Atmospheric, mysterious and suspenseful... Hur is able to captivate readers into a veil of mystery, coating the plot with well-researched historical elements. I am always passionate about her historical aspects and THE RED PALACE delivers politics, murder, conspiracies, familial intrigue and game of power. I thought that her writing got even better and made me more invested. Furthermore, I found the romance on point and endearing.
I am looking forward to Hur's future titles.

The Red Palace follows Hyeon, a palace nurse which is a position of esteem for a low-born girl. However, one night four women are murdered, and her mentor is the prime suspect. With the help of up and coming Inspector Eojin, they work together to uncover the truth of these grisly murders.

Loosely based on a true story, June Hur paints a vivid picture of mid-1700s Korea. I am generally not a reader of historical fiction, but I have been known to like YA historical fiction. This one does not disappoint, The characters, especially Hyeon and Eojin come to life in the best of ways and the setting it so rich it can almost be felt, and the mystery is a good one, all while illustrating the struggles of the lower class.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC. I enjoyed this book.

Historical mystery is one of my favorite historical fiction subgenre and The Red Palace, set in 1758 Korea, presented something more unique and unexplored. I couldn't wait to dive into the book but I did not anticipate wanting to immerse myself entirely in June Hur's gorgeous prose. I'm writing this review in 2021 and I already know that The Red Palace is a contender for one of my favorite YA books of 2022.

The book opens up with a massacre of four women. Our protagonist, Hyeon, a palace nurse, is forced into the face of danger when she begins a solo investigation to clear the prime suspect's name, her old mentor. Along the way, she teams up with a palace inspector, Eojin, who is also on the lookout for the killer. The two find themselves on a treacherous path that is neither is willing to abandon.

Reading The Red Palace was a mesmerizing experience for many reasons but primarily because of the historical Korean setting. I consume a lot of Korean media (HELLLO, k-drama addict here!), but sadly, I am ignorant when it comes to knowledge of Korean history - or any history, come to think of it. I've always been somebody who LOVES learning (which explains why I'm still in school a bazillion years later), and though I read to escape the learning, it's always brings me genuine pleasure to learn even a tidbit of something through books. June Hur mentions in her author's note how one of the characters in this book, Crown Prince Sado, is a real historical figure. Of course, she took artistic liberties with the characterization here (ones that I thought were respectful), but I still felt like I learned something because most of is grounded in reality.

I also loved how the mystery aspect of the book progressed. It's hard to speak about it because I think it would be very easy to spoil, so I'll just let you know that it wasn't what I predicted. Kudos to June Hur for throwing me off my scent! It progresses at a decent pace and add in the political intrigue and drama, the book ends up serving exactly what it promises. I was eager to get to the end and for once, I did not cheat and read the last page first!

Finally, I want to touch on the characters here in The Red Palace. Hyeon and Eojin are both terrific. They are both quietly strong characters and I could see why they worked so well as a team. There is a romance between the two and I would describe it as gentle. It's not the focus of the book but it simmers in the background and June Hur does not disappoint with the tender and romantic moments between the two.

The Red Palace is my first book from June Hur and what a stellar introduction that was. I will certainly have to dive back into her backlist! For now, I highly recommend this one to readers who enjoy a good historical mystery!

Content notes: graphic descriptions of murder, violence

Relationship disclosure: None

This is my first time reading a June Hur book and while I’m kicking myself for not picking up her works from earlier, I’m so so glad I loved The Red Palace. Like come on, this book pushed me out of my reading slump and made me a June Hur fan, I can now proceed to read her other two Korean historical mysteries!!

