The Red Palace by June Hur

Bibliographic Information:

Title: The Red Palace

Author: June Hur

Publisher: Feiwel and Friends

Copyright Date: 2022

ISBN: 9781250800558

Format: Print Prose Book

Genre: Mystery/ Historical Fiction/ Romance/ BIPOC Voice/ Retelling/ Neurotransmittal Atypicality

Awards: Edgar Award fro Best Young Adult- 2023

Interest Level: Ages 13-18 (The Red Palace Copyright Info)

Plot Summary:

Its taken blood sweat and tears for Hyeon to achieve her dream of working her way up to be a palace nurse. As she is the illegitimate daughter of a concubine and a lord, Hyeon wants nothing more than to gain her father's approval and be nothing like her mother.

But the palace halls are steeped in blood, either in your own or in the blood you cause to flow. When Hyeon is unintentionally thrust into the political turmoil of court, she finds herself keeping secrets that may lead to her death. But the secret she's keeping is that the Crown Prince was not in his chambers the night of the murder of five women, one court lady and four nurses from her hometown. However, when her mentor gets pinned as the primary suspect she is determined to prover her innocence. Hyeon gets a little too close to the investigation and encounters Eojin, a young inspector, who makes an agreement to include Hyeon in a secret investigation to find the real murder. Hyeon must balance the political tightrope of court life while also sneaking around to uncover the truth of this mysterious homicide.

Author Background:

June Hur was born in South Korea and grew up in USA, Canada, and South Korea. She went to college to study History and Literature at the University of Toronto. She also spent some time working in her cities public library. She describes her work as love letters to Korean History and she hopes to broaden readers understanding of history, especially non-western history. She currently resides in Toronto with her family where she crushes being a mother and a writer (Hur, n.d.). Check out some other amazing stories by June Hur such as The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, A Crane Among Wolves, and her upcoming novel Adoration.

Critical Evaluation:

This novel made me realize how little I learned about eastern history, namely Korean history. I learned so much from this novel and think that it would be an amazing read in a history or humanities class. While this book may not be strictly classified as a retelling, June Hur was extremely purposeful in incorporating historical context and events into her story. She notes that this romance allowed her to take a look at the life of Prince Sado who had a complex and sorrowful life. Because of this, I think that in a way this mystery acts as a retelling of his life. June Hur masterfully writes an intricately woven mystery within a romance that discusses concepts of justice, value, mental health, and discrimination within the class system in 18th century Korea. Hyeon is such a beautiful character that I think a lot of teens can look up to. She is described as smart but because she's worked hard, she has an outstanding work ethic and is determined to achieve her dreams despite the circumstances she was born into. She is strong willed, confident, and kind to others in a self respecting way! I want to grow up to be Hyeon! Eojin, what an absolute heartthrob! I found the writing to be beautiful and serene. I love a good historical fiction mystery and need more of June Hur's work! I've added the back cover image of Eojin because he's just so darn beautiful

Creative Use for Library Program:

Murder Mystery Night- Librarian creates a mystery based on types of characters featured in The Red Palace based on a similar event from Korean History. Teens each get a character and try to solve the mystery or protect their identity as the murderer. By incorporating historical elements teens can learn more about the history of a culture often undiscussed in school.

Speed Round Book Talk:

Hyeon has finally made it to the palace, fulfilling her dream to be a palace nurse. She walks halls steeped in blood and is drowning in political corruption. When a murder occurs too close to home, Hyeon must decide if she'd rather fight for justice or her dreams.

Potential Challenge Issues or Defense Preparation:

June Hur spent a great deal of time and hard work researching the historical context for her novel. I personally find that the Author's Note at the end of the book adds so much to the story and develops another level of complexity and historical intrigue. While reading the book I found how the Crown Prince to be portrayed very unique and once reading the Author's Note it explained such a depth to the character and writing, adding layers to a story already so rich! June acknowledges where she took liberties and explains why she does so, in this way I find that it is extremely challenging to have issue with this novel.

Reason For Inclusion:

I have had my eye on works by June Hur for a while, especially A Crane Amongst Wolves. I had not heard of The Red Palace until I discovered that it won the Edgar Award. My favorite style of Webtoon is Korean historical fiction so I was super excited to read this book. Wow, did it not disappoint, I loved it so much! I think that this novel is an amazing mystery unlike any that teens have read. It is an amazing vehicle for historical information that I at least never was taught. The Red Palace could easily be added into any history or humanities curriculum. In addition June Hur masterfully incorporates the complexity of mental health, justice, value, and self worth within this story in ways that many teens can relate to!

Check Out:

June Hur shares her playlist that inspired and sets the tone of The Red Palace. Listen for an immersive experience!

References:

Goodreads. (n.d.). The Red Palace. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56978115-the-red-palace

Hur, J. (2023). The Red Palace. [Playlist]. Spotify. Accessed July 2024 from https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7lIvRiRshMnyupLMxyEoNT?si=5a62dfd930134120

Hur, J. (n.d.) About. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.junehur.com/about

Hur, J. (n.d.). The Red Palace. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.junehur.com/the-red-palace

@junehwrites. (2021). Why yes I still stare with heart-eyes at Gabriella Bujdoso's illustration of Palace Nurse Hyeon & Inspector Eojin, the. [Post]. Instagram. Accessed July 2024 from https://www.instagram.com/p/CXOifDYruoV/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==