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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
medium-paced
murder mystery set in historical korea. would give points for the writing + setting but mystery was hard to follow and not so interesting. bonus point that you really couldn’t tell who the murderer was until they revealed it, but the reveal was lackluster. but i guess it was good in the sense of how they crafted the mystery. i felt like the whole plot line of her and her brother could make do without or at least a smaller part of it. interesting character though. her curiosity which was her downfall eventually became her strength. i think the book would have just been a lot better if they cut some parts out.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really enjoyed how interconnected every piece was. Everything served a purpose without giving too much away as to the identity of the killer and the story held my attention well. My only complaint is that it was all very stream of consciousness and tended to ramble some.
*This book was given to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*
This book was really enjoyable and the author did an amazing job telling the story. It is a Korean historical mystery that takes place in Korea during the 1800s and there are few books in the world like this. The author's writing was beautiful because it wasn't so dark but it was. (Hard to explain.) The author didn't just focus on making it a mystery/thriller book but also making sure the main character, Soel, developed friendships on the way and to help find her home. This book talks about honor, trust, and friendships.
The characters in this book were written well and the main character developed a lot throughout the book. Soel, is a 16-year-old girl who is trying to speak out and be heard that she can do things men could do. Along with the investigation, she is trying to find her older brother and risk her life solving the murder mystery. There are other supporting characters as well like Inspector Hans who develops a friendship with Soel.
This book had a good pacing in the beginning but it was a little rushed at the end. This book was enjoyable to read and I do recommend it.
This book was really enjoyable and the author did an amazing job telling the story. It is a Korean historical mystery that takes place in Korea during the 1800s and there are few books in the world like this. The author's writing was beautiful because it wasn't so dark but it was. (Hard to explain.) The author didn't just focus on making it a mystery/thriller book but also making sure the main character, Soel, developed friendships on the way and to help find her home. This book talks about honor, trust, and friendships.
The characters in this book were written well and the main character developed a lot throughout the book. Soel, is a 16-year-old girl who is trying to speak out and be heard that she can do things men could do. Along with the investigation, she is trying to find her older brother and risk her life solving the murder mystery. There are other supporting characters as well like Inspector Hans who develops a friendship with Soel.
This book had a good pacing in the beginning but it was a little rushed at the end. This book was enjoyable to read and I do recommend it.
Really enjoyed this intriguing mystery.
Spoiler
But the ending though! A heartbreaker!
2.5⭐️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRYQOT75xxs&t=940s
The writing style for this book was so interesting. It almost read like it was translated and I think part of it has to do with the fact that Hur is intimately part of two cultures (mostly languages). I enjoyed reading about this time period but the latter half of the book got really boring for me and I did not like the ending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRYQOT75xxs&t=940s
The writing style for this book was so interesting. It almost read like it was translated and I think part of it has to do with the fact that Hur is intimately part of two cultures (mostly languages). I enjoyed reading about this time period but the latter half of the book got really boring for me and I did not like the ending.
dark
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
On paper, this book should have been a home run. A murder mystery? A lovingly researched historical setting? An eerie, haunting atmosphere? A YA without romance?
And yet... it was just all right. It didn’t grab me. I read it, lightly enjoyed it, and would 100% read another book the author wrote - such was the quality of the work - but at the end of the day, the mystery itself just wasn’t that compelling to me. I didn’t really have an emotional stake in solving Lady O’s death. The setting? Oh yeah, fascinating. The main character? Relatable, impulsive, intelligent.
I’m mad I didn’t love this. It just felt very slow to me. I hope other readers get more out of it than I do.
And yet... it was just all right. It didn’t grab me. I read it, lightly enjoyed it, and would 100% read another book the author wrote - such was the quality of the work - but at the end of the day, the mystery itself just wasn’t that compelling to me. I didn’t really have an emotional stake in solving Lady O’s death. The setting? Oh yeah, fascinating. The main character? Relatable, impulsive, intelligent.
I’m mad I didn’t love this. It just felt very slow to me. I hope other readers get more out of it than I do.
Earlier this year I read [b:The Story of Hong Gildong|25810328|The Story of Hong Gildong (Penguin Classics)|Unknown|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445792183l/25810328._SY75_.jpg|45666333] and Silence of Bones was a good companion to that, in that both stories had a character who was a son, but not the son of the first or favored wife, and therefore could not be recognized in Korean society; these less-favored sons each took a completely different path in his own book though. Coincidentally, both books also featured a story of the birth of someone extraordinary, but the outcomes of these two characters were completely different.
I enjoyed learning about the damos, the female police investigators, and I wish we had seen Seol helping with some other cases before being flung straightaway into this bizarre murder mystery.
I am terrible at following the threads of suspicion and evidence, and I'm notorious for forgetting about the alibis and red herrings, so mystery isn't really my preferred genre, but I enjoyed the setting and the characters so much that I like to leave a good rating anyway.
I enjoyed learning about the damos, the female police investigators, and I wish we had seen Seol helping with some other cases before being flung straightaway into this bizarre murder mystery.
I am terrible at following the threads of suspicion and evidence, and I'm notorious for forgetting about the alibis and red herrings, so mystery isn't really my preferred genre, but I enjoyed the setting and the characters so much that I like to leave a good rating anyway.