The Red Palace follows Baek-hyeon, a palace nurse whose mentor is wrongly accused of a massacre and to clear her name she teams up with the police inspector Seo Eojin. Together they work to get to the root of it all and discover dark secrets, even when the evidence points to the Crown Prince himself. I was really excited for this ever since it was announced, and when the cover dropped I knew I had to read it. And well, you can see what my I liked so much about it below!

page turning mystery
Usually, mysteries are a hit or miss for me. I would need shocking reveals, relevant themes or simply a good mysterious atmosphere for me to end up loving it. There’s something about Hur’s writing that kept me turning pages, as Hyeon and Eojin start to investigate, and I was transported to that time in Joseon, figuring out the murderer, sneaking into places or travelling through fields and the palace. Its simple enough to draw you into Hyeon’s POV and then keeps you invested in the action, the depth of the historical mystery as well as the cruel reveals. I might have had my suspicions of the real murderer but the satisfaction of seeing it play out through Hur’s writing as well as the bittersweet epilogue that concludes Hyeon’s character arc.

all the historical kdrama feels
As someone who has loved the historical kdramas such as Mr. Sunshine, My Country: The New Age, Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung and Kingdom, reading The Red Palace was almost like seeing a kdrama come to life. The politics, the setting (1758 Joseon Korea!!), the cultural descriptions and the character motivations, they’re brought to life SO well I couldn’t help but be hooked. Even the prevalence of class system in those times, the glaring mistreatment of the lower born by the higher class, is efficiently incorporated.

I really loved reading about the inspiration behind this book —which is Crown Prince Sado and his tragic downward spiral and death. I found myself down the rabbit hole of reading articles about him and I could see how Hur stayed true to the known facts—an abusive father, psychological stress and the violent behaviour. His story isn’t the main focus here because as Hur specifies in her newsletter as well as the Author’s Note that she doesn’t plan to suggest people with mental health issues as dangerous but I think she portrayed the instances of his life authentically, forming the perfect backdrop to the story. Its as if we’re seeing him through a lens that’s close enough to show us his dire circumstances but far enough to not know the complications, which is through Hyeon’s character.

compelling main characters
Nurse Hyeon, the main character, is a determined and brilliant character. I loved her relentless pursuit of and her skill in the profession, despite being faced with the hardships of being from a lower class in a patriarchal society. I could very much relate to her desperate attempts of pleasing her father and being good enough for her family. But at the same time she was attached to her sense of justice and love for her mentor and mother figure. And so she hunts for the truth, despite being reminded of the risks and unfairness of the justice system. Its incredible how her character is developed in such less pages. I also really loved the complex relations she has with her parents, and the easy friendship with her fellow nurse Jieun.

And then of course, there’s my sunshine (with a sad past), flustered boy Seo Eojin, also striving for justice. I just really love how he doesn’t overshadow Hyeon but steps up as an equally intellectual partner. He’s a comforting character to be honest.

royal inspector x palace nurse pairing
Though the romance is very subtle, almost a back burner, their dynamic was highlighted so well. Their teamwork is excellent—both have guts and brains, Eojin being from a higher class and Hyeon being the eyes and ears of the palace, their slow descent from strangers solving a crime to becoming genuine partners—you can tell I love them both dearly. It didn’t take away the attention from the main mystery at all but served as a perfect subplot to further the story and the stakes.

Did I mention a slow burn romance?? Oh boy their ship was so gentle and slowly but sweetly developed over the course of them pursuing answers. I’m a total sucker for the lovers from different classes trope and the trope where the characters only team up for personal benefits but grow to enjoy each other’s company. Hur employed some great tropes to build the relationship between these two!!

The Red Palace also deals with grief and loss and how people react to it. There are multiple instances where characters have lost something or someone important to them and their reactions are brought forward validly—be it as vengeance, as fuel to not lose anything else further or simply grieving. Its a really great plot point, as it brings out the traits in Hyeon as well as our culprit.

So, in case if it wasn’t already clear, you all have to be excited for and love The Red Palace when it releases in 2(!!) months. Fans of historicals, murder mysteries with a dash of romance, palace intrigue will definitely enjoy this engagingly written standalone. I’m so eager to reread this one day and experience Hyeon and Eojin’s story again.

A very kind thank you to the author for my e-ARC.

I had read the author's previous two books that I had purchased with so much joy that I almost wept. The Silence of Bones was thrilling, eerie, and atmospheric. The Forest of Lost Girls is simply unforgettable with the strong female lead, a vivid setting at my favorite place in the world aka Jeju Island, and a story that was as compelling as it was emotional. I expected the author's third novel to be as great, but The Red Palace is not simply great; it's outstanding.

