Reviews

Descendant of the Crane by Joan He

deyaniralh's review

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4.0

4.75
This was surprisingly a great read! I was so impressed with Joan He’s writing and character development. Though, I just couldn’t get over how slow the beginning was and I how long it took for the pace to pick up.
Loved the characters, loved the plot twists, loved the overall feel of this world.

thebooklovingpanda's review

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4.0

May the queen live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years.

Reading this was almost like reading two different books. The first half was much slower in pace, less compelling (aside from the medieval CSI, that was cool) and felt like it was just a prelude or preparation for the main event, which was basically the entirety of the second half. Full of rapid-fire twists and revelations, I was glued to 'Descendant' after the 50% mark, and ended up reading almost half the book in one sitting.

Aside from Hesina's adoptive sister Lilian (my favourite), and Hesina's half-brother Rou, I wasn't incredibly invested in the characters as individuals. Of course, I wanted them all to survive, but they felt more like players in a game than tangible people I cared deeply about. I did love the sibling bonds though, especially the heartbreaking burden of words left unsaid between Hesina and her estranged younger brother Sanjing.

Hesina and Sanjing's mother, the dowager queen, is pretty much a terrible parent but I suppose she never pretended to be a good one. While we do get insight into why the dowager queen is so horrible, it's no excuse and I can't forget the horrible second-hand pain I felt on Hesina's behalf. That scene where Hesina asks for her mother's blessing is etched with nausea into my brain, and was one of the few standout scenes in this book's first half.

Hesina is actually quite clever at times, making you think momentarily that perhaps she might survive at court...until she then does something so monumentally stupid that you just facepalm in exasperation. There's such a big deal made out of Hesina's propensity for duplicity:

Deceit was in her nature, but for her father, she had tried to be better.
Could he see the secrets she held under her tongue? Or had the lies stained her teeth?
Joan He has a lovely way with words (as the second quote obviously shows) but simply telling readers that Hesina is conniving and disingenuous is not enough, when Hesina shows us time and time again that she can't bloody keep her cards to herself! Naturally duplicitous? Hesina? I don't think so.

sure jan gif

The world-building was lush, and I really enjoyed the imperial Chinese cultural features infused into the fantasy kingdom of Yan. We find out a little about Yan's nearby countries but I'm sure we'll learn more in the sequel, especially about their belligerent neighbour Kendi'a. The life-and-death stakes were scarily convincing, especially with the mob mentality displayed by both courtiers and common folk. I really loved the twist that revealed why the general public are so cemented in their almost worship of the Eleven, revolutionaries who overthrew the despotic emperors 300 years ago. The way magic works here was also really original, despite it being a little confusing at first. However, there were some things concerning immortality that I didn't understand, even after the end.

SpoilerHow could the immortal king fake becoming king again, if heirs are decided by blood? Would no one have noticed a weirdly mature-acting baby, especially in a kingdom so terrified of magic? And if the Tenets themselves are immortal, are the only people immune to its power sooths, the Eleven, and those descended from the Eleven (i.e. Hesina, Sanjing and Rou?)?

I also wish He had left out the romance - it felt superfluous and wooden. A lot of random things, like that bizarre duel and Hesina's idiotic lake diving, could have been cut if the romance didn't feature.

The epilogue was a tad over-long but even then managed to squeeze in some last minute jaw-droppers and addressed some very intriguing questions. I'm certainly keeping an eye out for announcements of a sequel! (There has to be a sequel. Please.)

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

this_girl_reads_a_lot's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

aelis_'s review

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adventurous dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0


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aurelyarose's review

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My mind is doing crazy somersaults right now. So, I can't begin to form a coherent review of this book.

But holy shit it was so good.

Layered characters, family secrets, political intrigue, court drama, magic.
Give me 5 million more please.

Minor complaints:
I felt like too many women were fridged. I mean really "three" women had to die? Arguably, their deaths didn't motivate the heroine as much as send her into emotional turmoil, but still. Yes, the book opens after the death of her father, which the entire plot revolves around, but- I don't know. I'm just tired of seeing women die, I guess. Particularly while you can't swing a bat without hitting a whole bunch of dudes that are so important to the MC and who are seemingly more involved in the plot of the story. Granted, this is a problem with YA fantasy at large.

My only other real complain is just the number of times that Hesina feels the need to "hide" things from others to "protect" them. Part of it is just because I think that is an annoyingly arrogant thought process, but also I felt it ultimately caused her more trouble. (Hey, how else is plot going to happen? I don't know. Not that way preferably though.)

I have to say, I did like Akira, but I felt the chemistry between him and Hesina was lacking.

Lastly, I saw that epilogue from a mile away, but that isn't really a complaint as it didn't make it any less delicious because I'm messed up.

toriliz's review

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challenging dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0


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rakoerose's review

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4.0

They sat in an old interrogation chamber, perfectly sound-proofed for private conversations but aesthetically compromised by the bloodstains on the wall.

Hot diggity dog this was a fantastic book. The mystery. The intrigue. That ending!!!

The amount of familial and sibling dynamics in this just made it *chef’s kiss* right up my alley. The interwoven intricacies of their relationships were so beautiful and heartbreaking and great.

The themes of this were clearly lovingly crafted and carefully placed. The entire course of this story feels like you as the reader learn right along with Hesina, feel what she feels, see what she sees. Starting this story felt a little like being suddenly teleported into a strange new world, but once you accept Hesina as your guide the journey does not get any easier but it does get more understandable. Her strength is immense, even if she doesn’t see it herself. A wonderful protagonist.

Being somewhat ill currently, I had to take periodic breaks to cough and feel like I was dying. And then I’d keep reading and stumble across a reveal that also made me feel like I was dying. My chest aches in my heart for these characters and their grueling, trying stories and also because my lungs are on fire. There’s a weird balance there, lol.

In the end, I’m definitely on board with anything Joan He will produce now. I’m loyal. This debut showcased fantastic ability and skill that will haunt me until I can lay my eyes on what she makes next.

nicolemhewitt's review against another edition

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5.0

This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction

This ancient Chinese-based fantasy explores the idea of how history is written and crafted by the winners of a war. When Princess Hesina’s father is murdered, she vows to discover who was responsible. But the more she delves into the truth, the more she learns about her country’s history and how that history has been twisted to oppress a portion of the population known as sooths. For generations, her people have maintained what they consider to be a sort of utopia—a world of fairness and equality and peace. However, they’ve covered up many aspects of how that utopia came to be and the costs of maintaining it. The story is admittedly slow at the beginning, but it picks up with a series of twists that keep Hesina and the reader guessing as to who she can trust and what she will do once she uncovers a whole series of very inconvenient truths. Will she be able to lead her country toward a new future or will she be forced to maintain the status quo?

NARRATION: Though I didn’t have an actual issue with the narration, I’ll confess that listening to this book instead of reading it did present a problem for me: I kept getting characters’ names mixed up. This has never happened to me before while listening, but I think a few of the Chinese names sounded somewhat similar, and I had a really hard time keeping track of who was who. This caused me some real issues with tracking the story, but I didn’t count that off in my rating since it seemed like a “me problem.”

***Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher for review purposes. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***

brookey8888's review

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I’m just not vibing with this book. I just know it would have been a three or lower. I only picked it up because I got it super cheap and I heard about it before, that being said I wouldn’t have ever paid full price for this which is a sign. 

jane_kelsey's review

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5.0

One of the books of 2019 that took me by storm, surprised me and made a different person out of me. I am utterly impressed with the quality of writing, the twists and the turns and the characters that feel so utterly alive. [FULL REVIEW TO FOLLOW SOON]