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lilyheron 's review for:
The Red Palace
by June Hur
Is there anything so acutely disappointing as a wonderful book that collapses in the final couple of chapters? Hyeon, the illegitimate daughter of a noble lord, has worked hard to establish herself as a palace nurse in mid-eighteenth century Joseon (Korea). Thoroughly decent and brave, Hyeon is thrust into the dangerous world of court politics when four women from her nursing school are murdered, and her mentor and mother-figure is arrested as the prime suspect. Teaming up with police inspector Eojin, Hyeon dives into an investigation that points to the heart of the royal family.
There are many excellent aspects of The Red Palace. I was pleasantly surprised to find a delicate slow burn romance between lowborn Hyeon and lovely Eojin, who is absolutely book boyfriend material. The author does an excellent job at creating the tense, oppressive atmosphere of the royal court, as well as demonstrating Hyeon's delicate political place amongst people with far more power and influence than she could ever hope to wield. As characters, Hyeon and Eojin were both lovely to follow, and I really liked both of them.
No spoilers, but what brings my rating right down is the disappointing ending. The carefully built house of cards collapses, as characters make odd decisions for strange and unexplained reasons. Everything is neatly tied up in a very efficient and honestly quite boring way, with a lot of narrative distance that made me feel as though I was being kicked out of the book too early. You do NOT set up a romance arc like that between these MCs and then have THAT ending. Just, no. How could you?! I thought one ending would be the worst possible one, but actually the reality was worse, because at least if it was painful, it would have been interesting.
absolutely nothing *~*researchy*~* to see here; an ongoing reading list
1. A Study in Scarlet 2.5/5
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles 5/5
3. The Adventure of the Final Problem 4/5
4. Bath Haus 4.5/5
5. The Forest of Stolen Girls 4/5
6. The Red Palace 2/5
There are many excellent aspects of The Red Palace. I was pleasantly surprised to find a delicate slow burn romance between lowborn Hyeon and lovely Eojin, who is absolutely book boyfriend material. The author does an excellent job at creating the tense, oppressive atmosphere of the royal court, as well as demonstrating Hyeon's delicate political place amongst people with far more power and influence than she could ever hope to wield. As characters, Hyeon and Eojin were both lovely to follow, and I really liked both of them.
No spoilers, but what brings my rating right down is the disappointing ending. The carefully built house of cards collapses, as characters make odd decisions for strange and unexplained reasons. Everything is neatly tied up in a very efficient and honestly quite boring way, with a lot of narrative distance that made me feel as though I was being kicked out of the book too early. You do NOT set up a romance arc like that between these MCs and then have THAT ending. Just, no. How could you?! I thought one ending would be the worst possible one, but actually the reality was worse, because at least if it was painful, it would have been interesting.
absolutely nothing *~*researchy*~* to see here; an ongoing reading list
1. A Study in Scarlet 2.5/5
2. The Hound of the Baskervilles 5/5
3. The Adventure of the Final Problem 4/5
4. Bath Haus 4.5/5
5. The Forest of Stolen Girls 4/5
6. The Red Palace 2/5