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A review by isabelbrieler
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
4.0
At its barest bones, Descendant of the Crane is much like many other fantasy novels. An abnormally young Queen (Hesina) ascends to the throne on the heels of a conspiracy (the death of her father), and sets about unraveling said conspiracy along with the help of an assorted crew of other teenagers.
However, where most of the other books that follow this blueprint blend together, Descendant of the Crane shines. Hesina is an immensely relatable narrator and every time she hurt, I hurt. When she cried, I cried. The rest of her motley crew (her brother, her adopted siblings, and a convict) is fleshed out to perfection, making their sufferings throughout the book very affecting. (If it seems like I'm focusing too much on the sadness, it's because this book absolutely broke my heart in the best way, and boy am I still feeling it.)
The plot takes turns that are unexpected and never extraneous. The setting is beautiful and vividly depicted. Relationships grow believably and emotionally. Hesina struggles with her country's persecution of the sooths (a magically gifted subset of people) and this exploration of what to do when your sense of morality conflicts with seemingly everyone else is at the core of the story.
Hesina has just become a monarch, but I loved that, unlike most of these characters, she was extremely competent. There were many forces at play that she had little control over, but her promise as a ruler is never clearer than during her interactions with the Crown Prince of a rival nation. The backbone of the plot of the book is the mystery of the death of Hesina's father, and although other plotlines make up the heart of the book, this mystery's twists and turns keep this book engaging.
As genres, I love period dramas and fantasy for their court intrigue plotlines, and Descendant of the Crane featured enough of this to make me happy, while still being more of an action/adventure type fantasy novel than I was quite expecting. Nonetheless, the action was exhilarating, and I wouldn't change a moment of it.
I think I may never recover from this book. I will be eagerly awaiting its sequel (I'm counting on you, Joan He. I need closure!) and I highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy, incredible heroines, and mystery.
ARC provided via NetGalley.
However, where most of the other books that follow this blueprint blend together, Descendant of the Crane shines. Hesina is an immensely relatable narrator and every time she hurt, I hurt. When she cried, I cried. The rest of her motley crew (her brother, her adopted siblings, and a convict) is fleshed out to perfection, making their sufferings throughout the book very affecting. (If it seems like I'm focusing too much on the sadness, it's because this book absolutely broke my heart in the best way, and boy am I still feeling it.)
The plot takes turns that are unexpected and never extraneous. The setting is beautiful and vividly depicted. Relationships grow believably and emotionally. Hesina struggles with her country's persecution of the sooths (a magically gifted subset of people) and this exploration of what to do when your sense of morality conflicts with seemingly everyone else is at the core of the story.
Hesina has just become a monarch, but I loved that, unlike most of these characters, she was extremely competent. There were many forces at play that she had little control over, but her promise as a ruler is never clearer than during her interactions with the Crown Prince of a rival nation. The backbone of the plot of the book is the mystery of the death of Hesina's father, and although other plotlines make up the heart of the book, this mystery's twists and turns keep this book engaging.
As genres, I love period dramas and fantasy for their court intrigue plotlines, and Descendant of the Crane featured enough of this to make me happy, while still being more of an action/adventure type fantasy novel than I was quite expecting. Nonetheless, the action was exhilarating, and I wouldn't change a moment of it.
I think I may never recover from this book. I will be eagerly awaiting its sequel (I'm counting on you, Joan He. I need closure!) and I highly recommend it to lovers of fantasy, incredible heroines, and mystery.
ARC provided via NetGalley.