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andra_mihaela_s's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Descendant of the Crane" is such a promising first book in a series! Too bad we don't know when or even IF the author will write more in this world due to the unfortunate situation of it's initial publication... :(
Quick summary: Princess Hesina of Yan becomes queen after the death pf her beloved father. Her only desire...find the murderer!
To this simple (=personal drama) premise, Joan He blends very well chinese customs, culture and history (we have the first coin in the Chinese history mentioned here as the currency; we have a specific way of showing respect to the higher ups; we have traditional clothing and make-up,etc.) with a political plotline mixed with very little romance and a lot of mistery concerning the past of the kingdom (both religious and ideological).
I will not say that everyone will find this debut worthy of praise or anything like that, but I dare you to say it doesn't have great potential and a solid fundation for what it wants to be: a first person perspective in a world ruled by it's past. I really appreciate books that talk about misconceptions, fears, superstitions and plain beliefs based on "historical fundation" and perpetuated hate for "the enemy".
I'm happy to say "Descendant of the Crane" is such a book that not only explores the darker side of winners vs loosers argument, but it also evolves it with things that have a great impact in real life, like: <i>How a different nation respond/act/profit/involve itself with this issue?How can a ruler keep his/her throne in a deeply infected society AND change it at its core? How much power a ruler has in comparison to its vassals? etc. </i>
<b>Content warnings: violent murder, torture,discrimination based on historical motifs and fear of the unknown(which is horrible!); desecration of a grave;slavery</b>
Taking all this into consideration, I cannot help but point out the things someone else by find annoying and a deal-breaker for them: One such thing is the character work...you can see that this is a debut and the MC is the only one you can pass of as "well-rounded".
While Hesina is really naive and extremely focused on one goal (a conscious choice by the author), I had some expectations for the "villains", namely Xia Zhong and the Prince of Kandi'a due to the fact that a war is on the brewing because of them...and I wanted to find out WHY they do what they do..>..>
We have some family drama for Minister of Rites Xia, and the whole thing with a country without water..but sadly, the book did not expand on this.
As for the other characters...the king and queen are really fascinating! We have information only from Hesina's perspective when it comes to them..and I don't find that a bad thing! ^^ In the end, we find out some shocking information that was well foreshadowed (in my opinion) and THAT can be put to good use in an eventual sequel!
The rest of the cast was kinda there to serve Hesina in going through her journey...most obvious, the twins her father adopted: Caiyan- a great figure in the country's political stage, and Lilian - the imperial seamstress. Her blood brothers did not stand out to me either:(..both Sanjing and Rue (I'm not sure if his name is written correctly here...) are present for just a little part of the book and they have a major trait that takes up all the space for anything else...one is distant and passive-agresive due to lack of a real relationship as siblings; the other - a lamb..literary...>..>
The last character I want to mention...Akira...he has potential! In terms of his actual role in this story...he was between fine and great; as a love interest...not so much:( I wasn't impressed with his backstory, given the fact I was hoping he was more involved in the political and religious drama going on..,but that doesn't make him bad or poorly written..It's just a personal preference.
This book does well a lot of things, from the chinese inspiration mentioned earlier, to the beginnings of a political fantasy series with a lot of mistery added, to the discussion about stigma and discrimination, collective fear of something and REAL STAKES!
We lose people here! And the fantasy elements are integrated in a great way!
Yes, this book is slow on plot progression and world building, but I don't see that as a mistake, but more of a author choice/style.
Joan He decides to focus our first-person perspective to 2 very important subjects that, frankly, I enjoy reading about: how history affects people (discrimination, missconception, way of life, rules put in place,etc) and how and by whom it's written!(The Eleven are a clever idea to implement and I really hope I will get the chance to read more in this world, because we barely got some answers and another million questions! >..<)
So, yes! 4 stars for "Descendant of the Crane"! This one speaks to my reading taste!
I highly recommend this book to everyone liking a slow politial fantasy that really spends time showing the effects of history and a group of people! Don't expect "A Game of Thrones", but a young naive ruler that has the veil of ignorance ripped of her face page by page, and getting exposed to the real world.
