[More info about my review style can be found on my profile] ▶Summary and recommendation: ----------------------------------------------------------------- [The Devil Raises a Lady] or its official title that I do not like as much [The Lady of the Devil] is an Otome isekai and a Revenge fantasy. It is about the protagonist scheming and planning her way to victory. Navigating noble society to amass the power she needs for her revenge. I wholeheartedly recommend this manhwa. It was a very satisfying read.▶Story: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The first chapter starts with the day before Ayana's execution. She is visited by her closest friend.. Or someone who looks like him. This "friend" offers her a deal to turn back time, and give her a chance at revenge, at the cost of everything (soul included?)

This is a regression type isekai. A story where the protagonist is transported back in time with their memories of the future rather than a person from our Earth. Ayana travels 13 years into the past, and using her knowledge of the future, she tries to change her fate and the fate of her family.

The "friend" returned to the past with her, also aware of what happened in the future. He promises to help her with her revenge, with caveats however. It is a very tense story about trying to survive plots of murder and assassins. She is given some amount of leniency thanks to her powerful friend, but it is nonetheless a tense and exciting read.

▶Setting: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[The Devil Raises a Lady] is set in a Medieval European inspired setting, with a focus on nobility.

The protagonist is the daughter of a count at odds with other noble houses. The title of count is relatively weak, and with the world being strongly patriarchal, she has to fight not just against external threats, but those on her side who do not have much faith in her due to her being a woman.

There are also some fantastical elements to the story since it features demons. Though their nature has barely been explored as of the writing of this review.

▶Characters: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The protagonist Ayana is very well written. She has dedicated her second life to revenge, but she is unable to fully close her heart off. She shows great care and love for her family, and doubt in her heart when she is forced to make difficult choices. She is very complex and the story very quickly got me to root for her.

The devil named Diavel (not very subtle) is interesting, and I am very curious if he will be a love interest or if his interest is a different kind of love. A more unhealthy and obsessive kind.. Curious if there is more to him than just cruelty.

Russel, perhaps the male lead? is another very interesting and central character to the plot. He was a very dangerous person in the future. Ayana's executioner from chapter 1, but after traveling to the past Ayana gets to see a different side of him.

The villains are equally as complex and interesting as Russel is, and it is nice to see both Ayana and her villains develop throughout the story.

▶Romance: ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As of writing, the romance scenes are quite sparse. Definitely not the main focus of the story.
The protagonist herself want the romance to take a backseat to her revenge, but this IS an Otome Isekai, so I do wonder how long she can keep that up.

Strategic arranged marriages bereft of love is a topic that is tackled several times throughout the story, and the protagonist too talks about incorporating them into her revenge.

So far the romance hasn't been very romantic, but it has been very important to the plot.

▶Artwork: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The artstyle starts out a bit rough or at the very least different than usual. Faces being more angular, with sharper eyes. I personally did not dislike this, but the art changes throughout the manhwa to become similar to its peers.

Of note though is the very heavy use of 3D assets for both characters attires and backgrounds. The clothing in the manhwa are intricate and full of detail, but ribbons, jewelry, patterns and buttons are almost always 3D assets, and not hand drawn. The backgrounds are very detailed, but are almost entirely 3D assets.

Which makes it all the more impressive how easily you forget it as you read. The artist does a good job blending the hand drawn art with the 3D assets, and emotions and dramatic scenes are well delivered. The art also continues to improve throughout the manhwa series.

▶In conclusion: -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time reading this manhwa. I lament the fact that it is ongoing and I had to stop at a cliffhanger, because this is definitely an Otome Isekai you read for its engrossing plot.

I do not have many complains about the manhwa other than the artwork. I was somewhat disappointed by it. While I understand the time constraints and the amount of pressure an artist is under, fully hand drawn art will always impress me more than 3D models, it did not ruin my enjoyment however.

Before her capture and imminent execution in the previous timeline, Ayana was a military commander waging war against her enemies. After traveling back to the past, I was disappointed that she couldn't put her combat experiences to use, but that was probably a smart choice by the author. She is already clever and defy expectations. She does not have to be good at absolutely everything.