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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
I'm really impressed by Jun Hur's writing style specifically as a YA author so far (this book & The Forest of Stolen Girls) her novels have shown that not only is the plot entertaining, but the development of characters and themes is always so well paced. I'm definitely going to read more of her novels!
I was initially worried that, since this was also a mystery in the Joseon era, it would be too similar to The Forest Stolen Girls, but I was pleasantly surprised by Hur's ability to write another different and entertaining story despite the era being the same.
Hur is pretty nuanced in her approach to women's issues and the struggle with meeting a parent's expectations towards their children. What I loved about the novel is how Hyeon's self-esteem developed throughout the plot. Initially, we see her as someone who does not love herself and is living to please her father, who is very unapproving and misogynistic. Despite her hardworking attitude and attaining the status of a palace nurse, she does not see herself as worthy. There is a quote in the book that describes her struggles as a woman
"To be a boy opened doors that would never open for me, shielded him[her brother] in a way where my own status as a woman had stripped me naked"
As the story progresses and Hyeon unravels the mystery and understands how intelligent she truly is we eventually get an ultimate defiance towards her father. This is one of my favourite scenes because, throughout the whole novel, Hyeon squashed her opinions when her father spoke to her. She finally begins to love herself and who she is when she decides to stand up for herself. When her father tells her she must beg to be forgiven, or he will banish her from his house, she does not succumb to his punishment but decides she will face the consequences
"I'm sorry." I struggled to speak. "But the investigation isn't over yet."
I was like yes!! You go girl!
What's even better is how Hur paces this change. Hyeon doesn't wake up one day and decide her father sucks, but rather she is still scared and afraid of him but knows that she must be true to herself. In many chapters, before the scene where she stands up to her father, she begins to doubt the morality of his actions. It's these doubts that eventually bring the change within her. my favourite example of this is when she speaks to Eojin and comes to the realization that her father was "a man who fell very short of what was good and honourable".
To top things off, all of these rocky and abusive relationships aren't brushed over or forgiven in the end. Hyeon's perspective of her father changes and although she doesn't hate him she also doesn't forgive him.
The last thing I wanna mention is the ROMMANNCE because I loved the relationship between Eojin and Hyeon. They're so cute and it made the story easier to stomach because there were many swoon-worthy moments, that helped break up the seriousness of the mystery. Again Hur's writing makes it so that even when there is angst, between the couple, it's nothing that isn't resolved quite quickly. There's no stupid drama, and both character's actions are true to their upbringing. I loved it.
These are the types of YA novels that are actually worth reading. You go June Hur!
As a fan of Kingdom series, The Red Palace really caught my attention. Of course, there are no zombies or action-packed scenes here. However, the Joseon historical setting blended with a murder case? I’m in!
Though I expected The Red Palace to be more thrilling and dark, the reading experience was still enjoyable. It’s truly easy to read. The historical references and vivid descriptions gave me the feeling of watching a sageuk-mystery K-Drama (okay, now I want this book to be adapted as well). Not gonna lie, I even finished the last half of The Red Palace during a long train trip.
I’ve read plenty of mystery-thriller books. Compared to those, the murder case execution here was simpler. The investigation felt like tracing clues and evidence by getting information from witnesses and people relevant to the case. This type of investigation was easy to follow, though sometimes I couldn’t help but think: “Well, how could these people so easily tell the truth?”
However, I won’t complain too much about it since the writer still managed to keep me constantly wondering about the identity of the real culprit. And I gotta admit, the truth revelation did catch me off guard, though it felt rushed when reaching the climax.
Instead of the murder case, I was more interested with the character development. Hyeon and Eojin’s dynamic added a bright shade of color to the plot itself. I love their equal relationship, and the slow-burn tension??? Have I mentioned that a slight bit of romance in a non-romance novel always makes my heart flutter???