Hyeon is such a powerful character. She's not the demanding or loud kind of person. She discovers what she wants and strives to achieve it. People tell her she shouldn't, she didn't need to, but Hyeon wants, and when she wants, when she cares, she fights. I was truly mesmerized by her. She's relatable, she's likeable, and my "issue" was that I rooted for her too much. 😅

Eojin, Eojin, my sweet, quiet, shy boy. Oh how I love him. I loved him from the first time we met him in the book. He's intelligent and competent, and he's smart enough to realize when he needs help. Eojin was hurt before, and he's a little closed off. He has this calm aura around him, and I found his character both comforting and beautiful.

The Hyeon/Eojin duo was Teamwork at its finest. They really complemented each other as crime solvers and um, you know. Their development from strangers to partners to "friends" ++ was believable, immersive, and you felt like you floated in the air around them. Overall, if you want full immersion, read this author's books. She takes reader's immersion to a whole new level.

The plot was twisty, unpredictable, and quite imaginative. The author was inspired by the life and death of Crown Prince Jangheon (aka Crown Prince Sado), and his story is remembered as one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). The author has done her research, as usual, and the authenticity shows.

The setting was vivid. I felt like I was there in Joseon. Like I said above, if you want an immersive and atmospheric setting, look no further than this author's work.

The Red Palace is simply one of a kind, a prized jewel among historical mysteries and mysteries, in general. Hyeon and Eojin as individuals and as a crime solving duo were the heart of this book, and it glowed like a magical sunset. The plot was suspenseful, always keeping me hanging. I LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS BOOK. It took me so long to be able to express my love in a coherent text. I did my best.

In case I haven't fully conveyed it before, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THE RED PALACE.

**I don't have enough thank you's in the few languages I can say it in to express my gratitude to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group and Feiwel & Friends for sending me a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley for review. You guys made my year.**

Let's get our baduk stones on the board, shall we? I am a huge fan of June Hur's novels. I can't even remember how exactly I stumbled onto her Twitter page, but it is through that I discovered her other two published novels, The Silence of Bones and The Forest of Stolen Girls. Reading both of those, I thanked the universe for finally blessing me with the kind of novels I'd been yearning for: sageuks, but in novel-form. (A sageuk is a historical drama, usually in television, stage, or film format. While I'm not sure this is official, I've noticed that, more often than not, they'll be set during the Joseon era of Korea's history.)

And while I adore those other two novels...I think I've got to mark down The Red Palace as my favourite novel thus far by Hur. Is it because it's the first of the three mysteries to keep me fully in the dark as to who the perpetrator was the entire time until its reveal? Maybe. Is it because this was, without doubt, the most stressful reading experience I've ever had with one of her novels? Perhaps. Or is it because I am an absolute (possibly masochistic?) sucker for anything to do with the tragic case of Crown Prince Sada (nee Jangheon)? Yeah, that's probably it.

What I found perhaps most fascinating about Hur's take on Sado -- on whom she wrote an amazing newsletter that I have absolutely saved into my email because I found it so interesting -- is not only how close she hews to historical records and accounts of the Crown Prince while crafting his character, but was in her choice to view him through the lens of a main character who is what one would call an "outsider." Nurse Hyeon may be a Palace Nurse, but she is not what we would likely call a member of the Inner Court proper; there is a distance between her and the members of the palace that not only makes her observations of the palace perhaps more nuanced than many within that world. There is that saying that: sometimes those who are not involved can better see a situation than those who are.

No judgement is passed upon the Crown Prince; he is neither lauded nor loathed, and Hur makes no point of giving specificity to his behaviour beyond what is recorded in historical accounts: an emotionally abusive father, clearly signs of psychological duress and distress, and (sadly) a tendency towards violent, even murderous behaviour. As someone who came to the story of Sado through the fabulous film, Sado (English title: The Throne), I wondered how Hur would use him as a part of the plot -- especially when that plot involved murder -- and I think the way she writes him is stunning. It's sad, it's tense, and it's even terrifying, but all in all Sado feels like a real, complicated person whom we can likely never truly understand because we were not there. In her newsletter, Hur wrote she did not want to center The Red Palace around the Crown Prince's life:

"The main reason for this decision is that the prince dealt with mental health problems, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to do justice in portraying his experience without falling into the danger of suggesting that those who have mental health problems are dangerous. This is something I absolutely do not believe nor condone. So, in my book, you’re only given glimpses of the Crown Prince, as though you’re spying into his life through a keyhole."

