Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

28 reviews

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

amyteurhour's review

3.75

Content warning: murder, kidnapping, rape, torture, blood, violence, death of a parent, death of a child, physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexism, sexual violence, imprisonment, pregnancy, miscarriage, suicide, suicidal thoughts

There's a content warning list at the beginning of the book provided by the author which I appreciated. This is really dark. Maybe it's because I recently read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent, but I found myself getting similar vibes from the two. Things start out kind of slow, and I found Iseul to be a bit frustrating at first (but I think that was kind of Hur's point). 

If you're going to check this out, I'd recommend listening to the audiobook narrated by Greg Chun and Michelle H. Lee; I enjoyed their performances and listening helped me visualize what was happening. If you've watched historical k-dramas and are a fan of the political intrigue-y shows, then I think you would enjoy this book.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy

jartone93's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

phoenixfire88's review

dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Rape, Suicide, Violence, and Death of parent

sorakiras's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Slavery, and Death of parent

Minor: Pregnancy

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

kylosten's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Written very cinematically where it gives just enough detail to make it easy to imagine what is happening but not so much it feels overly done.
The FMC irritated me a bit before she grew as a person (she was a self centered teenager) but I think that was part of the point of her character development and was a part of what motivated her for the story.
I don't know a lot about the history this is based on but from the author's notes it seems well researched and dealt with some harder topics tactfully.
The story was engaging and had me hooked almost right away.
This is one of my favorite reads so far in 2024.
The audiobook is really well done, too!
I have one nitpick about the end but it wasn't enough to diminish my enjoyment of the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death of parent

Minor: Rape and Suicide

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

intentionalreadinglife's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective fast-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? No

5.0

I am so glad that I ventured beyond my typical reading to discover this hauntingly beautiful love story set in the darkest period of Korean history. Hur doesn't shy away from the atrocities and perils of power, urging readers not to look away from it, because "books that confront disturbing historical events are crucial. It is imperative to confront history because it repeats itself when ignored."

At the same time, Hur highlights the incredible resilience of the human spirit and the lengths to which we'll go for the ones we love. The friendships forged through suffering are just as important to the story as the romance. That said, the relationship between Iseul and Daehyun is  so romantic! There were key moments in the story that reminded me of the film adaptation of "Last of the Mohicans." (If you liked that movie, you'll absolutely swoon over this novel. )

I'll be thinking about this book long after the final page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Grief

Minor: Death, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder