Descendant of the Crane

All right strap in.

I think my one misconception going into the book was that this would include way more action-battle fighting for the throne. Not sure WHY i thought that, but there you have it.

In reality this is EXACTLY what I love about fantasy - this was a book of strategy, moral gray roads and decisions that you can't walk cleanly away from.

Hesina spends so much of this book trying to do the right thing, trying to justify her wrong actions as being for the right reasons, villifying some people while idolizing others...to learn in the end the world is never meant to be so cleanly defined.

How do you choose between the lesser of two evils? Is it better to commit a hypocritical act that you think will save the country you forfeited show more your future for or to admit you failed in every way to be the ruler your people needed and admit your misbegotten deeds?

Our main characters - Hesina (newly coronated Queen of Yan), Caiyan (adopted brother & advisor to Hesina), Lilian (Caiyan's twin & Hesina's best friend), Akira (convict & Hesina's only chance at finding the truth) and Sanjing (Hesina's younger brother & General of the troops) all face a LOT of lesser evil decisions.

And part of those decisions involve how little they all truly know each other and their motivations. Secrets upon secrets, promises made and broken, misunderstandings and long buried hurt feelings...how can anyone navigate these waters without causing consequences they couldn't guess at?

The world is beautiful and so layered - close to when some inevitable and painful truths are revealed, Hesina reflects on deeper meaning that she missed. Clues left behind that she didn't think to tie together.

This is a book that even if you are TOLD how it plays out in the end, you couldn't understand without following Hesina's journey. Every step she had to walk, every painful realization, every moment her world crumbled just a little more...you have to follow it.

Love is a dangerous emotion - it blinds you, confuses you, makes you react in ways you skewer others for. For love of a father Hesina demands the truth, for love of a daughter a father dies, for love of a sister a brother betrays her trust, for love of a country lies are permitted to spread because the truth would destroy them all. show less

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. It was taking the bloodstained knife out of a thousand frenzied hands and making it hers alone.

you ever just read a book that leaves you thinking, "holy crap, this is what reading is supposed to be like"?

Because what the heck this was incredible on so many fronts. It's a heart-wrenching, gorgeous, and remarkably clever standout in YA fantasy. It pulls absolutely no punches. I'm just floored and shoving this at everyone I know when it comes out in April.

Descendant of the Crane is a quiet book and an incredibly clever one. There aren’t exactly Dark Lords kicking down Hesina’s door, but it’s show more impossible not to root for her and feel totally overwhelmed alongside her - and especially feel it when the plot does get bloody.

Princess (now Queen) Hesina’s father has just died. While the justice system wants to brush it off as natural, she’s certain she can prove it was murder. The country’s got bigger problems, though. After being condescended to one too many times, she turns to her first shiny bit of treason: getting a fortune from a soothsayer - someone who uses that aforementioned illegal magic to look into the past and future. Not only that, but the only lawyer she can get is a criminal who’s never been in a courtroom in his life and seriously needs a bath. It’s not a great look for a new queen who is (as we often forget in YA), only like, 17 years old – and everyone treats her that way.

The country’s enduring pressure from all sides – and from within. What follows is Hesina gradually picking free all the knots in her court and senate, while balancing her seemingly pointless search for justice and her reputation with the people.

How can she diffuse the violent tension between magical and non-magical people, when showing sympathy will make her hated? How does she deal with her backstabbing, slimy senate members when they have influence everywhere and know way more than she does? How can she get her stupid brother to get over his complex and trust her?

She can’t step on the wrong toes, but everyone’s pleased to stomp on hers.

It’s impossible not to root for Hesina. All her mistakes and successes are nuanced and genuine and so satisfying. When she’s caught off-guard by the tiniest weak points that her own plans exposed (on herself or on others), I’m just as shocked as she is. It’s especially shocking and painful to see Hesina sacrifice what she believes in just to not send her country into turmoil.

