3.5 ⭐ CW: violence, death, blood, torture mention 

The Red Palace by June Hur is a YA historical mystery set in Korea in the 1700s. This is a book I got in a book box, and is not one that I would have picked up on my own, but it is nice to read something different once in a while. 

We follow Baek-Hyeon, a palace nurse who gets drawn into an investigation of a massacre of four women. She teams up with police investigator Eojin to find out who the real killer is, and prove that Hyeon's mentor is innocent. Hyeon and Eojin have a bit of a slow burn romance, but it is secondary to the murder mystery story. 

I liked this well enough, but it was a little bit slow for me, and the suspense just didn't hit. It was nice to learn a bit about historical Korea and what life was like, especially for women at that time. I appreciated that Hyeon was unconventional and bold. Despite everyone warning her away from the investigation, she persevered at great risk to herself. There was also a theme about mother's maybe not being who we think they are. Hyeon realizes that the idea she had about who her mother was, was incorrect and was able to appreciate her more. There was a strong theme about disapproving fathers as well. 

This was a decent read, and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in Korean history and murder mystery.