About:
Warning:
There will be spoilers for the manhwa series Satan's Bride.
Trigger Warning: Rape, incest, arranged marriage, murder, child abuse, and violence might be discussed as it does appear in the manhwa.
Synopsis:
Rupia is the only daughter of one of three major noble families in the empire. As the only daughter, Rupia is lovingly doted on by not only her parents but also her brothers. The only downside is that she has yet to debut into society, even in adulthood, simply because her family is overprotective. Unfortunately, though, her family cannot protect her from everything.
One day, the demon oracle Cleora demands that the underworld takes in 500 human women as their brides, starting from the ruler down the long line of succession of the demon throne. When the decree is sent to the royal family, they put out a royal decree to all noble families to give up one of their daughters for this noble task. That, unfortunately, includes Rupia. Her family, of course, detests this command but is unable to fight against it due to their standing in the empire, so Rupia, along with 499 other human women, is transported to the underworld.
Once there, the women are met by demon maids, butlers, and even the demon king himself, Edith. Almost none of the women can communicate with demons except for Rupia and three other women, as they have learned some of the ancient language, which is one of the few languages humans and demons share. As a result, Rupia and those three other women are chosen for the king, and the three demons next in succession for the throne.
By random draw, the women are doled out to their respective partners, and by pure luck, Rupia is chosen by the king of the underworld, Edith. However, Edith is just as displeased with this situation as Rupia. As it turns out, he didn't want the human women at all. Even so, Rupia and Edith have no choice but to be together. As the new queen of the underworld, how will Rupia manage her new life in this strange place, and will she be able to thaw the icy Edith?
Review:
I really liked this one. I really loved how forward and unflinching Rupia was in the face of everything. She wasn't pleased with the situation, but she didn't back away from the prospect of living in the underworld, either. It was really nice to see a female lead who was so self-assured, confident, and had the goods to back it all up. I loved Rupia, and I am glad of the three daughters she was our lead as I am not sure this would have been as good had it been any of the other girls.
I also really like that we don't have the typical love triangle or multiple love interests. Don't get me wrong, there are touches of it here and there for both Rupia and Edith, but they don't last long at all. Instead, the main focus is on Rupia and Edith, learning their misconceptions about each other's races and realizing that they aren't all that different. Especially when we see how the girls who escape to the human realm are treated upon returning. They are treated like trash even though they had no choice but to go to the underworld and do it for their country. Rupia and Edith, seeing the way the humans are treated in their own world versus how they were treated in the underworld, expose the humans as being the ones who are bigoted and cruel, not only to demons but even to their own kind. As a result, Rupia really comes to appreciate Edith and even the underworld as a whole. These experiences really make their relationship feel real and add real depth to it. I think if we had the standard, run-of-the-mill love triangle misunderstandings, the relationship probably would have felt much more superficial.
One thing that felt super out of character and pretty dumb on Rupia's part, though, is when she leaves the underworld and runs away. As smart as Rupia is, surely she knew that Edith wouldn't let her just leave like that and what the possible repercussions would be. It feels even crazier, considering her decision to escape comes directly after she admits how much she loves Edith. Her reasoning is very superficial in that she just worries she will never see her family again, though she fails to share these worries with Edith, who I am sure would be happy to help her see her family again if she just asked. It didn't make much sense, though I understand why it was needed plot-wise. In my opinion, it still doesn't make sense for Rupia's character.
I have to commend this for the way it has set up the hierarchy of the underworld. It's pretty cool that the succession is not based on bloodline or anything like that but is instead based solely on the king's strength. I really liked this unique setup, especially regarding Edith's back story and why he had such a problem with humans and his own father. His father was the prior king, and Edith had to kill his father to assume the throne. It also provides really great motivation for Edith's half-brother Dillen to take on that villain role because his beloved brother killed their father, leading to his human mother's death and giving the half-brother a reason to kill Edith so he can usurp the throne. It seems like a minor detail, but it really helped lay the foundation for the entire story, which I really liked.
While I did mention that the story probably wouldn't have been as strong had the other girls from the head families had been the leads, I do really like that the story is padded out with their stories. I loved seeing how their romances with their husbands progressed and how they all progressed at their own speed and in their own unique way. They didn't feel like filler or superficial even though they weren't the main couples. The breaks from Rupia and Edith to the other couples really helped with the pacing and helped fill out the world. It also helped solidify Cleora's goal. She wanted demons and humans to grow to understand and love each other and eventually love their halfling children and stop the discrimination against such children.
I loved Edith and Rupia's romance, and I love that we get to see their children. This is a really solid love story. However, one thing I didn't really care for was Edith being killed and then almost instantly resurrected. I really wish they had done more with that plot point. It could've really helped strengthen Rupia's love for Edith and even led to her growing stronger as a person. The resurrection just felt way too quick to me, though I know it was all because of divine intervention and destiny. I just think something as powerful as the male lead being killed could have been better utilized somehow.
Finally, I have to talk about the art. It isn't super unique, but it is quite pretty. No complaints here. If you are picky about art, I can't imagine you would be at all disappointed by this. It is pretty, the character designs are pleasant (especially Edith, yum), and it doesn't distract from the plot, which is really all that matters.
Results:
This is a really strong manhwa. If you really like deep relationships and all the lovey-dovey goodness that comes along with them, I think this is worth a read. It also has a really nice epilogue with the children of all the main couples, which is really fun and worth getting to. It will give you all the warm fuzzies. I liked this one, and though it isn't in my top ten, it is definitely one that I can say I will only think of fondly. I hope you do, too, if you choose to read it!
Have you read Satan's Bride? If so, what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment? Do you not? Let me know, and comment below!