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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really, really struggled to get through this one. I found the writing extremely amateurish in a number of ways: the characterization, way information was revealed, the way seemingly random details were emphasized in physical descriptions when they weren't particularly important, as though the author had just thought of a cool poetic phrase she really wanted to use. Multiple people have told me her later books are much better; this is her debut novel and I think her writing was not really ready for professional publication yet, honestly.
I just skimmed the end of the book to get a sense of what happened, so I don't feel like I can say I read it in full. I was extremely done by that point though.
I just skimmed the end of the book to get a sense of what happened, so I don't feel like I can say I read it in full. I was extremely done by that point though.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Historical murder mystery set in 1800 Joseon. It leans more towards police procedural with political intrigue going on in the background, but I enjoyed it a lot. Very atmospheric, can be quite dark at times, and a bit slow at the beginning but picks up about halfway through the book. It definitely has that unique beauty in subtlety that only Asian fiction or authors have, even during the most dramatic parts.
As far as main characters go, this is an excellent example that a strong female main character doesn't have to be literally physically strong with a strong (read: rude) attitude and without any flaws whatsoever. Seol's interactions with Inspector Han were so good even if in a not-exactly-wholesome way, and the nature of their relationship makes the ending terribly bittersweet.
Also, no romance here. Just family drama. A lot of it.
As far as main characters go, this is an excellent example that a strong female main character doesn't have to be literally physically strong with a strong (read: rude) attitude and without any flaws whatsoever. Seol's interactions with Inspector Han were so good even if in a not-exactly-wholesome way, and the nature of their relationship makes the ending terribly bittersweet.
Also, no romance here. Just family drama. A lot of it.
Kroppar återfinns mördade och mutilerade. Polismyndigheten är korrumperad. Minst en polisman har personliga kopplingar till brotten. Kvinnor behandlas som lägre stående inom organisationen.
Den boken har en läst förr.
Men här utspelar sig historien i 1800-talets Korea, huvudperson är en indentured servant och förföljelser och folkmord på katoliker ligger i luften.
Den boken har i alla fall inte jag läst förr.
Den är dessutom välskriven och alldeles uppenbart välresearchad, och även om pacingen känns lite hackig ibland (vändningar/insikter kommer lite för snabbt och opåkallat) hålls intresset uppe boken igenom. Blandningen "det här har man läst förr" och "det här var ju påhittigt" är kul, och bidrar till betyget. Den sista stjärnan satte jag dock när jag såg att författaren är debutant, för det hade jag inte riktigt gissat. Bra jobbat!
Den boken har en läst förr.
Men här utspelar sig historien i 1800-talets Korea, huvudperson är en indentured servant och förföljelser och folkmord på katoliker ligger i luften.
Den boken har i alla fall inte jag läst förr.
Den är dessutom välskriven och alldeles uppenbart välresearchad, och även om pacingen känns lite hackig ibland (vändningar/insikter kommer lite för snabbt och opåkallat) hålls intresset uppe boken igenom. Blandningen "det här har man läst förr" och "det här var ju påhittigt" är kul, och bidrar till betyget. Den sista stjärnan satte jag dock när jag såg att författaren är debutant, för det hade jag inte riktigt gissat. Bra jobbat!
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-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
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I didn't think this was going to capture me the way it did. It's feminist and historical and interesting in ways I didn't expect when I read page 1. Surprise!