This was such a lush, fully-realized, thrilling historical mystery. I learned a lot about Korean history and culture through the page-turning plot, and I was so invested in the outcome!

I was hoping I'd enjoy this book but I just realized that this genre does not work for me. I am sure someone else would enjoy it if they are a fan of the genre.

I'm very torn on this one.

On the one hand, it's very well written. I adore the writing style and how easy it was to suck me in. I loved the characters and the world. Hur's historical Korea is expertly crafted and so vivid and the passion for that is so clear on every page.

But on the other hand I just didn't find the story very interesting ...

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

This was an excellent book that kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not figure out where it was going. Highly recommend!

There is so much to like in this Joseon Era Korean YA historical fiction novel. I love the time period and the setting. Hwani returning to the small village in which she grew up to try to solve two mysteries is an incredibly compelling premise. I didn't feel that the pace of the story was quite as compelling as the concept, as it felt slow at a number of points. But I was interested enough to finish the story and find out the heart of both mysteries. I really loved the relationship between Hwani and her sister, and I was very into the commentary on gender roles throughout the novel. I will recommend this book to teens that I work with, though I think it will be too slow for a good many of them to persevere through.

Absolutely loved it! A mystery mixed with Korean history in the island of Jeju. Sprinkled with a troubling sibling relationship with a dark past because of their father. I really enjoyed every page of this nook. An excellent mystery that transports you to 1426.
Full review on my YouTube channel.

I really like the concept of this book and the themes of bodily autonomy, family, and grief. However, the story itself fell short for me. I didn't find myself drawn to the characters or eager to solve the mystery.

Set in 1426 Korea, The Forest of Stolen Girls focuses on a village in a small island where girls are mysteriously disappearing and the only clue is stories of a man in a white mask. Hwani is a young women set on solving the mystery as well as uncovering where her father disappeared to while he was investigating the crimes. Hwani seeks the help of her estranged sister Maewol and they struggle to reconcile their loyalties and memories of their father.

Maewol was my favorite character. Her sister is brash, independent to fault and jumps to conclusions. Maewol is brave, forgiving and a source of wisdom throughout the book. She was a good counterbalance to our narrator Hwani.

The story had timely and thought provoking commentary on the use and abuse of women's bodies by controlling men. There was also beautiful imagery. The character development and forming strong feelings towards characters was lacking for me. It may be a book for others but did not make my list of favorites.

Have you ever held off reading a book because you were so excited to read it and by the time you got around to it, it wasn’t as amazing as you expected it to be? That’s how I felt about this months pick. I rated The Forest of Stolen Girls a 6.43 on the CAWPILE scale which equates to a 3 out 5 stars. Even though this is not a second book in a series, The Forest of Stolen Girls had second book syndrome for me. I’ll go more into detail in a bit but while I absolutely loved June Hur’s prose and the atmosphere of the story, like the plot alone kept me in my chair reading it from start to finish until 1am, the character development of Hwani and her sister just felt very flat to me and I never got to a point in the story where I cared what happened to them. If character development is not a priority for you or a reader in your life, this might be one to definitely check out because the plot and interconnecting subplots were absolutely amazing.

4.5 rounded up

This historical novel has all the elements of a great detective story (clues, lots of suspects, red herrings,etc.), in a setting and time period that is not often shown in YA fiction published in the U.S. Hwani, the daughter of a detective teams up reluctantly with her estranged sister, Maewol, to find their well-known and missing father, Detective Min. It is Joseon (Korea) in 1426 and in the area where they live, girls are disappearing. Sightings of a person with a mask is seen around the time of some of the disappearances. Hwani and her sister were part of such a sighting when they were younger.

The sisters have been separated for a time and after some contentious conversations, come to an agreement to find their father. He seems to have been looking into the case of the missing girls. Maewol is a shaman's companion, while Hwani was learning the art of detecting from their father. At the same time, the latter has to live up to the obligations of women of her community which includes marriage and family. Refreshingly, there is no romance in this tense mystery as they are very much dealing with life and death.

Thanks to Feiwel and Friends and NetGalley for the e-galley. I listened to the released audiobook and read along in several areas for this review. My reviews and ratings are my own.

CW: physical abuse/girls and women kidnapped and forced into a type of slavery which is implied to include sexual assault (not on page)/murder/death of a parent

What a fun YA thriller! I'm realizing that I love thrillers that have more substance, and that dive deep into some interesting themes while also keeping the mystery growing on the side.

This time I was transported in 1426 Joseon Era Korea, specifically in Jeju Island. The setting is such a big part of the story! Makes the whole book so atmospheric, with descriptions of the forest, the mountains, the weather, and everything else that felt just as important to the story as the actual mystery.

