beta
People are pointing out misogyny of the siblings hating their stepmother and stepsister more than their father as if that wasn't the norm until only less than 100 years ago when feminists fought for women to be seen and be equals. Like YES, in a historical based story, the characters will naturally display hatred towards a female over a male. Is it fair, hell no but people need to remember we are a modern audience consuming media based decades ago, what is right now won't have been right then and the author adding these themes doesn't make them sexist but immersed. It isn't really as shocking as yall are making it out to be. The siblings probably do hate their father, but he's a man and worse.. a king, an extreme figure of authority where even breathing wrong in his presence would be seen as an act of treason worth taking someone's life over. Already were men the head/leaders of the house, by doubting them, you were disobedient and seen as going against them and the whole house which was one of the worst sins one could've committed back then, try even criticizing a King and less have been alive to tell the tale. If the siblings wish to keep their lives or live unpunished, they won't dare speak ill of the King, it would be like speaking ill of the bible in a church. The nicest/respectful way of criticizing a man in that time period was saying he was bewitched or spellbound, especially considering how much authority the female lead's mother had considering her gender, the siblings hating her is pretty realistic for the time period. (Obviously, not realistic to us who live in the modern day and aren't conditioned to believe women are below men and should act/behave a certain way.) The female lead is the easiest way they can vent their frustrations with their father and stepmother since 1, she's a woman, 2, she has the least authority out of everyone else in her family and has the least impact on their father, 3 she ended up turning out like her mother which fuelled them more of a reason to not like her. (I do agree its dumb that they hated her either way, damned if you do, damned if you don't but I think Ayla was too young and tramuatized to understand at the time, I think if present her met past Thalia before she changed, she would've been more nicer/polite. But again, gotta remember time period, illegitimate children were DESPISED back then so them hating/blaming her again is sadly realistic.)
I might be a bit too early so the chapters might've not been uploaded properly but pacing is a bit rushed. I clicked because the cover reminded me of "Accidental Love" but eh.. not a fan of this type of misunderstanding troupe that causes characters to dislike each other, probably just not the kind of story for me.