The Red Palace by June Hur Book Review

 

Title: The Red Palace
Author: June Hur
Publish Date: January 25th, 2022
Publisher: Fiewel & Friends
Source: Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy!

Joseon (Korea), 1758. There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father's approval.

But Hyeon is suddenly thrust into the dark and dangerous world of court politics when someone murders four women in a single night, and the prime suspect is Hyeon's closest friend and mentor. Determined to prove her beloved teacher's innocence, Hyeon launches her own secret investigation.

In her hunt for the truth, she encounters Eojin, a young police inspector also searching for the killer. When evidence begins to point to the Crown Prince himself as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin must work together to search the darkest corners of the palace to uncover the deadly secrets behind the bloodshed.

Penelope's Review

The Red Palace is a historical fiction murder mystery set in 1758 Korea. It's high-stakes, fast-paced, and has many well-developed characters. I'm really trying to broaden my bookish horizons in terms of culture and genre, and I specifically picked this book for that reason. Also, it just sounded really cool lol. Anyway, I'm quite glad I did as this ended up being a very well-written novel and has done a great job of introducing me to a new-to-me author that I will now be on the lookout for!

Our main female lead in this book is Hyeon, a very relatable young woman who, despite some pretty serious parental issues, is fierce, brave, and loyal in her quest to free her mentor. Watching her struggle through her emotions and learn to overcome certain things in regards to her mother and father just made her feel more real to me. And I loved the scope of her intelligence! We also have Eojin, a police inspector who recruits Hyeon for his investigation into the massacre. Eojin was such a joy to read about. He was steady, analytical, and calm in the face of danger. I would describe his character as a cool breeze, and Hyeon's as a winter storm - something I hope will make sense if you decide to pick up this book! Together, they seemed unstoppable. I was a really big fan of the romance in this book - it wasn't overpowering, it was just enough. It came about slowly yet surely, and felt so natural and realistic. Definitely one of my favourite aspects of the book. 

In terms of plot, I think this story was super unique. I loved the true historical elements that the author included and think she did a great job in her research. I found it very cool that the Crown prince was based on an actual person. Despite the massacre happening very early in the book, I found that it perhaps got off to a bit of a slow start - I found that it took me a little bit to really get into the story. Once I did however, I was able to fly through the pages! 

Overall, I think was an excellently written book with fantastic characters and a great storyline. I loved the intricacies involved in solving the murders and loved how all of the threads of this story came together. 

Rating: 4/5 Devils!