𝘐𝘧 𝘣𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵—𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯.

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𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘭𝘺.

𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢 𝐒𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬:
In 1506 Joseon Korea, 17-year old Iseul's privileged life shatters when her sister becomes one of tyrannical King Yeonsan's victims, forcing her to venture into forbidden territory to rescue her. Her path crosses with Prince Daehyun, the king's half-brother, who secretly plots to overthrow his brutal sibling. Despite their initial mistrust, Iseul and Daehyun forge an alliance, combining her family connections and his royal access in a dangerous gambit to free both Iseul's sister and the kingdom from Yeonsan's reign of terror.
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I don't read many historical fictions, but when I do I always end up loving them & this was no exception. June's writing was an exquisite blend of darkness & light. The story itself was so heart wrenching and I got emotionally attached to all of the characters.

June brilliantly captures the sharp edges of sisterly devotion in this tale of sisterhood - there's something deeply honest about how even life-or-death circumstances can't instantly heal years of tension.

Iseul was a bit frustrating at first, but watching her character evolve from her pampered roots while navigating the treacherous court alongside the guarded Prince Daehyun made this such a captivating story.

June also paints such a vivid picture of what times were like in 1506 Korea, focusing on intimate struggles within the shadow of tyranny. While the murder mystery subplot was at times hard to follow, I didn't mind it as much. At its core, this is about bringing someone home against impossible odds. 

My first June Hur book and definitely not my last! I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were outstanding. Highly recommend!

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