There's so much good about this book, I wish I loved it more than I actually did! The Red Palace is a historical murder mystery set in 1758 Korea. From the author's note, I know that this story is actually drawing on real historical events and it's clear that the author did a ton of research. I love what this book is trying to do, but it tended to drag in the reading experience.

We get so many details in the text on the period from clothing and titles to food and social norms, you really do learn a lot about historical Korea. Our main character is a palace nurse helping investigate a series of murders, in a society where men and women who aren't family can't touch and there are intense social and class hierarchies. We get a look at various swathes of society, but while that can be interesting, the amount of historical detail, combined with a more formal style of writing (both description and dialogue) do make what could be a page-turning mystery feel like more of a slog to get through. Specific scenes were sometimes riveting and if I think back to all the major plot points in solving the murders, it's really interesting. But I didn't find myself wanting to keep reading and it was easy to put down.

I think the author is doing really important work in a subgenre that doesn't have a lot of this representation. I don't know that I've seen anyone else do murder mysteries in historical Korea and a lot of what she's doing is very cool! So I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in the historical details, just know that if you're looking for a fast-paced mystery, that's not really what you're getting here. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Historical fiction for the mystery/thriller lover! This book is suspenseful, beautifully written, and unputdownable. Students will learn a lot about this period in history while furiously turning pages to see what happens next. I am very excited to see what June Hur comes out with next!

In The Red Palace, Once Hyeon learns the police have taken her mentor into custody, she takes it upon herself to solve the case before a commissioner with a grudge can pin it on the wrong person.

Jane Hur doesn't hesitate before launching her readers into the thick of it. The book opens with Hyeon and her fellow nurse being called to be the Crown Prince's alibi for the night of the murder only for her to stumble upon the crime scene herself when leaving the palace. What ensues is a fast-paced adventure that brings two people together amidst political turmoil.

Hyeon is the heart and soul of this book. She is a woman out of wedlock so she grows up shunned by society and kept at arms-length by her family, meaning she has to work twice as hard as others to get a respectable position. This determination really defines her character, as does her kindness, since she goes above and beyond for those close to her: even the family that would reject her. Throughout the course of the investigation, Hyeon learns to open herself up and let others in. Rather than relying entirely on herself, she comes to trust Eojin. When they first meet he doesn't want her interfering, but he comes to see her usefulness in the investigation. From there, their relationship takes off in subtle manner, with small touches and lingering glances that continue throughout.

One of the more interesting things Hur did in regards to Hyeon is explore her relationship with her family. Growing up, Hyeon's father pushed her away, yet she fears his disappointment strongly throughout much of the book. On the other hand, she thought her mother cold. Without spoiling too much, she reconciles with her family in unexpected ways that gave her character a lot more depth than I expected.
In fact, Hur spends a lot of time giving just about every character memorable traits that set them apart, from the main ones to background characters that scarcely appear more than once. The Crown Prince was one such character. Rumour is that his fraught relationship with his father feeds into an explosive temper, yet Hyeon struggles to believe it after her own interactions with him.

As far as the plot was concerned, I found it highly engaging. From the moment Hyeon stumbles across the murders, her observations let us know that something isn't right. The story is fast-paced with enough action scenes that it's not solely focused on the investigation, and plenty of plot twists. Once Eojin and Hyeon stopped dancing around each other and actually worked together, the pace really picked up and I could not put the book down.

Hur's writing has a distinct knack for making descriptions come to life, without slowing the pace of the book. The way she explains the society and the characters' personal history just becomes another aspect of the investigation, rather than distracting from it. I even found the wider political conflict to be interesting as neither side appears to be better than the other, leaving the ending ambiguous on this grander scale.

Overall I very much enjoyed Jane Hur's The Red Palace. It's an engaging murder mystery that stays true to its historical source. The characters are the standout element of the book and they work well with the plot, which makes the book a very satisfying read.

