Descendant of the Crane: He Joan

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This book has been on my reading list for SO. LONG. I’m so glad I finally had the chance to read it. What is truth? Seek it. Write it. Good kings pay gold to hear it. But in trying times, truth is the first thing we betray. Plus, there’s also politics with another country (I definitely hope to see more of this in a potential sequel if it happens) and I was devouring it all. It’s just fantastic, and there are so many things that just make this book work. But still, I will try to give you ~reasons~ why you’ll love this, not just tell you that you will.

Thank you so much to Joan He for sending me an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review! Descendant of the Crane does flounder somewhat until it settles into a groove. I think the novel could have been better curated, as it sometimes feels less like a story and more like a haphazard sequence of things happening. The characters could also be more deeply realized—the purpose for existing in the story for some characters is merely the degree to which they advance Hesina's arc without settling into one of their own, and they barely have enough personality to make that existence worthwhile, others start with interesting arcs but are eventually reduced to cogs in a jarring plot twist that almost flattens them as characters. Joan has a beautiful prose that worked very well with the story, it actually exceeded my expectations. For a debut, this was more than well done! I think the pacing was slow and some places even slower than slow. If this was faster and shorter, then it would definitely have been a bigger hit (it is a big hit so it would have been perfect). Buddy-read with the wonderful Ana or attempted to. I, unfortunately, DNF'd it at 75% because I couldn't take the abuse anymore.And they did come—at the hands of eleven scrappy outlaws who climbed the Ning Mountains, crossed the Kendi’an dunes, breached the imperial walls, and beheaded the last relic emperor on his very throne. They emancipated serfs and set them to work on dikes and embankments. Storms calmed. Floods drained. They opened the doors of education to women and commoners, and their disciples circulated the former outlaws’ philosophies in a book called the Tenets. The people of Yan called them the Eleven. Legends. Saviors. Heroes. While the pacing for the novel wasn’t the fastest, it still worked well for this story. It’s kind of a slow burn to find out what really happened to the King, but there are so many twists and turns along the way that it really effectively keeps the suspense building. There were a couple of jaw dropping twists, in particular, near the end that have left me anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.

There was some clear effort to create a history and world, but I was left with a lot of questions and I wanted more of the soothsayers and their magic. Some of the names felt rather out of place - such as using the "Investigation Bureau" as the name for an official agency. This was so off-putting as every time I read it I thought of FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) which immediately removed me from being immersed within this fantasy world. A completely fabricated name or one more Asian-influenced would have been better.I do think that if you’re someone who is very meh about twistiness and politics, you might want to pass on this, but I do want to note how Descendant of the Crane does not sacrifice voice & character development. In fact . . . They emerged from the secret passageways the girl knew well— too well, perhaps, given her identity—and darted between courtyard compounds and walled wards, venturing toward the market sectors. When they arrived at the red-light district’s peeling archway, an ember sparked in the girl’s stomach. Some came to the seediest business quarter of the imperial city to buy warmth. But she? Caiyan raised a brow. “You’re hoping that I’ll say ‘yes’ so you can proceed alone. But that wasn’t our agreement. I am to lead the whole way, or I don’t take you to this person at all.” Lilian ignored him and faced Hesina. “Of course it’s not a game. It’s a dangerous, important mission befitting a threesome. Look at it this way: you need one person to hear this forbidden wisdom, one to watch the door for intruders, and one to beat up the intruders.”

The madam snatched it, loosened the drawstring, and peered in. Hesina couldn’t tell what the woman was thinking, and as the madam bounced the purse up and down in her ringed hand, she sweated through her underclothes. I also didn't really see any reception from Akira towards Hesina? he never really demonstrated his affection for her. I had so much hope for their ship but no I really liked Hesina’s arc. I love how nothing in this story yields resignedly to her desires despite her many effortful attempts. The court is not some simple engine that applying pressure here, pressure there, could propel in the direction of her wishes. Hesina realizes that she can no longer grasp after the tail end of her father’s memory, clinging doggedly to his teachings; she needs a lot more foundation stones before she can start building this tower. 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. 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. I really loved so much about this book. the worldbuilding was honestly flawless and the lore of the empire was one of my favorite things to read

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However, due to a number of factors, it wasn’t possible for me to expand on that bigger story for a long time, and now I’ve fully moved on as a creator. I know this is the worst news for a reader, and I’m really sorry to be delivering it. If it’s any small comfort, Hesina’s journey in DESCENDANT would have always ended the way that it did regardless of if I’d sold in a one book, two book, or three book deal. The art of the story would have trumped any contractual obligations, and I hope you’ll understand that I selfishly chose to be the “artist” for my debut. And I hope it’ll assuage your fears to know that I’ll dream more realistically from here on out :’)