The Forest of Stolen Girls

“Doing what is right, it is so utterly terrifying. And yet so freeing.”

Haunting and atmospheric, with a heavy emphasis on sisterhood and father-daughter relationship. Hwani and Maewol provide a clear example of how a father can leave such different impressions on different children, which goes with the underlying theme of how no one is 100% good or bad. There are also parallels seen in Gahee and Chaewon. Just like the sisters, they are daughters struggling with their fathers' love. Because at the end of it, this is what the story is about: how fathers would go to extreme lengths to protect their daughters.

While the story takes its time unfurling, this has been a delight to read. It has a good mix of investigation, exploration, and familial bond. Hwani and Maewol bicker a lot, which sometimes got them in trouble, but they really care about each other and grow much closer through the story. There's also no romance involved, and honestly it's a major plus point for me as it allows the focus to stay on family. The ending is a tad bittersweet, but gives a really nice closure and leaves on a hopeful note.

Having lost my own father a few months ago, I find this book strangely comforting. Will definitely pick up more of June Hur's books.

Yet another mysterious plot, with elements of historical truth noted within. The main character is someone that I would not love to know in real life, with her thinking towards her younger sister's actions sometimes frustrating to read. Yet, the inclusion of her upbringing compared to her sister shows that this disparity in thoughts is because of what was taught to be right or wrong.

Definitely an enjoyable read.

Eu não fazia a menor ideia que isto era uma história de época quando o comecei a ler. E apesar de isso ficar bastante definido logo no primeiro capítulo, foi preciso algum texto para eu realmente processar. Mas isso não é uma coisa má: eu afasto-me naturalmente de histórias de época, mas desta forma eu pude interessar-me antes de descartar. E ainda bem.

A sinopse faz parecer um mistério young adult, talvez mesmo um thriller sobrenatural ou algo mais místico. E considerando o ambiente em que a história se passa, chegamos a questionar se se trata de um policial ou de uma caça de fantasmas. Mas a história dá diversas reviravoltas e, a certo ponto, não sabemos mais no que acreditar. E isso, eu acho, é um dos elementos mais importantes deste género: fazer o leitor questionar tudo o que interpretou, dar voltas ao cérebro lado a lado com os personagens, querer embrenhar-se na floresta e seguir os rastos para desvendar o mistério.

Também é uma história sobre perdão, sobre perspetivas, sobre família de sangue versus família de coração, sobre reencontros e jovens mulheres que criam e fazem o seu futuro contra aquilo que é esperado delas. Sobre aprender a confiar, aprender a questionar e aprender a questionar e confiar nas pessoas certas e sobre as coisas certas.

No fim, é uma história inspirada numa prática desoladora, um pedaço da história Sul Coreana que é pouco conhecida, ainda que familiar para alguns de nós. A revelação final é retorcida, o desenrolar da história é rico em mistério e as personagens são previsíveis, mas tridimensionais.

E se passamos o livro inteiro a tecer as nossas próprias teorias sobre a verdade...no final não podíamos estar mais longe dela.

The why of the mystery is fairly straightforward, but the who of the mystery was a twisty path that didn't really end where I expected. The relationship between the sisters and their relationship to the island is a strength of the story. Visiting ancient Korea was interesting, but the story felt fairly universal in a lot of ways.
So if you are looking for a story about sisters overcoming hard feelings and bad guys, you will enjoy this story.

This was great! I don't know anything about the Joseon era of Korea so it was really interesting to learn little bits. Hur was really descriptive and it was especially fun to look up images of the clothes that I'd never heard of.

Also, I wouldn't mind if this was a series with Hwani solving all sorts of mysteries on Jeju island!

That feeling when one of your “most anticipated” 2021 reads lives up to the hype and then some