Descendent of the Crane by Joan He

Original Instagram post: May 12, 2021

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How do you feel about young royals having power and responsibility they never quite wanted thrust upon them? That *almost* happens to Hesina, the Princess of Yan. She’s never wanted to be queen. That all changes when she finds her father dead. She steps into the role of Queen for one reason: she believes her father was murdered and, as queen, she can open an investigation into his death.

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I love the relationships in this book: Hesina’s relationship with her mother and brother are fraught with tension, while her relationships with her two adopted siblings hold her up. She constantly has to reconfigure her understanding of her father as new information comes to light. Throw Akira, the young man representing her in the investigation, into the mix and she’s in quite a swamp of feelings. All of this leaves her wondering who she can trust, whose motives are true. Can she even trust herself?

Hesina’s struggles alone make for a compelling story. I so appreciated that every choice this young queen made had very real consequences. Sometimes her impetuous decisions worked. Sometimes she outsmarted people. Other times, they outsmarted her. I can’t tell you how much a “young royal who makes questionable decisions but everything works out” kind of story bugs me. This was NOT that.

As with any good court intrigue book, politics and kingdom ynamics play a huge role in this story. There is a rich history in Yan. Sometimes, I felt a little untethered in the history. Information that wasn’t withheld for suspense came fast. I wish I had had 50 more pages in this book just to slow that down. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Hesina’s quest for the truth kept me guessing, and I loved the characters. It is a stand alone, but the end keeps the door to the world open. There is a lot of tantalizing new information revealed in the last 50 pages, and I hope one day she gives us more of the Kingdom of Yan and its inhabitants!

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