☆ Behind Five Willows by June Hur

About

As the dutiful second-eldest daughter of a poor family, society would have Haewon believe that her only hope of a decent life is to marry well. But during a time of rampant government censorship and book banning, she instead works as an illegal book transcriber in order to make a little extra money. It’s dangerous work, but she loves it―especially when she gets to transcribe the work of her favorite author, known as Black Lotus.

When her older sister becomes smitten with a wealthy young gentleman, Haewon is roped into chaperoning them during their courtship. Which wouldn’t be so terrible... if it weren’t for the young man’s uptight and annoying best friend who also accompanies them.

As the only son of a noble, Seojun has a lot expected of him. Wealth. Status. Respectability. Certainly not frivolous and often illicit activities such as reading fiction. But Seojun loves to do something even more scandalous: writing. He’s kept his work secret from his father and friends, but with each passing day, the pressure of being his father’s son and the dispiriting actions of the government make Seojun question the purpose of it all. The only thing keeping him going are the encouraging letters he receives from his transcriber, known only as Magpie.

When his best friend falls hard for a girl of lower social status, Seojun finds himself forced to act as chaperone to the infatuated couple―along with the girl's younger sister, who is as irritating as she is judgmental. But as Haewon and Seojun spend more time together, they begin to suspect they may have judged each other too quickly...

Thoughts

If you like Words on Fire (by Jennifer A. Nielsen), Divine Rivals (by Rebecca Ross), Pride and Prejudice (by Jane Austen), or all of the above, this book is perfect for you.

Behind Five Willows has so many beautiful quotes, and although it is a Pride and Prejudice retelling, it's still different in a new refreshing way. When I figured out what the title meant, it made me so happy and it felt full circle in a way. Along with that, the themes, characters, and plot is brilliant, and everything worked so seamlessly together. I would definitely recommend Behind Five Willows for a Korean Pride and Prejudice retelling with themes of books, morality, and family expectations.

Content

Language

Romance

• "d*mn" (used twice)

• "gods" (used three times)

• Undetailed kissing (twice)

• Somewhat detailed kiss

• A couple innuendos