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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
This murder mystery takes place in period of history I knew nothing about, 19th century Korea. I’d recommend it if you’re interested in historical fiction. The plot was fairly convoluted for a YA novel. It did hold my interest though.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
Actual rating: 2.5 stars
I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Review originally posted on my blog, Turning Pages.
I love historical mysteries. If there is one genre I can easily read back-to-back without getting tired of it, it’s that one. When I first heard about The Silence of Bones, I smashed that “want to read” button so hard the keys went flying off my laptop keyboard. The cover alone is beautiful and haunting, and so is the book.
Let’s face it, a lot of historical mysteries – particularly those that take place in the 1800s – are set in England. A vast majority of those set in England are centred around London. I love England, and I love London. But that’s ignoring the rich cultures and histories in other countries. Learning about Joseon was amazing. Class, gender, religion, and more added so much depth and richness to the story. It made it shine.
The characters and the setting are fascinating and compelling. Seol is such a captivating character, one who’s fighting to be heard in a time when women, particularly those who are indentured, are often silenced. Her interactions with those around her and the people she meets throughout the book were riveting. So many of the characters contrasted each other so I really felt like we got a well-rounded cast of characters.
So you might be wondering at this point why my rating isn’t higher, and it mostly comes down to the fact that the writing style was not my cup of tea. I felt it was at times disjointed, and for me that detracted from the plot and the characters. The prose didn’t flow but, rather, it stumbled. And so I struggled with the book. I think the other thing that frustrated me is the secondary mystery. I personally didn’t like the way it wrapped up because it made something that’s a big factor of what drives Seol seem almost unfulfilled in a way that didn’t benefit the story.
I may not have loved the writing style or the resolution of the secondary mystery, but I really did enjoy the history, the characters, and the murder mystery. Just because it didn’t end up working out for me, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it! I’ve seen countless rave reviews, so that should prove how good this book is. I hope you add it to your tbr, read it, enjoy it.
I received a finished copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Review originally posted on my blog, Turning Pages.
I love historical mysteries. If there is one genre I can easily read back-to-back without getting tired of it, it’s that one. When I first heard about The Silence of Bones, I smashed that “want to read” button so hard the keys went flying off my laptop keyboard. The cover alone is beautiful and haunting, and so is the book.
Let’s face it, a lot of historical mysteries – particularly those that take place in the 1800s – are set in England. A vast majority of those set in England are centred around London. I love England, and I love London. But that’s ignoring the rich cultures and histories in other countries. Learning about Joseon was amazing. Class, gender, religion, and more added so much depth and richness to the story. It made it shine.
The characters and the setting are fascinating and compelling. Seol is such a captivating character, one who’s fighting to be heard in a time when women, particularly those who are indentured, are often silenced. Her interactions with those around her and the people she meets throughout the book were riveting. So many of the characters contrasted each other so I really felt like we got a well-rounded cast of characters.
So you might be wondering at this point why my rating isn’t higher, and it mostly comes down to the fact that the writing style was not my cup of tea. I felt it was at times disjointed, and for me that detracted from the plot and the characters. The prose didn’t flow but, rather, it stumbled. And so I struggled with the book. I think the other thing that frustrated me is the secondary mystery. I personally didn’t like the way it wrapped up because it made something that’s a big factor of what drives Seol seem almost unfulfilled in a way that didn’t benefit the story.
I may not have loved the writing style or the resolution of the secondary mystery, but I really did enjoy the history, the characters, and the murder mystery. Just because it didn’t end up working out for me, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it! I’ve seen countless rave reviews, so that should prove how good this book is. I hope you add it to your tbr, read it, enjoy it.
dark
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:
Yes
God how I wanted to give this 4 stars so bad but I'm rounding this up to a 3.5/3.75 stars
I loved the historical setting, the atmosphere of the book, and the mysterious plot but I feel like the characters were lacking. I wanted more development and insight into who they were and I felt as if the book needed to be longer to truly flesh them out so I can be more invested in them, particularly Seol and Inspector Han. There are PLENTY of references to the past and as important as past events is to this story, they aren't implemented well enough for me to have a full understanding of what was happening. I think full chapters or passages should have been devoted to flashbacks. I wanted to know more about Seol's upbringing and her life beyond the few references that she made.
Regardless I was still rooting for these characters and the ending even managed to tear me up (as if it takes much). Would LOVE to see this adapted to film or tv.
I loved the historical setting, the atmosphere of the book, and the mysterious plot but I feel like the characters were lacking. I wanted more development and insight into who they were and I felt as if the book needed to be longer to truly flesh them out so I can be more invested in them, particularly Seol and Inspector Han. There are PLENTY of references to the past and as important as past events is to this story, they aren't implemented well enough for me to have a full understanding of what was happening. I think full chapters or passages should have been devoted to flashbacks. I wanted to know more about Seol's upbringing and her life beyond the few references that she made.
Regardless I was still rooting for these characters and the ending even managed to tear me up (as if it takes much). Would LOVE to see this adapted to film or tv.
I loved this so much (despite my general meh-ness about historical fiction)--it made me think about Shusaku Endo's Silence, as it dealt with the complexities of Christianity's introduction/spread in an East Asian culture.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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:
Complicated
Believable characters, very interesting setting, Historical YA Mystery done very well. The Plot kept me guessing with good pacing.
felt like this could have been a bit shorter but i enjoyed it nevertheless.
adventurous
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated