standalone review | june hur: the silence of bones & the forest of stolen girls & the red palace

Hello everyone! June Hur has been a must read author of mine since The Silence of Bones, her debut novel, because of the unique setting of Joseon. For now, her specialization is murder mysteries in historical fiction settings which I absolutely love. A Crane Among Wolves is coming out soon and I’m definitely picking that up ASAP.

Navigate through this post with the titles below:
🦴 The Silence of Bones | 🌳  The Forest of Stolen Girls | 🩸 The Red Palace

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The Silence of Bones by June Hur

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Standalone
Published April 21st 2020 by Feiwel & Friends
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Representation: Korean

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Synopsis:

I have a mouth, but I mustn’t speak;
Ears, but I mustn’t hear;
Eyes, but I mustn’t see.

1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.

As they delve deeper into the dead woman’s secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.

But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.

Goodreads

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trigger and content warnings:

• violence | murder | misogyny | mention and description of animal abuse | mention and description of suicide

• taken from june hur’s goodreads

Told that her brother was buried at a mass site in Hanyang, Seol traveled there to find his grave. As an indentured servant in the police department, Seol’s tasked with crimes involving women. While she might be a police damo, this class of servants is considered low ranking. If they aren’t required to investigate crimes, police damo work as attendants to serve tea and handle miscellaneous tasks.

Based on Confucius’ law, males can’t touch women they aren’t directly related to. When a victim of a murderer turned out to be female, Seol became involved. Set in 1800 in Joseon Dynasty, the system forbids her from looking at her male superiors in the eye. Seol navigates this by recognizing body language and the tone of voices when people spoke.

“When we believe, we hold on to what we think is true. But when we have a conviction, that truth holds on to us.”

Inquisitive and curious, Seol’s mind kept her smart and aware of everything around her. Oftentimes, it does land her in tough situations when she started asking more questions and slowly inched near to the truth. While she used her wits when encountering dangers, I wished Seol communicated more because as her suspicions grew, though not without merit, felt like she just jumped to conclusions without concrete evidence.

As someone who likes true crime, the murder mystery got my head spinning because there was no knowing who the true killer was and why they would be committing such heinous crimes. June Hur took inspiration from real-life history to create the backdrop of the murders in the Joseon Dynasty. She flawlessly depicted the unyielding social structure that emphasized the purity of bloodlines and tradition for some while others are more open-minded. When foreigners and in extension, their religion, started to proliferate through the country, many were determined to prevent that but others were rebelling. June Hur achieved this without making the book overly political which I appreciated.

“Be brave and do what is right. For the weary and the frightened, create a paradise on the cold bones of this earth.”

June Hur has an immersive writing style. I could easily imagine myself in 1800 Korea. She laid a great amount of background for the religious aspect in The Silence of Bones, something that I didn’t think I would encounter. I couldn’t believe what I was reading at the end. Definitely wasn’t expecting myself to keep mumbling “what the heck” with silent tears rolling down my face. I just couldn’t.

spoilers!!!!!!

i did predict that the police officer she was close with was her brother but WHAT THE HECK, HE DIED!? like seol just realised inspector han was her brother, AND HE DIED!!!! omg my heart was shattered.

My conclusion is: what a spectacular murder mystery novel by June Hur! It’s her debut and it’s already so freaking good? I can’t wait for more.

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Navigate through this post with the titles below:
🦴 The Silence of Bones | 🌳  The Forest of Stolen Girls | 🩸 The Red Palace

🌳🌳🌳

The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur

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Standalone
Published April 20th 2021 by Feiwel & Friends
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Representation: Korean cast

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Synopsis:

Hwani’s family has never been the same since she and her younger sister went missing and were later found unconscious in the forest, near a gruesome crime scene. The only thing they remember: Their captor wore a painted-white mask.

To escape the haunting memories of this incident, the family flees their hometown. Years later, Detective Min—Hwani’s father—learns that thirteen girls have recently disappeared under similar circumstances, and so he returns to their hometown to investigate… only to vanish as well.

Determined to find her father and solve the case that tore their family apart, Hwani returns home to pick up the trail. As she digs into the secrets of the small village—and reconnects with her now estranged sister—Hwani comes to realize that the answer lies within her own buried memories of what happened in the forest all those years ago.

Goodreads

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🌳🌳🌳

Let me just say how extremely happy I am that June Hur is writing books that are set in Joseon, Korea, one of the periods that I absolutely adored watching on screen and that now I could read about. Add the fact that she’s currently focused on the mystery genre, I’m just excited for what may come out next. I already know Red Palace would be amazing.

Back to the review of The Forest of Stolen Girls, I’m in love. Min Hwani’s perspective was incredibly fun to read. Without the availability of technology in that period, Hwani could only rely on her gut instincts and the existing evidence to narrow down the scope of her investigation.