I have to say I'm glad we quickly dropped the 'girl dressed as a guy trope! I believe the fact that she handled this mystery as herself made me empathize even more with her. Min is definitely a flawed character, but I feel like these flaws are a mix of her time and the beliefs, and normal flaws any young woman has. It made her endearing to me, and I loved the moments she was brave.

The other aspect I loved so much was the importance of family and the complexities explored in it. We spent as much time discovering the layers between the two sisters and their relationship with their father as we did on the mystery.

In conclusion, this is os much more than just a thriller. It is an incredible story mixing in family drama and the exploration of not only this interesting culture in Jeju Island but also this horrible moment in Korean history where young girls 'went missing'. I definitely recommend you read the historical notes from the author to learn more about her inspiration and the historical facts.

A young woman disguises herself as a man to look for her missing father. She visits the sister she hasn’t seen in five years and there’s still much animosity between them. The sisters have a history in the forest. When they were younger, they were lost and then found unconscious in the midst of a crime scene. Now the sisters work together to find out what’s happened to their father after he went searching for thirteen missing girls in the forest. The mystery surrounding the missing girls and their father twists and turns until the sordid truth is unraveled. Based on the forced sacrifices of young women of Korea around the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the historical aspects are the most fascinating parts of the story and the danger builds suspense. 3.5 stars!

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

a beautifully written book that held my attention from start to finish. I adored the writing, the mystery, the characters. June Hur's books are intriguing and this definitely made me want to keep reading.

Jane Hur knows how to write a hood book with mistery and everyone should read. This one is good, painful; it's a surprising book. I recommend this.

Unfortunately, I really didn't connect with the characters or the story. i really wanted to enjoy it especially because the atmosphere and setting were really well done. However, I found myself not caring about the characters and I didn't feel any sense of urgency when reading. I wanted this experience to be un put downable but it just lacked something for me that I can't really explain.

I understand that this was a slower paced mystery but there were just so much dialogue and not enough plot moving forward in my opinion. I'm genuinely sad that I couldn't get past the 50% mark because I did have a good feeling about the book before I picked it up. For now, it's just being put away and maybe one day I'll come back to it with a clearer head and better idea but for now, I think it's safe to say this book just wasn't for me at this time.

This was a cute and fun read - nothing too exciting and unique, but I still had a great time. The characters are likeable and the overall story was quite great.

I love this cover and the vibes it gives. There was so much to these characters and I would have enjoyed a bit more from them.

Overall, this was a solid and fun read.

As a fan of history, I really enjoyed this book! It felt like I was watching one of those historical K-Dramas which made it even more intriguing and created this pull to find out what was going to happen next as well as trying to solve the mystery with her. I went and purchased June's first book after reading this one!

Joseon (Korea), 1426: The year of the crown princess selection when young women like Hwani should be dreaming of entering the palace as a princess. Hwani has never been interested in marriage or the selection process.

Instead, she is crossing the sea to travel to Jeju, a penal island of political convicts. Her childhood home.

Months ago, Hwani's father made the same journey. He didn't return.

Detective Min went to the island investigating the disappearance of thirteen girls--disappearances that might be tied to the forest incident--an event so traumatic that Hwani has blocked out all but the barest details.

Coming back to the island will bring Hwani face to face with her estranged younger sister, Maewol, for the first time in years. In their search for the truth, both sisters will have to confront buried memories from their past and the island's dark secrets in their search for the truth in The Forest of Stolen Girls (2021) by June Hur.

Hwani's efforts to find her missing father and solve his last case contrast well with the smaller story of her own difficulties in deciding how to balance societal conventions with her own dreams and goals. Hwani's tentative reconnection with her sister--who has been left alone on the island for years to train with the local shaman--adds further depth and tenderness to this thoughtful story.

An author's note at the end demonstrates Hur's thoughtful research for this novel while contextualizing the story here into the larger context of Korean history.

The Forest of Stolen Girls is a tense and atmospheric mystery that is both well-plotted and nuanced. Recommended.

Possible Pairings: Mirage by Somaiya Daud, Splinters of Scarlet by Emily Bain Murphy, Wicked Like a Wildfire by Lana Popovic, The Beast is An Animal by Peternelle Van Arsdale, The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters

*An advance copy of this title was provided by the publisher for review consideration*

This was such a fantastic historical mystery that left me thinking about it for days after. Hwani was a wonderfully complicated main character. I enjoyed learning more about historical Korean customs. I'd love to see more books published along this same vein.