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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Things I Liked:
- This is the second book by June Hur I’ve read and so far, I’m really enjoying how dependable Hur is with so many tropes I deeply personally enjoy. Her characters are always so loveable, the romances are satisfying, and the mysteries are SO engaging.
- Love Jieun. Jieun’s whole role, however minor it turned out to be in the grander scheme of things, still had me grinning ear to ear.
- THE SHARED TABLE SCENE!! Oh my godddd
- Hur’s really good at tension but omg the tension in THIS book got me bad. I out loud talked to Hyeon while reading, yelling at her. Covering my face with my hands at certain points.
- This particular book is SO cinematic. I could picture a movie adaptation in my head so perfectly. On my hands and knees here. Hollywood
Things I Didn’t Like:
- There were a few spots where Hyeon’s reactions to things didn’t make sense to me. It took me “out” of the reading experience for a bit and I had to go back and reread to try to be on the same page (literally HA).
- Like in the first book, a couple romance-typical tropes I’m not super fond of, but they didn’t affect my experience much.
Overall, another solid work by Hur. Really enjoyed Hyeon and Eojin’s story in this one and can’t wait to check out more by this author!
- This is the second book by June Hur I’ve read and so far, I’m really enjoying how dependable Hur is with so many tropes I deeply personally enjoy. Her characters are always so loveable, the romances are satisfying, and the mysteries are SO engaging.
- Love Jieun. Jieun’s whole role, however minor it turned out to be in the grander scheme of things, still had me grinning ear to ear.
- THE SHARED TABLE SCENE!! Oh my godddd
- Hur’s really good at tension but omg the tension in THIS book got me bad. I out loud talked to Hyeon while reading, yelling at her. Covering my face with my hands at certain points.
- This particular book is SO cinematic. I could picture a movie adaptation in my head so perfectly. On my hands and knees here. Hollywood
Things I Didn’t Like:
- There were a few spots where Hyeon’s reactions to things didn’t make sense to me. It took me “out” of the reading experience for a bit and I had to go back and reread to try to be on the same page (literally HA).
- Like in the first book, a couple romance-typical tropes I’m not super fond of, but they didn’t affect my experience much.
Overall, another solid work by Hur. Really enjoyed Hyeon and Eojin’s story in this one and can’t wait to check out more by this author!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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:
Complicated
about the good: the pacing is even, the morals are admirable, the author of the story is clearly kind-hearted in her approach to her characters, viewing them with and affording them empathy. it hasn't caused an epiphany and hasn't changed me profoundly, but it's a good book written by a good writer. it's solid. a couple of hours are worth the emotional weight of being reminded some simple wordly truths: that your parents have had life before you and have their emotional struggles outside of the mark their parenting left on you, that loss is inevitable, inescapable, and therefore someting we must learn to live with, that uncleaned wounds fester and attending to them remains our personal responsibility, that love is terrifying and full of painful possibilities, but that doesn't diminish its worth. life is worth living.
about the neutral: the writing style brought up to me the ancient translation dilemma of "to domesticate or not to domesticate". which is particularly troublesome, since this isn't a translation. at which point does using culturally specific transcribed names become a problem? i found that (imo) it became a problem in the very first chapter. it's not that i didn't understand or misremembered those terms, but they seemed to overpower the text, ask for too much attention. not sure i have an intelligent solution to offer; instead i can only present a mild conclusion that yes, the balancing of assuring the reader of the authenticity of the foreign culture presented in the text with immersive readability is a delicate act.
about the neutral: the writing style brought up to me the ancient translation dilemma of "to domesticate or not to domesticate". which is particularly troublesome, since this isn't a translation. at which point does using culturally specific transcribed names become a problem? i found that (imo) it became a problem in the very first chapter. it's not that i didn't understand or misremembered those terms, but they seemed to overpower the text, ask for too much attention. not sure i have an intelligent solution to offer; instead i can only present a mild conclusion that yes, the balancing of assuring the reader of the authenticity of the foreign culture presented in the text with immersive readability is a delicate act.
3.5 stars
the story telling was fun and i liked the twist! eojin and hyeon were so cute
the story telling was fun and i liked the twist! eojin and hyeon were so cute
very kdrama vibe. i love the writing style, the mysteries, their chemistryy. would totally watch this if they adapted into a drama. i love me some joseon era story. mc n ml is so cuteee together. she’s so smart, so brave and strong! definitely gonna read more from this authorr.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
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:
No
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Awesome.
Crime investigation by a palace nurse in Joseon Era Korea? Yes, please!
The twists and turns had me guessing till the end. The two main characters and some of the side ones were nicely developed and remain memorable. The tone of the setting is pure historical k-drama and I’m here for it.
It basically reads like a film so I’m keeping my fingers crossed it might turn into one one day!
Crime investigation by a palace nurse in Joseon Era Korea? Yes, please!
The twists and turns had me guessing till the end. The two main characters and some of the side ones were nicely developed and remain memorable. The tone of the setting is pure historical k-drama and I’m here for it.
It basically reads like a film so I’m keeping my fingers crossed it might turn into one one day!