What We see so Far - "They Say I Was Born a King's Daughter"

Synopsis

Once, Suhee Kim was a beautiful young woman who held the resentment of many women for catching the attention of multiple and seeming to flirt with them. That is until she found true love with a steady boyfriend named Jinsu Han. Yet tragedy strikes as Suhee ends up murdered in cold blood. When she opens her eyes, she finds to her surprise, that she has been a baby girl named Sanghee Kim, who just so happens to be a princess.

The problem though is that in this society, women are seen as totally inferior, even princesses. Heavily against this idea, Sanghee makes it her goal to reach past the kingdom’s patriarchal ways.

The Good

With the way the premise is presented, you would expect for the protagonist to end up as this strong and independent woman who manages to bulldoze her way to her goals. Interesting enough, the series takes a more strategic route. The way that Sanghee was developed and the way she strategized to survive in this world while slowly change perspective is both clever and sensible in terms of character building. What’s more, as the stories progressed and the reader delves deeper into the heroine’s mindset, you can’t help but empathize and connect with her.

More than character growth, the series does well in terms of pacing, the world-building is also well done in terms of explaining magic and culture. The fantasy element was a bit of a surprise, to be honest at first but after a while, it does meld well with the overall story. Other than this, the male characters are rather cute in the slight shifts in their personalities and perspectives when it comes to Sanghee.

The Bad

Given the setting and the overall concept of the series, it is expected that there would be some dramatic moments that may go over the top. Simply put, it is expected that things would grow to be somewhat overcomplicated. Aside from the plot seeming to go off in different directions though, there isn’t much to be said in terms of character development aside from Sanghee. A lot of the male characters, while having some shifts in personality, largely felt one dimensional and not all that dynamic. Another problem of the series is that it seems to jump from one point to another in terms of plot, but this may be a personal perspective.

Conclusion

The story is interesting and the heroine’s development is good. The only problems with the series are in how it works its male characters and the plot. While the plot does work in giving growth to Sanghee, it seems to be all over the place in terms of direction. With the characters, it feels like the male characters don’t have much dynamics in terms of personality outside of the shift in their perspective of Sanghee. It’s a good story, but the only real interest in how it develops Sanghee and her story.

Rating: 7/10