Mwah! Chef's kiss. Well done.

Okay, so enough about the Crown Prince; let's talk about our two main characters.

IN THIS HOUSE WE LOVE AND SUPPORT NURSE HYEON AND INSPECTOR EOJIN!

Honestly, I didn't know how Hur was going to top the tragic dynamic of Bones or the sister-team of Stolen Girls, but dang if she didn't deliver the Palace Nurse-Secret Inspector duo of my dreams that I never knew I needed. Our POV and main character, Nurse Hyeon, is the kind of heroine I love: she's well aware of her world's flaws and injustices, but damn if she doesn't try to hard and work her butt off to achieve what she wants. We meet her on her first day as a Palace Nurse, a position she spent years working and training for, and she very quickly proves that she is not only good at her job, but she's smart enough to have even higher or more demanding jobs...were it not for the fact she's living in Joseon. Oof, the patriarchy is in full-swing, and while I'm no stranger to such things thanks to all of the sageuk k-dramas and films I've watched, it never ceases to make me grumble when Hyeon is faced with cruel words and treatment from men in power -- including her own father!

Perhaps it's just me, but the trend of "bad fathers" (for lack of a better term) is one that I've noticed in many a sageuk, so it makes me curious as to why this is so prevalent a storytelling choice with Korean writers -- whether it be for television, film, or, in Hur's case, novels. I hope this doesn't come off as an insult in any way; I'm just a sucker for patterns in storytelling, and it usually leads me down interesting rabbit holes. A completely unrelated example of this is how I learned about the Sampoong Department Store Collapse of 1995 because I kept seeing shopping mall/ department store collapses as a plot element in k-dramas and wondered to myself if there was some kind of real-world event(s) that would make such a thing so common in Korean tv storytelling. Turns out there was, and I was able to gain a greater appreciation for how such an event could embed itself with the cultural zeitgeist as to then become a 'common' storytelling choice.

Anyway, back on track: Nurse Hyeon! Love her. She gives me all the vibes of Shin Se-kyung in what is one of my favourite sageuk dramas, Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung. I could see Hyeon right at home saying lines like: "From mouth to mouth, teacher to student, elder to child, history will be told. That is the power of truth." Even when faced with her potential demise (on more than one occasion!), Hyeon never stops searching for the truth as to who committed the novels opening murders, as well as to the reasons why; the fact that she hunts for truth and justice, even while actively being aware of and suffering the pains of the inherent injustice of the current system, is what makes her all the more admirable. The gal's got moxie, and that's putting it lightly. If I were stuck in a Kingdom-esque zombie apocalypse, I'd 100% want her on my team. I'd definitely have a better chance of coming out of the story alive. She deserves the world.

And let's not forget about everyone's favourite Secret Inspector Eojin! Hello, my swoon-worthy boy, you are the perfect yin to Nurse Hyeon's yang. Or...wait...no, technically he'd be the yang and she'd be the yin, if I'm remembering it correctly. Regardless! I knew I was going to like Eojin the moment he appeared (in disguise) and was like, "I don't know who this strange and very bold nurse is, but she seems to have a point. I should team up with her." I mean, okay, he was far more eloquent than that, but you catch my drift. Eojin is the best choice in teammate for Hyeon for several reasons: (a) he has the rank to manoeuvre through the world with a leg-up from Hyeon, which proves useful in several situations; (b) he immediately recognizes Hyeon's talents and genuinely respects her intellect in a ways that no other person of his rank or position likely would; (c) SLOW BURN ROMANCE.

Did I mention I'm a sucker for a slow-burn romance? Hi, I'm a sucker for a slow-burn romance, and oh man...is this one good. Any romance that, when it finally delivers, makes me go squee(!) is a success and I am happy to report that I absolutely squee'd in this novel's final chapter. I consider it my reward for all the stress I endured leading up to that point.

