Content Warnings: murder, death, blood, gore, sexism, religious persecution, torture, and some body horror.

Wow...just another book I should not have left sitting on my shelf, unread, for so long.

As a big fan of historical kdramas [though I don't watch them often since they will emotionally eviscerate you and leave you an empty shell...flashbacks to watching my first historical kdrama, Ja Myung Go, years ago 😭] I was excited to dive into this story as I heard that June Hur wrote really amazing historical Korean stories...and this one did not disappoint.

We get to follow a young woman who's a police indentured servant for the remainder of her life...someone who is deeply curious in a time when women, especially servants, aren't supposed to be quite so curious.

If you've read The Apothecary Diaries manga...it's giving a little Maomao but darker...

Honestly just a really great freaking read and I look forward to reading more of June Hur's historical Korean stories!