#Book Review: The Demon of Yodok

Posted on by BonnieReadsAndWrites

This is a great combination of both dystopian and historical fiction, as it is really 1994 and the Kingdom of Choson is, of course, North Korea, and the Great General is their leader at the time, Kim Il Sung. This is not just about an evil Communist dictatorship, although much is exposed. It is about the great resentment Areum feels towards her parents and sister and the fact that she doesn’t feel a part of her own family. Her resentment is shocking at times and is so well described.

The descriptions of the horrible treatment of the citizens of the “Kingdom of Choson” and the way that evil actions are portrayed as good things is heartbreaking. Adria Carmichael paints a vivid picture of a society filled with fear, and leaders who look on those in their charge as less than nothing. Through it all runs the concept of Juche, a North Korean version of communism/totalitarianism as invented by Kim Il Sung. Carmichael takes us to a society that tells its people how great it is while they starve and murder them. Her idea to present North Korea as the setting of a dystopian novel is a good one, because it really is a dystopian society right here on Earth. The story is riveting from start to finish. This is a great debut novel from the very talented Adria Carmichael.

Link to Order Book 1: Juche: The Demon of Yodok

Link to Order Book 2: Juche: The Weeping Masses

Link to Pre-Order Book 3: Juche: The Storm of Storms

Published by BonnieReadsAndWrites

I love to read and write book reviews in my free time. I review advance review copies of books on Netgalley for various publishers. I am also a reviewer for Historical Novels Review Magazine, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. I review books from publishers of all size, large to small. I have a special place in my heart for indie authors. I will sometimes post a little writing that I might dabble in occasionally. I also am lucky enough to live in the Smoky Mountains, so I'll be sharing photos of the beauty around me from time to time.

13 thoughts on “#Book Review: The Demon of Yodok”

  1. This series about Juche sounds very interesting. I have read about Juche in North Korea, and it is the worst thing that could happen to that country. Singapore also had a similar ideal of self-sufficiency when the British left, but look where Singapore is now.

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    1. I hope you decide to read it, Hien. The author is getting a lot of trolls who appear to be from the UK saying she is “misinformed” about North Korea and giving her one star reviews. The reviews from the US are very good. I find it to be a well written and very addictive dystopian series.

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        3. Hi Hien, thank you for your fantastic review! I’m glad you liked it, and you’re correct in your assumption that I split it into smaller parts to accommodate to the modern reader (myself included). In the end, they will be around 9 books so I have no plans to merge them into one, but I will create boxsets at reduced prices for the ebooks.
          If you are interested in continuing the series, I would be happy to provide you with the coming books in your preferred format in exchange for honest reviews. Let’ me know 🙂

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Adria, I don’t read (or write) as fast as Bonnie does so I can’t promise to post reviews of your books in a timely manner. As you can probably tell, my preferred format is paperback. Also, if you want to read my two published books, I will be happy to send them to you. Just email me at neihtn@yahoo.com and let me know what your postal address is. I am also looking for reviewers, and for more readers of course.

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