Thank you so much to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a solid, mysterious, spooky read. True crime, especially true crime set in historical periods, is such an underrated genre. I will say, though, that I don’t believe that the actual murder mystery is the main focus of the novel, even if the premise promises it is. I found the other themes, such as familial expectations, classism, feminism, intergenerational conflict, much more prominent and compelling in this story than the actual murder mystery. I honestly wish these themes were delved into a little deeper because they seemed much more interesting to me than the actual murder mystery. The murder investigation itself was a little hard to follow for me with the court politics and the secrets that were being revealed about the Crown Prince and the other nobles. I was struggling with keeping up with everyone’s motives, alibis, and alliances, so I think having more clarity on that would have been better.

The romance aspect of the story was also alright, but it didn’t really stand out to me either. This is my first novel by June Hur so I’m not sure if her previous books feature romance or not, but I didn’t particularly care for Eojin or Hyeon together, especially since there were such minimal romantic scenes between them to begin with.

If you like books like Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco, or historical K-dramas, The Red Palace is probably right up your alley! However, I don’t think it was a particularly memorable read for me. I'd give this between 3 to 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Macmillan Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

June Hur takes us on a journey in 1700's Korea, full of mystery and intrigue involving gruesome murders and royal conspiracy.

Some books are more successful than others at putting you in a place in time, and it can be especially hard when you're not familiar with either the place or the time. June Hur does a fantastic job of setting the scene for us and making the reader feel like we can really see it with her descriptive writing and gorgeous imagery. She explains certain customs and traditions to us so that they weave together well with the story, leaving out the dreaded info-dump some authors fall prey to.

Hyeon is a great character. She's desperate for her estranged father's approval but also determined to figure out who is responsible for the bloody rampage that's befallen her beloved nurses and other women in the city. We see her war within herself between the two, and the character development throughout the book is very well done. Eojin, the police inspector and love interest, is loveable just through his sheer calm. He's very focused on the task at hand, so when he lets little bits of emotion for Hyeon slip, it makes it all the more swoon-worthy.

The plot itself is a mystery that'll have you guessing right along with the main characters, and just when you think you have it figured out, you'll realize you were completely wrong the whole time. A great historical mystery/thriller!

This book is so good! I tore through it because I couldn't put it down. Not only was the story completely engrossing, the main character, Hyeon, is so well written. She feels so real, relatable, and worth protecting. I wanted to know what would happen to her, hoped for her happy ending with every page.

The mystery plot is well-formed. I loved the steady accumulation of evidence, of watching the characters put the pieces together, and I was ultimately surprised by the end! Hur has gotten better with each book she's written and this story felt so complete that I was completely satisfied by the end.

The relationship between Hyeon and Eojin was so, so good! A highlight of the book. I loved seeing them grow to trust each other, rely on each other, and slowly fall for each other. I love the dynamic between them, how they each believe in and support the other and do everything they can to help them realize their dreams.

Truly, an amazing book, one that I will return to again, because it is so well written, the characters are fantastic, and the mystery is so compelling. Plus, love the backdrop of this period of Korean history. I've read the memoirs of Lady Hyegyeong and seeing her and Prince Sado as characters in this book was a lovely surprise and I think Hur did an amazing job interpreting their stories within this book. I definitely recommend!

One of the first notes I made was that I adore June’s writing style. This has been true since The Silence of Bones, so it checks out that I highlighted the opening description of The Red Palace. June’s prose is beautifully atmospheric, pulling readers right into the time and place of her story.

Another think that stuck out to me was how June focuses on uinyeos, or palace nurses, in this novel. I love how young readers have the chance to be exposed to history of the Joseon dynasty, something most of us probably never would have even thought about when we were teens. On the topic of uinyeos, through Hyeon’s (the protagonist) occupation, we get an inside look of the royal palace and its (dangerous and often deadly) secrets.

Sometimes I think about books as being an “x” book. For The Red Palace, it is a “mother” book to me. I thought a lot about Hyeon’s nursing mentor and teacher, Nurse Jeongsu, who is the prime murder suspect, and the more prominent role Hyeon’s biological mother ends up playing towards the end of the story (which was a pleasant surprise) to see The Red Palace in this way.

Although I’m not as competitive as Hyeon, nor do I think I place as much pressure on myself as she does to herself, I felt like an invisible hand punched me when I read these lines: “I would not love, unless I was loved first and loved the most” as well as “I would be nothing at all, if I could not be first.” Hyeon has a maturity about her that speaks to her experiences; yet, there are definitely moments of naivete that reminds readers that she’s still 18 years old and figuring out her place in her world.

