Manhwa
Silverman praised the manhwa as "well-written, making use of actual game mechanics in ways that benefit the story, and with a heroine whose issues come more from her life experience than her preconceived notions about the game she's living". [14] Noemi10 of Anime UK News gave the first three volumes a 9/10 rating [33] [34] [35] and the fourth and fifth volumes an 8/10 rating; [36] they said that "the story drags you in whether you want it or not, and you cannot put it down until you reach the last page" and also praised the character personalities, [33] but criticized the ending of volume 2 for its lack of engagement [34] and noted a few issues with the English translation in volumes 4 and 5, which they were "not sure if it’s due to the change in translator or how the dialogue was written originally in Korean." [36] Josh Piedra of The Outerhaven praised the story, saying that "I rarely see an isekai where the character manages to get out these days… either that or the series is still ongoing and they haven’t reached that point", but felt that the plot twist of the game glitching from Penelope's off-script behavior "sticks out like a sore thumb and makes me question how something like that is even possible". [1]
Silverman and Noemi10 praised the art of the manhwa, with the former noting that "the art is gorgeous and uses some very nice details, both in the backgrounds and costumes and as visual indicators of Penelope's choices" [14] and the latter saying: "The gothic and fantasy settings, and the use of pastel colours make it almost seem fairy-tale like but with a darker twist. Almost in-between the Disney happy-ending fairy tales and the original Grimm’s stories." [35]
Merlyn De Souza of Screen Rant said that the manhwa "is easily the most popular title in the villainess genre and for good reason", noting that "the series boasts an incredibly compelling plot with stunning art and a titillating enemies-to-lovers romance that constantly keeps readers on the edge of their seats." [37] Silverman called it "one of, if not the, only otome isekai stories I've read that appears to have been written by someone who has played otome games, particularly the mobile versions with their microtransactions". [14] Sarah Jessica Darley noted that the manhwa is an example of how reincarnated villainess manhwa lie on an axis where similar works are "at heart, metafictional experiments in genre" (among other things). [38]
