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A review by vishaka
The Red Palace by June Hur 허주은
4.0
3.75 stars! This book was definitely an engaging read, with the murder mystery and background romance. I liked Hyeon as a character, with her facing the challenges of being a women “bastard” child in Joseon Korea, along with her life in the palace. I loved how detailed the aspects of Joseon Korean were, with the medical practices, the classes and the social hierarchy, and the murder mystery aspect was great. The plot twists were good, but nothing really shocking.
One thing I didn’t really enjoy was the characters themselves. I found I wasn’t really able to connect with them, which is why when something sad or happy happened I just went “okay, sure”. I liked Eojin, he was sweet and kind but other than that there wasn’t really much depth to him. The pacing was a bit of an issue for me as well. It was fast at the beginning, then slowed down, and then towards the very end it all went super fast and I had to go through it a few times to comprehend what actually happened.
All in all, it was an above average read, and anyone who enjoys historical murder mysteries and slow burn (by which I mean SLOW. BURN.) would definitely enjoy this!
One thing I didn’t really enjoy was the characters themselves. I found I wasn’t really able to connect with them, which is why when something sad or happy happened I just went “okay, sure”. I liked Eojin, he was sweet and kind but other than that there wasn’t really much depth to him. The pacing was a bit of an issue for me as well. It was fast at the beginning, then slowed down, and then towards the very end it all went super fast and I had to go through it a few times to comprehend what actually happened.
All in all, it was an above average read, and anyone who enjoys historical murder mysteries and slow burn (by which I mean SLOW. BURN.) would definitely enjoy this!