There’s also an investigation of class and gender divide: As is often mentioned in The Red Palace, Hyeon is a “vulgar commoner” although her father is a nobleman (illegitimate children). This status—as well as her being female—affects her relationship with her biological father, who ignores her most of the time except to put enormous amount of pressure on her to “make something of herself” so she’s worthy of his “pride” or recognition.

So many excellent cute moments!! The romance in this novel is slow burn, which is my favorite kind of romance, and I could picture how Hyeon and Eojin interacted with one another so clearly (plus the cinematic tension!!). It’s a wonderful feeling to reach that moment in the story when they’re both like,,,,,wait 😳.

On a more serious note (though this romance seriously makes me giddy and very happy), Eojin’s upbringing and his family history explains why he is not prejudiced against Hyeon because of her social standing. I appreciate how June melded historical accuracy and her fictional romance to make their relationship make sense.

Hyeon and Eojin’s overall dynamic is fantastic, and they’re a great crime-solving team!!

The murders and the mystery takes precedent over the romance, but they’re balanced so well! The twists had my heart racing sometimes and my brain thinking extra hard (lol)!! I seriously couldn’t put this book down: June builds her story and the mysterious seamlessly with her gorgeous writing, and it truly feels like watching a movie when you’re reading.

As the last notes to this review, this quote from The Red Palace gave me so many chills!!

“Killers rarely look like killers.”

Also: names always mean something 😉.

Every single one of June Hur's books lead me on a journey back in history that grips me from the very beginning. I love getting to know her characters and living in the worlds she bulds around them. It's fascinating to follow the clues and the turns the characters take in their quests for justice. Hyeon is the strong-willed and true-to-heart character that we definitely need more of. I loved her fierce loyalty and determination to put things right. Highly recommend this and all of June's books. They're equal parts satisfying and thrilling!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me access in exchange for an honest review! This review will be posted on my blog (the link will be shared in Twitter) and Goodreads, and I will also be discussing this book during my monthly wrap-up video.

The Red Palace is a sneaky little novel that packs a potent punch. It crept up on me, and I didn’t even realize how invested and absorbed I was in the story until I tried to pull myself out of it. Filled with murder (obviously), ulterior motives, political scandal, and a nurse/detective duo that are impossible not to root for, The Red Palace will keep you on your toes until the end.

This is an all-around enjoyable and well written novel, but what impressed me the most was how subtle Hur was at instilling tension and weaving different motives and suspects into the plot. There’s this constant underlying dread that Hyeon is going to get caught in places she shouldn’t be as a woman, illegitimate daughter, and peasant, or that she’s going to be overheard by the wrong people, etc. This emotion and tension that Hur gave the reader ebbed and flowed at just the right places. Then there’s the tangled knot of suspects and those with ulterior motives that we have to sort through alongside Hyeon and Eojin. There are plenty of characters that don’t want to search for the truth and instead want to frame others or blatantly ignore certain suspects, each for various reasons, which added another interesting opposition to Hyeon and Eojin’s search for the truth. I also really enjoyed the various suspects and potential motives that they had, not to mention that it never felt like there was a blatant red herring. Hur never tried to obviously push the reader towards pinpointing any one of the suspects, making it that much more interesting leading up to the big reveal.

Hur also writes rather compelling characters, whether they are suspects that evoke sympathy and pity as the investigation continues on, or those intent on obstructing justice for their own gains that incite disgust or frustration. But who I found the most interesting was Hyeon and how she was not only on a journey for the truth behind the murders, but also unknowingly finding a more matured sense of self-worth and inner strength. Hur uses Hyeon’s tense relationship with her noble father as well as her desire to be bold and unabashedly clever as a female peasant to discuss the social structure and gender norms of 1700s Korea. Although this was a secondary plotline of The Red Palace, I found it to be a rather important supplementary part to the overall story.

Then there’s the dynamic between Hyeon and Eojin, which I just could not get enough of. Hur wrote their chemistry so incredibly well, and I absolutely adored how Hyeon’s boldness complimented Eojin’s more stoic attitude. The way their partnership evolves and the mutual admiration and support just made my heart burst. Their dynamic also plays a significant part in the growth of Hyeon’s character, which I thought was a clever addition on Hur’s part, as well.

