The Silence of Bones by June Hur Blog Tour || A Book Review & Favourite Quotes

The Silence of Bones (ARC)

Author: June Hur

Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends

Released: April 21st, 2020

Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery

Pages: 336

Format: E-book

Characters: Seol, Inspector Han, Officer Shim, …

I have a mouth, but I mustn’t speak;
Ears, but I mustn’t hear;
Eyes, but I mustn’t see.

1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.

As they delve deeper into the dead woman’s secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.

But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.

June Hur’s elegant and haunting debut The Silence of Bones is a bloody tale perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco and Renée Ahdieh. 

First of all, I’d like to thank The Fantastic Flying Book Club for organising this blog tour. Their team has been super helpful by answering all the questions and inquiries so thank you so much! Now, let’s get into the review.

The book started off a bit slow for me. It isn’t the kind of story that instantly captures my attention, though it did start with a murder case. However, the plot builds up really well and as I followed Seol in investigating the murder cases, things really start to get more interesting and the relationship between all the characters in this book started to really complicated. BUT it’s the kind of complicated that one can still follow through. It felt like I was watching NCIS or Criminal Minds but in Joseon in the year of 1800.

The historical touch really makes it more dramatic and it kinda brought me to an ancient Korea k-drama scene. The spread of Catholics beliefs was one of the main aspect in this book. The author did a thorough research on this issue and she did not simply highlight it in like certain parts of this book but she emphasized it throughout the entire story. This brings me to another aspect that I like about this book, which is the focus.

The Silence of Bones doesn’t only focus on Catholics, but also on hierarchy and power, feminism and siblings relationship. All of these aspects were emphasized throughout the story consistently. I think being consistent would be one of this debut novel’s strength. The author knew what she was doing and she was very good at manipulating the information and the materials she had.

I really like the main character, Seol. She is a very indecisive teenage girl yet she is very persistent, bold and peculiar. The way she thinks and she carries herself in the story was really interesting. However, as we follow her POV in the book, the plot twist wasn’t very surprising for me. The plot did bring in the suspense effects but the twist wasn’t that strong. Also, the ending made me tear up so badly. (Hint: There’s a letter involved)

June Hur really has her ways with words. It’s very poetic at certain parts of the book. I can’t wait for her future works because I think her writing style will definitely get better and more intriguing to read!

“I am a girl who knows how to handle an arrow steady. Don’t blame me for your inability to shoot one properly. “
– June Hur, The Silence of Bones

“The dead are gone, yet we live in their shadows.”
– June Hur, The Silence of Bones

“There is one lesson all who enter the capital will learn: evil comes from the unfulfilled need for significance.”
– June Hur, The Silence of Bones

“Sometimes we must cease feeling, he had once said, when we had lost our way in the rain, and think instead.”
– June Hur, The Silence of Bones

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About the author

JUNE HUR (‘Hur’ as in ‘her’) 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, and currently works for the public library. 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.

She is represented by Amy Bishop of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC.

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