Czerwony pałac

As a fan of Kingdom series, The Red Palace really caught my attention. Of course, there are no zombies or action-packed scenes here. However, the Joseon historical setting blended with a murder case? I’m in!Though I expected The Red Palace to be more thrilling and dark, the reading experience was still enjoyable. It’s truly easy to read. The historical references and vivid descriptions gave me the feeling of watching a sageuk-mystery K-Drama (okay, now I want this book to be adapted as well). Not gonna lie, I even finished the last half of The Red Palace during a long train trip.I’ve read plenty of mystery-thriller books. Compared to those, the murder case execution here was simpler. The investigation felt like tracing clues and evidence by getting information from witnesses and people relevant to the case. This type of investigation was easy to follow, though sometimes I couldn’t help but think: “Well, how could these people so easily tell the truth?”However, I won’t complain too much about it since the writer still managed to keep me constantly wondering about the identity of the real culprit. And I gotta admit, the truth revelation did catch me off guard, though it felt rushed when reaching the climax.Instead of the murder case, I was more interested with the character development. Hyeon and Eojin’s dynamic added a bright shade of color to the plot itself. I love their equal relationship, and the slow-burn tension??? Have I mentioned that a slight bit of romance in a non-romance novel always makes my heart flutter???I thought the political-empire intrigue would be the main spotlight of the book. Surprisingly, the story turned into more sentimental side, focusing on parent-child relationships and how impactful family bonds can be in shaping ourselves. Also, reading the author’s note about Prince Sado, the real person who is the basis of this book, makes me want more story from The Crown Prince's side :(