Format: Hardcover, 416 pages
Release Date: April 9, 2019
Publisher: AW Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic
Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own.
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.
Determined to find her father's killer, Hesina does something desperate: she enlists the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death… because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.
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.
With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?
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.
Descendant of the Crane is Joan He's young adult debut. The story is about Princess Hesina of Yan whose father just died. As his oldest child, she is to become queen of their kingdom. Which is
something she does not really want, but will still do because as queen, she will be able
to open up a trial to find out who killed her father. In this case, she is the only one who honestly believes he was murdered since she found him. This includes her own mother as well as nearly everyone around her.
Hesina of 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. Her court is filled with 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. If you haven’t guessed, sooths main power is predicting the future. Hesina is told to beware of the devil of lies, and that her only hope may lie in the hands of a convict. Akira is said convict and he is as brilliant as he is secretive. Akira is your typical mysterious “dangerous” boy who ticks all the misunderstood bad boy boxes that are seen in nearly all young adult tropes these days.
Thus, the start of her reign as queen becomes filled
with a murder investigation. You never know who to trust, or what anyone’s
motives are until revelations happen too fast to do anything about them. Hesina was a bit too trusting of everyone. She's got a good heart, and means what she says about making sure her people are taken care of, but there are those close to her that are eager to see her fall. Hesina has four siblings: a brother a year younger who is a general (Yan Sanjing), two adopted siblings (a twin brother Caiyan and sister Lilian who Hesina
is very close too), and a younger half-brother (Rou) who Hesina’s hardly
speaks to since it is a daily reminder of her father’s infidelity.
Unfortunately, Hesina's relationship with Yan was so very strained which was pretty sad considering he was one of the few who could have been a steady presence for her when she is confronted by backstabbing and betrayal. My one major complaint in this entire book just happens to be the ending. There is nothing on the authors web page, nor on Goodreads, or anywhere else about a possible sequel. For me, there absolutely needs to be a sequel. You can't just leave things hanging in perpetuity forever without giving readers like me an answer.
Overall, this Chinese-inspired fantasy combines two elements politics and a murder mystery. If there were to be a sequel, I would have hopes that I could find time to read it to see what happens next for Hesina.
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