Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

28 reviews

kierrareads_'s review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

this was fye

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Genocide, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and War

bookscatcoffee's review

adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book was way more than I anticipated in the best way possible.  I had to google so much, but I learned a great deal.  Through all of that, the author kept the plot moving at a brisk pace.  I loved the main characters!  And the writing is really good.  “You will not always be the wisest, nor the strongest, nor the bravest. That is why we need friends. They will guide you down the right path, no matter how dark it grows.“. Definitely good messages for our times as well.    “When one is able to differentiate good from evil, it is impossible to accept the way things are.”  Definitely worth reading!  5 stars 

Historical fiction set in Korea featuring Korean characters 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Rape

tsundoku_reviews's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Kidnapping, and Death of parent

kaneebli's review

dark informative mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Vomit, Pregnancy, and Abandonment

nataliebootlah's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

4.0

 

A historical, Korean whodunit, complete with a mysterious serial killer, a brimming coup, and some romance of course. 

 

Iseul will do anything to stop the ruthless King Yeonsan, who has kidnapped thousands of women for his own pleasure, including Iseul’s sister. On her journey through the forbidden territory into the capital, Iseul crosses paths with Prince Daehyun, the bastard little brother of the tyrant king, who numbingly despises his brother. Together, will they be successful in overthrowing the crown? 

 

Hur masterfully wove fiction into the true historical events of the dark, 1500s Joseon era. Slow burn romance, questionable characters at every turn, a serial killer on the loose, the fatherly-figure found in an investigator, a cold and calculated prince. I loved how the author explains what really happened in the author’s note, but I loved the storytelling even more. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Violence

Moderate: Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and War

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

spellbindingtomes's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Classism

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

lunarstrudel's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

The audiobook version is so good! Highly recommend!
Like other reviews it took me a little while to get hooked but I'm so glad I kept trying, it was definitely worth it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping

Moderate: Misogyny, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Blood

serendipity421's review

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Moderate: Pregnancy

Minor: Rape