The villains come across as overly cartoonish, with little real depth or complexity, and the story draws such a stark line between good and evil that it feels simplistic. The protagonist is portrayed almost entirely as a victim, for no real reason while her family is reduced to being the sole source of wrongdoing. It would be far more engaging if the narrative embraced more moral ambiguity for example, if she were actually responsible for the Duchess’s death.

I kinda hate it