In Volume 1, we meet the male love interests, learn the rules of the game, and watch Penelope pick her way through dialogue traps sharp, any one of which could end her story.
Throughout this first one, Penelope emerges as a character defined by remarkable resilience and an unbreakable spirit in the face of seemingly impossible challenges. Starting from painfully low numbers on the affection meter, her struggle to raise them pulls you in and keeps the tension sharp. As a reader, I found myself deeply empathizing with Penelope's internal monologue and her desperate desire not just to survive but to return to her own world. What really stayed with me was how the characters felt layered, like you could almost hear the weight in their voices. Each love interest has a unique charm and layered personality, far richer than the familiar roles you usually find in otome games.
I'm genuinely excited to see where the next volumes will take this story.

I love that the manhwa stays true to the original source. This story is just too good. Volume one only scratches the surface, setting the dark tone of being trapped in a hard mode of the game and introducing the key players.

My only con is that this is a translated webnovel, so the pacing feels off at times. The ending of volume one didn't quite feel like the best place to conclude.

Reading this novel was a different experience because I was constantly wondering what the manhwa would be like. Now I'll definitely go find the comic because I need to read it.

I think what worked against me was knowing it has a manhwa and that I would clearly enjoy it more in that format. But being able to read it in novel format was a great experience, and I think there are many webcomics that deserve to be published in novel format. This is one of those steps we need, and I'm sure many others will be encouraged to publish it as well.

I enjoyed it; it was fun, and I think many other people (who are familiar with the manhwa) will enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you so much, Yen Press, for the ARC I read on netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The heroine wakes up inside Daughter of the Duke’s Super Love Project as the infamous villainess, Penelope Eckhart. But she doesn’t get the easy route; she’s thrown into hard mode, where all the love interests’ affection meters start at 0%, and one even begins in the negatives! Now, Penelope must carefully raise affection points to escape the villainess’s destined death. A review copy was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The popular webtoon adaptation of Villains Are Destined to Die has been on my radar for a while, so when I got the chance to read the original light novel, I grabbed it instantly. Time be damned. It’s been over a decade since the villainess isekai-otome game-reincarnation template exploded, but this story still feels fresh. The pacing and tension pull you in, and it’s so satisfying to see Penelope survive through quick thinking and calculated moves. The setting is European-inspired court era, but once the sorcerer’s storyline is introduced, I got strong Code: Realize steampunk vibes. The novel immerses you in Penelope’s dark inner world.

The affection meter system is a brilliant plot device. It not only drives the characters’ interactions but also constantly shifts Penelope’s emotions, forcing her into desperate, clever, and sometimes unhinged choices. I find it funny when she’s gobsmacked at how some of the characters’ meters seem to increase on their own. The game screen itself almost feels like a sentient being: mocking yet guiding her.

Penelope completely stole my heart. Her fight for survival had me fully invested in a way I haven’t felt in a long time. The stakes feel even higher and more real compared to other villainess-doomed-to-die titles. She’s desperate, cunning, and still relatable. Even her outrageous lies left me torn between wanting to clap or wanting to smack her. Also, shoutout to the “OG Penelope”. Her off-screen antics sound so wild, I almost wish we got to meet her.

Since this is a reverse harem blog, let’s talk about the men! There isn’t a clear main love interest yet, which I love. It keeps the tension high and avoids predictability. Though it also raises my fear of an ambiguous ending… please, no! (See 7 types of reverse harem endings.) I don’t have a favorite guy yet, but if I eliminate my least favorites—the detestable brothers, the dangerous king, and the bodyguard—I’m left with the sorcerer. And I’m actually okay with that, even though I’m still a bit neutral. But I credit this to reading without bishonen visuals, which helps me not to be swayed by looks, so in rare instances, I can be clear-headed. UPDATE: The algorithm showed me spoilers! Hmmp!


In my Bloom Index (Levels of Reverse Harem), this lands at Four Flowers 🌸🌸🌸🌸: multiple men interested in the heroine. And I’m not in a rush. No sirree! I want to savor how she will raise their affection in the future. She’s also refreshingly not irritatingly baka-rina. I mean their rising affection is obvious from a reader’s point of view, but from hers, it’s not that far-fetched.


