Sucks big time
I went into this story with high hopes, and it started out fantastic. But as I reached the end, I felt disappointed. Penelope is a character you want to root for, but her lack of growth really stands out. She starts and ends the story essentially unchanged, while everyone else around her evolves. Though her traumas are deep, if she’s still the same person by the end, what has really changed for her?
The Eclise situation legitimately p*ssed me off, Penelope initially pursues him to win the game, manipulating him despite his traumatic background as a slave from a defeated nation. While Penelope seems kind to him at times, her manipulative behaviour ultimately pushes him into obsessive devotion through a mixture of the system and brainwashing. His tragic treatment feels undeserved, given he is literally a kid. The way Penelope uses him is disgusting.
Penelope’s approach to everyone around her is similar too, she sees them as tools to increase her stats, never truly caring. Despite her coldness, everyone inexplicably loves her, even when characters like Derek and Renald, who initially disliked her for understandable reasons, later warm up to her. When brainwashed, they act out against her, yet she holds it against them even though they’re not in control, not that she has to forgive them but why are you blaming them for something not under their control?!
In the end, Penelope is portrayed as a “strong” heroine, but her trauma prevents her from genuine growth, making her hard to sympathize with. If she had taken accountability for her behavior, I’d have found her character more compelling, but the story insists she’s right, even when she’s not.