Review by Godspraise Precious -- The Vanished
Posted: 15 Jan 2021, 14:39
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley.]
Classified as historical fiction, The Vanished is a book that revolves around the life of Embon and his involvement in the fight against Japanese neocolonialism in his country. Embon is a Korean of noble origin. Due to this, he received both material things and genuine love from his mother. Amidst the luxury of wealth and servants at his beck and call, he turned out to be an intelligent man. As a result of his intellect, he earned an opportunity to study in a renowned university owned by the Japanese, much faster than his peers. As a college student, he met fellow Koreans named Hain, Insoo, and Yangwoo, who later became his friends. His newfound buddies had a burning passion for ending the imperialism of Japan in Korea, and naturally, he turned out to have the same ideology. As a reader, the critical question becomes, would they be able to achieve their aim?
As a person, who through Korean movies, has come to love and become acquainted with Korean culture, one thing I loved was the Korean terms I came across. Some examples are “yobo,” “yangban,” “iri-onura,” and “mansei.” I enjoyed reading these terms because I clearly understood what they meant, and I didn't have any issues with comprehension. Similarly, the traditions practiced by the characters were all familiar to me, and as a result, I didn't have a problem relating to their way of life. Another positive thing about this book is the simple writing style implored by the writer. This made for a delightful flow and an impressive read. Also, the fact that I could relate to most characters and adding to the absence of errors in the book added to my overall appreciation of The Vanished. As an avid reader, nothing interests me more than a well-edited book.
Even though this would not affect my rating of this novel, it is necessary to disclose that I disliked the fact that some characters were poorly developed. To be honest, I wondered why they were introduced, because at first, it seemed they would make a substantial impact on how the story would go. However, in the long run, only a little thing was explored about those characters. I asked myself, why introduce them when there is no intent of proper development?
However, given the numerous elements that appealed to me about The Vanished, and since it was professionally edited, I will rate it 4 out of 4 stars without any reservations. I chose this rating since my positive comments about this book supersede the negatives.
Finally, The Vanished by Pejay Bradley will appeal to those who love historical fiction, adventures, and persons who love topics regarding the Korean culture, and as such, I recommend it to them.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Classified as historical fiction, The Vanished is a book that revolves around the life of Embon and his involvement in the fight against Japanese neocolonialism in his country. Embon is a Korean of noble origin. Due to this, he received both material things and genuine love from his mother. Amidst the luxury of wealth and servants at his beck and call, he turned out to be an intelligent man. As a result of his intellect, he earned an opportunity to study in a renowned university owned by the Japanese, much faster than his peers. As a college student, he met fellow Koreans named Hain, Insoo, and Yangwoo, who later became his friends. His newfound buddies had a burning passion for ending the imperialism of Japan in Korea, and naturally, he turned out to have the same ideology. As a reader, the critical question becomes, would they be able to achieve their aim?
As a person, who through Korean movies, has come to love and become acquainted with Korean culture, one thing I loved was the Korean terms I came across. Some examples are “yobo,” “yangban,” “iri-onura,” and “mansei.” I enjoyed reading these terms because I clearly understood what they meant, and I didn't have any issues with comprehension. Similarly, the traditions practiced by the characters were all familiar to me, and as a result, I didn't have a problem relating to their way of life. Another positive thing about this book is the simple writing style implored by the writer. This made for a delightful flow and an impressive read. Also, the fact that I could relate to most characters and adding to the absence of errors in the book added to my overall appreciation of The Vanished. As an avid reader, nothing interests me more than a well-edited book.
Even though this would not affect my rating of this novel, it is necessary to disclose that I disliked the fact that some characters were poorly developed. To be honest, I wondered why they were introduced, because at first, it seemed they would make a substantial impact on how the story would go. However, in the long run, only a little thing was explored about those characters. I asked myself, why introduce them when there is no intent of proper development?
However, given the numerous elements that appealed to me about The Vanished, and since it was professionally edited, I will rate it 4 out of 4 stars without any reservations. I chose this rating since my positive comments about this book supersede the negatives.
Finally, The Vanished by Pejay Bradley will appeal to those who love historical fiction, adventures, and persons who love topics regarding the Korean culture, and as such, I recommend it to them.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
