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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A gripping mystery, and it was fascinating to learn about women in policing during this era of Korean history. Really looking forward to reading more by June Hur.
”Sometimes monsters are born, but sometimes they are made by an accumulation of hurt.”
Overall this was a really disappoiting book. I went into it expecting completely something else. I've seen so many great reviews for this book, so many people praising it and I was left just disappointed adn mad. I wanted so much more from this story. It's been months since I read it adn I've just now gotten around to reviewing so I'm sorry, but the details are a bit fuzzy at this point.
Buddy read with Mash, Erin, Devika, Charmie and Lacey!!
We are in 1800, Joseon, Korea. Seol, a homesick and an orphan sixteen year old, indentured to the police bureau, is damo (during that time period in Korea man where not alowed to touch women that were not part of their family and a damo helped out with that) and she is tasked with helping a respectable young detective to solve the murder of a noblewoman. During the investigation she finds herself growing closer to the detective, but her loyalty is tested once he becomes the prime suspect of the crime. To find out what turly happened that night, Seol must delve deeper into the murder, but what she may find out may end up being deadly.
The premise was pretty interesting to begin with and in the beginning the book wasn't actually that bad. But as i started to get more into the story and actually understand whta was happening and getting to know the characters, the more and more bored I became.
I hated how inconsiste the characters's personalities were. Seol was at one point really submisive doing everything her superiors (meaning the men in her life) told her too and there were times when somehwho that shy girl was gone and in her place was this character who would do anything, including not respecting anyone, to get her answer. Like what? Where did that come from? I don't udnerstand how she can change personality so fast. It did not make sense. She is not the only character like this, but she is actually the only one I remember details about and can really complain about.
The mystery was extremely predictable. I'm pretty sure I guessed who the criminal was like half way through the book and honestly that person just made sense. They were my first guess and it felt so obvious. I'm not even sure I picked on the foreshadowing or something. That person felt like the only one who could have actually done it. Also the other storyline of Seol trying to find her brother. Once again really predictable and in a way just way too convienient. Why not pick the obvious person right there to be her brother as to not bother more? In the end really annoying and I could have done without this part added to the novel.
The only thing I actually loved about this book were the historical aspects. I cannot exactly talk about how accurate it is since I don't know that much about this historical time period, but from what I've heard and read online I would say it is accurate. One thing is clear though, the author put a lot of time and effort into the aspect of the story and it actually turned out pretty amazing. I loved learning as much as I could take from this book about Korea and that year.
This book was pretty boring. I forced myself to finish it since I was curious to see how right I was with my predictions, but in the end that was really not worth it. I read the last 30% of the book in maybe less than two hours just to be done with it. I read it as fast as possible as I couldn't wait to just be over with it and be a thing of the past. This is sadly a book I cannot recommend and that I will never recommend, but aside my obviosu dislike of this book, I do plan to give this author another chance. I still have faith that I could like her books.
”Death, it was so final. A finality that did not discriminate, stealing both the young and the old, rich and poor.”
Overall this was a really disappoiting book. I went into it expecting completely something else. I've seen so many great reviews for this book, so many people praising it and I was left just disappointed adn mad. I wanted so much more from this story. It's been months since I read it adn I've just now gotten around to reviewing so I'm sorry, but the details are a bit fuzzy at this point.
Buddy read with Mash, Erin, Devika, Charmie and Lacey!!
We are in 1800, Joseon, Korea. Seol, a homesick and an orphan sixteen year old, indentured to the police bureau, is damo (during that time period in Korea man where not alowed to touch women that were not part of their family and a damo helped out with that) and she is tasked with helping a respectable young detective to solve the murder of a noblewoman. During the investigation she finds herself growing closer to the detective, but her loyalty is tested once he becomes the prime suspect of the crime. To find out what turly happened that night, Seol must delve deeper into the murder, but what she may find out may end up being deadly.
The premise was pretty interesting to begin with and in the beginning the book wasn't actually that bad. But as i started to get more into the story and actually understand whta was happening and getting to know the characters, the more and more bored I became.
I hated how inconsiste the characters's personalities were. Seol was at one point really submisive doing everything her superiors (meaning the men in her life) told her too and there were times when somehwho that shy girl was gone and in her place was this character who would do anything, including not respecting anyone, to get her answer. Like what? Where did that come from? I don't udnerstand how she can change personality so fast. It did not make sense. She is not the only character like this, but she is actually the only one I remember details about and can really complain about.