What I also love about the romance between Hyeon and Eojin is not only how 'earned' it feels by the end, but also by how natural it is. Also, it's absolutely a subplot in the story and never takes over from the main mystery; it supports it and its two leads, adding increasing emotional stakes to their partnership as their investigation grows gradually more and more dangerous. THAT is my kind of love story.

As for the mystery itself? It is bloody and gory and full of conspiracy in a way that makes me clap my hands in vicious delight. While I'm not entirely sure what that says about me as a person, I do know it says that Hur is absolutely my master of Joseon-era murder. And of all three of her murders thus far, this is the one that, when she finally revealed the perpetrator, I sat back and swore at myself for not noticing the clever details within the story that suddenly felt like giant red flags I should have noticed all along. I tip my hat to you, Hur 작가님. Well played.

So besides now anxiously sitting back and waiting for A Crane Among Wolves, my only question is...who's going to step up and make these into k-dramas for me? Because I will absolutely watch the ever-living daylights out of them.

What would you do if the people around you could be the murderer? For eighteen-year-old Hyeon her predicament is exactly that. After years of working hard for a position in the palace, everything seems to be going as she’d hoped, until the murders begin. Unclear evidence could point to anyone and everyone, and being thrust in a political game of court spies and witnesses makes it all the more difficult. What is the truth? And what will happen when the truth could cost her life?
Hur’s writing made you feel like you were right there in the palace, traveling through with her vivid descriptions. Hyeon and Eojin were characters I quickly fell in love with


||The Red Palace brings you into a realm of unforeseen plots and revenge that can last generations. It shows a world where passivity holds consequences and justice is desired no matter the challenges it may bring. With fiction and reality swept together in the Joseon Dynasty, Hur brings to life ‘what ifs’ in a mystery of missing people, murders, and a dash of chemistry between characters. It reminded me of a couple Kdramas, but especially Lovers of the Red Sky where the main leads are caught up in a political game that they are unknowingly drawn into.
It was a super fun and enjoyable read, and if you like historical fiction, mystery, Kdramas, then you'll enjoy this read.

Notes:
Historical Fiction
Murder Mystery
Court Politics
Police Inspector
Palace Nurse

I absolutely loved this book, the complex mystery, the characters you either want to die for or the characters you want to die. I love the character dynamic between Hyeon and Eojin. Learning about their backgrounds and solving these murders with them was so much fun! Eojin is my Bae I love him so much😍 The slow burn romance was my everything and if you like slow burn romances and Murder this is the book for you.
I also love all the different kinds of relationships between all the different characters. Seeing Hyeon and her mother's relationship develop over the book was amazing. Hyeon lost everything yet she kept going, she was so strong and amazing and she's one of my favorite characters I've ever read. (Eojin is too he's just perfect)
If you love a hint of romance with so much murder I highly highly recommend you preorder this and read it when it comes out!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed the historical aspects of this book. The mystery really drew me in and the historical setting was vibrant and easy to dive into. The writing was strong and engaging as well. Overall this was a really solid story that I enjoyed and would recommend if you're a fan of the setting or Hur's previous works.

I really enjoyed June Hur's Forest of Stolen Girls, and The Red Palace was another great read! It is a historical murder mystery set in Korea in the 1700s about a palace nurse. Before Hur, I was not exposed to historical Korean fiction, and I am grateful to have read her books! Her storytelling is superb, and I am happy to recommend this book!

This is by far one of the best books of 2021. From the very beginning I was hooked into the story and the intrigue of palace life. Hur builds tensions excellently, propelling the story forward at a lightning pace. The loving attention to historical detail was impressive and immense in scope and never felt jarring or out of place. The interpersonal conflicts of the story drive it forward just as much as the mystery, if not more. If you love chilling mystery stories, historicals, and k-drama- hot leading men, then this is absolutely the story for you. I gasped aloud several times as we careened toward the conclusion at breakneck speed.

