Her life was nothing but lies. Camellia was just 12 when she was taken away from her mother in the slums and forced to live as the son of an aristocratic family. But under the layers of secrets and lies, she never forgets. She continues to struggle to be her true self again, to reclaim the life of Camellia.

Finding Camellia has story by Jin Soye. Published by Tappytoon (September 12, 2025).

Rebecca Silverman
Rating:

Call it Cinderella by way of Twelfth Night. Finding Camellia, the source material for the manhwa of the same name, handily combines a story about a girl forced to masquerade as a boy with a plotline about a neglected child abused by her stepmother, and while I wouldn't say that the result is particularly unique, it is a deftly executed story based on familiar themes. In the first ten chapters of the serialized book (only currently available to read on an app rather than on Tappytoon's website, which is the biggest strike against it to my mind), we're introduced to Camellia and her situation and she begins to take the first steps to get away from her horrible stepmother. It's essentially the prologue, but it doesn't necessarily feel like it; Jin Soye's writing is good enough that Lia's early years feel just as important as what's ahead for her.

Apart from my dislike of reading on my phone, the biggest barrier here is Lady Bale, Lia's de facto stepmother. Lia is the illegitimate child of Marquess Bale and a servant, and Lady Bale blames her mother for the illness of her own son, Kieran. Whether or not she actually had anything to do with Kieran's kidnapping and subsequent lung disease is far more dubious than Lady Bale wants to think, but her rage is unchecked. Although she claims that she “takes in” Lia – she basically kidnaps her off the street in the slums – because she wants to “maintain the family reputation” by having a spare in case Kieran doesn't survive, it's painfully obvious that she wants to torment both Lia and her mother Laura. She forces Lia to cross dress and present as a boy, thinks about killing Laura, and treats Lia abominably. That means that this book comes with a content warning for child abuse…and like in many Cinderella variants, Lia's father is both present and aware of what his wife is doing to his daughter. He makes comments to the effect of “knock it off,” but he doesn't actually do anything about it. It's a relief when the scene shifts to boarding school towards the end of these chapters.

There's perhaps not a lot of difference between this iteration of the story and the comic, although I do feel like this has a better narrative flow. I'm hoping that eventually this gets at least an ebook release like other Tappytoon and Manta novels, because it's a solid fantasy story that desperately needs a more accessible way to read it.