Descendant of the Crane: He Joan

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I had hardened myself to wonder before I started this book, but my knee-jerk skepticism was quickly knuckled under by my admiration for the way He has craftily drawn on several familiar tropes and recast them into something altogether fresh and memorable. Most of them came to me out of discomfort, and so based on their questions I’d tell them what they wanted to hear because I figured I’d assuage worries wherever I can. The book is told in 3rd limited perspective – we only get to see Hesina’s point of view of the story (except for the epilogue).

I feel like the phrase “it flowed like water” is too simple to describe the experience I had, but it’s best way I can currently think of wording that. Descendant of the Crane takes place in a fictional kingdom inspired by China where the people were once ruled by greedy monarchs that used soothsayers to secure their rule. I had not managed to organize my puzzlement into a question before the plot begun eddying around in a speedy, gasp-out-loud, page-flipping style—each new certainty leading not to the next steppingstone but into a quagmire. Este libro tiene más de lo que las portadas dejan ver, la trama de fondo de la historia es digna de reflexión y se posiciona como uno de mis libros favoritos para la primera mitad del año.

Princess Hesina has big boots to fill as her father the King is thought to have died under suspicious circumstances. Mi primera experiencia con esta autora y puedo asegurar que es un maravilloso debut personal con la forma en la que se expresa y maneja el ambiente y transición de los giros argumentales de la historia.

A gripping tale full of intrigue, unpredictable twists, and betrayal—this is the Chinese fantasy readers have been waiting for. The premise and promise was so high, but I felt like the execution wasn't polished as neatly as it could have been. At the same time, Hesina must reconcile with the river of spilled blood between her forebearers and the downtrodden Sooths and find a way to lead her people out of their fear and hatred. Przede wszystkim - takie dziury fabularne, że nic tylko zbierać je z podłogi i samemu sklejać bo autorce niestety się do tego nie spieszyło.

For example, they can break a vase by invoking its future state – at some point in time, that vase will be broken, but they moved that moment to now.

Part of her story arc is learning how sometimes, unfortunately, it is necessary to lie or do "bad" for the greater good. Most of the time, the task feels like trying to run up the side of an avalanche, and the novel doesn’t elude the reality of the weight residing on Hesina’s shoulders. Caiyan and Lillian are twins, and her half-siblings; Sanjing is her full brother; and Rou is the son of her father's favored mistress. Nothing felt to much or not developed enough, all the relationships felt normal and something one would expect in that context. I’m absolutely breath-taken by the multi-faceted story that Joan He managed to fit in a book that took me only 3 evenings to read.The writing was exquisitely vivid, each word weaving a net that captured my attention and didn't let go.