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fool_ofabook's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
The writing was beautiful. I loved almost the entire thing UNTIL that horrible disgraceful end. I was so offended by the way the author revealed the secrets at the climax and how the real 'villain' (more like anti-hero?) was revealed in the f*cking epilogue. I physically cried, in utter heartache, at having believed in this book only for it to spit in my face.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
wolfje's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I feel like there were a few plot holes, but I didn't really care because the book just dragged me in and I just kept reading. Whatever flaws in the worldbuilding and plot, it makes up for in pace, tension, and by gripping you and not letting go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Death of parent
Moderate: Genocide
Minor: Slavery, Torture, and Murder
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book took me too long to get fully invested because I'm not (usually) a fan of slow burn royal court drama however this book has incredible features that won me over in the end. I was really engrossed by the mystical and enriched world building, the murder mystery (and the plot twist regarding it that honest to god made my mouth drop bc I didn't see it!), the magic of sooths and I'm a huge wuxia movies stan so this book gave me all those feels. Also while I was reading Hesina and Akira's first encounter I couldn't help but feel so many The Mummy (1999) feels too lol and I loved that bc it's one of my favorite movies. I enjoyed reading this a lot for giving me another favorite character to add to my collection (Sanjing baby I'll protect you!) though it's also hard to drudge through at points bc Hesina is a difficult character to follow along bc she's exasperating when she can't see beyond her nostrils holy shit! And most characters suffer from “stock one dimensionalism” the worst of them being Lilian who's just the sassy no life other than being the MC's bestie sacrificeable character. Also, I feel the epilogue was a letdown and the reveal weakened the ending bc it's very bullshitty to me. But overall this book is an alluring read except when it isn't (like the beginning and when it gets kinda confusing) but if you have enough patience and time then it is a treat.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
luuxx's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Torture, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Slavery, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and War
sporemiette's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Slavery, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Torture, Trafficking, and War
Minor: Suicide and Medical content
veilchen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Hesina is princess of Yan, a country that had ones been terrorized by the magic sooths, which are now outlawed. When her father, the King, dies, she is convinced that his death was not of natural cause and goes out of her way to find the real killer. But what she hasn't accounted for was the politics of the court, intrigues and betrayals playing their part in uncovering the truth.
First of all, this book is not a comforting, fun little fantasy book. It is Hurt/NoComfort, bawl your eyes out, talk about in therapy stuff. But it is a great book. My favourite part was without question the worldbuilding. The east-asian inspired setting of Yan, where the rules are dictated by eleven mysterious revolutionaries of the past is explored in depth, with all the lore, history of oppression and connecitons to its neighbouring countries, is what makes the sotry of Hesina so easy to get captivated by. Supported by a very pretty, descriptive writing style, I found myself speeding through the almost 500 pages in less than four hours.
I also fell in love with the characters. Hesina is a great protagonist with a lot of agency and not without faults. The rest of the cast mainly consists of her family, a wild mix of real siblings, bastards and adoptees, all of which got their moment to shine. Then, there is also the thief, who Hesina conscripts to help her uncover the Truth, Akira, with whom Hesina also develops a bit of a romance. Though there wasn't a lot of focus on that, I enjoyed their dynamic and would have wanted to see a bit more - maybe in the next book?
All in all, "Descendant of the Crane" was not at all what I expected. It was dark and sad, and very quick-paced, but it all took place in such a detailled world, with well developed character and in a beautiful style that I had no choice but to love it. It ended on a pretty open note - which I actually prefer, because now I can just pretend they all lived happily ever after. Nevertheless, one of the best endings I read in a while. I cried a lot.
First of all, this book is not a comforting, fun little fantasy book. It is Hurt/NoComfort, bawl your eyes out, talk about in therapy stuff. But it is a great book. My favourite part was without question the worldbuilding. The east-asian inspired setting of Yan, where the rules are dictated by eleven mysterious revolutionaries of the past is explored in depth, with all the lore, history of oppression and connecitons to its neighbouring countries, is what makes the sotry of Hesina so easy to get captivated by. Supported by a very pretty, descriptive writing style, I found myself speeding through the almost 500 pages in less than four hours.
I also fell in love with the characters. Hesina is a great protagonist with a lot of agency and not without faults. The rest of the cast mainly consists of her family, a wild mix of real siblings, bastards and adoptees, all of which got their moment to shine. Then, there is also the thief, who Hesina conscripts to help her uncover the Truth, Akira, with whom Hesina also develops a bit of a romance. Though there wasn't a lot of focus on that, I enjoyed their dynamic and would have wanted to see a bit more - maybe in the next book?
All in all, "Descendant of the Crane" was not at all what I expected. It was dark and sad, and very quick-paced, but it all took place in such a detailled world, with well developed character and in a beautiful style that I had no choice but to love it. It ended on a pretty open note - which I actually prefer, because now I can just pretend they all lived happily ever after. Nevertheless, one of the best endings I read in a while. I cried a lot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Genocide, Torture, Murder, and War
Minor: Slavery and War
wateringpages's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A HUGE breath of fresh air compared to what I normally see in YA Fantasy. There's a lot of politics and courtroom drama, so if you liked Six of Crows, you'll probably like this as well. The romance is slow and builds up extremely well, and it's a very muted and subtle one as well: present enough to be palpable, but not too overwhelming so that it distracts from the main plot.
Speaking of plot, I felt like there were a few pacing issues, but apart from that the plot unravels beautifully and you're left wanting for more with each chapter. Without giving away too much, the final plot twist is heavily foreshadowed but presented as trivial enough that you don't play attention to it, so once you do get there you almost feel stupid for ignoring all the signs.
The characters are all well developed, layered, and complex. They're all individual enough to have motivations that are completely separate or at least barely dependent on other characters. Inspite of that, take one of them out and the book falls apart. Joan He managed to find that fragile balance extremely well.
(Also, I CANNOT get over how gorgeous the cover is)
Speaking of plot, I felt like there were a few pacing issues, but apart from that the plot unravels beautifully and you're left wanting for more with each chapter. Without giving away too much, the final plot twist is heavily foreshadowed but presented as trivial enough that you don't play attention to it, so once you do get there you almost feel stupid for ignoring all the signs.
The characters are all well developed, layered, and complex. They're all individual enough to have motivations that are completely separate or at least barely dependent on other characters. Inspite of that, take one of them out and the book falls apart. Joan He managed to find that fragile balance extremely well.
(Also, I CANNOT get over how gorgeous the cover is)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Death of parent
booksandtea997's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Death, Racism, Slavery, and Torture
typedtruths's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
DNF 95 pages.
Despite borrowing both the ebook and physical copy from the library, I didn't manage to finish it before its due date. I'm focusing on reading my own tbr this year so it wasn't a priority. I was definitely enjoying it enough to pick it back up again, sometime in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicide