Review: "The Silence of Bones" by June Hur

I read this one at the recommendation of Merie Shen of Imperial Scribis! I had not really any idea what to expect, going in, but wow. I really loved it! T'was quite amazing, in fact. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's interested in Catholic history, Korean history, historical mysteries, and YA books with no romance. :)

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.

Worldbuilding/Writing Style
I love the setting of this novel! I don't know a lot about 19th century Korea, which made every detail interesting--the clothing, the buildings, the identity tags (I had no idea!), the landscape, the wildlife... And Hur does an excellent job of making it feel immersive--after reading it, I feel like I had been walking the streets of a Korean city. I also had no idea about the history of the persecution of Catholicism in Korea, so I loved learning about that, as well. 

Plot

Wow, the plotting on this was just amazing. Sometimes with mysteries or mysterious books, I can predict what's coming next, but while I did predict two minor-ish plot points, I had NO idea what was going to happen in the end--almost everything was a surprise! Very stressful. The author does a wonderful job of weaving the plot threads together in a way that makes perfect sense, but also is a complete surprise. Wow. I especially liked how many parts of it focused on sibling relationships, rather than romantic relationships. And I also love how some aspects of the culture are introduced, and then used symbolically later in the story, like when *spoiler* Inspector Han helps Seol out of the well, and by touching her, claims her as his sister again. *end spoiler* Just...excellent plot. 

Characters

I did feel a little bit like some of the characters were slightly underdeveloped. For instance, Seol seemed a bit less "in focus" than usual for an MC. But then, more focus was put on Inspector Han's character arc, so the case could be made that while Seol is the POV character, he's the MC? I'm not entirely sure. I did like Seol though, she is a eminently likeable MC. I love how curiosity is one of her main character traits, since it's one of mine, too. :) Inspector Han...what to say about that ball of problematic emotions and backstory? He needs hugs. That's all I've got to say. 
One of the things I found interesting was that, while Hur is Christian (I'm not sure if she's Catholic), Seol is not...and neither does she convert to Catholicism. I feel like that's rare in a book by a Christian author that has the MC coming into contact with Christians (who are depicted positively). But I liked it, because it felt authentic--in a period of persecution, would the MC become Catholic in that short a time frame? Probably not. 

Romance

None! Hurrah, a YA book with no romance! (If there's a sequel, I feel like there's potential for one, though). 

Content

Umm...where to start? Mention of suicide, lots of death, handling dead bodies, discussion of infidelity-type stuff, mention of infanticide, torture, murder, gore. (That's all I can get off the top of my head. It's a murder mystery, guys.) 

Overall Rating

Definitely four stars! This is one of the best YA books I've read in a while! 

Reminds me of...

*stares vacantly into space* The plot weaving kind of reminded me of The Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner...but I can't think of a book with a similar setting. 

Do you have any recommendations for more fantastic books set in Korea/Asia? What's your favorite YA book that doesn't have romance in it? What was the most recent historical fiction book you read?