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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
DNFing is self care ❤️
I knew I didn’t mesh well with the writing style from the beginning. The concept was amazing tho.
Dnf at page 129
I knew I didn’t mesh well with the writing style from the beginning. The concept was amazing tho.
Dnf at page 129
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you Colored Pages Tours and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange of my opinion.
CW: murder, slight gore, misogyny, and sexism
The Red Palace is my first June Hur book, and I absolutely loved it! I am a big fan of historical fiction, especially if they have a mystery storyline. From the very beginning, the mood is set for the rest of the book, and you can see that the story is wrapped in mystery and tension. Hyeon, the main character, is a palace nurse, who quickly discovers that her dream job can turn into a nightmare. She finds herself tangled up in the web of political and palace intrigue, that features a cunning concubine, tongue-tied coworkers, and a prince with a dark secret straight out of a horror film. I was rooting for Hyeon and her journey to justice throughout the whole book, and I loved unraveling the mystery of who was the murderer with her. It was not too confusing, but that didn’t make it predictable, and I appreciate that so much. The family dynamics, especially the discussion of family relationships and how they affect us, were spectacular and left me heartbroken and emotional. All of this, combined with Hyeon’s personality, her wit, her flaws, and her strengths, made her a very solid character that I loved. The romance in the book was subtle but no less adorable. I was grinning and giggling with their interactions and little romantic gestures here and there. Another thing that I loved about this book was how compelling the writing was, and how I could see the whole story play in my head like a film. Overall, this was a fantastic book and I cannot recommend it enough. If you enjoy murder mysteries, political intrigue, complex family dynamics, the main character you will root for and adore, and a dash of romance, The Red Palace might be the perfect book for you. I’m so excited to read more June Hur books, as this author has turned into one of my auto-buy authors!
CW: murder, slight gore, misogyny, and sexism
The Red Palace is my first June Hur book, and I absolutely loved it! I am a big fan of historical fiction, especially if they have a mystery storyline. From the very beginning, the mood is set for the rest of the book, and you can see that the story is wrapped in mystery and tension. Hyeon, the main character, is a palace nurse, who quickly discovers that her dream job can turn into a nightmare. She finds herself tangled up in the web of political and palace intrigue, that features a cunning concubine, tongue-tied coworkers, and a prince with a dark secret straight out of a horror film. I was rooting for Hyeon and her journey to justice throughout the whole book, and I loved unraveling the mystery of who was the murderer with her. It was not too confusing, but that didn’t make it predictable, and I appreciate that so much. The family dynamics, especially the discussion of family relationships and how they affect us, were spectacular and left me heartbroken and emotional. All of this, combined with Hyeon’s personality, her wit, her flaws, and her strengths, made her a very solid character that I loved. The romance in the book was subtle but no less adorable. I was grinning and giggling with their interactions and little romantic gestures here and there. Another thing that I loved about this book was how compelling the writing was, and how I could see the whole story play in my head like a film. Overall, this was a fantastic book and I cannot recommend it enough. If you enjoy murder mysteries, political intrigue, complex family dynamics, the main character you will root for and adore, and a dash of romance, The Red Palace might be the perfect book for you. I’m so excited to read more June Hur books, as this author has turned into one of my auto-buy authors!
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillion for an advanced copy!
I have not really gotten into YA Mysteries, but the setting of this novel (18th Century Korea) was really intriguing. All of the characters were fascinating. I loved learning more about palace life and the nurses, as well as the social hierarchy of the time. The setting made this story both unique but also relatable in that most of us have a good concept of how nurses and the police work together and move through society.
Overall, the heroine's attempt to solve the mystery with the help of a plucky policeman felt like a story that could be transcribed in most times and places, but I loved how the author wrote about Korea, providing a level of detail that helped provide context to this ignorant reader, but not so much that it felt like I was reading a treatise on palace customs and the social hierarchy of 18th Century Korea (which I would absolutely read, but that wasn't the point of this book!). Using the social norms to create tension between the nurse and the policeman was great and I appreciated how it drove the romance storyline without feeling false.
The mystery at times felt a little unbelievable (would a prince really be a mass murderer?) but the author's note at the end was helpful and regardless, I found the mystery compelling and almost wish we had gotten to see more of how the different players at the palace fit into everything. At times it felt like some aspects of the plot were picked up and forgotten when convenient, but it wrapped up nicely and in a way, I didn't completely see coming. I appreciated how the author wove Korean culture into the mystery's resolution and explained it (since it was not obvious to people not familiar with the language).
An interesting book, I would definitely read more from this author.
I have not really gotten into YA Mysteries, but the setting of this novel (18th Century Korea) was really intriguing. All of the characters were fascinating. I loved learning more about palace life and the nurses, as well as the social hierarchy of the time. The setting made this story both unique but also relatable in that most of us have a good concept of how nurses and the police work together and move through society.
Overall, the heroine's attempt to solve the mystery with the help of a plucky policeman felt like a story that could be transcribed in most times and places, but I loved how the author wrote about Korea, providing a level of detail that helped provide context to this ignorant reader, but not so much that it felt like I was reading a treatise on palace customs and the social hierarchy of 18th Century Korea (which I would absolutely read, but that wasn't the point of this book!). Using the social norms to create tension between the nurse and the policeman was great and I appreciated how it drove the romance storyline without feeling false.
The mystery at times felt a little unbelievable (would a prince really be a mass murderer?) but the author's note at the end was helpful and regardless, I found the mystery compelling and almost wish we had gotten to see more of how the different players at the palace fit into everything. At times it felt like some aspects of the plot were picked up and forgotten when convenient, but it wrapped up nicely and in a way, I didn't completely see coming. I appreciated how the author wove Korean culture into the mystery's resolution and explained it (since it was not obvious to people not familiar with the language).
An interesting book, I would definitely read more from this author.