A Crane Among Wolves

By June Hur

Book Overview

AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
AN EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE

June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today's world, based on a true story from Korean history.

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 seen:

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

Also by June Hur:
The Silence of Bones
The Forest of Stolen Girls
The Red Palace

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250858097
• ISBN13: 9781250858092
• Release Date: May 2024
• Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.8" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 13 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

A good story

I really enjoyed this book with the historical information and the fictional story it was a good read. Very entertaining and informative.

Dark but well written

Yes, this is a pretty dark story with Iseul searching for her sister, taken by a most awful and brutal king to join his throng of courtesans while others are planning an uprising to dethrone that king, and a killer is leaving corpses of government officials all over too. Rebellion is very bloody and the author does a good job of making it feel real, even to the point of killing very likeable characters so you don't know who is going to survive. Iseul is a previously pampered younger daughter and that does lead to some poor choices she makes or when she gets mad and does something very rash, it does make for bigger issues and people do get hurt. That was kind of frustrating and I did have to remind myself that she is young and inexperienced though I did admire her determination to save her sister and her strength in keeping on even when injured and afraid. Prince Daehyun, the other viewpoint is much more calculating in his actions. He has to make really hard choices to help bring about the rebellion and remain in good standing with the king so he isn't killed off (that bit with his horse is heartbreaking!). I found him to be the more likable character though it was good to get both views as it really brought the story to life, dark though it is. This was a good story, not shying away from true events even though it is an historical fiction. It is a standalone with a satisfying ending and a cool real history note at the end, comparing the story with the real timeline. Well written and I liked it.