5/5 stars on Goodreads
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| The Restorer’s Home by Kim Sang-Yeop |
The Restorer’s Home is Korean manhwa that really spoke to my historian’s soul. Sixteen-year-old Sungwoo Yoo has inherited a
traditional Korean mansion from his grandfather and since both his parents are
absent, he has to take care of it by himself, with no funds. That’s the smallest
of his problems.
As an
archeologist, his father was responsible of destroying an ancient tomb and now
the spirit of the king buried in there—currently looking like a ten-year-old—with his retinue
that includes a female bodyguard and a concubine, have moved into his house, wreaking
havoc. They need Sungwoo to repair the original tomb, but since that’s not
possible, they’re here to stay.
Sungwoo is
special. He has an ability to see the spirits of artifacts and determine how he
can repair the items to original condition. The story consists of requests of
repairing things, each more unique than the other. Some involve his school friends;
some are random encounters, and all are delightful, with Korean history added
to the mix. The book ends at a cliff-hanger and I’m interested in reading more.
This was a
wonderful mix of high-school drama, cartoon antics, and Korean traditions. It
doesn’t seem like a combination that should work, but it does, very well.
Sungwoo was a great character, caring and self-conscious, and determined to do
the right thing. He suffers from being abandoned by his parents, which shows occasionally,
but he doesn’t let that make him bitter. His house is filled with ghosts from
1500 years ago, which he takes in a stride, befriending them and all sorts of
interesting people along the way.
Illustrations
were black and white and good, with great attention paid to the details of the
artifacts that were being restored. At times though, the characters looked a
bit too much alike, which was slightly annoying.
I received
a free copy from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.