Reviews with content warning for Death - The Silence of Bones

This was a beautiful story, even months after reading it, it’s still on my mind. I loved the main character and the twists were built up so nicely it was hard to see, but when you did, in hindsight you saw how all the clues lined up perfectly!

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plumpaperbacks's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was one of the most interesting historical fiction novels I’ve read, as, if I recall, it’s the only one not set in a western country. I’d never heard of damos, so in addition to reading an intriguing story, I also learned a few new things.

Hur’s writing was easy to read, and the combination of that and the surprisingly complex mystery kept me turning pages. What seemed like a simple murder case ended up being a complicated one of religion, family and shame with multiple victims, and even though I thought more than once that I’d figured it out, I never had. Props to Hur for that, as I’ve gotten pretty good at predicting twists and solving mysteries.

Another thing I particularly liked was that Seol, the protagonist, was sixteen. While this is ultimately insignificant, it was nice to see a YA book with a main character under the age of seventeen; I can only think of a couple others that do.

Overall, I would recommend this book, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Representation

full Korean cast

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kimbekaw's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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lilifane's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Woah, I loved this much, much more than I thought I would.
I expected something else from the story than I actually got tbh. It was more character driven and introspective than an actual murder mystery. (which, well, was pretty easy to predict) But it was still so good! I absolutely loved the writing and the atmosphere. Sometimes I needed to take breaks just to imagine the mist and the mountains and trees and rivers and the narrow streets and the Hanoks. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters but was sad because there weren't enough for my taste. I was also furious at them most of the time because they were oblivious or didn't talk to each other when necessary... or both. The second half was surprisingly fast-paced and action packed, and I couldn't put it down until the end.
I will definitely read the others books by June Hur.

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izzya's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book started a little slow but the second half picks up to an amazing pace and delivers a really satisfying mystery. Hur did a fantastic job of presenting so many possibilities and threads of a big mystery, revealing layer after layer through an inquisitive heroine, until the final punches of the mystery came and knocked me off my feet.

It was so well done, and the emotional payoff and bittersweetness was so heartfelt and honest. The handling of the feelings Seol had built up about her family and role in the world was great and always felt natural, never coming across as a speech but rather woven into her observations of the world around her. The end of the book delivers some really strong emotional moments, and my eyes did get a little testy at the ending. It’s beautiful and sad, but very satisfying.

This story is also darker than I expected. The young age of the heroine made me think the violence of the history would be toned down for younger audiences, but Hur didn’t pull punches and it gets a little realistically gory at times, which adds to the seriousness of the main mystery.

I wondered if this story might have some Kdrama vibes, as the summary reminded me of the kind of historical Kdramas I love, but it does get a bit darker and more serious than Kdramas usually do, and there’s not a romance or much comedy to lighten the heavier emotional moments. I found the story really rewarding, just deeper than I expected.

In all, I really enjoyed this one and would love to read another of Hur’s books! Looking forward to her next release “The Red Palace,” it sounds really cool!

Content Warnings

likgiltighet_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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