The Red Palace
Ratings23
Average rating4.2
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.
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
really wanted to read this because it reminded me of dae jang geum aka jewel in the palace and i loved that kdrama as a kid, and i just wanna say i am very satisfied :)))))
june hur's writing is incredibly vivid and immersive. i need more.
Thank you Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for the e-ARC! This has not influenced my review one way or the other.
Ahhhh I love Hur's books so much. They're atmospheric and twisty, but they also get into cultural and societal aspects of historical Korea without drowning the reader in facts. Plus they're just straight-up good mysteries. The Red Palace lived up to expectations and exceeded them, even giving readers a touch of romance without it becoming a distraction to the story.
- Loved the royal intrigue and palace politics in this book
- Getting a chance to see what women's lives are like between 1400-1800 Korea is really neat; there are surprisingly more professions women may pursue than you would think
- All of Hur's books are standalones so you don't need to read them in order
This is a well-plotted mystery with a strong, strong MC. And the complexity of character relationships intermeshed with the mystery and suspense of the plot was done really well. I will say this book is more plot-driven than it is character-driven, but the characters were not necessarily lacking, they just were not focused on as much as the plot. Well developed setting, though, and still good characters, making the book a suspenseful mystery I enjoyed.
