Official Bio:
JUNE HUR (허주은) is an Edgar Award-winning author of bestselling YA historical mysteries and romances, including The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, and The Red Palace. Born in South Korea, June spent her formative years in the USA, Canada, and South Korea before studying History and Literature at the University of Toronto and working at the city’s public library. Her work has been featured in Forbes, NPR, The New York Times, CBC, and KBS. June’s upcoming releases, A Crane Among Wolves and Adoration, are set for May 2024 and 2026. She resides in Toronto with her family and can be spotted writing in coffee shops.
Longer Bio:
JUNE (JU EUN) HUR (‘Hur’ pronounced ‘her’ – 허주은) is the Edgar Award-winning and indie-bestselling author of YA historical mysteries and romances, including The Silence of Bones, The Forest of Stolen Girls, and The Red Palace. Born in Incheon, South Korea, June spent her formative years in the USA, Canada, and South Korea before studying History and Literature at the University of Toronto and working at the city’s public library. Her writing is deeply inspired by her journey through life as an individual, a dreamer, and a Christian, with all its confusions, doubts, absurdities, and magnificence.
June’s first two novels have been optioned for screen adaptations, and her work has been spotlighted on Forbes, NPR, The New York Times, CBC, The Globe and Mail, and KBS. A three-time nominee for the prestigious Edgar Awards, she won the award for her third novel.
In addition to her novels, June contributed a fantasy short story to the anthology Mermaids Never Drown: Tales to Dive For, set to release in September 2023. Her upcoming standalone novel, A Crane Among Wolves, and her fifth novel, Adoration, are eagerly awaited, with release dates in May 2024 and 2026. June’s novels have been translated into multiple languages, including Korean, French, Italian, Russian, German, and Indonesian.
June resides in Toronto, ON, Canada, with her husband Bosco Tung and their two young children.
She is represented by literary agent Amy Bishop of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC, and her Hardcover novels are published by Feiwel & Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, and edited by Emily Settle.
(For blurb requests and for rights inquiries, please contact Amy at abishop [at] dystel [dot] com)
To request an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of my books or for general media or event inquiries, please contact: my publicist childrens.publicity [at] macmillanusa [dot] com
To get in touch, or if you would like to request an interview, you can reach her at: writerjunehur [at] gmail [dot] com)
Further book info:
Her YA debut novel THE SILENCE OF BONES, a murder mystery set in Joseon Dynasty Korea (early 1800s), follows a 16-year-old indentured servant within the police bureau who becomes entangled in the politically charged investigation into the murder of a noblewoman. It was named by the American Booksellers Association as one of the top ‘Indies Introduce’ debuts of Winter/Spring 2020, a Junior Library Guild Selection, American Library Awards 2021 Rise Selection, Freeman Book Awards Honorable Mention and 2021 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee.
Her sophomore novel THE FOREST OF STOLEN GIRLS is another YA historical mystery set in Joseon Dynasty Korea (early 1400s) about a teen who returns homes to pick up the trail after her father vanishes while investigating the disappearance of 13 young women. It is praised by New York Times-bestselling authors Adalyn Grace as “a haunting, breathtaking tale that will have readers on the edge of their seats” and Kathleen Glasgow as “rich, exquisite, and deeply atmospheric.” It was honored as another Junior Library Guild Selection. It received a starred trade review from School Library Journal that said “Hur’s worldbuilding is majestic, transporting readers to Joseon Korea to unravel a compelling mystery” and Publisher Weekly describes it as “a suspenseful, atmospheric historical mystery” that explores women’s lack of bodily agency during this time and the dangers of obsessive protection, adroitly interweaving the historical context of the real horrors that afflicted Korean women from the 13th-century Mongol rule until after 1435.” It was a Junior Library Guild Selection, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominee, Forest of Reading 2022 White Pine Award Nominee, and and 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominee.
Her third novel THE RED PALACE is a romantic YA historical mystery about a palace nurse and a royal investigator teaming up to look into a pattern of grisly murders when the Crown Prince becomes the prime suspect. Evocative and atmospheric, perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kerri Maniscalco. It received two starred trade reviews from School Library Journal that called it “A tense political thriller, a beautiful romance, and a coming of age all in one unique package” and from Booklist describes it as “A beautifully written story full of historical and cultural details that will leave readers aching for a follow-up.” Praised by New York Times-bestselling authors Jennifer Lynn Barnes (The Inheritance Games) as being “compulsively readable and utterly unique…a must-read murder mystery steeped in royal intrigue” and Adrienne Young (Fable) saying that “court politics and hierarchal society are the stunning backdrop of June Hur’s page-turning, atmospheric…will have readers totally obsessed.” It was included in the sold-out Fae Crate Jan 2022 Book Box with a new exclusive cover, was selected as Forbes Most Anticipated Books of 2022, featured on CBC Radio, KBS World Radio, The Korea Times, an Indie Bestseller for week ending 1/31/2022, and 2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award Winner!
A fantasy short story set in Jeju makes a splash in the anthology MERMAIDS NEVER DROWN: TALES TO DIVE FOR, the second collection in the Untold Legends series edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker alongside 13 other short stories from bestelling and award-wnning authors
Her fourth novel A CRANE AMONG WOLVES coming 2024 is YA historical mystery that follows a girl and a prince who must join forces to save her sister and the kingdom from King Yeongsangun, one of Korea’s most hated tyrants. A devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history. Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly
Her fifth and sixth novels, ADORATION, a Jane Austen homage set during the Joseon dynasty that follows a young women transcribing forbidden books and an aloof, wealthy young man hiding his own literary secret, who must wrestle with questions of class, respectability, and carving one’s own destiny when a literary censor at the Ministry of Justice uncovers her secret and their connection. Publication is slated for Spring 2026 and 2028.
June Hur 