Book Review: The Silence of Bones by June Hur

The Silence of Bones by June Hur
Length: 336 Pages
Genres: Historical Mystery, Young Adult
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Trigger Warnings in this book for Violence, Gore, Murder and Animal Death

"I have a mouth, but I mustn't speak;
Ears, but I mustn't hear;
Eye, but I mustn't see."

This is what sixteen-year-old Seol tries to live by, but it's hard for an intelligent and curious girl living in 19th-century Joseon (Korea), to follow not only the rigid rules of society, but laws that dictate who and what men and women should be. She is a damo, an indentured servant to the Police Bureau, who makes it possible for the Officers to follow strict Confucian law, which prevents them from being able to touch any woman who isn't related to them, even female prisoners and corpses. Yet she is still little more than an means to an end, forbidden to even make eye contact with those above her station.

When a Noblewoman is found with her throat cut, and most curiously, her nose removed, Seol's bright mind is noticed by the mysterious Inspector Han. For once, she is seen as more, as a living, breathing, thinking person. But when Seol makes a mistake that nearly costs her her life and the Inspector his dignity, she is thrust into a maelstrom of suspicion that leads straight to Inspector Han. And even more shocking, Seol begins to see similarities between the Inspector and someone, thought lost forever, from her past...

Set during a fascinating time in Korea, when one Queen used her newly found power to root out those who would question her, all in the guise of violently eradicating the Catholics that have spread across the land, The Silence of Bones is a bittersweet and meticulously researched story of loyalty, family, and how the past indelibly haunts the present. I highly recommend this, and can't wait to check out Hur's newest book, The Forest of Stolen Girls!