While there are a couple of chase scenes and sword fights, I really appreciated this book for how it heavily relied on Hyeon and Eojin’s clever ideas and resourcefulness. The couple of action scenes do a phenomenal job bringing the tension to a climax, but I think that the quieter, ever-present suspense that Hur manages to create is all the more impressive. If you’re looking for a book brimming with palace secrets, hidden agendas, blackmail, revenge, and a nurse and investigator more noble than those with the money to claim nobility, I definitely suggest checking out The Red Palace when it releases January 25, 2022!

June Hur is a name I’ve seen for several years, mostly due to the beautiful covers her previous books have gotten (Silence of the Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls), but this is my first time delving into one of her works. And I’m simply in awe. The Red Palace is a stunning book, with beautiful writing that sucks a reader in, impeccable pacing, and a twisty, engaging historical murder mystery plot.

What first stood out to me as I read was Hur’s writing. There’s this enticing quality to it, truly drawing you in with every word. Hur is able to paint an atmosphere of tension and suspense so quickly, setting the scene of the historical Joseon era and the book’s overall mood. And yet, the prose is never pretentious, nor does it have that gothic quality that many suspense novels I’ve recently read to, and yet I found it so so captivating all the same.

I loved the murder mystery plot in this. Hyeon is a palace nurse who, in her opening scene, is ordered to tend to a prince who isn’t actually there. She quickly discovers that she’s been unwillingly drawn into this long-running series of murders and finds herself too curious, too determined, to simply turn a blind eye. The pacing for this story is so perfectly done. There are the soft and tender moments, especially between Hyeon and police inspector Eojin, and those moments are given their time to breathe, to lull the reader to in a calm. Then there are the moments when the tempo picks up and Hyeon knows she’s onto something, that a piece of the puzzle is just within her grasp. There are several twists and I was thoroughly satisfied with all of them.

Overall I rate this book a 4.5/5. Hur writes a fantastic YA murder mystery novel, set in the historical Korean Joseon era. The writing pulled me right in, and both the characters and the plot were fantastic. I’ll surely be checking out her other books in the future.

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

I am a fan of June Hur’s work, and this did not disappoint! It was a fast-paced historical mystery romance that felt like I was watching a historical k-drama. I loved the complexity of the main character, who works as a palace nurse, and the fact that this story was inspired by a prince from real history made it that much better!
The romance didn’t do that much for me, but that is mostly just my personal preference. I just didn’t feel like the love interest was as developed as the main character.
4 stars.

Included as a top pick in bimonthly January New Releases post, which highlights and promotes upcoming releases of the month (link attached)

I am kicking myself for not reading June Hur earlier. I avoided her first two books because I'm not always into gore/scary mysteries, but decided to try THE RED PALACE when the blurb promised romantic elements.

Verdict: pure excellence. I am starved for Asian historicals with romantic elements and THE RED PALCE delivered in every possible way. I basically passed out with bliss because of the intricate worldbuilding and thorny court intrigue concerning Prince Sado's tragic life. I know nothing about Korean history; the story is completely understandable/enjoyable with zero context. After I finished reading the book, I spent two hours down the wikipedia rabbit hole (I know, I know. Not the best sources) and reading about Korean royals.

The ship was SO GOOD and gentle and made me clutch my chest. The romantic element is secondary to the murder mystery, but SO WELL EXECUTED for what little exists on page. I will stop using caps-lock eventually (sorry). I'm trash for across-class-lines trope (not sorry). I loved the secret-inn-meeting scenes (A+ "let's pretend to be a married couple as an excuse for being in the same room together so we can catch a murderer"). Also, I cried like a baby at the end, which is how you know I've set sail on a ship and am never returning to land.

I don't know what else to say about the mystery without spoiling the book. I do think the less you know before reading, the better. I highly recommend that you add THE RED PALACE to your TBR if you enjoy historical mysteries.