The Red Palace is a book I've been looking forward to for quite a while. I loved June Hur's The Forest of Stolen Girls and I know she's incredible at creating a very atmospheric and compelling mystery. When I heard this was loosely based on the tragedy of Prince Sado and that June has personally been interested in his story for so long, I was so excited! I loved how the story shared Prince Sado's story in a way that wasn't overwhelming. The way we got an inside look at his life without being too intimate with him was such a compelling way to tell his story. Especially since it is a story where so much is unknown in history.

The way that Hur creates intrigue around Prince Sado's life was so indicative of her curiosity for the story and a great example of how well she can write. I found myself hoping for more glimpses into his life with every single turn. Every clue that we got I just wanted to get closer to the Crowned Prince. The way that June Hur is able to get you just as interested as she is in the Crowned Prince's story is such a gift and I was so impressed.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Red Palace takes you to Joseon Korea in 1758. An eighteen years old Hyeon finally works as a palace nurse after years of hard work. She just wants to do a good job and doesn't want to get into any trouble to win approval from her father. But one day, four palace women were murdered, and her mentor was the suspect. Hyeon wants to do everything she can to prove that her mentor is not guilty.

As she gathers evidence, she comes across Eojin a police chief who also looking for the murderer. As the evidence starts to point to the Crown Prince as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin then work together to uncover the secrets lying behind the palace.

My thoughts:
So, this is my first time reading June Hur's works, and I regret not reading her other book before. I've preordered this immediately and I can't wait for it to arrive!!

The Red Palace is beautifully written and atmospheric. The main character, Hyeon is really strong and determined yet at the same time she has to fight her own internal conflicts. Eojin is also a sweetheart! I love him!

The mystery & all the clues, fake marriage, SLOW BURN, and let's meet somewhere to solve this case trope? CHEF'S KISS

Overall, I can’t wait for this to be release and read this again!

If you love historical fiction with amazing writing and characters + murder mystery I recommend you to preorder this one!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for allowing me an arc copy of this book.

This is the first book I've read by this author. It is a historical murder mystery that takes place in the Joseon period of Korea. It's about a young woman who is a nurse in the palace. She finds herself getting involved in a dangerous game of hunting a killer.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It had intrigue and gave us a look at what another culture looked like and how women were treated. I liked how the dynamic between the two main characters changed as the book progressed from formal to equals.

I do wish there was a reference guide to the Korean words in the arc. I would have loved to be able to refer to it so I could pronounce them (even if it was only in my head). I'm hoping there's one in the final book. Immersive language is fabulous to see in a book, but something for pronunciation would have been fabulous too.

I'm definitely getting this book for my library. I'm also looking forward in reading her other works.

Thanks again NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group.

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. <I>The Red Palace</I> 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

I loved this book so much! I love Korean culture so when I heard about this book I new I had to read it. It was like being transported into a K-drama and I loved it. The author did an amazing job.

The Red Palace combines court intrigue and investigation mystery amid the backdrop of Korea in the 1700s. Main character Hyeon is a bastard, the unclaimed daughter of a nobleman born out of wedlock, and this status drives her to succeed. She manages to secure a position as a palace nurse, and plans to keep her head down and do her best in hopes of winning her father's approval. Things of course take a turn when Hyeon is called to the crown prince's residence to act as his alibi while he was out unattended. That same night, four women were found dead and Hyeon finds herself in the middle of an investigation to find the truth before her mentor is framed for the crime. Like with her previous books, Hur has created a fascinating and atmospheric story full of interesting characters. Hyeon is a fierce and formidable character, driven to succeed and clear her mentor's name. She teams up with Eojin, a young police inspector, who also serves as a bit of a love interest. There is more of a romance element in the characters' arc this time, and it worked well without overpowering the mystery elements. Overall, Hur's created strong characters you can't help but root for and a great plot that's fun to follow and wraps up in a satisfying way.

The Red Palace follows Baek-hyeon, an eighteen-year-old palace nurse who after several years of hard work and trying to prove her skills has gotten to this position and all she wants to do is keep herself low and not get into anything trouble which could cause her to lose everything she has but when four women are mysteriously murdered one night and the prime suspect is her mentor, Nurse Jeongsu, she is determined to prove her teacher’s innocence and find the real perpetrator.

