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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
I was expecting to not like this quite as much as Hur's others given it was her debut, but I ended up being completely drawn in and read it in one sitting. I love that her books are really about complex family dynamics and the mystery is always running parallel to character development. Those are my favorite kind of mysteries. (Also I've learned so much about Korean history because of these!)
3.5 stars. I seem to be in the minority here amongst a sea of 4 & 5 stars (which I am glad to see!) but something about it didn’t capture my interest much. It could be that the state of my health altered my ability to enjoy this novel but the pacing felt off. The writing was well done and I will likely read future publications from June Hur! Especially with a line like the following:
“Evil comes from the unfulfilled need for significance.” ♥️
“Evil comes from the unfulfilled need for significance.” ♥️
I really enjoyed this one! The history surrounding this novel is some that I am unfamiliar with, so I found it interesting. Sadly we can't do half stars. This one is definitely 3.5 stars. I tend to be pretty stingy with my stars.
emotional
informative
medium-paced
Did not finish.
So I've read some reviews of this and people really seem to have enjoyed this. I can understand why...I mean the writing was good and the setting was beautiful but the story is just...so...boring. I can't exactly pinpoint what made it so but I had to drag myself to even complete a chapter and somewhere along the line I had to accept that I didn't particular care about the main character and whatever happens to her.
So I've read some reviews of this and people really seem to have enjoyed this. I can understand why...I mean the writing was good and the setting was beautiful but the story is just...so...boring. I can't exactly pinpoint what made it so but I had to drag myself to even complete a chapter and somewhere along the line I had to accept that I didn't particular care about the main character and whatever happens to her.
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A lot of research went into this book and it shows. However, it affected the execution of the story in regards to the flow/pacing of the story.
I often felt confused by what was happening and I couldn’t quite keep track of what was happening, who the characters were and how they connected to each other; all due to the heavy impact of the historical research.
Bit of a let down as the description was intriguing.
I often felt confused by what was happening and I couldn’t quite keep track of what was happening, who the characters were and how they connected to each other; all due to the heavy impact of the historical research.
Bit of a let down as the description was intriguing.
I've given this book 3 stars but it might be more like 2.75. It was more then okay but I didn't like it all too much.
+Korean history is rich and very interesting and it permeates through this book. Especially with purge of the Catholics.
-Seol is a bit of bland character. She is smart but she is not very interesting.
-Plot twist is quite predictable and the pace is a bit slow.
-It is essentially a murder mystery but it lacks the mystique and thriller(yness) that murder mysteries usually have.
+Korean history is rich and very interesting and it permeates through this book. Especially with purge of the Catholics.
-Seol is a bit of bland character. She is smart but she is not very interesting.
-Plot twist is quite predictable and the pace is a bit slow.
-It is essentially a murder mystery but it lacks the mystique and thriller(yness) that murder mysteries usually have.
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I took my time reading this book, and boy was it worth it. The Silence of Bones follows sixteen year old Seol, a servant indentured to the police bureau, as she assists in the case of a murdered woman. The story explores religion, history, class and family, all woven together in a thrilling and fast-paced plot which had me smiling and then crying.
It was one of those books that I finished and then had to sit and think about it for a few minutes, just brewing over what I had read, and that's how I know it was a good book.
It was one of those books that I finished and then had to sit and think about it for a few minutes, just brewing over what I had read, and that's how I know it was a good book.