Driven to find out about her own father’s disappearance, Hwani heads back to their old hometown where her sister, Min Maewol, is living with the local shaman. Following the footsteps of her detective father, Hwani realizes that her father’s disappearance is intricately linked to the thirteen missing girls of the village, and the forest in which Maewol and her almost went missing years ago.

Set in 1426, the year of the crown princess selection, June Hur brought in the real-life history of the period when beautiful, young ladies were prepared to enter the palace. Instead of it being on the mainland, The Forest of Stolen Girls is in Jeju which has a sort of mystical and atmospheric feeling.

“But there are two types of people… Those that retreat and huddle together like frightened birds, overwhelmed by the darkness of this kingdom, and those that grasp their freedom to struggle on the behalf of others, their eyes fixed on a great light that will always shine for those who seek it.”

From the years she has lived with her father, Hwani learned some detective skills but still, as an amateur, there were some things that she would overlook. When Hwani starts narrowing down on suspects, she often would stubbornly narrow into certain details instead of looking at the bigger picture and reflecting on the facts and evidence she had, showing her lack of experience.

Having lived apart for so long, the sisters are estranged. Maewol resents her father for leaving her behind which Hwani didn’t understand. Unable to communicate, the two sisters often bump heads and couldn’t handle their differences. Despite the animosity that has festered between them, Maewol and Hwani still loved each other a lot. Their care is seen from the moments when Maewol refuses to let Hwani investigate alone and when Hwani would do anything to save her sister from danger.

It’s safe to say that I will support June Hur for the rest of her writing career. Not just because I loved the setting but how seamlessly she incorporates Korea’s history into her books. Similar to The Silence of Bones, I felt like I was fully immersed in the plot trying to figure out the mystery and solve the crime with the main characters. It’s a wonderful feeling to have especially for someone who seeks books for escapism and a trip back in time.

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Navigate through this post with the titles below:
🦴 The Silence of Bones | 🌳  The Forest of Stolen Girls | 🩸 The Red Palace

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The Red Palace by June Hur

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Standalone
Expected publication: January 25th 2022 by Feiwel & Friends
Age Range: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance
Rep: Korean

Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

Synopsis:

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.

Goodreads

Buy the Book*

🩸🩸🩸

Received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to June Hur and the publisher!

Nurse Jeongsu, Hyeon’s mentor, is accused of murdering the four women at the Hyeminseo. To clear her teacher’s name, Hyeon steps into the dangerous path of court politics, personal grudges, and bloodshed. Malicious rumor spreads that the Crown Prince is the actual killer instead. Without any power, Hyeon finds herself a pawn to the royals.

To enter the palace means to walk a path stained in blood. There will be bloodshed. I only hope it will not be yours. 

Born of a lowly concubine, the desire to surpass all her father’s expectations fuelled her drive to study and achieve the highest possible position for her status. As a newly-appointed nae-uinyeo, female physician, in the palace, one wrong move and Hyeon might just mysteriously end up six feet under (or anchored down in a pond). Her bravery and need to clear her mentor’s name helped her throughout the book. Hyeon’s medical knowledge and practice proved that she’s an incredible nurse. Her attention to detail assisted in finding clues that an average person might miss out on.

While chasing evidence, Hyeon meets Eojin, a police inspector, who was on the search for the truth. Although Eojin is Hyeon’s better, in terms of social status, he freely asked her to voice her opinions about the crimes. They communicate about the situation openly without any hesitation.

“I dislike being around people for too long. But when I am with you… I never feel the need to be someone I am not.”

When June Hur mentioned that The Red Palace had romance, imagine the glee on my face. I couldn’t believe it since she has mentioned in passing before that she doesn’t really do romance in books. After reading The Red Palace, I can tell you that June Hur knows how to keep me on tenterhooks with the blossoming romance between Hyeon and Eojin aka the one table scene. And all the touching which wasn’t allowed due to Confucian morality. The little touch of their hands or holding the waist. MAKES ME HAPPY. Also, got to mention Jieun. What an awesome wingwoman.

“Revenge begets revenge; the anger is unquenchable. We become the monsters we are trying to punish. Justice, however, brings closure, and that is what I want. It can only be achieved by remaining sober-minded and rational.”

Once again, June Hur captured my attention right from the beginning. The sleeping hours that I lost were definitely worth it. You know when a book leaves you a lasting impression when you still think about it the moment you wake up. The Joseon era is one of the periods that I’m fascinated in Korean history. It’s a popular era that many dramas are based on. One word in and I’m teleported into the world.

“The first time I met you, I don’t think I quite knew,” he said softly, looking back at me, “what a surprise you would become to me.”

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