It's engaging and absolutely never stops (and frankly is really good with the horror? man the amount of times I got the shivers). It holds its secrets in plain sight and they're all the more amazing for it. Prepare to be caught off guard by essentially every chapter. show less

This book exceeded any and all expectations I had before, during and after reading it!! I am absolutely floored by how quickly and completely it drew me in and ensnared me. If you're looking for a wild emotional rollercoaster ride with courtly intrigue and a gut punching plot? read on...

There were a slew of things going on simultaneously and almost nothing was as it seemed on the surface. It wasn't until the epilogue that I got the full breadth and scope of the book. There was a regicide trial. There was a war brewing. There was a budding/highly unlikely romance slowly percolating. There were magical people being persecuted and there were rampant duplicitous actions abound.

Our MC, Hesina, ascends the throne early on but who can she show more trust? Can she trust anyone? Can she even trust her fallible memories? She is young, malleable, impetuous, head strong, stubborn and a bit naive SO is she ready to rule? Is she ready to rule a country on the brink of war? With nefarious people and deeds amiss, can she navigate court and ferret out her father's murderer? I was swiftly swept up in the beauty of the writing, the plot, the world building and most of all the complex loveable/loatheable characters. There were twists and turns... even the turns had turns. I got to a point where I found myself saying (to myself) "I've read enough books in my life to see where this is going" I sat with a sneer on my face and then BAM!!! our MC was sitting in the dirt and the game totally changed. Not only didn't I see major plot twists ahead of time, I apparently had no idea what game was being played altogether. As you can imagine this left me wanting.. nay, needing more. I couldn't stop reading. I made excuses to hide away and read just a bit more. I waited in my daughter's car rider line, at school, an hour early just so I could continue reading. I read while the rest of the family watched t.v. together. I skipped meals and read through the dead of the night. I was addicted... in the best possible sense. I was a puppet on Joan He's strings and reacted just as she commanded. I loved then loathed then loved then felt conflicted right on cue... AND that ending... it slayed me!! I might have cried. Okay, I did cry but I dare you not to shed some (completely understandable) tears. I was swept up in all of the emotions. I am still reeling days after finishing the book. I let it sit and ruminate in my mind to see if the endorphin high would wear off but I am still just as touched and obsessed as when I read the very last word. I desperately wish I could start over again, naive to what lay ahead...experience this book anew. BUT alas...it will have to live on in my memories and of course in my favorites list.

Over all: I LOVED this book!! It deftly elicited all the Feels. It ran me through the gamut of emotions and surprised me at almost every turn. I did guess one twist but that seems paltry compared to how many there were that I failed to foresee. This is going straight to my favorites list and I will wait until the end of time for book #2!! If you're still reading this... what are you waiting for?? Go and pick this one up toot sweet!

~ Enjoy

*** I was given a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review *** show less

Princess Hesina of Yan, believing her father to be murdered, opens an investigation into his death. She’s driven by her aching grief and by her fierce desire for truth and justice -- for all her people, as well as in this matter of her father’s death. But the truth is much harder than she expects.

I thought this was incredible, but sometimes stressful! Compelling characters, complex family dynamics (I especially liked the sibling relationships), intricate prose and worldbuilding, and startling twists that turned out to slot neatly in with the other puzzle pieces.

Upon reflection, the revelations in the epilogue would have made a greater impact had they been kept for a sequel so we could learn of them when Hesina does. However, since show more it seems that the author (or, perhaps more accurately, the publisher?) is not planning a direct sequel, it makes sense to include those answers in the epilogue.

What is truth? Scholars seek it. Poets write it. Good kings pay gold to hear it. But in trying times, truth is the first thing we betray.
-- One of the Eleven on truth

Truth? Why, it’s a lie in disguise.
-- Two of the Eleven on truth show less

This book came onto my radar simply because so many of my fellow bloggers loved this so much and were just so excited to talk about it. And then my two dear friends Charvi and Nandini buddy read this too (please include me next time you read something together) and they couldn’t stop gushing. That settled it and I had to pick it up next and despite it taking me three days to finish (I was in a bad mood ppl), it was such a fascinating book and I’m still reeling from that ending.