I thought the political-empire intrigue would be the main spotlight of the book. Surprisingly, the story turned into more sentimental side, focusing on parent-child relationships and how impactful family bonds can be in shaping ourselves. Also, reading the author’s note about Prince Sado, the real person who is the basis of this book, makes me want more story from The Crown Prince's side :(
Though I expected The Red Palace to be more thrilling and dark, the reading experience was still enjoyable. It’s truly easy to read. The historical references and vivid descriptions gave me the feeling of watching a sageuk-mystery K-Drama (okay, now I want this book to be adapted as well). Not gonna lie, I even finished the last half of The Red Palace during a long train trip.
I’ve read plenty of mystery-thriller books. Compared to those, the murder case execution here was simpler. The investigation felt like tracing clues and evidence by getting information from witnesses and people relevant to the case. This type of investigation was easy to follow, though sometimes I couldn’t help but think: “Well, how could these people so easily tell the truth?”
However, I won’t complain too much about it since the writer still managed to keep me constantly wondering about the identity of the real culprit. And I gotta admit, the truth revelation did catch me off guard, though it felt rushed when reaching the climax.
Instead of the murder case, I was more interested with the character development. Hyeon and Eojin’s dynamic added a bright shade of color to the plot itself. I love their equal relationship, and the slow-burn tension??? Have I mentioned that a slight bit of romance in a non-romance novel always makes my heart flutter???
I thought the political-empire intrigue would be the main spotlight of the book. Surprisingly, the story turned into more sentimental side, focusing on parent-child relationships and how impactful family bonds can be in shaping ourselves. Also, reading the author’s note about Prince Sado, the real person who is the basis of this book, makes me want more story from The Crown Prince's side :(
I have only read one other book by June Hur and that is ‘The silence of Bones’ and I loved it so much that it made into my top 10 books of 2019. Next, I have been wanting to read other books by her and between ‘The forest of stolen girls’ and ‘The Red Palace’ , I chose the later one because I got approved for the ARC.
‘The Red Palace’ is a YA historical mystery set in Joseon (Korea) 1758 by June Hur. After a massacre involving palace nurses takes place and the crown prince is framed for it, a 17 year old palace nurse Hyeon and 18 year old police inspector Eojin come together to unravel the case and clear up Crown Prince’s name.
The most interesting thing about this book is that it is inspired from the real life story of Prince Sado of Joseon and the tragic relationship he had with his father.
The one thing I must say is that June Hur definitely knows her work ! The setting is so vivid that it immediately transports you, the murder mysteries are always twisted and difficult to figure out who the real killer is. The red palace delivers in a similar fashion. I felt immediately transported to the palace full of conspiracies and betrayals.
And this is also the first book where June Hur has incorporated romance and I didn’t hate it? I am not a big romance fan but I could definitely see it working out here.
Overall, the book is fast paced and addictive, I read it in two days ! But despite that being said, I think I liked ‘The silence of Bones’ a little more than this one. I really can’t point my finger as to why but yeah, hence I will be removing a star from my rating.
If you like secrets and court intrigue, murder mystery and Korea based historical setting than definitely check this one out !
‘The Red Palace’ is a YA historical mystery set in Joseon (Korea) 1758 by June Hur. After a massacre involving palace nurses takes place and the crown prince is framed for it, a 17 year old palace nurse Hyeon and 18 year old police inspector Eojin come together to unravel the case and clear up Crown Prince’s name.
The most interesting thing about this book is that it is inspired from the real life story of Prince Sado of Joseon and the tragic relationship he had with his father.
The one thing I must say is that June Hur definitely knows her work ! The setting is so vivid that it immediately transports you, the murder mysteries are always twisted and difficult to figure out who the real killer is. The red palace delivers in a similar fashion. I felt immediately transported to the palace full of conspiracies and betrayals.
And this is also the first book where June Hur has incorporated romance and I didn’t hate it? I am not a big romance fan but I could definitely see it working out here.