The mystery was extremely predictable. I'm pretty sure I guessed who the criminal was like half way through the book and honestly that person just made sense. They were my first guess and it felt so obvious. I'm not even sure I picked on the foreshadowing or something. That person felt like the only one who could have actually done it. Also the other storyline of Seol trying to find her brother. Once again really predictable and in a way just way too convienient. Why not pick the obvious person right there to be her brother as to not bother more? In the end really annoying and I could have done without this part added to the novel.
The only thing I actually loved about this book were the historical aspects. I cannot exactly talk about how accurate it is since I don't know that much about this historical time period, but from what I've heard and read online I would say it is accurate. One thing is clear though, the author put a lot of time and effort into the aspect of the story and it actually turned out pretty amazing. I loved learning as much as I could take from this book about Korea and that year.
This book was pretty boring. I forced myself to finish it since I was curious to see how right I was with my predictions, but in the end that was really not worth it. I read the last 30% of the book in maybe less than two hours just to be done with it. I read it as fast as possible as I couldn't wait to just be over with it and be a thing of the past. This is sadly a book I cannot recommend and that I will never recommend, but aside my obviosu dislike of this book, I do plan to give this author another chance. I still have faith that I could like her books.
”Death, it was so final. A finality that did not discriminate, stealing both the young and the old, rich and poor.”
4 stars. Picked this debut novel as my read for the Asian Readathon during Asian Heritage Month!
This is my first time teading a book set in historical Korea, & my previous exposure to Korean history was entirely contained within my East Asian Cultures class in university. For that reason, I appreciated that this book is told from the POV of a 16 year old girl because it was a simple but intimate way to frame daily life in Joseon Korea. The rising influence of Western ideas infiltrating Korea from China and the conflicts that sparked were a significant turning point for Korea going into the 19th century and into the modern age.
The central mystery as well as the sub-plots were executed well! A lot of historical fiction mysteries are simplistic, but this kept me on my toes with dribbles of clues. There is a large cast of characters, but I didn't find it too difficult to keep up. Each character was distinct. The climax could've been paced better, but it was still satisfying.
Pretty enjoyable read and an impressive debut overall!
This is my first time teading a book set in historical Korea, & my previous exposure to Korean history was entirely contained within my East Asian Cultures class in university. For that reason, I appreciated that this book is told from the POV of a 16 year old girl because it was a simple but intimate way to frame daily life in Joseon Korea. The rising influence of Western ideas infiltrating Korea from China and the conflicts that sparked were a significant turning point for Korea going into the 19th century and into the modern age.
The central mystery as well as the sub-plots were executed well! A lot of historical fiction mysteries are simplistic, but this kept me on my toes with dribbles of clues. There is a large cast of characters, but I didn't find it too difficult to keep up. Each character was distinct. The climax could've been paced better, but it was still satisfying.
Pretty enjoyable read and an impressive debut overall!
3.5 stars
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It's a venture into genres I don't read a lot of. Most of the historical fiction I read is romance, and I read very little thrillers/mysteries because they're not my favourite thing. But recently, I've enjoyed histrom a lot and wanted to read more historical fiction, plus try to see if I really dislike mysteries of just haven't read a lot of enjoyable, diverse ones.
I still haven't found a thriller/mystery book that satisfies my need for really strong characterization and character interactions (except maybe When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole, who has the romance writer skills for this). I don't think The Silence of Bones works for me on that aspect. I liked Seol and Inspector Han as characters on their own, but their character interactions were meh for me, and a lot of the secondary characters weren't super developed (there were a lot of them, so understandable to some extent!). I liked that the main characters weren't necessarily good people!
I enjoyed the mystery aspect, though! It was intricate, deeply linked both to the setting and time period as well as the characters' more personal stakes. I guessed the two big twists/who-is-who kind of thing, but mostly because it was foreshadowed right (I especially feel like you're able to guess the killer at a great time, not too soon, not too late). I enjoyed trying to piece things together, and you have to be really focused haha, there's a lot going on, but I liked it. I'm generally okay at guessing outcomes in a story, and a lot of YAs that have an element of mystery are easy to guess to me and it doesn't often deter from the story if the book isn't a mystery in itself, but it's nice to have to work for it a bit.
I know a lot of people's main complaint with the book is that it's slow-paced, especially in the first half, and it's true, but slow pacing doesn't bother me much if the characters/setting are compelling enough.
There's a trope I don't like by the end that I didn't understand the point of. I don't want to get into spoilers, but yeah, it made me roll my eyes a bit. I'm generally not a fan of the ending of the book. The mystery is satisfying, I think, the resolution of the more personal stakes for Seol I liked less.
