Blog Tour: The Red Palace by June Hur

Hi everyone! I’m excited to be writing again. Work has been crazy busy with all the different books coming out. I’m pleased to report I really enjoy what I’m doing so far and we have an awesome list. BUT !!! I’m here actually to chat with you about The Red Palace by June Hur, a book I was absolutely in love with! While the focus of my post today isn’t a review, I’ll include a bit of what I wrote on review sites.

About the book

Title: The Red Palace

Author: June Hur

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Publication Date: January 25th, 2022

Genres: Young Adult, historical fiction, mystery

Synopsis:

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.

June Hur, critically acclaimed author of The Silence of Bones and The Forest of Stolen Girls, returns with The Red Palace—a third evocative, atmospheric historical mystery perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kerri Maniscalco.

Book links:

Goodreads | Blackwells | Amazon | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble

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. Most of her work is inspired by her journey through life as an individual, a dreamer, and a Christian, with all its confusions, doubts, absurdities and magnificence. She studied History and Literature at the University of Toronto. When she’s not writing, she can be found journaling at a coffee shop. She lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.

Her debut novel THE SILENCE OF BONES (Feiwel & Friends/Macmillan, April 2020) is a murder mystery set in Joseon Dynasty Korea (early 1800s), and also a coming-of-age tale about a girl searching for home. It was recently selected by the American Booksellers Association as one of the top debuts of Winter/Spring 2020 (Indies Introduce).

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

If you like…

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee because of the headstrong main character who finds her voice, then you’ll love Hyeon in The Red Palace.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo because it’s full of longing and fierce women, then The Red Palace will be the perfect follow up to scratch that itch.

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed for its critical examination of class and privilege, The Red Palace‘s court dynamics will give you another bone to chew on.

Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina because it’s a gritty mystery to solve, then the clues and investigation Eojin and Hyeon conduct is a great way to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Mini review

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!