Baroness Goes On Strike Vol. 1 Review

Title: Baroness Goes On Strike Vol. 1
Author: Yeseul Song
Publisher: Crossed Hearts
Language: English
Format: Paperback
Pages: 376
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Publication Date: January 13, 2026

The Story

Baroness Goes On Strike begins with Baroness Cassia Ruberno on her deathbed. For the past ten years, she has essentially been in charge of the family and the land, as her husband, Zester Greze, is constantly on the battlefield. She has grown to despise the cold Zester but adores her two kids. When she finally passes on, she wakes up ten years in the past, and she’s determined to do things differently. Knowing that she only has ten years to live, she wishes to forgo her previous responsibilities in favor of a leisurely lifestyle.

However, due to her knowledge of what’s to come over the next decade, slight changes to her personality and behavior begin to affect everyone around her. She tells Zester that she regrets sleeping with him, she lashes out at another lady staying at the house, and she continues a friendship with someone from her previous life. These are not things that the original Cassia would have done immediately, and it begins having profound effects on Zester, who we find out isn’t truly as cold as readers were first led to believe.

The Characters

Cassia Ruberno is an interesting character. She was once the Empire’s most coveted bride, but she was sold off by the emperor as a war trophy to Zester at the age of 18. The following decade can only be described as a loveless marriage at best before a mysterious illness ends her life. When she’s sent back ten years with all her memories, she wants to do things differently. She’d leave Zester immediately if she could, but two things stop her. The only things worth living for in her previous life were her two children, and she’s aware of the dire situation that’s going to plague the land. So she begrudgingly plays her role, albeit differently, and changes the lives of everyone around her.

Zester Greze is a commoner, but he’s considered a hero and legend on the battlefield. His actions earned him the title of baron and a small piece of land to rule over. In the first chapter, before Cassia originally dies, he’s painted as a cold mercenary who only cares about killing and money. It’s almost as if he’s immediately set up as the antagonist. But a few early encounters with the new Cassia show that Zester is mostly misunderstood, shy, and awkward. His commoner background and sudden title created a rift between him and those around him. Cassia’s actions in her attempts to live a leisurely life force Zester to open up and change for the better. As a whole, Zester is a very interesting character despite his flaws, and allows for some funny and sweet moments at his expense.

Final Thoughts

I love romance stories, but I’ve never really experienced one that was truly romance fantasy. I’ve seen and read lots of fantasy stuff, but they were all fantasy stories that had some light romance thrown around. This was my first time with one where it’s a romance story that just so happens to take place in a fantasy world. I also don’t tend to read the romance stories that are more mature-themed, so I was excited to see how this one holds up.

The first thing that I noticed, even before reading, was that a lot of care was put into the final product. For starters, the entire book is colored. That requires a lot of extra care compared to traditional manga, and that’s even more impressive when you count the nearly 400 pages. The physical edition goes a step beyond by using high-quality paper and bigger pages. I also really enjoyed the overall art style and character designs, especially in the comedic moments.

While the main focus of the series is romance, there’s still a sizable chunk of fantasy in the background. But I was slightly disappointed in how the fantasy side of things was handled throughout the first 17 chapters. There’s a lot of talk about the politics of the world and the different regions, but nothing has really come to fruition yet. But the seeds were planted, and there is some promise for what future volumes may have in store.