A Crane Among Wolves

I feel like opinions on this book will greatly differ depending on what you're looking for. If you like political intrigue, riveting tales of overthrowing tyrants and plotting rebellions, and a stronger touch of romance blossoming in perilous situation, then you'll love this. If you're more into mystery, however, it might not satisfy you entirely because the book tries to cover so many things that the mystery ends up taking the backseat until the very end.

As far as the mystery goes, it was quite predictable and would've been even easier to solve if the book spends more time on it instead of steering the plot into several different directions at once. It starts off pretty strong by mentioning the series of murders, up to the point where a certain royal guard falls victim to it. The scene where Prince Daehyun finds the body is top tier thriller experience, and I was hoping the book would maintain the bone-chilling, harrowing tone… but it doesn't. Instead, it turns to highlight the rebellion instead, and admittedly I lost focus many times because of it. It's good in the sense that it offers the suffocating air of corruption and oppression, but the fact that the investigation is so blatantly pushed aside to make room for this bothered me quite a bit.

“Because rape is about power; it is never about desire or love.”

The romance is also notably more present than June Hur's previous works. Not saying that I didn't enjoy it though, because I did. Both Iseul and Daehyun have massive character growth throughout the book. Iseul starts off as pretty insufferable while Daehyun is used to being emotionally numb. While I do feel like they could've used more build-up to bond beyond having butterflies due to close proximity, they push each other to be better. There are plenty of important messages subtly woven in, and it feels good to see it as a contrast to how King Yeonsan and his officials treat women like dirt.

“Why is it so irrationally difficult for men to simply leave women alone?!”

Overall, it was a pretty engrossing read. It's always fun to see the author's notes too, to see which parts are facts are which ones are fiction. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric, it'll definitely draw you into 1506 Joseon with the tragedies and nightmares it has to offer. Plus points for the sisterhood and especially the beauty that is chapter 42. 🫠

Firstly I want to thank netgalley and the author for an eARC of this book.

In the last year I have read whatever of June Hur I could get my hands on, and up until this one, The Red Palace was my favourite. I fear there's a new first place contender.

I loved this historical mystery romance. From the opening it reminded me of some of the saeguks I had recently watched. This gave me the vibe of a more elevated Joseon drama - rich young characters, seeped in true historical events with an engaging mystery and a sweet romance.

I thought the book was really well written, and a good mystery at its core. The reveal of the killer was definitely surprising. I liked that they didn't show some of the characters to be perfectly good and above reproach, instead showing them as grey characters with personal motivations for doing the things they want to do.

Up until 90% of the book, it was really really good. It was only the last 10% where I think it got tooo much like a drama. The last 4-5 chapters went past in such a flash, I wished we close sat with the events for a bit, see people's reaction to it before getting to the end. But everything happened so so fast, it was a bit too fast. It felt like a rushed ending.

Apart from the ending, I thought the book was really really good.

June Hur is on my must-read list, and became that way very very early on.

I went into this knowing that there would be more focus on the romantic subplot, and it had me a bit worried whether it would take away from the sheer amount of historical world building and the main plot of the book, but June Hur has managed to blur the fine line and evolve her already amazing story writing a step further.

The plot was difficult to read. Based on true, historic events, we were not spared the more horrific details of what happened in 1506 Joseon. The attention to detail and the delicate ways people and plot were added and altered in order to help with the flow of the story was evident. There is clear respect for what happened, and it wasn't butchered in any way to create a bestseller.

I loved Daehyun, and how much he would sacrifice for Iseul. She became her entire rock, her personality showing how determined she could be after forcing herself to grow up from being a pampered, unrealistic young lady.

I was sad when it ended, yet happy that it did. I know Iseul and Daehyun were characters that June Hur created for the story, yet I would like to imagine that this was the happy ending for many that went through that tyrannical time.

Jane Hur writes the BEST historical mysteries with the swooniest romances. Everything feels meticulously researched and there is so much detail in her books. I especially love all of the details about clothing because I find that super fascinating. It's really fun to look up pictures/illustrations and imagine the characters wearing the clothes.

In addition to all of the details, her characters are well-rounded and still have agency even if living in a time when life can be really prescribed. Iseul is such a badass but in a believable way: she can hit a dude with a branch in a panic but also needs to be taught how to cook because she was raised wealthy.

If you're looking for a good mystery, a good romance, or looking to read something set in the Joseon period of Korea, this is a great pick!