Book Review: A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.

1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.

Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off—but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

When Iseul’s and Daehyun’s fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever

Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.

Beautiful and devastating, heart-warming and heartbreaking; ’A Crane Among Wolves’ takes a brutal and bloody tale and manages to intertwine moments of humanity and love throughout. This book had a heart at its core that burrowed its way into my soul, yet it simultaneously created a chilling picture of life under King Yeonsan’s rule.

History has always fascinated me but King Yeonsan, and Korean history in general, is new to. Now I know that I definitely need to discover more of it. Life within this time and setting is vibrantly depicted within this novel from its clothing and cuisine to the terrors of a tyrant’s rule. Mentions of superstitions even pop up on occasion, creating a truly immersive world to discover. The horrors and atrocities of King Yeonsan are mentioned throughout and utterly appalling to behold. The level of devastation that one country, in one short span, must have felt (which I’m sure many others are unaware of) is devastating to behold.

What really surprised me about this novel was the moments of warmth, love and general sense of found family scattered throughout. The sisterly bond that drives Iseul’s actions is beautifully complex and exquisitely crafted, showing how wedges can form between siblings but love remains buried beneath throughout. The romance is also wonderfully crafted, showing a slow and tender shift of feelings between two individuals who, utterly understandably given their pasts, are afraid to let love in. Possibly my favourite bond though was that of Iseul and Wonsik; the unexpected mentor/apprentice dynamics brought a smile to my face on more than one occasion and the way that Wonsik connected to and guided the younger characters at the centre of this novel was beautifully captured on the page.

So the world, characters and bonds between them were all beautifully described. Whilst the villains of this novel were all believably crafted and collected a vast catalogue of horrors between them. The ‘Nameless Flower’ revelation managed to catch me off guard and I found the investigation into those crimes fascinating to discover.

Personally my only wish is that there’d been a little bit more attention paid to the coup itself. Given the dual perspective narrative much of the events understandably can’t be displayed upon the page but I do think more of Daehyun ‘s role during the event could have been shown. Similarly I’d have liked to have seen one or two more interactions between Daehyun and King Yeonsan towards the end too and preferably at least one scene showing Grand Prince Jinseong as he’s everybody’s hopes for the future.

Altogether I absolutely recommend ’A Crane Among Wolves’ though and found it a fascinating story to uncover. It’s a beautiful but brutal, well rounded depiction of life under a real life tyrant in 1506 Korea which manages to intertwine a sense of humanity and warmth throughout thanks to its central characters and those surrounding them. Needless to say I’m now itching to read more by this author.

Check out A Crane Among Wolves on Goodreads here.

I strive to keep my reviews completely spoiler free but if anyone wants to discuss anything about the book in more detail (or just gush about it with me) then feel free to contact me in the comment section below.