So many books come out each week that it makes it hard to decide what to read. We want to make that a little bit easier on you by sharing our favorite releases from the week and telling you our top 3 reasons why we think you’ll love them too!
This week our selection is Descendant of the Crane by Joan He. Are you ready to hear more about this book and its author? Here we go…
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He Published by Albert Whitman & Company on 4/2/2019
Genres: Fantasy
Pages: 416
Goodreads Buy the Book
Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own.
Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, dreaming of an unremarkable life. But when her beloved father is found dead, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of a surprisingly unstable kingdom. What’s more, Hesina believes that her father was murdered—and that the killer is someone close to her.
Hesina’s court is packed full of dissemblers and deceivers eager to use the king’s death for political gain, each as plausibly guilty as the next. Her advisers would like her to blame the neighboring kingdom of Kendi’a, whose ruler has been mustering for war. Determined to find her father’s actual killer, Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by
death, since magic was outlawed centuries ago.Using the information provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of Yan at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?
3 Reasons You Should Read…
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
- We absolutely love stories that feature royalty, especially when they’re Fantasy! Descendant of the Crane has a fierce princess and a sinister court, all wrapped up in a fantastical world where magic was outlawed.
- We don’t get to see too many Chinese-inspired story, and we definitely feel like we need that in our lives.
- The world building here is simply amazing. It’s intricate and so much. Not to mention it’s unlike anything we’ve ever read, and we really hope this will be made into a movie. And that Joan He will continue this series because WE NEED MORE.
About Joan He
Joan was born and raised in Philadelphia but still will, on occasion, lose her way. At a young age, she received classical instruction in oil painting before discovering that stories were her favorite kind of art. She studied psychology and Chinese history at the University of Pennsylvania and currently writes from a desk overlooking the city waterfront. Descendant of the Crane is her young adult debut.