Enjoy
Quick summary: Princess Hesina of Yan becomes queen after the death pf her beloved father. Her only desire...find the murderer!
To this simple (=personal drama) premise, Joan He blends very well chinese customs, culture and history (we have the first coin in the Chinese history mentioned here as the currency; we have a specific way of showing respect to the higher ups; we have traditional clothing and make-up,etc.) with a political plotline mixed with very little romance and a lot of mistery concerning the past of the kingdom (both religious and ideological).
I will not say that everyone will find this debut worthy of praise or anything like that, but I dare you to say it doesn't have great potential and a solid fundation for what it wants to be: a first person perspective in a world ruled by it's past. I really appreciate books that talk about misconceptions, fears, superstitions and plain beliefs based on "historical fundation" and perpetuated hate for "the enemy".
I'm happy to say "Descendant of the Crane" is such a book that not only explores the darker side of winners vs loosers argument, but it also evolves it with things that have a great impact in real life, like: <i>How a different nation respond/act/profit/involve itself with this issue?How can a ruler keep his/her throne in a deeply infected society AND change it at its core? How much power a ruler has in comparison to its vassals? etc. </i>
<b>Content warnings: violent murder, torture,discrimination based on historical motifs and fear of the unknown(which is horrible!); desecration of a grave;slavery</b>
Taking all this into consideration, I cannot help but point out the things someone else by find annoying and a deal-breaker for them: One such thing is the character work...you can see that this is a debut and the MC is the only one you can pass of as "well-rounded".
While Hesina is really naive and extremely focused on one goal (a conscious choice by the author), I had some expectations for the "villains", namely Xia Zhong and the Prince of Kandi'a due to the fact that a war is on the brewing because of them...and I wanted to find out WHY they do what they do..>..>
We have some family drama for Minister of Rites Xia, and the whole thing with a country without water..but sadly, the book did not expand on this.
As for the other characters...the king and queen are really fascinating! We have information only from Hesina's perspective when it comes to them..and I don't find that a bad thing! ^^ In the end, we find out some shocking information that was well foreshadowed (in my opinion) and THAT can be put to good use in an eventual sequel!
The rest of the cast was kinda there to serve Hesina in going through her journey...most obvious, the twins her father adopted: Caiyan- a great figure in the country's political stage, and Lilian - the imperial seamstress. Her blood brothers did not stand out to me either:(..both Sanjing and Rue (I'm not sure if his name is written correctly here...) are present for just a little part of the book and they have a major trait that takes up all the space for anything else...one is distant and passive-agresive due to lack of a real relationship as siblings; the other - a lamb..literary...>..>
The last character I want to mention...Akira...he has potential! In terms of his actual role in this story...he was between fine and great; as a love interest...not so much:( I wasn't impressed with his backstory, given the fact I was hoping he was more involved in the political and religious drama going on..,but that doesn't make him bad or poorly written..It's just a personal preference.
This book does well a lot of things, from the chinese inspiration mentioned earlier, to the beginnings of a political fantasy series with a lot of mistery added, to the discussion about stigma and discrimination, collective fear of something and REAL STAKES!
We lose people here! And the fantasy elements are integrated in a great way!
Yes, this book is slow on plot progression and world building, but I don't see that as a mistake, but more of a author choice/style.
Joan He decides to focus our first-person perspective to 2 very important subjects that, frankly, I enjoy reading about: how history affects people (discrimination, missconception, way of life, rules put in place,etc) and how and by whom it's written!(The Eleven are a clever idea to implement and I really hope I will get the chance to read more in this world, because we barely got some answers and another million questions! >..<)
So, yes! 4 stars for "Descendant of the Crane"! This one speaks to my reading taste!
I highly recommend this book to everyone liking a slow politial fantasy that really spends time showing the effects of history and a group of people! Don't expect "A Game of Thrones", but a young naive ruler that has the veil of ignorance ripped of her face page by page, and getting exposed to the real world.
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide and Slavery