So, she joins a secret investigation with the police chief Eojin who is also determined to find the killer. As the evidence slowly starts to point the Crown Prince as the murderer, Hyeon and Eojin have to work together and uncover the deadliest secrets of the old palace in order to find the real assailant.

“Palace secrets must never get out, or else there inevitably there will be blood”

Let’s begin with our main character Hyeon. She was such a strong character who didn’t rely on Eojin for everything and rather did everything she could to prove her teacher, who once saved her life, innocent even though it might be dangerous to her own life.

Though she might appear to be tough on the outside, but on the inside she’s a glass about to shatter. From constantly striving for her high-ranking father’s love and acceptance to keeping up her status as a Hyeminseo she’s truly a character with great depth. Even though this book is roughly 350 pages, we get to see Hyeon grow and develop during the short time period.

“I would not love, unless I was loved first and loved the most. I would be nothing at all, if I could not be the first”

I also really enjoyed the subtle slow-burn romance between Hyeon and Eojin. Though it was not a major plot point, the romance really added a great touch to the mystery elements which were the book’s main focus.

As we are on the topic of the mystery elements in the book, I felt that it was very well drawn out. The focus went from one suspect to another and the twists and turns the book had were very unexpected. Though I’m not very well versed in the thriller/mystery genre, I found the journey of finding the culprit to be very intriguing to follow.

June Hur’s writing was simply gripping. She pulls you in and creates such an atmosphere that you feel that you are the one fighting in the character’s shoes. All the buzz around her is definitely worth it because damn, I got literally got chills reading The Red Palace.

“Everyone must choose the paths they will walk on. And when you choose, remember to count the cost.”

Now to the reason due to which historical fiction is a genre that will always have a special place in my heart— integration of history within modern literature. As a huge fan of brutal history, I’m always looking to expand my knowledge. Once I finished this book, I skimmed through the author’s note and found out that The Red Palace is loosely inspired by the life of Crown Prince Jangheon or Crown Prince Sado.

Though I didn’t know much about him, I had some idea about him after researching about Agust D’s Daechwita where Suga mentions shoving his past into a ‘rice chest’. This sentence is mainly associated with the death of Prince Jangheon because he was ordered to go into a rice chest by his own father who hated him very much. Prince Jangheon was in the rice chest for about eight days without any food or water and eventually starved to death.

Prince Jangheon had a troubled life, he was being humiliated and mistreated and was simply not understood. This all was very disturbing too, because the crown prince is said to have severe mental health issues due to which he was outcasted.

I could see many connections between the story of the prince and the book and just wanted to add this to my review as I was quite fascinated by it all. If you want to dive deeper into this topic, check this post out and sign up for the author’s newsletter!

“Most of us think we are not capable of murder… until it happens to us.”

Another historical element that was eye-opening was how strongly hierarchal the society was during the Joseon era. The higher classes treated the lower classes as basically nothing and considered themselves to be superior in everything.

I’m honestly still not over how good The Red Palace was. The atmosphere, the characters, the plot and the writing everything has made me to conclude that this book is nothing less than a masterpiece.

(Side note: I’d LOVE a K-drama adaptation because I can already feel all the ~vibes~ it would give and I may or may not cry seeing Hyeon and Eojin on screen)

Representation: Korean-coded characters.

Content Warnings: Murder, Blood/gore, absent parent.

This is the second book I read by the author and I love equally as much as The Silence Of Bones. Where that book focuses more on familial relationship, this one is about the budding romance of two individuals who work together to find out the murderer behind the massacre. This book was so intriguing and captivating, though I do find the ending a bit anticlimactic when they found out who the killer is but apart from that, I absolutely have no other complains as I really love this story.

Twists and turns abound in this complex YA historical mystery. There's family drama and palace intrigue, violent death, harsh investigations, and an ever-growing danger. Plus, of course, a predictable but sweet romance. Hur's rich writing brings 18th century Korea to life. My only complaint is that this is a stand-alone novel. I want to follow Nurse Hyeon and Inspector Eojin and watch their story unfold further. A historical mystery novel that's perfect for lovers of K-dramas.