Off the Shelf: The Red Palace

Summary: 

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.

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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? 

I have been wanting to read Hur’s writing, and am so excited I finally had the chance. Her storytelling made you feel like you were right there in the palace, traveling through with her vivid descriptions in both time and place. Hyeon and Eojin were characters I quickly fell in love with and I loved how it wasn’t the cliche of royals falling in love with the unsuspecting maiden, but two hard working people whose paths crossed due to unfortunate circumstances, and the decisions they had to make. While I loved the two main characters , it wasn’t really a romance, and yet it had the perfect amount of mystery, history, and chemistry. It felt like a kdrama but in a book, and I loved it. I definitely want to read more of Hur’s writing and look forward to seeing what else she does.

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.