Scan barcode
A review by tsamarah
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur
adventurous
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I always feel slightly miffed if I have to say the worst things about a book, especially when it's given for free under the acceptance of the authors themselves. However, the more I think about A Crane Among Wolves, the more sour my feelings get because I am genuinely baffled by the way it turns out to be. Please, bear with my rant here.
A Crane Among Wolves is set in 14th century Joseon, precisely the year 1506, where it was ruled by King Yeonsan, considerably the worst tyrant to ever rise in power during that era. The story revolves around a teenage girl called Iseul, who stumbles upon the discreetly rebellious Prince Dahyun, who wishes for the King's downfall for a better kingdom when she's on a mission to save her sister from the King's clutches. As their fates get intertwined, they are forced to work together to finally take down the tyrannical kingdom once and for all.
Let's start with how the setting influences the plot surrounding the downfall of tyranny; the specific year it approaches in the narrative helps to build a singular focus on the theme and plot that Hur wants to bring into the novel, yet Hur fails to take the most advantage in exploring about the miserable condition under Yeonsan's rule beyond the direct physical cruelty of assaulting families, kidnapping women as his sex slaves, and punishing traitorous governmental officials.
Her take on the infamous bloody purge is dwindled into a mere mention for a character backstory's sake without diving further into "what" and "why", becoming a better fuel to build a more solid background for both the rebellion plot and the characters' motivation. It will also serve as an excellent contradiction that juxtaposes the government officials who support the idea of the rebellion and deconstructs the true goal of the rebellion itself. I don't believe that Hur doesn't do extensive research on this period of reign, seeing how she has delivered fairly extensive historical details in her previous books like The Red Palace. So, this bare minimum take is a disappointing approach from her.
Moving to the characters, I am all for unlikable main characters, but it is a different argument entirely when said unlikable characters receive inadequate writing treatment and poor development. So, I can't see the appeal of both Iseul and Daehyun as main characters; Iseul's characterization only revolves around her stubbornness and penchant for jumping head first before thinking wisely. She has many opportunities to learn and develop her strengths as she is involved in an impossible mission, but the whole 41 chapters have tremendously failed to properly develop her complexity.
Daehyun, as both the prince and love interest, has a more useless position than Iseul. He spends most of his time pondering his actions and pretending to be a loyal supporter of Yeonsan, while his actions to enact the plans are the bare minimum as most of the field actions are carried out by the ex-Imperial investigator Wonsik. It's ironic to see when he's marketed as this cunning and intelligent prince with incredible empathy, yet, most of his appearances do not live up to the claims of his character summary.
The underdevelopment of Iseul and Daehyun as main characters makes them look like they stick in their own bubble, which makes it hard to form a bond between them and the readers as well as each other. Hence, their romantic attraction feels hollow at the end of the narrative, and they fit better as allies with similar goals at best. Nothing about their bonding screams the romanticism found in your favorite historical Korean drama series.
Now talking about the saving grace of this book, Wonsik is the best and most developed character out of everyone in the book; he has the intelligence supposedly favored in Daehyun and reckless bravery in Iseul. The complexity of his morals versus his former loyalty as a former Imperial official is interesting to follow through, especially when there are times he is written to adhere to the cruelty of the reign and feels ashamed of liking it. He is much more of a main character than the other two, and I wish I could see him until the last page instead of witnessing his unfortunate fate later on. I wonder how divine it would be if this novel was written from his point of view rather than Iseul's and Daehyun's.
To summarize, A Crane Among Wolves has great potential to deliver such a complex story amidst one of the worst Joseon reigns in Korean history, but the poor writing and perhaps the wrong voice to tell this story are the reasons why this book doesn't deliver what it's promised. Fans of Hur or new readers of her can check out The Red Palace or The Silence of Bones instead, should they want to read her Joseon-era stories.
A Crane Among Wolves is set in 14th century Joseon, precisely the year 1506, where it was ruled by King Yeonsan, considerably the worst tyrant to ever rise in power during that era. The story revolves around a teenage girl called Iseul, who stumbles upon the discreetly rebellious Prince Dahyun, who wishes for the King's downfall for a better kingdom when she's on a mission to save her sister from the King's clutches. As their fates get intertwined, they are forced to work together to finally take down the tyrannical kingdom once and for all.
Let's start with how the setting influences the plot surrounding the downfall of tyranny; the specific year it approaches in the narrative helps to build a singular focus on the theme and plot that Hur wants to bring into the novel, yet Hur fails to take the most advantage in exploring about the miserable condition under Yeonsan's rule beyond the direct physical cruelty of assaulting families, kidnapping women as his sex slaves, and punishing traitorous governmental officials.
Her take on the infamous bloody purge is dwindled into a mere mention for a character backstory's sake without diving further into "what" and "why", becoming a better fuel to build a more solid background for both the rebellion plot and the characters' motivation. It will also serve as an excellent contradiction that juxtaposes the government officials who support the idea of the rebellion and deconstructs the true goal of the rebellion itself. I don't believe that Hur doesn't do extensive research on this period of reign, seeing how she has delivered fairly extensive historical details in her previous books like The Red Palace. So, this bare minimum take is a disappointing approach from her.
Moving to the characters, I am all for unlikable main characters, but it is a different argument entirely when said unlikable characters receive inadequate writing treatment and poor development. So, I can't see the appeal of both Iseul and Daehyun as main characters; Iseul's characterization only revolves around her stubbornness and penchant for jumping head first before thinking wisely. She has many opportunities to learn and develop her strengths as she is involved in an impossible mission, but the whole 41 chapters have tremendously failed to properly develop her complexity.
Daehyun, as both the prince and love interest, has a more useless position than Iseul. He spends most of his time pondering his actions and pretending to be a loyal supporter of Yeonsan, while his actions to enact the plans are the bare minimum as most of the field actions are carried out by the ex-Imperial investigator Wonsik. It's ironic to see when he's marketed as this cunning and intelligent prince with incredible empathy, yet, most of his appearances do not live up to the claims of his character summary.
The underdevelopment of Iseul and Daehyun as main characters makes them look like they stick in their own bubble, which makes it hard to form a bond between them and the readers as well as each other. Hence, their romantic attraction feels hollow at the end of the narrative, and they fit better as allies with similar goals at best. Nothing about their bonding screams the romanticism found in your favorite historical Korean drama series.
Now talking about the saving grace of this book, Wonsik is the best and most developed character out of everyone in the book; he has the intelligence supposedly favored in Daehyun and reckless bravery in Iseul. The complexity of his morals versus his former loyalty as a former Imperial official is interesting to follow through, especially when there are times he is written to adhere to the cruelty of the reign and feels ashamed of liking it. He is much more of a main character than the other two, and I wish I could see him until the last page instead of witnessing his unfortunate fate later on. I wonder how divine it would be if this novel was written from his point of view rather than Iseul's and Daehyun's.
To summarize, A Crane Among Wolves has great potential to deliver such a complex story amidst one of the worst Joseon reigns in Korean history, but the poor writing and perhaps the wrong voice to tell this story are the reasons why this book doesn't deliver what it's promised. Fans of Hur or new readers of her can check out The Red Palace or The Silence of Bones instead, should they want to read her Joseon-era stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Misogyny, and Sexism