Overall, the book is fast paced and addictive, I read it in two days ! But despite that being said, I think I liked ‘The silence of Bones’ a little more than this one. I really can’t point my finger as to why but yeah, hence I will be removing a star from my rating.
If you like secrets and court intrigue, murder mystery and Korea based historical setting than definitely check this one out !
Readable and decently well plotted, although perhaps a bit too nuanced/convoluted for its own good. I finished the back 2/3rds of this novel in one big gulp over the course of an afternoon, which felt good after several weeks in which I have struggled to focus enough to finish any one book.
Definitely looking forward to the author’s future output!
Definitely looking forward to the author’s future output!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
the pacing was a bit off, but I liked the murder-mystery and characters!
the pacing was a bit off, but I liked the murder-mystery and characters!
3.5
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“Everyone must choose the paths they will walk on. And when you choose, remember to count the cost.”
[b: The Red Palace|56978115|The Red Palace|June Hur|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1616437004l/56978115._SY75_.jpg|84477339] is a bloody YA mystery with strong central characters and a compelling setting. Hyeon is a likable, intelligent protagonist with an interesting internal conflict with her family. The resolution of her estranged relationships with her mother and father is quite satisfying. Plus, her budding romance with Eojin is sweet. I flew through this book. It would make an excellent period drama onscreen. I'm not sure if it's been optioned for a film/show, but I'll be seated if one airs.
Where this book fumbles is in its execution of the mystery. Considering that the Crown Prince is based on a historical figure, thus inspiring the novel, his character is severely underdeveloped. The idea of a royal figure getting away with being a serial killer is a great premise. However, there's little intrigue about him. I wish Hur leaned more into the parallels between Hyeon and the Prince. Both are unable to please their fathers, their fates are restricted because of it. Also, there's a whole plotline about how Hyeon looks just like the prince's dead sister, but that doesn't really go anywhere??? I'm quite disappointed about that.
Otherwise, I had an easy time flipping through this. I'll probably check out Hur's other books down the line. They make for a spooky evening of reading.
------
“Everyone must choose the paths they will walk on. And when you choose, remember to count the cost.”
[b: The Red Palace|56978115|The Red Palace|June Hur|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1616437004l/56978115._SY75_.jpg|84477339] is a bloody YA mystery with strong central characters and a compelling setting. Hyeon is a likable, intelligent protagonist with an interesting internal conflict with her family. The resolution of her estranged relationships with her mother and father is quite satisfying. Plus, her budding romance with Eojin is sweet. I flew through this book. It would make an excellent period drama onscreen. I'm not sure if it's been optioned for a film/show, but I'll be seated if one airs.
Where this book fumbles is in its execution of the mystery. Considering that the Crown Prince is based on a historical figure, thus inspiring the novel, his character is severely underdeveloped. The idea of a royal figure getting away with being a serial killer is a great premise. However, there's little intrigue about him. I wish Hur leaned more into the parallels between Hyeon and the Prince. Both are unable to please their fathers, their fates are restricted because of it. Also, there's a whole plotline about how Hyeon looks just like the prince's dead sister, but that doesn't really go anywhere??? I'm quite disappointed about that.
Otherwise, I had an easy time flipping through this. I'll probably check out Hur's other books down the line. They make for a spooky evening of reading.
(It's been a little since I finished The Red Palace, so I'm sorry this review is sparse.)
One of my favorite things about historical fiction is learning about unfamiliar time periods and places. And I love getting to do that with June Hur's books. The Red Palace is set in 1700s Korea, and Hur did her research, letting the reader learn about the time and culture.
The mystery was well-crafted and paced. I didn't figure out who the killer was, but I'm horrible at solving mysteries.
One of my favorite things about historical fiction is learning about unfamiliar time periods and places. And I love getting to do that with June Hur's books. The Red Palace is set in 1700s Korea, and Hur did her research, letting the reader learn about the time and culture.
The mystery was well-crafted and paced. I didn't figure out who the killer was, but I'm horrible at solving mysteries.