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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.
I like historical fiction, especially about times and places with which I’m unfamiliar. This was great to read for those reasons. The mystery, on the other hand, I felt was a little weak. Over all I still liked it, but it might have been better without the mystery.
I think my problem is that there was so much focus on the red herrings it became irritating. I guess the author was playing the long game, and it did connect and have a solution, but it was still tiring to be stuck on this one thread when I knew that wasn’t the answer. I wasn’t surprised by the reveal and I feel maybe things dragged at the end. I also think that the narrator was maybe in scenes just because she was the narrator. I don’t know the culture, but it seemed weird she would be spoken to as an equal by so many. They allowed her to be in places or she pushed herself into scenes when she really shouldn’t have been there.
That said, I did enjoy reading about the culture and history. It wasn’t something I knew anything about before this. I read the author’s notes and saw that real historical figures were included and their fates were faithfully portrayed. I like that.
So I don’t know, the mystery felt weak but the history had me engrossed and fascinated. Take that for what it’s worth.
I like historical fiction, especially about times and places with which I’m unfamiliar. This was great to read for those reasons. The mystery, on the other hand, I felt was a little weak. Over all I still liked it, but it might have been better without the mystery.
I think my problem is that there was so much focus on the red herrings it became irritating. I guess the author was playing the long game, and it did connect and have a solution, but it was still tiring to be stuck on this one thread when I knew that wasn’t the answer. I wasn’t surprised by the reveal and I feel maybe things dragged at the end. I also think that the narrator was maybe in scenes just because she was the narrator. I don’t know the culture, but it seemed weird she would be spoken to as an equal by so many. They allowed her to be in places or she pushed herself into scenes when she really shouldn’t have been there.
That said, I did enjoy reading about the culture and history. It wasn’t something I knew anything about before this. I read the author’s notes and saw that real historical figures were included and their fates were faithfully portrayed. I like that.
So I don’t know, the mystery felt weak but the history had me engrossed and fascinated. Take that for what it’s worth.
“There is one lesson all who enter the capital will learn: evil comes from the unfulfilled need for significance.”
16-year-old Seol is a damo, lower than even the slaves of Korean society. Her circumstances have led to her indentured servitude with the police bureau, where she is the only one permitted to touch the bodies of female murder victims. Her quick thinking has led to an unlikely bond with a popular inspector — but as more bodies are discovered, suspicion casts a shadow over the man she has come to respect. Will Seol’s curiosity be their savior, or their undoing?
I’ve been trying to pinpoint why this book didn’t do it for me, and I think it comes down to the author trying to do too much; it’s her debut novel, and it shows. This is a story about gender, class, religion, and the clash of old and new. There are a lot of characters, most of which felt so uniformly bland that I had a hard time differentiating them. The afterward clued me into the historical context that Hur seems to be most fascinated by, but it just made me think she should have either focused on that or written a police procedural that covered the other elements of the story. It’s labeled YA but I’m not really sure why — perhaps because the main character is 16 and there are some themes related to family. The premise lured me in, but the execution left much to be desired.
Give this a try if you like your YA dark and don’t mind a messy plot.
16-year-old Seol is a damo, lower than even the slaves of Korean society. Her circumstances have led to her indentured servitude with the police bureau, where she is the only one permitted to touch the bodies of female murder victims. Her quick thinking has led to an unlikely bond with a popular inspector — but as more bodies are discovered, suspicion casts a shadow over the man she has come to respect. Will Seol’s curiosity be their savior, or their undoing?
I’ve been trying to pinpoint why this book didn’t do it for me, and I think it comes down to the author trying to do too much; it’s her debut novel, and it shows. This is a story about gender, class, religion, and the clash of old and new. There are a lot of characters, most of which felt so uniformly bland that I had a hard time differentiating them. The afterward clued me into the historical context that Hur seems to be most fascinated by, but it just made me think she should have either focused on that or written a police procedural that covered the other elements of the story. It’s labeled YA but I’m not really sure why — perhaps because the main character is 16 and there are some themes related to family. The premise lured me in, but the execution left much to be desired.
Give this a try if you like your YA dark and don’t mind a messy plot.
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought this book was really well written. It did take me quite a while to get into it because of the 1800 Joseon setting, which made it harder for me to understand the world in which Seol lives. However, when I did manage to really get into it it was quite a fast read.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While I enjoyed the historical atmosphere, I find the mystery aspect rather lacking. It is quite frustrating when as a reader you realise something and it takes the characters so long to do the same.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It's about the journey
There are several mysteries woven into the plot. I'm the kind of person who tries to let themselves be surprised, but I could see where several plot threads we're going, just the same. That didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story. I found it easy to sympathize with the main character and easy to understand her willing blindness to some of the clues in front of her. She wants to believe the best in people who show her kindness. It's an endearing trait. At the same time, she's deeply curious and suspicious.
And mainly, I was intrigued by a story set in a time and place in history I'm not familiar with. I am conflicted about the way some of the historical events resolve around the edges of the story, but it's not a big issue.
Overall, I would recommend it!
There are several mysteries woven into the plot. I'm the kind of person who tries to let themselves be surprised, but I could see where several plot threads we're going, just the same. That didn't lessen my enjoyment of the story. I found it easy to sympathize with the main character and easy to understand her willing blindness to some of the clues in front of her. She wants to believe the best in people who show her kindness. It's an endearing trait. At the same time, she's deeply curious and suspicious.
And mainly, I was intrigued by a story set in a time and place in history I'm not familiar with. I am conflicted about the way some of the historical events resolve around the edges of the story, but it's not a big issue.
Overall, I would recommend it!