Reviews with content warning for Death - Молчание костей

The setting and time period—I have never before read anything set in Korea in 1800
The mystery aspect
How the story highlighted some interesting women who lived/worked in male-dominated arenas
How some of the characters were actually real historical figures

Didn't like as much:

How some of the minor characters weren't developed enough to be very differentiable
How complex the plot sometimes got (or maybe that was just me?)

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shadereads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad 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? No

4.25

It took about half the book for me to be drawn in, but when it happened I really enjoyed it. The narrator, Seol, was fantastic as the main character, as she was gutsy, bright, headstrong and resourceful. I wasn't expecting the political and religious complexity that this book delivered, which added intriguing layers to the murder mystery. I also liked that on top of the murder mystery, there was a supporting personal mystery surrounding Seol's brother, as this really padded out the plot. Overall, the thriller had all the grittiness of a modern-day crime drama, which I loved. The third act in particular was incredible, and the resolution was satisfying. However, because I couldn't get into this book for its entire first half, I decided to rate it only 4.25 stars.

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not_machiavelli's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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translove's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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library_kb's review against another edition

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dark informative mysterious slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was a really interesting mystery, but don't expect thriller pacing--it is much more focused on setting and character than the plot. Yet, there is so much going on that I couldn't help but keep listening, especially as more and more was revealed about the main character's background. I especially enjoyed the exploration of how religion (in this case Catholic) and culture intersect and conflict with each other. It won't be a mystery for everybody, but if someone who has enjoyed books like Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson and No Shame No Fear by Ann Turnbull will like this one.

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pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Great debut. Thrilling until the end and I did not suspect the killer. Was also very immersive and informative about 1800s Korea.

CW: Religious persecution

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