My main struggle was reconciling all the characters' development before and after the isekai transition. I wanted more time (or chapters/volumes) to process it. And the ending didn’t quite reach the climax I expected. Maybe this comes from its origins as a web novel, which wasn’t initially written with print pacing in mind. But the final scene still left a strong impression.

This was my first Korean novel and my first in-depth review in a long while (my last one was Monster and Parent in July last year). Honestly, I regretted requesting it at first because of my lack of time, but in the end, my completionist side won and I’m glad it did.

I now fully understand the hype around Villains Are Destined to Die. The novel delivers a darker take on the villainess-isekai trope, but I can totally see the full-blown romance and reverse harem potential. Like, what happens if they all reach 100%??? For those who’ve read both the manhwa and the novel, how would you rate them against each other?

Villains are Destined to Die is one of my favorite Manhwa to read, so when I saw the light novel I had to have it. Is the writing the best? No, but it encompasses everything the manhwa is. It’s about a girl who wakes up inside her dating sim game, which is inherently unserious, but her struggle to live is just the opposite. Vol one does a good job of letting you meet and get to know all of the key players, and having you pick a favorite. (Eckles my crazy crazy boy and Callisto you insane bastard I love you both) It is, if nothing else, a very fun time. I couldn’t recommend it more. Unfortunately this book uses the globally accepted past tense “sneaked” which I hate. Other than that though I enjoyed it.

This was unusual and I believe that something was lost in translation. I'm sure the original is much easier to follow and a far better storyline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Yen Press for access to an ARC of Villains Are Destined to Die vol. 1.

I have been reading the manhwa of this series, so I was excited to get my hands on an advanced copy of the novel. Volume 1 of the novel is very similar to the manhwa, which is a good thing, but the novel provides more detail. Volume 1 of the novel covers the first two volumes of the manhwa.

While the story is an isekai, it doesn’t feel like something that's been done a million times before. The main character, Siyeon Cha, wakes up as the villainess, Penelope Eckhart, in an otome game. Siyeon’s goal is to do everything in her power to beat the game and return to her real life. She is a strong MC who is smart/strategic and regularly stands up for herself. Her singular goal is to pick the male lead who is most likely to help her beat the game. She isn’t there to make friends or romance any of the male characters. I appreciate the level of detail the author put into each of the side characters. The male characters each feel like distinct individuals rather than generic male leads. Callisto is still my favorite, even though he is quite insane.

Hopefully, I can get my hands on an advanced copy of volume 2!

I am begging Netgalley to start listing the format the book is available in before you request it in a more eye-catching place. Why this PDF isn’t readable in Netgalley Reader is beyond me.

That aside, Villains are Destined to Die (The Novel) is not my first introduction to the series. As a fan of the comic, I was excited to see this pop up for request. Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed the read. In Volume 1, we meet the primary cast of characters, though the main plot itself is not quite introduced. There won’t be any surprises in this novel if you’ve already read through this stretch of the comic, but it’s fun to read through the original version of the scenes.

One thing I’ll warn anyone that feels some kinda way about Eckles – myself included: his scenes in the novel, especially if you know how the route his arc takes, are uncomfortable to read. I would hope that’s intentional, considering the power dynamic and Eckles’ obsessive interest in Penelope, but food for thought for new readers.

Other than that, you can sit back and enjoy the girl dadification of Duke Eckhart.

I have long been a fan of this webnovel and webtoon so when I saw it was getting an official English translation I was over the moon! If you a looking for a great villainess isekai story this is for you.

The angst is top tier, Penelope as a character is amazing and the plot is incredible. I cannot rate it high enough.

An excellent addition to the content collection that lovers of this series will enjoy wholeheartedly. I was thrilled to get deeper into this world and see how the novel would expand on the world, and I wasn't disappointed! The characters really jump off the page and the dramatic moments had just as much effect. My only complaint is that, because there are so many male leads for her to interact with, we basically just get introductions to all of them in this volume, except for Eckles and maybe Derrick, which was disappointing if you imagined you were going to get, in a full length volume 1, the start of the deeper plot or more of the big scenes that happen early in the manhwa. The writing is good, but there were some issues with flow and the word choices made the reading experience a bit clunky. Still, I'll take all the content for this series that I can get. More, please.

