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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I really dug this book for the first 3/4s...but I thought it dragged on a little long and I wasn't thrilled with the ending. The narration was beautiful, though, and the plot was fascinating.
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a really good mystery and a great debut! I could barely put it down and it was the perfect rainy day read.
Set during Korea's Joseon dynasty, this novel – part murder mystery, part family intrigue – introduced me to a part of Korean history that I knew absolutely nothing about. While the characters were well fleshed-out and there was enough suspense to keep my interest, the story definitely lagged in some parts and I found my attention drifting at times. Nevertheless, still an enjoyable casual read.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I dunno if those of you reading this review have heard or read about Oedipus and his story. That's full of incest shit and stuff but one thing that link that ancient Greek myth and this book set in 1700s Joseon aka Korea is that both books have protagonists on a relentless, obsessive pursuit of truths that almost/fully destroy their lives in the end. Oedipus's ending was indeed tragic. I can assure while the ending of TSoB is bittersweet, it has tons of tragic undertone beneath. From the beginning to the end, I was also relentlessly pursuing a mystery that left me breathless in the end. Despite the book being June's debut, you can tell she knows her stuff and she's been writing and practicing and honing her craft for a long time, something she also must be pursuing relentlessly and achieving successfully without a doubt. I finished it in less than 24 hours after starting it. You bet I'll gobble up her next book too.
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Interesting read about a (to me) new time in history!
Quite complex characters, which I like.
Quite complex characters, which I like.
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
slow-paced