Reviews tagging 'Violence'

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

46 reviews

jiffygiraffe's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Blood and Murder

Minor: Rape

jayisreading's review

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

Admittedly, the main reason I decided to pick this novel up was because I was so drawn into the cover, which might be one of my favorites this year. However, the reason I really stuck around was because I appreciated that Hur gave attention to a rather dark period of Korean history that isn’t considered as often as, say, the twentieth century. Perhaps because it is a YA novel, Hur doesn’t get into the specific details of the atrocities committed by King Yeonsan, though she doesn’t shy away from frequently mentioning that they happened. It would be difficult not to mention them, considering that it’s his tyrannical reign that served as one of the reasons as to why the plot progressed the way it did—

Regarding plot, the novel was part-political intrigue, part-murder mystery, and part-romance. This is all to say that Hur had all the ingredients to craft the novel version of a historical K-drama, aha. Even some of the dialogue between characters read a bit too much like lines from a K-drama, but I still found myself engrossed. While I did feel that the mystery portion of the novel wasn’t the strongest, I think it synthesized well enough with everything else that it didn’t leave me frustrated. One other small critique I have is that I found the rapid development of the romance a bit unrealistic, but that’s also the cynic in me speaking. Who knows, maybe there are people who fall in love in a similar fashion as Iseul and Prince Daehyun. And, regarding characters, Iseul isn’t a particularly likable protagonist, especially at the start (in a way, she’s something of an anti-heroine), but I thought it worked well for the novel Hur wanted to craft. I could see how Iseul would drive some readers away though.

Overall, I thought the novel was a solid mix of being plot- and character-driven. Hur writes in an engaging way that will keep you reading, especially when the stakes are raised, and you see how the relationship between the two protagonists develop. I’ll have to check her other works out, especially knowing that she has written other works focusing on Korean history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder

Moderate: Animal cruelty and Misogyny

Minor: Incest, Rape, and Suicide

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

tlsoe's review against another edition

adventurous dark informative medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Child death, Incest, Rape, and Suicide

qeenb33's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional informative fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Kidnapping, Murder, and War

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, and Death of parent

Minor: Child death, Incest, Physical abuse, Rape, and Suicide

bearavenclaw's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Rape and Suicide

phua_jieying's review

dark medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Incest, Rape, and Suicide

befthhh's review

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

*I received an eARC of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I enjoyed this book immensely! I loved the dual perspectives from Iseul and Daehyun. They were both so cantankerous and yet loving with each other.  I particularly love that it seems like they are truly protecting each other, that they are a team in everything. 

The mystery elements of the book also kept me on my toes. I was desperate to find out who Nameless Flower was, and was very surprised by who it was but loved how everything connected in the end. 

The settings described were so vibrant I felt like I was running through the woods and mountains and cities in Korea. I did not know anything about the reign of King Yeonsan and was shocked to learn that many of the characters/events were real. Hur's rich and descriptive writing about this frightening period in Korean history makes me want to learn more!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence