The Red Palace by June Hur Book Review

Title: The Red Palace
Author: June Hur
Publisher: Feiwel and Friends
Release Date: January 25, 2022
Pages: 336

To enter the palace means to walk a path stained in blood...

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.

Pre-order it on Barnes & Noble or Amazon  

My Thoughts

**Thank you so much to NetGalley and Feiwel and Friends for sending me an Advanced Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest review!**

Baek-hyeon, known as Hyeon, is serving as a palace nurse when a massacre occurs one night. In the morning, her mentor and mother figure is wrongly accused as the murderer. 

It was a lie, of course. Lies were the only defenses the lowly had against the powerful.

But the commander is set on accusing her mentor, not even listening to Inspector Seo Eojin, and the only way for Hyeon to prove her innocence is by working with Inspector Seo.

I could never call myself a nurse again, not in good conscience, if I turned my eyes away from such injustice. I must do something.

When rumors start going around that the Crown Prince himself is the killer, Eojin and Hyeon must find all the evidence they can to back up the claim. But in the palace walls, secrets are hidden. And the price that comes from revealing them is far worse than they can ever imagine.

There is a saying among us who work there: Palace secrets must never get out, or else inevitably there will be blood.

Star Rating: ★★★★★ (5)

The historical elements in the book were really intriguing. I wanted to find out who the killer was the minute the murder happened and also learned history along the way.

I loved the teamwork between Hyeon and Inspector Seo. Although reluctant to work with him in the first place, Hyeon ends up solving the mystery with him. The brewing attraction between them is so good.

Overall, The Red Palace was an amazing historical novel based on the death of Crown Prince Jangheon, also known as Crown Prince Sado. Yes, I'm one of those people that read the Author's Note at the end of each book. I can't believe I haven't picked up other books  by the author!

About the Author

June Hur was born in South Korea and raised in Canada, except for the time when she moved back to Korea and attended high school there. She studied History and Literature at the University of Toronto. She began writing her debut novel after obsessing over books about Joseon Korea. When she's not writing, she can be found wandering through nature or journaling at a coffee shop. June is the author of The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, and The Red Palace, and currently lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.