Under the Oak Tree: Volume 1 (The Comic) (Under the Oak Tree - Comic)

Under the Oak Tree surprised me more than any other book this year, and I am so glad I read it. Random House sent me a copy, but I bought a hard copy for my shelf. I LOVED IT! The premise of knights, epic fantasy realms, love, and discovery of oneself are some of my favorite themes. I didn't know that this was an adaptation of a webnovel on MANTA, so I basically walked in blind. My summary: A high society woman struggles to overcome her abusive background while her new life rewires her brain to accept happiness in life as an option, in an X-rated folktale setting.Maxi (short for Maximilian), suffers from a chronic stutter and is abused by her father because of it. Deemed unworthy to be a duke's daughter, she endures a neglected, sheltered, and unloving upbringing. Reading through Maxi's journey of healing through her trauma, in turn, healed some parts of myself. Maxi and I share a similar background, so watching her heal brought both joy and sorrow. While the intricacies of Maxi's characterization are somewhat subtle in the writing, she is anything but a flat character. The depths of her unraveling her trauma and healing from it are heartwarming to experience, especially through her relationship to the esteemed knight, Riftan Calypse. While their banter and love is adorable and just enchanting, the spicy scenes in this book are extremely tasteful. Overall, the writing is incredible.This adaptation brought me to tears, and I was enraptured with the writing style. There are so many different hidden threads to this novel that I can't wait to discover. I am MAD that I can't read the second one right away. (Yes, I could read ahead on MANTRA, but I would like to wait and hopefully receive the next ARC/order the next copy.)Thank you so much to Random House! All opinions are my own.

The hardcover edition is worth every penny because it is breathtaking to look at and a book lovers wet dream.As for the actual story inside: Bit of a slow burn even though the character a married in the first chapter. This story is more a 'coming into ones self/power' sent ion a fantasy world with spice.The leads are very likeable and though ML starts of a bit shocking, he does redeem himself.A good thing to remember with this premise/regency era time period is that couple WERE often married without consent and then expected to perform the marriage obligation on the night of the wedding. This book starts off with one such scene and it is a bit shocking if you are not expecting it. And, yes, it is rather hard to read. BUT if you stick it out their relationship gets SO much better and cuter as the story goes on.The spice level of this book is about a 3 out of 5 in my opinion.There are multiple scenes but description is kept vague or generic and focusing more on emphasizing enjoyment and kindled compassion. These scene are satisfying but I would not go so far ass to label them erotic. The sex scenes are a paragraph or two and then that's it. More 'romantic' than 'erotic'.

I cannot properly put into words how amazing this book is. It's a refreshing read, while the overall theme or ideas of this book are not particularly new, there is something about the style and the characters that make it feel so vibrant and new. I am so excited to keep reading each book! One of my all time favorites, hands down.

Appearance: 5 starsBook rating: 4.5/5 starsSpiciness: 4/5 starsOverall I thought this book was immersive. I liked the author's writing style- descriptive and paints a good picture of the setting. There wasn't too much world building which I liked! Just enough story building to create a good visual. The story starts off quickly and you follow the protagonist through her journey of finding love for the first time. The spice level was definitely there in my opinion! It's a good read and there's a nice sample on amazon to read before deciding. I read the sample first as I was skeptical to purchase but found myself wanting to read more. This book touches base with romance, character development, action, magic, monsters, handsome knights. I personally can't wait for second volume coming in May 2025!