One of our most anticipated 2024 releases A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur is finally making its way to our blog in today’s review.
June Hur’s The Red Palace was one of my most anticipated book releases of 2023, and her newest book, also set during the Joseon era (although an earlier period of it), has been one of my most anticipated ones of 2024. I like June Hur’s writing style and the way she portrays historical settings in a manner you can absolutely understand, sprinkling some friendship and even romance along the way. Her books are also more on the shorter side of things so they make for a quick and interesting read, especially if you’re interested in Korean history through a young adult genre. A Crane Among Wolves has been an interesting read, similar to The Red Palace in its pacing and development (or maybe lack of it), so let’s dive into this short and quick, spoiler-free review.
From Goodreads: Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly. 1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings. Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death. Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust. When Iseul’s and Daehyun’s fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.
Should be spoiler free and short so read ahead!
I quite liked June Hur’s previous book The Red Palace (which got about the same rating as this new one) and was looking forward to checking out her recent historical release. Similar to TRP, I liked that the story of A Crane Among Wolves was easy to follow despite being rooted in actual historical events, as well as the fact that it’s rather fast-paced and intriguing to read. The characters were interesting as well and I liked the dynamic of the found family we acquire on the way. There were some heartbreaking and some heartfelt moments and I feel like, in the end, this made for a very enjoyable read despite addressing some gruesome topics related to the Joseon era, as you can read from the summary of the book.
However, similar to TRP, I wish the characters were explored a bit deeper so that we would be able to connect with them more and feel their pain and happiness. I feel that both Iseul and Daehyun would’ve been even better characters if the book was a tiny bit longer and took some time to explore their inner turmoils deeper. The same thing goes for the ending – it was a bit lackluster with the grand reveal falling a bit flat, but it wrapped up well with a proper epilogue which I appreciate. I do have to say some parts were rather emotional and had me tear up a bit, but some other important ones happened behind-the-scenes which made me a bit sad because I wanted to witness them myself.
So all in all, a satisfying read that could’ve been even better which is why it gets 3.5/5 stars from me. I really enjoy June Hur’s writing style though and will definitely be up for reading any of her future releases!