Is Roxana Worth Reading? Review & Where to Read
Quick Answer
With a big caveat. Roxana is a dark, beautiful villainess fantasy — a woman reborn into a murderous family of poisoners who has to scheme to survive — and its stunning art and grim intrigue earned it a big following. The catch is serious: it's on indefinite hiatus, unfinished, and has been pulled from its English platform, so you'd be starting a gorgeous story with no ending and no easy way to read it officially.
Quick Verdict
“Gorgeous and genuinely dark — a poison-soaked villainess fantasy that's one of the prettiest around, with the hard catch that it's stalled mid-story on indefinite hiatus.”
Best for: Readers who love dark villainess fantasy with poison, family intrigue, and gorgeous art — and can accept an unfinished story.
Not for: Readers who need a completed story, a light tone, or a steady release schedule.
- Type
- Webtoon
- Genres
- Villainess, Romance
- Status
- On Hiatus
- This review
- Minor Spoilers
- Artist
- JunilJus
- Publisher
- Yeondam
- Platform
- Availability varies
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Webtoon, 43 chapters |
| Run | 2021–present · on hiatus |
| Community score | AniList 8.0 · MAL 8.1 · MangaUpdates 8.4 |
| Content | Violence, murder, and abuse |
Overview
Roxana is a dark villainess fantasy with a poison-soaked premise. The heroine is reborn into the body of Roxana Agriche, a daughter of the Agriche family — a notorious clan of assassins where children are raised as killers and siblings murder one another to win their father's favor. It's a household where survival means cunning, and Roxana, armed with knowledge of the story she's been dropped into, sets out to outlast a family that would happily see her dead. Her path tangles with Cassis Pedetti, a captive nobleman the Agriches are exploiting, and a fraught romance grows in the shadow of all that violence. It's a Korean webtoon adapting a popular web novel, with art by JunilJus.
What it does well
The art is the headline, and it's stunning. JunilJus's work is lush, detailed, and atmospheric — all elegant gowns, candlelit menace, and striking character designs — and it gives the grim story a gorgeous, gothic beauty that's a big part of why it built such a devoted following. It's one of the better-looking villainess webtoons around.
The premise has real teeth, too. The Agriche family is genuinely frightening — this isn't a fluffy reincarnation romance but a dark survival story where the stakes are constant and lethal, and Roxana is a compelling lead precisely because she has to be ruthless and clever to live. The poison, the scheming, the toxic family politics give it a darker, sharper edge than most of its genre.
And the central romance works as a flicker of warmth in the gloom — the bond between Roxana and Cassis carries real tension because tenderness is so dangerous in her world.
Where it falls short
The unavoidable problem is that it's unfinished — and not in the usual ongoing-webtoon way. Roxana went on indefinite hiatus in 2022, tied to the artist's health and working conditions, and there's no confirmed return. So you'd be starting a story that stops partway, with no resolution and no certainty it will ever continue. That's a real thing to know going in.
Access is also a problem now. It was removed from its English platform in 2025, so reading it officially in English is difficult. And tonally, this is dark, often grim material — the family violence and cruelty are relentless — so it won't suit readers looking for a comforting romance.
Verdict
Roxana is a gorgeous, genuinely dark villainess fantasy with stunning art and a premise that bites — easily one of the most striking in its genre. But it comes with hard caveats: it's unfinished and on indefinite hiatus, it's hard to read officially in English now, and it's bleak by design. If you can accept a beautiful story without an ending, it's worth experiencing for the art and atmosphere alone. If you need closure, you may want to read the original novel instead, or wait.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- The art is stunning — JunilJus's lush, gothic, candlelit style gives the grim story a gorgeous beauty and built its devoted following.
- The premise has real teeth: the murderous Agriche family makes it a dark survival story with constant, lethal stakes, not a fluffy reincarnation romance.
- Roxana is a compelling lead — ruthless and clever because she has to be — and the poison-and-scheming family politics give it a sharp edge.
- The central romance lands as a fragile warmth in the gloom, charged because tenderness is so dangerous in her world.
Weaknesses
- It's unfinished and on indefinite hiatus (since 2022, tied to the artist's health), with no confirmed return — so there's no resolution.
- It was removed from its English platform in 2025, making it hard to read officially in English now.
- It's dark and often grim — relentless family violence and cruelty — so it won't suit readers wanting a comforting romance.
Similar Titles
Another reincarnated-villainess survival story with a darker, higher-stakes streak.
The Villainess Turns the Hourglass
Villainess regression with a sharp, vengeful edge and lavish art.
A transmigrator fighting to rewrite a doomed villainess's fate in a cutthroat court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roxana finished?
No. The webtoon went on indefinite hiatus in 2022 and remains unfinished, with no announced return. It was also removed from its English platform (Tapas) in 2025.
Why did it stop?
It went on hiatus due to the artist's health and working conditions. As of now there's no confirmed return date, so the comic is incomplete.
Can I read the full story?
Not as a finished comic. The original web novel completes the story, so novel readers can see where it was headed, but the webtoon itself stops partway.
