Hello Everyone,
HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE!!!! I am really happy I read DOTC !!! OH MYOH MY OH MY IT'S SO GOOD GGOOOD!!! I SURVIVED DESCENDENT OF THE CRANE !! HAIL, JOAN QUEEN OF FANTASY!!! The book will capture your heart!
First, I need to talk about the cover. I am really envious because this cover is a magnetic alluring cover. It is the type of cover you walk past, with its eyes following you, a little song begins to sing in your mind to have your reach out and grab it off the shelf. It's stunning, eerie and immersive that captures the ambiance of the book. This is the type of book that will get under your skin, full of vivid world-building, complex characters, intricate plots, and high-stakes. Everyone needs to grab a copy of Descendant of the Crane. I promise you will not regret it.
I had the pleasure to join Hesina's Imperial Court street team. What a wonderful street team to join! I love being part of the court (I feel so fancy!). I am divided into the Rites team under Marquis. I love being able to join street teams because I get to work with friends from the book community and pour the same amount of love to a book/s and spread it across the social media platforms. I read the book in multiple seatings in four months. The first 50% was seated on a five-hour bus ride, the second part reading in a cafe reading on my laptop. Lastly, the third chunk of the book a seven-hour bus ride ( never ever travel when there are snow-storm warnings). I really enjoyed the world-building, thrilling politics, courtroom drama, bittersweet relationships, and magical intrigue. Definitely placing in the top five of favorite YA Fantasy book for 2019. The book sparked so much joy to me.
Descendant of the crane is a gem debut about an unyielding daughter who will do anything to restore justice for her father’s murder. A queen to seek out the justice of the king's death. A court of intrigue, complex relationships, and mercurial grasps of power. It is a story to not miss out on.
* I recieve a early edition from the author. All my thoughts and opinions are my own. *
Enjoy!
Descendant of the Crane
Joan He
Hardcover, 437 pages
Published April 9th 2019
by Albert Whitman Company
5/5 Stars
Young Adult/ Fantasy
About the book
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?
Buy the book !
Preorder Campaign
Did you know Descendant of the crane had an epic preorder campaign? Preorder & library request campaign who submitted their receipts to Joan includes a Hesina, Akira, Lilian, and EITHER a Sanjing or a Caiyan...though it changed when the satiny mattea rose gold bookmark with two cranes were all gone ( only limited quantities). The character cards are drawned by Joan herself, thicker than your average poker cards, and in the traditional Chinese paper-cutting style. I am obsessed with them. How truly stunning !!!
About the Author
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.
Social Links
Website: https://www.joanhewrites.com/ Instagram: joanhewrites
Twitter: @joanhewrites
Sigining out,
Maddi