Descendant of the Crane: He Joan

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Aside from the fact that she’s a princess and heir to the throne of Yan–which doesn’t mean much because Yan’s monarchy is quite limited and they live in more of a socialist society–Hesina is incredibly ordinary. Due to previous historical events, the sooths were generally despised and shunned from society and there were terrible punishments for them and those who sympathised with them.

It's thought-provoking, well-written, rich in details of era-appropriate attire and consistent worldbuilding. Such a succession of shattering revelations that sent a wave through my room so strong that I felt its ripple and was rocked on its mooring.

By then, the fear of Soothsayers—the relic emperor’s henchmen—and their magic had knitted itself into the bones of Yan and seeped through generations, and so the Eleven expunged everyone with Sooth magic in their blood from existence.

Plenty of twists and lots of back stabbing betrayals ensue and it isn't long before Hessina wonders- who can I trust? The court is not some simple engine that applying pressure here, pressure there, could propel in the direction of her wishes. But the truth of it had already sunk into the center of Hesina and broken open, flooding her with a new certainty: her father has been murdered and the need to seek justice for him sang bright in her. And all that is left is the plaintive specter of a child who had loved and trusted her father so wholeheartedly, her illusions now forever dashed and broken.Whilst this all sounds very unusual, Hesina has every assurance that this is the right path to take. 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. Y, lo peor de todo, es que estuve tremendamente perdida a lo largo de la historia porque a la estructura le faltaba muchísima continuidad.

Sin embargo, cuando descubre que su padre fue envenenado, Hesina decide convocar al equipo de investigaciones y denunciar su muerte como un asesinato. Growing up over here meant that I was surrounded by narratives about strong women, women who got stories that were MORE than just fighting to survive in a world of men. There is a little romance in there, but it is not over the top and it plays perfectly in the whole story. Perhaps the slow-moving plot would have been more interesting for me to read if I’d been given anything else to care about. He taught her how to defend against the corruption and excesses of the old kings, before revolutionaries purged them and their seers to establish the dynasty anew.Hesina is a flawed but compelling character and it is interesting to see how the choices she makes in the book end up changing her. If you read them differently, who am I to force you to arrive at my destination, to make something canon when it isn’t even on the page?