A review by phidelia
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

You must betray or be betrayed. That is the way of the world, daegam.”

⭐⭐⭐💫 stars

❉ A Crane Among Wolves belongs to the realms of historical fiction (not the fantasy novel which I was looking for unfortunately, nevertheless I'm glad I read it.). The fact that the author included the mystery aspect to it made the cast of characters evermore interesting, but unfortunately, it made me attached to them, and like Iseul (at the beginning), I really didn't want to let anyone deter the objectiveness of this review or myself either. 
 
Somewhere during my time at the Red Lantern, my determination to remain alone and friendless had crumbled.

❉ If you want a fast-paced, action-packed novel, with an easy, light-hearted air surrounding it, this is NOT for you.

This depicts a dark & emotionally riveting adventure of Iseul & Daehyun, alternating between 1st & 3rd POVs (which I absolutely ate up btw) amidst the tyrannical, heinous, unjust and ruthless rule under the terrible King Yeonsan.

Iseul, had recently suffered a grave loss of her parents, and on top of that - her elder sister Suyeon had been unjustly taken by King Yeonsan to reside indefinitely within the palace. Iseul knew the sinister rumours of the King's depraved appetites all too well, and feared for her safety as each day passed. In her desperation, Iseul could think of but one means to secure her sister's release - she must confront the killer known only as the "Nameless Flower".

This shadowy assassin had sown chaos through relentless attacks on several government officials, King's inner circle and many more. An unknown but priceless bounty had been announced by the king to any who could bring the Nameless Flower to heel. Iseul saw in this as a do-or-die grim opportunity, where she could be successful where all others had failed in rescuing their sisters, wives, and other women, even though she knew that to challenge his rule is to court certain death. Though the task seemed nigh impossible, her love for her sister (despite being burdened by guilt of a misunderstanding), gave her resolve and strength beyond reason. And, thus, she leaves the relative safety of her village and her grandmother, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back.

Meanwhile, Prince Daehyun of the royal blood knew that as a bastard, his tenure upon this mortal realm was dependent entirely upon the mercies of his elder brother, King Yeonsan. The King's increasing tyranny and madness had eroded what little goodwill Daehyun retained. He understood his half-brother saw him now not as family, but as a means to justify his own monstrosity. He had tried to numb all the grief at the horrors he'd witnessed of loss of his family and friends, but as an unfortunate-but-required side-effect, he succeeded in numbing all emotion or so he'd thought.

❉ The setting as well as the premise of the book felt absolutely very creative, and pulled me right in. I really appreciated the use of this unusual setting and the fact that readers are not overwhelmed by usage of Korean words and terms, instead, the meanings are made plain through the descriptions and if that doesn’t work - then there’s always Google. And...the writing style was really good (I read every word and I didn't skim at all, which is definitely an achievement in itself), and the overall ambience of ancient Korea (Joseon) made me feel more involved with the book and it felt like I was right back in ancient Korea! (I wish I didn't feel like that- all that brutality 🫥.... not like it doesn't exist any more, but in a way things are much better now.)

❉ Coming back to character development- it was not exactly off the charts, but Iseul, Suyeon, Wonsik and Daehyun and a whole lot of other characters were quite relatable, voicing much relevant thoughts of the present world. (*concerning*) 🫣

And...could there be a better expression of how older siblings (or maybe just me) feel?

 I am tired of being the elder sister, were the words within. When I expressed my objection for the first time today, Father gave me such a look of disappointment that I felt my entire world tremble. Why does he only see my disobedience, and not my desperate love for him?  To live near home, to be close enough to care for my parents in their old age—I wish I could cry, I wish I could fall apart as little sister often does, and still be loved and understood. But I cannot. My parents do not love me when I am weak, when I fail them, when I err. Who am I, if I am not the perfect daughter?

❉ The side characters were all kinda well-written. They all had specific roles to play in the story, and were very interesting (meaning I ended up enjoying their bonds with the main characters as well
which I didn't want to and I knew where all that attachment would end up going into the grave that is! I'm glad atleast Suyeon survived, but Wonsik 😭😭😭!!?!!)
 

...The fact that the author mentioned Confucious in the book (several times, in fact)-

"I am quite certain that you have. You simply need to discover it. The
truth will wait for you, however long it takes.” He pursed his lips. “In fact, I
am reminded of the words of Confucius. Heaven does not let the cause of
truth perish.”

❉ I may have wished a lot of times that the author delved into more depth with regard to the character's trust issues, feelings, thought process and development, along with enhancing the many sub-plots & characters within it with more clues, but I was disappointed (I guess.) 🙁

“This investigation
will be a battle against yourself. A battle against the voice that tells you to
surrender to the darkness. So do not give in to hopelessness. Bring your
sister home. I will do what I can to help, if you would trust me.”
The last of my irritation melted away as his words seared into my
mind, and I knew I would never forget his kind offer. 

❉ The romance was beautiful although🤩🤩. Both characters were likeable and totally relatable as well.  

 “Tomorrow, the kingdom could sink into the sea. 
Tomorrow, all the elders we trusted could betray us. 
Tomorrow, the fog might consume everything we loved. 
But I had him today. And he had me.” 

❉ I cannot express how much that ending
fulfilled the emptiness within myself at the near-end of the book.


❉ TLDR; Overall, it was a good historical-mystery-fiction book with an amazing cast of characters, plot emphasizing much relevant issues.

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

<b>ꅏꃅꀤ꒒ꍟ ꋪꍟꍏꂡꀤꋊꁍ...</b> 

💠I need a good fantasy right now and please, please let this be it. 
"To those who have dared to be a beacon of light even in the bleakest of moments." 
💠This fanart I've found is quite something...🤩
<img src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FtNq_UWaQAA4QCl?format=jpg" width="320" height="360" />

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

<b>ꉣꋪꍟ-ꋪꍟꍏꀸ: </b>
A historical cum- fantasy story about politics, tyranny, along with a touch of mystery while also featuring those characters on the cover (I mean, look at that cover-) — you can totally count me in!!