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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
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!
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It was so so good!! At around 70% of reading this book, it felt like I was genuinely there. It read like a historical kdrama, and I appreciate that this book was advertised as having a side plot romance, and it was actually a side plot!!
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:
No
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
strong historical k-drama vibes with this one. it definitely scratched my historical fiction and it's really cool that it was inspired by real-life events. props to the author for her research, she really brought Joseon setting to life. i have a soft spot for romance sub-plots in mystery/crime novels so i really enjoyed the gentle and mutually respectful romance.
my only real qualm with the book is that the mystery itself didn't hook me. the investigation felt too linear and easy, especially considering the strict Confucian hierarchy it disrupted. i also wish the psyche and motivation of the killers themselves (Nurse Inyeong and the Crown Prince) were more developed and better explored. while i enjoyed the intense build-up and sequence in the forest, i felt the epilogue wrapped it up a bit too nicely.
overall, it was a light but interesting read that definitely got me out of my end-of-year reading slump. excited for my 2025 reads.
my only real qualm with the book is that the mystery itself didn't hook me. the investigation felt too linear and easy, especially considering the strict Confucian hierarchy it disrupted. i also wish the psyche and motivation of the killers themselves (Nurse Inyeong and the Crown Prince) were more developed and better explored. while i enjoyed the intense build-up and sequence in the forest, i felt the epilogue wrapped it up a bit too nicely.
overall, it was a light but interesting read that definitely got me out of my end-of-year reading slump. excited for my 2025 reads.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Is there anything so acutely disappointing as a wonderful book that collapses in the final couple of chapters? Hyeon, the illegitimate daughter of a noble lord, has worked hard to establish herself as a palace nurse in mid-eighteenth century Joseon (Korea). Thoroughly decent and brave, Hyeon is thrust into the dangerous world of court politics when four women from her nursing school are murdered, and her mentor and mother-figure is arrested as the prime suspect. Teaming up with police inspector Eojin, Hyeon dives into an investigation that points to the heart of the royal family.
There are many excellent aspects of The Red Palace. I was pleasantly surprised to find a delicate slow burn romance between lowborn Hyeon and lovely Eojin, who is absolutely book boyfriend material. The author does an excellent job at creating the tense, oppressive atmosphere of the royal court, as well as demonstrating Hyeon's delicate political place amongst people with far more power and influence than she could ever hope to wield. As characters, Hyeon and Eojin were both lovely to follow, and I really liked both of them.
No spoilers, but what brings my rating right down is the disappointing ending. The carefully built house of cards collapses, as characters make odd decisions for strange and unexplained reasons. Everything is neatly tied up in a very efficient and honestly quite boring way, with a lot of narrative distance that made me feel as though I was being kicked out of the book too early. You do NOT set up a romance arc like that between these MCs and then have THAT ending. Just, no. How could you?! I thought one ending would be the worst possible one, but actually the reality was worse, because at least if it was painful, it would have been interesting.
absolutely nothing *~*researchy*~* to see here; an ongoing reading list
1. A Study in Scarlet 2.5/5
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles 5/5
3. The Adventure of the Final Problem 4/5
4. Bath Haus 4.5/5
5. The Forest of Stolen Girls 4/5
6. The Red Palace 2/5
There are many excellent aspects of The Red Palace. I was pleasantly surprised to find a delicate slow burn romance between lowborn Hyeon and lovely Eojin, who is absolutely book boyfriend material. The author does an excellent job at creating the tense, oppressive atmosphere of the royal court, as well as demonstrating Hyeon's delicate political place amongst people with far more power and influence than she could ever hope to wield. As characters, Hyeon and Eojin were both lovely to follow, and I really liked both of them.
No spoilers, but what brings my rating right down is the disappointing ending. The carefully built house of cards collapses, as characters make odd decisions for strange and unexplained reasons. Everything is neatly tied up in a very efficient and honestly quite boring way, with a lot of narrative distance that made me feel as though I was being kicked out of the book too early. You do NOT set up a romance arc like that between these MCs and then have THAT ending. Just, no. How could you?! I thought one ending would be the worst possible one, but actually the reality was worse, because at least if it was painful, it would have been interesting.
absolutely nothing *~*researchy*~* to see here; an ongoing reading list
1. A Study in Scarlet 2.5/5
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles 5/5
3. The Adventure of the Final Problem 4/5
4. Bath Haus 4.5/5
5. The Forest of Stolen Girls 4/5
6. The Red Palace 2/5
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced