June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today's world, based on a true story from Korean history.
Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.
1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.
Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom's turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king's latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king's power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.
Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he'll need help to pull it off—but there's no way to know who he can trust.
When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul's family connections and Daehyun's royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever
Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.
My Review:
Of course I loved reading this book! I've loved all of June Hur's books, and this latest one was no exception! I loved the set up, and I had such a great time with these characters and the mystery that they were dealing with, it was all so great, and done so well!
One thing that I've really fallen in love with, is June Hur's mysteries, set in historical Korea. They're just intricate, with characters whose backstories that I care for, and love watching them investigate. This is another favourite, I had such a blast reading it!
Iseul and Daehyun don't get along. But they manage it, because they can both help each other, because they have a common goal of taking down King Yeonsan-her because of what he did to her sister, him, because he's his half brother and he knows the king is a monster. So that was an interesting dynamic to read.
It does say this is based on history, but I'm not familiar whatsoever with it, since I mainly had a Canada/Europe history lessons. So I didn't know if they were going to succeed or not with their plot or not, in real life or in fiction. Plus, there was just so much going on in this book, thoroughly enjoyed how it wrapped up!
Loved reading this book and I can't wait to read more by June Hur!
Author: June Hur
Read: May 26th, 2024
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and it's a Historical Fiction 2024 Book, SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: May 14th 2024
Author: June Hur
Read: May 26th, 2024
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really great, and it's a Historical Fiction 2024 Book, SAC 2024 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: May 14th 2024
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| 5/5 Hearts |
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| 5/5 Books |
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| 5/5 Stars |
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