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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
There's probably something here. I want to like it. But it's failing to hold my attention at all and it's a murder mystery, which is normally my go to slump-buster. I'm going to put it down, but I may try again.
"The dead are gone, yet we live in their shadows."
representation: Korean (own voices)
[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]
★★★★.5
THIS WAS SO GOOD.
Firstly, the ATMOSPHERE and the SETTING were so well done. I could picture everything so clearly in my head (although this may be because I've watched so many historical k-dramas lol).
Secondly, the MYSTERY was so well done and constantly kept me guessing.
Thirdly, almost every other chapter had a plot twist so I was constantly on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out whether the reveals were reliable or not.
And lastly, I just had a great time reading this. It was quick and fun while also tackling darker themes at the same time.
trigger warnings: death, murder, loss of loved ones, mention of dying of starvation, mentions of suicide, being branded, sexism, classism, injured animals and animal death, torture and imprisonment, physical and verbal abuse, slavery, PTSD.
representation: Korean (own voices)
[trigger warnings are listed at the bottom of this review and may contain spoilers]
★★★★.5
THIS WAS SO GOOD.
Firstly, the ATMOSPHERE and the SETTING were so well done. I could picture everything so clearly in my head (although this may be because I've watched so many historical k-dramas lol).
Secondly, the MYSTERY was so well done and constantly kept me guessing.
Thirdly, almost every other chapter had a plot twist so I was constantly on the edge of my seat, trying to figure out whether the reveals were reliable or not.
And lastly, I just had a great time reading this. It was quick and fun while also tackling darker themes at the same time.
trigger warnings: death, murder, loss of loved ones, mention of dying of starvation, mentions of suicide, being branded, sexism, classism, injured animals and animal death, torture and imprisonment, physical and verbal abuse, slavery, PTSD.
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not for me. Too slow, too confusing, and i didn’t get the reunion i was hoping for
Such a refreshing read!!!!!!!! i've been on the edge with ya for the past year or so. i've enjoyed a few contemporaries when i was in the mood for them but every other ya genre kept on disappointing me, i'm so happy koreadathon made me read this!!
the historical setting was really interesting and so atmospheric. i think the mystery was well woven, it kept me on the edge of my sit and i quite enjoyed the story.
the historical setting was really interesting and so atmospheric. i think the mystery was well woven, it kept me on the edge of my sit and i quite enjoyed the story.
2022 Reading Challenge #37: A Murder Mystery
Never did I think a mystery writer would be my favorite author, but here I am, deciding to autobuy all of June's books from now on. I loved TFOSG and now I've absolutely loved TSOB, too. I feel like with The Forest of Stolen Girls, it was a little more difficult to figure out the murderer, but that was also her second novel so it makes sense. This one I probably also would not have figured out except for a tiny clue that I picked up on at the very beginning of the novel. However, that did not ruin the story for me, it only made me so much more excited to figure out if I was right or not. I've also determined with this novel that I am not a plot-driven or character-driven reader, but an atmospheric reader. June is fantastic with atmosphere, and I think that's what draws me into her stories so much. Then, you add in how great she is at building the characters and plots and wow, you've got the perfect stories. 5/5 stars I can't wait to read the Red Palace when it arrives.
Never did I think a mystery writer would be my favorite author, but here I am, deciding to autobuy all of June's books from now on. I loved TFOSG and now I've absolutely loved TSOB, too. I feel like with The Forest of Stolen Girls, it was a little more difficult to figure out the murderer, but that was also her second novel so it makes sense. This one I probably also would not have figured out except for a tiny clue that I picked up on at the very beginning of the novel. However, that did not ruin the story for me, it only made me so much more excited to figure out if I was right or not. I've also determined with this novel that I am not a plot-driven or character-driven reader, but an atmospheric reader. June is fantastic with atmosphere, and I think that's what draws me into her stories so much. Then, you add in how great she is at building the characters and plots and wow, you've got the perfect stories. 5/5 stars I can't wait to read the Red Palace when it arrives.
dark
mysterious
tense
This is at least a quick read for me, though I don't think I liked this as much as I would have wanted to. It held my attention enough to finish this in two sittings and the plot is quite intriguing, but I find the protagonist Seol quite frustrating at times, which made me reluctant to root for her. I've read another one of June Hur's book, The Red Palace, and I can see some patterns with her protagonists. Both impulsive and thoughtless, their own curiosity bigger than them that most of the time it's putting them in danger and both sticking their noses where it don't belong. I liked that they're trying to do something that women couldn't possibly do in that period, being brave and seeking justice on their own, but there's a limit to it and that's not something they realized most of the time.
Each decision you make, you will look back to it one day and you’ll realize that it took something out of you, never to be replaces.
And Seol learned this the hard way.
If we're talking about the atmosphere, the historical setting depicted here is amazing that I can visualized it like I'm watching a historical Kdrama. The plot is slow and a little dragging at times, which highlighted the things I don't like about Seol. It's still entertaining, though, overall. It's just that I expected more but it didn't quite deliver.
Each decision you make, you will look back to it one day and you’ll realize that it took something out of you, never to be replaces.
And Seol learned this the hard way.
If we're talking about the atmosphere, the historical setting depicted here is amazing that I can visualized it like I'm watching a historical Kdrama. The plot is slow and a little dragging at times, which highlighted the things I don't like about Seol. It's still entertaining, though, overall. It's just that I expected more but it didn't quite deliver.
Poorly written and boring as all hells. May give it another crack to see if it picks up but probably not. DNF.
the atmosphere and setting were great (especially easy to picture if you’ve watched any period kdramas!), but everything else was a little lacking and convenient and ultimately forgettable? the sheer amount of time it takes seol to finally realize who her long lost brother is was beyond frustrating, not to mention you can’t even really try to guess who the real murderer is because we’re thrown maybe a couple of extremely vague clues that only make sense once you get a bunch of backstory towards the end as seol learns it herself. so when the real killer is revealed, it’s just like, “oh, okay, so it was this person who had barely any page-time, cool.” the book also has a pretty pro-catholic bent, which i wasn’t a fan of.
