But that won't keep her down!

Taking charge of her new life as an S-class guide, she strikes a risky bargain with Duke Robert Apharantes: her blood to heal his powerful but tormented son, Hedonia, in exchange for security and a mansion on a private island to call her own.

Determined not to overstep her precarious role, Karina sets out to help Hedonia, whose painful awakening could either make or break his future. Yet, things quickly spiral beyond her control when Hedonia offers her more than just his desire for revenge.

I Played the Substitute Too Well has story by Endbom. English translation by Editio. Published by Editio Publishing (April 1, 2025).

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Although the villainess isekai subgenre has exploded in recent years, a new entry in that increasingly crowded field isn't necessarily a bad thing. I Played the Substitute Too Well doesn't do a whole lot that's new, but it's still a very enjoyable story for genre fans – or for those who have a passing interest in the genre but aren't fully onboard with it. Like other reborn villainesses, Karina come from our world (South Korea, in this case) and realizes that she's a character in a novel she read. She takes the expected step of moving to circumvent her fate by making smart choices – in this case, she doesn't ask for untold wealth and pampering in exchange for helping a duke's son, she just wants a small private island where she can be safe from the monsters that rampage on the mainland. Her plan is to do her job and get out.

Naturally, things aren't going to be that simple. In the world Karina's found herself in, two special classes of people exist, those with magic powers and those who can mitigate the strain of using them, similar to how magic functions in Moira J. Moore's Resenting the Hero series, assuming I'm not the only person who read them. (They're good!) These people are known as Guides, and that's what Karina is…and what the duke wants his son Hedonia to be. But awakening as a Guide is painful, and the only thing that can mitigate that pain is the blood of an awakened Guide, so the duke wants Karina to be Hedonia's personal blood bank while also taking over the duties that should be his – and will be when he's awakened. All of this is, of course, figuring without Hedonia himself, who may have other plans which include falling in love with Karina and becoming an ESPer rather than a Guide.

The story unfolds in a capable, if familiar, pattern, with the heroine of the original novel and her love interests all showing more investment in Karina than Shayla or each other, and Hedonia growing increasingly unsubtle in his attempts to win her over first. World building details, like how physical touch enhances the care Guides are able to give ESPers, are definitely a little blatant, but they come with Karina's refreshingly modern views on sex and kissing; she's no wilting Victorian maiden about them. The perspective shifts between first and third person with remarkable ease, and if there are few typos in the first quarter of the novel, they're basically gone after that point. This isn't breaking any molds, but it is a lot of fun within their familiar confines.