I'm a little ??? at some of the religious elements in this. Like it's purely personal but positive representations of Catholicism don't mesh with me well. It's not like an overtly pro-Catholic narrative, the MC isn't Catholic, but most of the Good Guys who are for equality and stuff are and like *laughs in queer raised in a Catholic family*. The book isn't entirely focused on religious stuff, but a significant portion of the plot and secondary characters have important themes/plot points about the persecution of Catholics in Joseon at the time, so yeah, I know some people like to know about this stuff going into it.
I don't know a lot about Korean history, so this was a nice glimpse into that, though!
I'm definitely going to consider buying The Forest of Stolen Girls sometime soon.
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It's a venture into genres I don't read a lot of. Most of the historical fiction I read is romance, and I read very little thrillers/mysteries because they're not my favourite thing. But recently, I've enjoyed histrom a lot and wanted to read more historical fiction, plus try to see if I really dislike mysteries of just haven't read a lot of enjoyable, diverse ones.
I still haven't found a thriller/mystery book that satisfies my need for really strong characterization and character interactions (except maybe When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole, who has the romance writer skills for this). I don't think The Silence of Bones works for me on that aspect. I liked Seol and Inspector Han as characters on their own, but their character interactions were meh for me, and a lot of the secondary characters weren't super developed (there were a lot of them, so understandable to some extent!). I liked that the main characters weren't necessarily good people!
I enjoyed the mystery aspect, though! It was intricate, deeply linked both to the setting and time period as well as the characters' more personal stakes. I guessed the two big twists/who-is-who kind of thing, but mostly because it was foreshadowed right (I especially feel like you're able to guess the killer at a great time, not too soon, not too late). I enjoyed trying to piece things together, and you have to be really focused haha, there's a lot going on, but I liked it. I'm generally okay at guessing outcomes in a story, and a lot of YAs that have an element of mystery are easy to guess to me and it doesn't often deter from the story if the book isn't a mystery in itself, but it's nice to have to work for it a bit.
I know a lot of people's main complaint with the book is that it's slow-paced, especially in the first half, and it's true, but slow pacing doesn't bother me much if the characters/setting are compelling enough.
There's a trope I don't like by the end that I didn't understand the point of. I don't want to get into spoilers, but yeah, it made me roll my eyes a bit. I'm generally not a fan of the ending of the book. The mystery is satisfying, I think, the resolution of the more personal stakes for Seol I liked less.
I'm a little ??? at some of the religious elements in this. Like it's purely personal but positive representations of Catholicism don't mesh with me well. It's not like an overtly pro-Catholic narrative, the MC isn't Catholic, but most of the Good Guys who are for equality and stuff are and like *laughs in queer raised in a Catholic family*. The book isn't entirely focused on religious stuff, but a significant portion of the plot and secondary characters have important themes/plot points about the persecution of Catholics in Joseon at the time, so yeah, I know some people like to know about this stuff going into it.
I don't know a lot about Korean history, so this was a nice glimpse into that, though!
I'm definitely going to consider buying The Forest of Stolen Girls sometime soon.
I was utterly fascinated by the depiction of 1800 Korea. Before reading this novel, I knew nothing of Korea's 19th century history, and that alone made this book worth reading.
The mystery is detailed with lots of clues planted throughout. For avid mystery readers, there might be too many clues since I predicted the ending long before the reveal. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The ending made sense and was set up well. For readers who aren't as well versed in mysteries, it may be a surprising twist!
Overall, if you love reading historical mysteries, this is a great story! If you enjoy deep character explorations and relationships, a heads up that this story has no romance or heartfelt friendships. I felt so sad for the main character since she doesn't have any close confidantes, nor does she seem to be that close with her family despite her loyalty and love for them.
The mystery is detailed with lots of clues planted throughout. For avid mystery readers, there might be too many clues since I predicted the ending long before the reveal. However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing. The ending made sense and was set up well. For readers who aren't as well versed in mysteries, it may be a surprising twist!
Overall, if you love reading historical mysteries, this is a great story! If you enjoy deep character explorations and relationships, a heads up that this story has no romance or heartfelt friendships. I felt so sad for the main character since she doesn't have any close confidantes, nor does she seem to be that close with her family despite her loyalty and love for them.
I listen to this as an audiobook and while the narration and the performance was OK, the story didn’t interest me.
DNF at 20%
I thought it would be a lot more crime, drama, and a lot less historical drama and I really am not interested. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not a good book and it’s off to the next person on Libby. :)
DNF at 20%
I thought it would be a lot more crime, drama, and a lot less historical drama and I really am not interested. Just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s not a good book and it’s off to the next person on Libby. :)
i really thought historical fiction was not my jam but apparently i was wrong bc this was Exquisite
adventurous
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced