the abandoned empress vol 1 by Yuna

Aristia, or Tia, grew up in a privileged position. She was mistaken as the girl from a prophecy that promised her as the companion of the crown prince. When a girl from another world lands, the country realizes she is the promised companion. Tia is relegated to imperial consort and is highly mistreated by the emperor, her former would-be husband. When Tia finally stands up for herself, she is sentenced to death, and she begs the gods for a do-over, to be born again to correct her mistakes. She wakes up to find herself in her ten-year-old body, and all her memories intact!

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This story interestingly brings together two tropes - the person from another world concept popular in isekai manga, and the reincarnation/reborn trope - but gives each a little bit of a spin. The story doesn’t focus on the person from another world like most isekai, nor is Tia reborn on a separate planet. This brings a little bit of originality to a crowded field of isekai & reborn stories available presently. This was previously a very popular webcomic, so it's possible it already has a readership within your patrons. For those new to the story, they will find it captivating and heartbreaking at the same time. I enjoy ten-year-old Tia a lot more than I did her as an adult, so I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series.

The full-color illustrations throughout are enjoyable and invoke the feeling of watching an anime. The costumes are carefully designed and full of a lot of elaborate detail, as showcased by the cover illustration.

There is one scene of immense cruelty between the Emperor and Tia where  it is implied that she is raped, but the scene breaks away before we see anything happen to Tia. 

​Sara's Rating: 9/10
Suitability Level: Grades 10-12

Publisher: Yen Press
Publication Date: January 25, 2022
ISBN: 9781975337261​ (Paperback)

​Tags: Rating: 9/10, Suitability: High School, Manhwa, Romance, Isekai, Adaptations, ​Yen Press