Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

30 reviews

kenny_2288's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I struggled to get into this book for the first 100 pages or so, but then it picked up and became more worth the read.
By the end, I enjoyed the journey of the two main characters, even if  it took me awhile to warm up to Iseul. 

I think the book struggled balancing the inner turmoil of its two main characters, the murder mystery, & coup storyline, so the story often felt imbalanced or awkwardly paced. Most of the time I felt like the murder mystery seemed rather unimportant in light of other things going on in the story, but the mystery itself could have used some more development.

Occasionally I felt like the story got bogged down in some nitty gritty historical facts or irrelevant characters who were only ever mentioned but not seen, and I think this problem would be fixed if the book was a bit longer and had more time to flesh these parts out. Similarly, the supporting characters were nice enough, but I wished I had gotten more time with them to explore their personalities and really care deeply about them. As is, they’re a bit flat, and one in particular, Woonsik, feels especially disappointing because he comes off as more of a spring board for plot/characterization motivation rather than a fully developed character in his own right (which is a shame, cause he does have a lot of heart to him). I just wish the book was able to accommodate a further dive into his character.

I grew to appreciate the romance of this story, but again, at first I struggled to buy into it in comparison to the incredibly pressing and dark subject matter of the rest of the story. However, romance didn’t ever seem over the top or too out of character and I was glad it remained rather limited as befitting of the rest of the story. This story is a historical fiction & drama book first, romance second, so if you’re hoping for a heavily romantic book, this ain’t it.


Overall, a good read and I’m glad I pushed through my lackluster impression at the beginning. This book is a good example of historical fiction that doesn’t shy away or dilute the horror of history. The story is often bleak but not without hope, and while it doesn’t necessarily have a “and they lived happily ever after ending,” I think it is better for the more realistic ending (which still felt satisfying).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

sydapel's review

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Another really solid historical YA about a period of history I had no idea about! While pretty simplistic in form and execution, this has all the benchmarks of a great YA: tension between main characters, exciting action points and a healthy dose of angst. In particular, I love the characterization of the female main character, who is wonderfully stubborn and determined, but learns how to hone her impulsiveness into subtle action. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism and Kidnapping

Moderate: Death, Torture, and Death of parent

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence

221bpinkst's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Minor: Cursing, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Blood, Stalking, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

trillen17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence

Minor: Incest, Rape, and Sexual assault

vani_vee's review

adventurous dark mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Kidnapping, and Grief

spec_tacles's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death

Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent

lemonwrlds's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation

lizzie_reads2much's review

dark lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Murder

Moderate: Violence and Kidnapping

moonlitreading_'s review

adventurous challenging emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

“Hopefully in the next lifetime, we will meet again,” he said, glancing down at me. “And in kinder circumstances.”

I gazed up and offered him a small smile. “I hope so, too.”

A Crane Among Wolves is set during Korea’s Joseon Dynasty under the worst tyrant in Korean history, King Yeosan. The story follows Iseul as she goes after her sister when the king took her to be one of his consorts. The story also follows the king’s half-brother, Daehyun, who wants nothing more than to dethrone the king. By some twist of fate, their paths cross and their mutual hate for the king might change their lives forever.

This was my first June Hur book and I finished it within a day. I couldn’t put it down because of how invested I was in the story. King Yoseon’s acts were so sickening and the fact that they did happen in real life makes it even worse. I hope his soul suffers for all eternity.

Iseul and Daehyun were really good characters, imo. This book was told from both their POVs and it’s interesting that Iseul’s was in first person and Daehyun’s was in third. I loved seeing how their characters really grew throughout the story. Iseul went from being the pampered little sister to someone willing to sacrifice herself for others. Daehyun went from being emotionally detached to someone who acknowledged his feelings, good and bad.

Content warnings were provided by the author at the beginning of the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent

avocaho's review

dark emotional

5.0

This book hurt me. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and War