Disclaimer: I received a free e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

First of all the time period was so great. It set in Joseon era. I was hypnotized by the story settings. There were so much information about that era like their medical and health care systems. Now for the story it was so interesting. I didn't had trouble getting into it. The story build up was so great. It wasn't much complicated or all over the place. Characters were great. They weren't really multidimensional people but they relate to the me. Main girl character was so well written . I really sympathized with her so many time. Her relationship with Eojin was great. Romance was very subtle it didn't overpower the actual plot of the book one thing i really loved. Hyeon and Eojin chemistry was another factor that I liked. It did totally gives me kdrama vibe . I could definitely see this getting an adoption to big screen. The author note was really emotional. I seriously cannot believe this amazing well written story was inspired from a sad tragic story. When you read it don't forget to check out the author's note. Anyway it was great read. I expected it to be 5 star and it didn't disappoint me

The Red Palace by June Hur.

A fascinating blend of historical fiction, romance, court secrets and mystery.

Hyeon, a court nurse and Eojin, a young police inspector secretly team up to find out who murdered four women. Everywhere they go, and everyone they speak to is constricted by society's rules about roles of men and women, high born and peasant and the secrets they keep - either to stay safe or to blackmail.

A well written story where the mystery is filled with court intrigue. Both the main characters and the historical time and place [Joseon (Korea), 1758] are vividly drawn. Recommend.

A thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for sharing this story in exchange for an unbiased review.

I received an ARC from the publisher and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Red Palace is my favorite of June Hur’s books so far. It perhaps has the most “historical K-Drama vibes,” and Hur has even been enthusing on Twitter about the subtle overlap between the recently-concluded K-Drama, The Red Sleeve.
I’ve come to love how Hur finds little bits from Korean history and builds a story around it, and I was particularly stunned by what served as the inspiration for this one. I appreciated Hur’s sensitivity in conveying the issue textually, as well as the way she conveyed further information about what happened in her historical note.
Hyeon is Hur’s most intriguing protagonist to date. I felt for her, trying to navigate her life as an illegitimate child of a powerful man, craving but never receiving her father’s affection. And then navigating court life is complex, even when there isn’t a brutal murderer on the loose.
And there’s a romance in this one! It’s not a big part of the plot or anything, but there are some lovely moments between Hyeon and Eojin. He’s a police inspector who is also trying to find the killer. There’s class differences addressed in a very lovely way, and I love that he doesn’t look down on her for her background. And the development from a purely professional collaboration to something more? It’s so well done!
This book is perfect, and has everything I could want in a book. If you like K-Dramas or historical mysteries with subtle romance, I recommend picking this up.

A quick, fun read mostly set in a Korean palace a few hundred years ago. The story follows the investigations of a palace nurse and police investigator into the massacre of four women. This was theoretically a mystery, but it felt more like a medical drama in which no one could trust anyone, with a sprinkle of romance. Fine read all around, but nothing too memorable overall. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in immersive historic Korean settings, but otherwise is a pretty standard read.

In a word: incredible. I love Hur's historical fiction and in this novel set in 1700s Joseon-era Korea, a palace nurse becomes involved in a murder investigation that might implicate the crown prince. After a group of nurses and students are massacred, Hyeon begins searching for answers to prover her mentor's innocence. But with someone accusing the crown prince and the police willing to torture suspects for answers, the closer she gets to the truth, the more her own life is in danger.

Hur builds an atmospheric setting and a story with plenty of mystery and a touch of budding romance. All the stars.

A gripping story of murder and the secrets that are kept and how they come to light. Hyeon finds herself drawn to an investigation of what happened on a horrific night. She is determined to prove her mentor and women who is like a mother innocent of the crime. Hyeon a girl who is not of noble birth and is risking her very life to uncover the truth. She meets Eojin a young inspector who is just as invested in uncover the truth. Yet others are determined to close the case quickly and sweep the findings under the rug. I have never read a historical novel that captivated me and that I could not put down like The Red Palace. I highly recommend this book!

