Review of The Vanished
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Lorraine De Vos
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Review of The Vanished
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Vanished" by Pejay Bradley.]
The Vanished by Pejay Bradley is an amazing historical fiction centered around the Korean struggle against the Japanese in the early 1900s.
Japan has invaded Korea and forced its King into submission. The Koreans are angry, but keep quiet out of fear of retribution. However, there is an underground movement slowly on the rise. Whilst all this instability is gripping the country, a young royal is born. Embon growths up with an absent father, but his devoted mother helps him to become a well-educated and well-mannered young man. His dedication to school earns him early admission to a premier university in Japan where he makes friends with activists of the underground movement. He is torn between his promise to his mother to make her proud by graduating, and his love for his country and dying culture. His choices end up landing him in deep water.
The stark difference between the lower social class, higher social class, and traditional customs is perfectly portrayed throughout the novel. Author Pejay Bradley eloquently incorporates authentic historical events that bring the characters to life. I especially enjoyed learning about the traditions around weddings and how the Korean royal hierarchy works. The social classes and their different beliefs about who is born a gentleman and who is not was also something interesting that I did not know before.
I was previously oblivious to these historical events and found myself saddened upon learning about the oppression the Koreans felt during this time. The character growth is remarkable and the supporting characters were expertly placed to play their roles in the rounding of the story. There were virtually no spelling or grammar issues, leading me to believe that this book was professionally edited.
Due to the themes of war and resistance, there is quite a fair amount of violence and cruelty in this book, so I would advise against reading this if you are sensitive to these topics. I also don't recommend this book to feminists; historically the Korean culture viewed women as second-class citizens and this may be displeasing to read about. The book is free from profanity and there was no content of an explicit sexual nature, making it safe for younger readers. I recommend this thought-provoking nod to the Korean culture to anyone that enjoys historical fiction.
I had this book on my reading list for a long time and I am elated that I finally picked it up for review. There was nothing I disliked about this book and I am excited to award it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Vanished by Pejay Bradley is an amazing historical fiction centered around the Korean struggle against the Japanese in the early 1900s.
Japan has invaded Korea and forced its King into submission. The Koreans are angry, but keep quiet out of fear of retribution. However, there is an underground movement slowly on the rise. Whilst all this instability is gripping the country, a young royal is born. Embon growths up with an absent father, but his devoted mother helps him to become a well-educated and well-mannered young man. His dedication to school earns him early admission to a premier university in Japan where he makes friends with activists of the underground movement. He is torn between his promise to his mother to make her proud by graduating, and his love for his country and dying culture. His choices end up landing him in deep water.
The stark difference between the lower social class, higher social class, and traditional customs is perfectly portrayed throughout the novel. Author Pejay Bradley eloquently incorporates authentic historical events that bring the characters to life. I especially enjoyed learning about the traditions around weddings and how the Korean royal hierarchy works. The social classes and their different beliefs about who is born a gentleman and who is not was also something interesting that I did not know before.
I was previously oblivious to these historical events and found myself saddened upon learning about the oppression the Koreans felt during this time. The character growth is remarkable and the supporting characters were expertly placed to play their roles in the rounding of the story. There were virtually no spelling or grammar issues, leading me to believe that this book was professionally edited.
Due to the themes of war and resistance, there is quite a fair amount of violence and cruelty in this book, so I would advise against reading this if you are sensitive to these topics. I also don't recommend this book to feminists; historically the Korean culture viewed women as second-class citizens and this may be displeasing to read about. The book is free from profanity and there was no content of an explicit sexual nature, making it safe for younger readers. I recommend this thought-provoking nod to the Korean culture to anyone that enjoys historical fiction.
I had this book on my reading list for a long time and I am elated that I finally picked it up for review. There was nothing I disliked about this book and I am excited to award it a rating of 4 out of 4 stars.
******
The Vanished
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Killing Abel by Michael Tieman
