Oh wow. This book was something else. Filled with history and brimming with secrets, I found this hard to put down.
One of the most unique and special parts of this book was Seol. She is an unreliable narrator, learning as the reader learns. She is uneducated but still puts her brain to good use even though she was poking her nose in what she should not have been. She longs for her family and the need is shown throughout the whole story.
Sidenote: this book had no romance. :)
However, there were so many characters that I had to reread the first third of the book to get a decent grasp on who is who.
Despite the numerous characters, I enjoyed reading this novel and fans of mysteries will too.

Rating: 4.5/5
Crude Language: a handful 3/5
Romance: N/A
Spiritual: Religious Persecution
Violence: nothing detailed but mentioned due to the mystery ( )

* I got this book for review from the publisher for my honest thoughts*
I was super impressed with this read love leaning more about a time period that i knew nothing about. I also really loved the main character and how she easily got wrapped up into this mystery. It was very fast pace story. The world was so rich and I really felt liked i learned so much about this time period. She has a very lush writing style that sometimes lost me in the details. but I really loved this read and learning about a new time period and def read more by this author in the future. ( )

* I got this book for review from the publisher for my honest thoughts*
I was super impressed with this read love leaning more about a time period that i knew nothing about. I also really loved the main character and how she easily got wrapped up into this mystery. It was very fast pace story. The world was so rich and I really felt liked i learned so much about this time period. She has a very lush writing style that sometimes lost me in the details. but I really loved this read and learning about a new time period and def read more by this author in the future. ( )

4.5 stars I loved this and I read it all in one day, which I wasn't expecting to do. This hooked me in from the start and I did not want to put it down. The pacing is great, never felt like it dragged on. The plot was interesting and I really enjoyed the history that was woven into the story, which is saying something cause I'm not a huge history person but it was interesting learning about the conflict & tensions between the different factions & religious groups in Korea at that time (1800s). The mystery in here was really interesting and seeing how all of that unfolded was great. Overall, I thought this was really well written and a very strong debut.

Content Warnings: Physical and verbal abuse, mention of suicide, animal deaths/injury, sexism/misogyny, religious conflicts/persecution ( )

The Silence of Bones is a historical mystery set in 1800 Joseon (Korea). Not long after sixteen year old Seol finds herself indentured to the police, she must assist in a case involving the murder of a noblewoman. It is her job to handle the body and to assist in interviewing women in the case, due to the fact that men at this time were not permitted to have any contact with women. But that is supposed to be the extent of her involvement. She is not supposed to ask any questions or have any ideas about things. Seol can’t help but be drawn in by her curiosity however, and soon starts trying to put together the pieces herself.

The Inspector of the case begins to take notice in Seol and to expand her role, seeking her aid in solving this crime that seems particularly important to him. The duo works well together and Seol forms a sense of loyalty and respect towards the Inspector. Yet, as the evidence unfolds, she can’t ignore all the signs that seem to point to him as suspect. This only makes her more determined than ever to get to the truth.

This book is definitely one of my top 10 of 2020! Also the cover is just gorgeous. The historical setting provides depth of atmosphere and context to the mystery. I was so intrigued to see what happened next, and whether or not the Inspector was involved, that I got through this one pretty quickly. There were some good twists that I wasn’t expecting throughout. I also really enjoyed the author’s note at the end and love being able to read an own voices historical mystery set in Korea. I can’t wait for June Hur’s next book set to publish in 2021– The Forest of Stolen Girls.

The Silence of Bones: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ( )