I think by the end, you’re not sure who to like or dislike, or even who to entirely agree with. I loved the characters having complex motivations, and few if any are who they seem to be on the surface.Įven though I had my paranoid suspicions from the start about who to trust (because I know how books go), the journey to get there was full of surprises and further character revelations that ensured no one was simply black and white. Four stars because I will absolutely be reading the sequel and am in fact really excited about where this one left off and promised to go. Thoughtsįour stars because it felt a little slow at times and I knew from the start who to trust and who not to trust. 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.

With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high? 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. 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. 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.

Descent of the crane