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ivy's Reviews > Behind Five Willows
Behind Five Willows
by
by
ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review
What a great first read of 2026!
Behind Five Willows is a historical romance between a popular author, The Black Lotus, and the transcriber of their works, Magpie, set in the Joseon dynasty. At this time, book banning edicts are in place, which places them both at great risk. When The Black Lotus does decide to stop writing, Magpie reaches out via letter to express just how much their writing means to her - and from there, they begin to exchange letters in earnest, forming a close connection. The Black Lotus and Magpie do eventually meet in real life, but they just don’t know it - and, unfortunately, they don’t seem to get along.
Although I do think I would have liked to see them at odds for even longer, I did enjoy the romance. As a huge fan of mutual pining/yearning, I was definitely fed well.
What ultimately helps our characters to grow closer is the realisation that they share this love of books. The importance of novels to the characters was something that was very strongly emphasised, and it really resonated with me.
The family dynamics included are also quite nice, and I like how this novel explored the struggles women faced during this time. There is a mystery element as well, but this was honestly confusing until the end, because we didn’t really spend that much time on it. This didn’t really bother me though. As always with books by June Hur, it was super easy to read - “just one more chapter” always seemed to turn into a lot more than one.
Overall, if you love love and you love books, I highly recommend this!
What a great first read of 2026!
Behind Five Willows is a historical romance between a popular author, The Black Lotus, and the transcriber of their works, Magpie, set in the Joseon dynasty. At this time, book banning edicts are in place, which places them both at great risk. When The Black Lotus does decide to stop writing, Magpie reaches out via letter to express just how much their writing means to her - and from there, they begin to exchange letters in earnest, forming a close connection. The Black Lotus and Magpie do eventually meet in real life, but they just don’t know it - and, unfortunately, they don’t seem to get along.
Although I do think I would have liked to see them at odds for even longer, I did enjoy the romance. As a huge fan of mutual pining/yearning, I was definitely fed well.
What ultimately helps our characters to grow closer is the realisation that they share this love of books. The importance of novels to the characters was something that was very strongly emphasised, and it really resonated with me.
The family dynamics included are also quite nice, and I like how this novel explored the struggles women faced during this time. There is a mystery element as well, but this was honestly confusing until the end, because we didn’t really spend that much time on it. This didn’t really bother me though. As always with books by June Hur, it was super easy to read - “just one more chapter” always seemed to turn into a lot more than one.
Overall, if you love love and you love books, I highly recommend this!
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