Book title: A Crane Among Wolves, by June Hur
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, mystery
Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, violence, murder, death, abuse
Mia Rating: ★★★★★
other stats: 384 pages, 10 days read
cover art image from junehur.com
A Crane Among Wolves was actually the 3rd book I read in January (I had originally planned on this being a "book of the month" review) and I may perhaps publish a supplementary book review later on the two other books I read this month. However, A Crane Among Wolves was one of my favorite books I’ve read recently. I purchased it along with Six Crimson Cranes (seeing a theme?) at a Barnes and Noble sale during late December of last year per the suggestion of my sister in law, and I was quite pleased with my choices.
1506, Joseon dynasty. King Yeonsan presiding.
The people suffer. Food is scarce due to the King’s heavy taxes and land grabbing, and no one remains untouched from the cruel fingers of fate, from the forgotten survivors in the barren towns to the King’s inner circle. Hope is dangerous, love is deadly. A murderer runs loose, further terrorizing the people by leaving bloody messages and an ominous flower behind on the bodies of the King's sympathizers.
Iseul is living with her grandmother and older sister after the king kills their wealthy parents for the mistakes of others when an argument causes her own sister to be captured like so many other women, snatched off the street and forced to join the king’s harem of women. Iseul is determined to get her sister back, no matter the cost, and joins the hunt for the infamous Nameless Flower, where she meets an unlikely sympathizer. Prince Daehyun is on the other end of the spectrum, living a life of luxury in the palace of the king, his half brother. Every step and every word is measured carefully, every trauma carefully bottled away so as not to agitate his already fragile position. His goal is simple - survive by any means possible, even if that means ambitiously aiming to change the will of the heavens.
Anyways that was my best summary. Fantastic standalone book, I really enjoyed it. I was shocked, and a bit… saddened to learn how much of this story really is true. From the gut wrenching atrocities committed by King Yeonsan to the coup and even the murderer, I believe June Hur did a fantastic job of weaving true historical events into a captivating and educational story. If you like murder mystery, romance, or history in general, this is the book for you!
Let me know if you give this a read!
Coming Next Month: A Pho Love Story by Loan Le
So cool!! I love the way you recap books for us, I always come away really wanting to read them. I'll have to add this one to my TBR <3
Looking forward to your upcoming reviews!