June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history.
Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.
1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.
Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.
Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off―but there’s no way to know who he can trust.
When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:
Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.
Also by June Hur:
The Silence of Bones
The Forest of Stolen Girls
The Red Palace
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“Greg Chun and Michelle Lee portray the alliance and the attraction between the two main characters…Lee’s narration is suffused with 17-year-old Isuel’s desire to free her older sister…Chun’s portrayal of Daehyun, the king’s wise half brother, has many levels…Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile
“Korean historical drama meets murder mystery in this propulsive detective story.”
— Barnes&Noble.com“Highlighting June Hur’s trademark skill for devastatingly romantic relationships, told in such achingly lovely prose that will capture you from the very first page.”
— Reactor“An intense mystery and slow-burn romance that highlight a historical moment. Recommended for all YA collections.”
— School Library JournalBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
June Hur is an acclaimed, Edgar Award–winning author of young adult historical novels. Born in South Korea, she spent her formative years in the United States, Canada, and South Korea before studying history and literature at the University of Toronto and working at the city’s public library. Her work has been featured in Forbes and the New York Times and on NPR, CBC, and KBS.
Natalie Naudus is one of the most beloved audiobook narrators working today and now author of her debut novel, Gay the Pray Away.