I was extremely excited to see this book on Net Galley! Volume One of Villains are Destined to Die comprises the first five chapters of the original novel. Our Protagonist is a young woman named Siyeon Cha, who is just entering college after leaving a stressful and abusive home environment. She hears about a popular dating game/visual novel on campus and immediately becomes addicted to it. (Despite having misgivings concerning the plot, which seems to be the typical "good pure character winning the love of the male leads" vs. "the horrible villainess/rival who is trying to ruin the good and pure character.") Despite the villainess being a villain, Siyeon Cha ends up feeling sympathy for Penelope Eckhert, whose backstory somewhat mirrors her own.
(Penelope was taken in and adopted due to her resemblance to Ivonne Eckhert as a child. She was abused by the household staff and her adoptive brothers. In turn, Siyeon Cha was an illegitimate daughter taken in after the death of her mother. She was also abused by her older brothers, the household staff, and her father.)
After playing in "normal mode" (as the "real daughter," Ivonne Eckhert) she gets a notification of a "secret" ending, and the opportunity to play "Hard Mode" which is from the point of view of Penelope! Despite the expense, Siyeon Cha immediately acquires the expansion so that she can play Penelope. She then discovers that "Hard Mode" might as well be called, "Murder Mode," with how often Penelope dies. Of course, she gets obsessed about it...and encounters isekai method: "Died of Overwork/Exhaustion."
Now Siyeon Cha is playing Penelope Eckhert in "real life" with Original Character on lock. (This means that at first she can only select a limited number of actions or dialog until she can disable the prompts.) "Penelope" must now figure out how to survive and escape her terrible situation before the beginning of "Normal Mode." ("Hard Mode" takes place a few months before the reappearance of Ivonne Eckhert.) To do this, she has to "win the love" of the male leads--which seems nearly impossible to do, since in most cases their "affection percentage" is at zero, and in some cases, in the negatives. This as you can imagine, is a problem.

Siyeon Cha is smart, strategic and actually kind of manipulative! She is hampered only by her high-key fear of male authority figures, incredibly maladaptive coping mechanisms and extensive C-PTSD! (Which are actually pretty severe handicaps.) She manages to grovel (read: manipulate) her way past the first few death flags, only to get herself into some pretty terrible situations due to not being great at "reading" the room. (Yes, you can be good at manipulation but terrible at understanding what people are thinking or reacting to. She thinks she's giving little taps, and doesn't realize she's essentially delivering gut punches, and frankly, no one should tell her because she might stop.)

I really enjoy this novel which is fun and full of complicated feelings. It should be noted I am mostly reading for the feelings and Penelope/Siyeon Cha trying to survive the game. There are a lot of things that are not really accurate to a pseudo-European country or culture--the worldbuilding is very shaky in this regard! We've got an "Empire" with only one Duchy, as a very small example. (Which would make this a very, very small Empire.) This is of course a minor point, and really I'm reading it because Siyeon Cha/Penelope is a very complex and interesting character and watching her try to avoid death flags while trying to pick the "right" male lead so she can escape the game. This means she makes some really, really bad mistakes that will come back to haunt her.

In short, I loved the first volume of this novel! There's some interesting discussion of trauma and the way it kind of screws people up. (And causes them to make terrible, terrible life choices.) Penelope/Siyeon Cha is a intriguing, well written character and the over all plot is a winner.

I really appreciate the English translate of this novel. It is so good, and I am so happy that I was approved to ARC read this. It is just a more detailed telling of the webtoon, and I just love it.

I haven't read the comic, so was going into the story blind, but it hooked me straight away. Our heroine walking the edge of the blade in order to ensure her survival makes for a dangerous and enthralling story, The suspense kept me at the edge of my seat, and it felt like the book was over way too quickly! :) Excited that this is being translated into English and I will be on the lookout for future installments.