I enjoyed the world building here a lot. I really like it when we get a little bit of history about the world throughout the story and the author does a great job of it here. We get to know a lot about the kingdom of Yan and how it came to be. While there are show more three more neighboring kingdoms and there is ongoing conflict with one of them, we don’t know much about them and I have a feeling that will be remedied in the sequel. We also get some details about the soothsayers and their magic, but because they are the oppressed class, we only get bits and pieces of how the magic actually works and more about their lives and the hardships they face.

The plot is definitely the best part of this book. The author thrusts us smack dab in the middle of the story after the King’s death and it’s just twists upon twists after that. There are not a lot of action packed scenes but this book is full of court politics and intrigue at its best. You never ever know who to trust, what anyone’s motives are and I felt totally baffled when revelations happened. I’ve heard a lot about this book being called Chinese inspired Game of Thrones and it definitely has that feel to it. The pacing is actually quite slow throughout, with some very unexpected situations thrown in between, but I never got bored and felt very interested all through the story. The book also has a couple of intense and absolutely wonderful trial scenes and I thought the author did such a brilliant job in them. I also loved the usage of Chinese language words throughout the book and I always enjoy it when POC authors do this. And that ending —— wow did those two chapters stun me. Within the last few pages, everything that I thought I knew was upended and I was left flabbergasted. I never saw that coming and the direction the story seems to be going next is so unexpected, it’s just excellent plotting.

There are so many interesting characters here and it was such fun figuring them out. We get Hesina’s POV, so she is the only one who’s motivations we are sure of. She unexpectedly becomes the Queen after her father’s death and she thinks she is prepared because of his teachings and his trust in her. However, as she sets on the path for truth and justice, so many of the truths that she thought she knew are shattered and she feels overwhelmed. She constantly has to battle her longing for her father with the revelations about his identity, she has to be the queen for the people who are seething with hatred for an entire community and hell bent on mob justice, and she has to learn who to trust every step of the way. What I loved most about her is the way she questions the oppression of the sooths that has been going on for three centuries and her desire to bring about an end to it, though she doesn’t know how. She is strong in her own way, compassionate and thoughtful, but definitely needs some more caution before trusting people - that’s her good quality but also her downfall.

There are a host of other characters but they are not as developed as Hesina. Caiyan and Lilian are her adopted siblings - her constant companions and support systems, with whom she feels the most safe and wants to protect them. While Caiyan is stoic and reserved and very smart about political situations that Hesina never thinks through completely, Lilian on the other hand is feisty, bringing a little cheer to gloomy situations and always there whenever Hesina needs her. I loved their dynamic a lot. Hesina’s relationship with her brother Sanjing is slightly more antagonistic, owing to years of non communication and jealousy and just hurting each other with words. Akira is the mysterious stranger who is her representative at trial and while there is a developing romantic dynamic between the two, I would have loved to see them together more. There are also other players in the court and outside and it was very fascinating to know the intent behind each of their actions and betrayals. None of the characters are evil just for the sake of it and while it doesn’t erase their wrongdoings, it’s always interesting to know why they are committing those acts.

Finally, I just want to say that this is a wonderful debut novel with an interesting world and fascinating characters and all the twists and turns that you never asked for. It’s slow paced and more of a political fantasy story than an action packed one, but it still packs a punch and will leave you wanting to know immediately what happens next. It’s not going to be an easy wait. show less

There were so many twists, and I saw none of them coming. I am gobsmacked at how good this book is. And it's a debut! I got the ebook copy from the library, but I'm buying the hardback. It's that good. I think that, at its core, this is a story about acceptance - of who we are, what we can't change. "I can't change how people see me," Hesina said. "Just as you can't change your past. But I can choose to accept it" (321).

Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own. Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she's thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father's killer, Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer―a treasonous act, punishable by death… because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.

Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira―a brilliant investigator who's also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or show more will the cost be too high? show less