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A review by megsbookishtwins
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
5.0
Disclaimer: I received this free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
When Princess Hesina’s father dies, she is suddenly thrust into power. She is now the ruler of an unstable country, nearly at war with its neighbouring country, full of political corruption, and a country that has outlawed and oppressed soothsayers, magic users, for centuries. While others think her father died of natural causes, Hesina believes he was murdered. A trial ensues but her entire court is filled with deceivers and those using her father’s death for political gain. In order to find out the truth, Hesina commits a treasonous act, punishable by death – she enlists the help of a soothsayer.
Descendant of the Crane is a Chinese-inspired fantasy that is by far one my favourite Untitledreads so far of 2019 – and will probably stay as one of my favourite books, especially fantasy, of all time. If I could, this would get far more than five stars from me. It has everything you would want in a fantasy – an immersive and descriptive world, a thrilling court of politics, lots of betrayal and deception, and intense mystery, a masterfully crafted story, and a brilliantly complex and flawed protagonist.
It is a slow-paced book, which doesn’t always work for me but Joan He managed to create such a turbulent atmosphere where one wrong move by our characters could have drastic consequences which made this a thrilling and suspenseful read.
What I loved most about this is that finally, we have a ruler that really understands power and rule. Hesina also truly grapples with what it really means to be a good ruler too. Placate the majority and continue with the status quo in order to protect your own rule or commit to change and progress and challenge that oppression and hatred despite the consequences? She questions everything she does and, frankly, it is refreshing.
“What is power? Hesina had thought it was wielding the knife, or getting someone to wield it for her. Now she realized it was neither of those things. Power was yielding. It was taking the bloodstained knife out of a thousand frenzied hands and making it her alone.”
The political intrigue in this book is masterfully done. I adore books that feature political intrique, it is a surefire way to make me love a book. I loved how Hesina handled the politics, the deception, and the dangers of court. It was truly invigorating and kept me fully invested despite the slow pace. Descendant of the Crane featured so many twists and turns, morally ambiguous characters, betrayal and deception, and so much conflict. You think she’s done with the reveals and THEN YOU READ THE EPILOGUE. shit.
Hesina is right up there with some of my all-time favourite characters. She is a brilliantly complex and flawed character. She is a ruler but also an oppressor. She makes hard and sometimes wrong decisions that tend to have disastrous consequences. While she wants to change her country for the better, she fears her own people’s resistance to change – she feeds their hatred and prejudice because she is scared to confront them and their prejudice. I loved watching her learn and grow throughout the book.
Also, the romance is so lovely.
Overall, Descendant of the Crane is an impressive and powerful debut, and I will read ANYTHING Joan He writes. Listen to the hype, this book definitely delivers.
When Princess Hesina’s father dies, she is suddenly thrust into power. She is now the ruler of an unstable country, nearly at war with its neighbouring country, full of political corruption, and a country that has outlawed and oppressed soothsayers, magic users, for centuries. While others think her father died of natural causes, Hesina believes he was murdered. A trial ensues but her entire court is filled with deceivers and those using her father’s death for political gain. In order to find out the truth, Hesina commits a treasonous act, punishable by death – she enlists the help of a soothsayer.
Descendant of the Crane is a Chinese-inspired fantasy that is by far one my favourite Untitledreads so far of 2019 – and will probably stay as one of my favourite books, especially fantasy, of all time. If I could, this would get far more than five stars from me. It has everything you would want in a fantasy – an immersive and descriptive world, a thrilling court of politics, lots of betrayal and deception, and intense mystery, a masterfully crafted story, and a brilliantly complex and flawed protagonist.
It is a slow-paced book, which doesn’t always work for me but Joan He managed to create such a turbulent atmosphere where one wrong move by our characters could have drastic consequences which made this a thrilling and suspenseful read.
What I loved most about this is that finally, we have a ruler that really understands power and rule. Hesina also truly grapples with what it really means to be a good ruler too. Placate the majority and continue with the status quo in order to protect your own rule or commit to change and progress and challenge that oppression and hatred despite the consequences? She questions everything she does and, frankly, it is refreshing.
“What is power? Hesina had thought it was wielding the knife, or getting someone to wield it for her. Now she realized it was neither of those things. Power was yielding. It was taking the bloodstained knife out of a thousand frenzied hands and making it her alone.”
The political intrigue in this book is masterfully done. I adore books that feature political intrique, it is a surefire way to make me love a book. I loved how Hesina handled the politics, the deception, and the dangers of court. It was truly invigorating and kept me fully invested despite the slow pace. Descendant of the Crane featured so many twists and turns, morally ambiguous characters, betrayal and deception, and so much conflict. You think she’s done with the reveals and THEN YOU READ THE EPILOGUE. shit.
Hesina is right up there with some of my all-time favourite characters. She is a brilliantly complex and flawed character. She is a ruler but also an oppressor. She makes hard and sometimes wrong decisions that tend to have disastrous consequences. While she wants to change her country for the better, she fears her own people’s resistance to change – she feeds their hatred and prejudice because she is scared to confront them and their prejudice. I loved watching her learn and grow throughout the book.
Also, the romance is so lovely.
Overall, Descendant of the Crane is an impressive and powerful debut, and I will read ANYTHING Joan He writes. Listen to the hype, this book definitely delivers.