Descendant of the Crane – Book Review

Hello, book dragons! I hope you’re all doing well. This week I have a Descendant of the Crane Book Review for you guys. This Chinese-inspired fantasy knocked me right off my feet. I hope you enjoy.

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Title: Descendant of the Crane

Author: Joan He

Rating: 4 Stars

Format: eBook

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company

Date Published: April 9th 2019

Goodreads Description: Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own.

Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father’s killer, Hesina does something desperate: she engages the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death… because, in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.

Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

In this shimmering Chinese-inspired fantasy, debut author Joan He introduces a determined and vulnerable young heroine struggling to do right in a world brimming with deception.

I received a review copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Story

This book had me hooked from the beginning. Descendant of the Crane is murder mystery meets fantasy and I am living for it. I went into this book completely blind and I was not disappointed. The story was really fast-paced and had me constantly on the edge of my seat.

The many twists and turns of this book were all executed perfectly and had me going “WHAT” for most of the book. I read this book while also listening to the audiobook, and it was a really immersive experience.

Writing & Worldbuilding

Joan He’s writing is just stellar. Her sentences flow really well and you always know where in the story you are. As I listened to the audiobook as well, the story just came alive. He writes rich descriptions and makes it so easy to place yourself in the middle of Yan.

The lore and the world-building of this book are extremely well done. I love it when authors set up their lore and then proceed to pull it apart as the truth comes to light. I can go on and on about the rich world-building. It’s so well crafted and the amount of care that went into it is amazing. Seriously, study the world-building of this book.

Characters

The only thing I didn’t like about Descendant of the Crane was the characters. Hesina was the most fleshed-out character thanks to us following her perspective. The rest of the cast didn’t appear that fleshed out and I felt like they were only there to drive Hesina’s arc forward.

Especially Akira. He seems to be forgotten in large parts of the book, and when he pops out we don’t get much of his story or his motivations. Hesina should have spent more time with him and his own character arc should have been clearer.

Let me know your thoughts on Descendant of the Crane.

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