I've always enjoyed June Hur's historical fiction mystery thrillers, and THE RED PALACE is no exception. I loved how Hur took a notorious and dark footnote in Korean history (the murderous Crown Prince Jangheon/Sado; there was a great footnote at the end of the book that addressed this) and turned it into a creepy and suspenseful mystery story. I loved Hyeon and her determination to solve the murders of fellow palace nurses, and I loved the chemistry between her and Inspector Eojin as they pieced the mystery together. Hur did a really good job of laying out the puzzle pieces and it made for a suspenseful story in, once again, a unique time and place. I found myself surprised by a good number of the reveals, and was invested in how things were unfolding as Hyeon and Eojin got closer and closer to a dangerous solution.

THE RED PALACE is an entertaining and satisfying read. I continue to look forward to June Hur's books, and if you haven't checked her out yet but like historical mysteries and thrillers, now is the time.

Will be published on Forever Young Adult blog on 1/25/22.

Cover Story: Bloody Palace, Bloody Palace

This is giving horror energy with all the blood imagery, even though this isn’t a “scary” book—at least, not in the “bogeyman is going to jump out at you” sense. (Certainly scary in the “look at what humanity is driven to do to each other” sense.)

The Deal:

Hyeon has spent her life studying to be a palace nurse, the highest occupation she’s allowed to hold as a lowly commoner, the unacknowledged bastard daughter to a high-ranking magistrate. She’s barely begun her dream when four women are massacred at the Hyeminseo where she trained, and the only suspect is her mentor. Determined to prove her friend’s innocence, Hyeon begins conducting her own investigation, which has her crossing paths and butting heads with a handsome, young police inspector also interested in learning the truth.

Unfortunately, it also leads her deeper into palace politics, closer to the temperamental Crown Prince, and into a web of lies that she may not be able to escape from unscathed.

BFF Charm: Destiny’s Child

BFF charm featuring the members of Destiny's Child
Hyeon may have spent a lot of her life with her nose in her books, but she remembers those who have given her kindness, and she’s loyal, even to people who may not necessarily seem to deserve that love, like her mother and father. Loyalty and an interest in getting to the root of a problem (probably also why she’s destined for medicine) drive her motivations as this investigation overtakes all parts of her life. She’s definitely brave in ways I would aspire to be but don’t know if I’d have the strength. I admire her.

Swoonworthy Scale: 5

Eojin is, natch, the youngest person to have ever obtained the highest-ranking of police inspector, and initially he warns Hyeon off of trying to do her own side investigation. But he’s nothing if not one smart cookie, so he quickly recognizes the skills Hyeon’s keen observations bring to his search, and the two form a lovely partnership-friendship-maybesomethingmoreship.

Talky Talk: Immersive

This is only my second Hur novel but I’m beginning to sense an emerging pattern: historically rich settings with hints of fact in the fiction; plucky heroines with complicated daddy issues; side characters trapped by their circumstances; and, entities of power that are rotting from the core with corruption. Her writing isn’t flashy or flowery, but it has a quiet strength: both times I felt like I was slowly sinking, immersing myself into the worlds she has created until I, too, could feel the squelching mud beneath my feet, peering through the cool, gray fog with Hyeon at a dead body from across the river. I really dig it.

Bonus Factor: Medicine

The spout of a teapot and a cup of herbs and such.
As someone who has only grown up with Western medicine and also in the age of, like, MRI machines, it’s always fascinating to learn about historical or other cultural healing practices. Hyeon is a uinyeos, a female nurse who attends to other women, a position created because under Confucian law men and women who are unrelated cannot touch, even to save lives (and of course this only began AFTER women were dying in droves). Of the three specialties, she is a pulse reader, the person who assesses and determines the balance of the mind and body; basically, performing the initial diagnosis. (Others create the medicines or do acupuncture.)

Bonus Factor: Historical Settings

Close up of the spine of a very old leather book
Dare I suggest that every historical novel which pulls from real-world events should include a detailed author’s note at the end telling me more about said event (a la one of my childhood faves, the Dear America diary series)? Because I honestly love it. I like hearing why the author was so interested in this particular moment that they wrote a whole-ass story around it. Why this particular time period is important to them or how they’ve cleverly managed to weave together the past and present political landscapes to remind the us of today that we already KNOW how things are gonna play out, if that history is any indication.

Relationship Status: Going Steady

You keep doing things the way I like, Book, and our relationship is going to continue to go places.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Feiwel & Friends. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. The Red Palace is available now.