Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

18 reviews

ciarazard's review

adventurous fast-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? No

3.5

I recently read this book in just 4-5 hours, losing sleep in the process. Despite my eagerness, however, I have a couple of qualms that prevented it from becoming the 4⭐ I initially predicted.

The characters lacked depth and development, making it difficult to care for them. I expected more from Iseul, our heroine who supposedly had a bad and spoiled personality growing up. Her character development felt forced and unsatisfactory, leaving me unconvinced that she was able to redeem herself. What did Daehyun, the prince, see in her? I certainly couldn't see anything. 

Suyeon, the kidnapped sister, also felt like a bland character. I wished the book had expounded more on their life before their parents died, showing Suyeon as the perfect daughter suffocating under societal expectations of women during the Joseon era. Confucianism placed men at the head of the family and society, relegating women to subordinate roles. Women were expected to follow their fathers, husbands, and sons without question, had no access to formal education or scholarly pursuits, and had very little say in choosing partners. I wanted the book to delve into these aspects more. I wanted Iseul to genuinely care about these issues, but it felt like she only started caring when it affected her personally. 

The latter part of the book, especially the buildup to the coup, was underwhelming. King Yeongsan, based on one of the worst tyrants in Korean history, started off scary and vicious. However, he was barely there halfway through the book, no lines, no viciousness left to him, leaving him practically useless. And the mystery part with the killer? The reveal was anti-climactic. What were all the murders with flowers for? The vengeance motive felt half-assed. 

The author relied heavily on telling rather than showing, which was frustrating given the rich historical backdrop. I couldn't help but want MORE from this story. It had so much potential, and that frustrated me SO MUCH.

That being said, A Crane Among Wolves is still a decent read. The fact that I couldn't put it down speaks volumes about its initial promise and the compelling idea at its core. 

However, the execution fell short, and what started as an engaging read sadly fizzled out by the end. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Animal death, Physical abuse, and Rape

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

praxagorathesmophoria's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

A story of love, both romantic and familial, against a dark and dangerous period in Korean history. The relationship between Iseul and her sister, Iseul and her friend Yul, Iseul and old retired investigator Wonsik, and the romantic relationship between Iseul and Daehyun, are all rich, vivid and create a beautiful story that asks in the face of Evil, what ate you willing to do for those you love.
As the author says, this reads like a period KDrama, and I would love to see it get adapted 1 day, but the visuals the writing created are perfect in themselves.  
Also highly recommended reading along to the author's curated mood playlist on Spotify. Creates the perfect reading environment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Blood, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Sexism and Sexual harassment

Minor: Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Torture

This book deals with the historical atrocities committed by a particular king during Korean history. Please read the content warnings in the front of the book. But understand that these are all dealt with inappropriate and well-thought-out and well treated ways..

nanatsai's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Animal death and Sexual harassment

Minor: Sexual assault and Death of parent

justinekorson's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny mysterious sad 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

5.0

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I throughly enjoyed all the characters in this book and the plot (minus the TW aspects of it). Iseul was funny and fiercely confident in an almost foolish way. I loved how she threw herself into things with barely a thought (as I feel I do the same at times). I also loved how she gave the people she didn't like nicknames instead of trying to learn their actual names. I thought that was really funny of her. I also enjoyed Prince Daehyun. He was charismatic and clever when he needed to be. The plot twist at the end really got me there. I was so stressed about the outcome of the story. Wonsik and Yuel were great characters too. 

I'm really glad I ended up buying a special edition version of this book! It's going to look so pretty and I'm excited to add it to my collection.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

chiaramoodreads's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, and Blood

Minor: Rape and Suicide

poppy_warphan's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Review to come 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder

Moderate: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent