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A review by maises
The Red Palace by June Hur
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
“He moved my hand into his, and as our fingers intertwined, it occurred to me that love wasn’t all that I’d feared it to be. I had imagined that it was a wildfire that incinerated everything in its path. Instead, it felt as ordinary and extraordinary as waking up to a new day.”
September book club read! The Red Palace’s biggest strength was its simplicity. I don’t necessarily think it needed more than it gave in a narrative sense - every plot beat for beat was enough to keep the story going. The mystery unraveled very cleanly and the writing was extremely solid; Hyeon was a reasonable protagonist and I did like her and Eojin. I think my one downside to all of this was how calm and flat some scenes could be, especially when they called for something with a bit more flourish or passion. At the end of the day, I think this was a well written fiction based on historical events, but as a mystery drama/romance lacked the kind of umph that gets my heart racing!
September book club read! The Red Palace’s biggest strength was its simplicity. I don’t necessarily think it needed more than it gave in a narrative sense - every plot beat for beat was enough to keep the story going. The mystery unraveled very cleanly and the writing was extremely solid; Hyeon was a reasonable protagonist and I did like her and Eojin. I think my one downside to all of this was how calm and flat some scenes could be, especially when they called for something with a bit more flourish or passion. At the end of the day, I think this was a well written fiction based on historical events, but as a mystery drama/romance lacked the kind of umph that gets my heart racing!