ayling 's review for:

The Red Palace by June Hur

2.0

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It was an enjoyable read, but it felt like it was lacking in a few places. It felt a bit too repetitive at times with a lot of show don't tells, but also some where it should have been a tell. At some point, it started to feel more like a romance first, mystery second rather than a mystery first. At the beginning, it felt like it was setting up more for a second novel rather than just a single. The character descriptions of their lives were okay to say the least. It was a little underwhelming, I couldn't find myself caring for her mentor as she had so described. Her mother also took quite a turn for the best so randomly that it felt out of place. There being an Epilogue and an Extra Epoligue seems a bit unnecessary in the way it was structured. The Epilogue should have just been Chapter 20 and the Extra should have been the single Epilogue, but that's just a bit of a nitpick. The reveal scene was really nice, the descriptions and the depravity were good to see.