I was engrossed in this story the entire time. I'm impressed with how well written both POVs were, generally I tend to like one way more than the other but they were very well balanced in this book. The author did an excellent job of using historical events to craft her tale.

This. Book. Easily 5 stars! The characters were intriguing and well developed. Had me on the edge of my seat at the end. I cried at one point. Absolutely highly recommend!

3 - ⭐⭐⭐

<b> "We mortals exist for but a season, and yet we love as though we are bound by eternity." </b>

<I> A Crane Among Wolves </i> is an YA historical romance based on harrowing events in Korean History. It follows characters Iseul and Prince Daehyun. Under the reign of Daehyun's brother, the land is in turmoil and filled with fear in the crazed king. Iseul is desperate to find a way to save her sister from the king's court and Prince Daehyun aches to dethrone his brother as he flaunts executions, torture, and more in the face of his people. When these two are brought together by fate they craft a plot and decide to make the gamble of a lifetime...to bring an end to a king.

I have mixed feelings on this book.

On one hand the rich historical influence drew me in. The political intrigue, the depths these people are willing to go to save the people from their own king, and world building around why it needed to happen was gritty and made things clear from the beginning. I enjoyed the assassination plot and the build up and execution of it. There was a good twist that I was not anticipated and I liked the realism it gave the story. On the other hand, I struggled with the romance and characters. I found I wasn't able to connect with them because I felt I was being told their characters rather than shown them through interactions and banter. The romance especially, only felt like a truly went somewhere at the end of the novel - I felt the banter and words were emotionally impactful and wished it would have been built up earlier in the novel. As such, I feel if you are going in this for a romance it doesn't have the character relationship development to hold it for a large part of the novel...but towards the end it does rally an attempt.

As this is a YA novel there is no spice and while there is a kiss or two, there isn't any detail. That said this book does have a fair share of trigger warnings because it reference a lot of heavy subjects so be advised.

I enjoyed the world and history of the story and that is what pushed me to keep reading. I wanted to know how things ended. I struggled to feel something for their characters. I would definitely like to explore more of Korean history so I hope this author continues this style.

Thank you Macmillan for the arc!

This was deeply enjoyable, though pretty dark for something that is being marketed as YA. A period of history that I am not familiar with, it was even scarier how heavily this was based on true events. The plot, romance, and adventure (plus, lots of gory deaths) are perfect for fans of K-Dramas. Very rich descriptions and different from my usual reads, but very enjoyable and heartbreaking.

<i>I received an ARC of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

“When one is able to differentiate good from evil, it is impossible to accept things the way they are.”

What I remember most from The Forest of Stolen Girls, another one of Hur’s historical mysteries and one of the very first ARCs I ever reviewed, was the immersive historical setting and the strength of the central sisters’ bond.

A Crane Among Wolves similarly captured me in that regard. 17-year-old protagonist Iseul grew up loved and pampered as an aristocrat, though her life has since come crashing down, setting her on the course of revenge for her parents’ deaths and her older sister’s kidnapping. She is understandably naive but still shrewd and courageous, which rendered her a compelling character to follow deeper into a plot rife with murder, political dissatisfaction and uprising, and a realistic dose of disillusionment. Prince Daehyun’s worldliness and stolidness complimented Iseul nicely, though I felt that some of the potential for their relationship development was too swept up in the coup/Nameless Flower/rescuing Suyeon plot.

The historical setting is built through lilting but consistently solid prose. The time period of A Crane Among Wolves never wavered, and so I did feel transported to a time of courtesans and turmoil in the kingdom. I was especially interested to learn that the majority of the events are drawn from the real Veritable Records, accounts that existed free of rulers’ oversight, though Hur shortened the timeline to tighten the plot. However, I felt as if the action was too delayed, so that I meandered through the build-up only for the twists to then occur on top of each other. I would have loved more real-time depictions of Iseul and Suyeon’s relationship as well as Wonsik’s fatherly relationship with Iseul—the latter, in particular, was told rather than show.

All in all, a slow but inviting read for those seeking a dark but endearing escape to 16th century Korea.

Another phenomenal novel from June Hur!

The plot was enticing from the first page and there were so many interesting plot points that kept the story moving at a good pace. I really enjoyed how there was a couple of side plots that worked with the main one to create a dynamic storyline. 

The characters were well rounded and all interesting in their own right. I found myself wondering about their pasts and what happened before the events of the book. Iseul is a wonderful main character who worked so well with the others. The chemistry between her and Daehyun was fantastic… no one can really resist an enemies to lovers trope! 

Overall I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Korean history and loves historical K-Dramas! This will tick all the boxes! 

I would like to thank the author and Netgalley for the ARC!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

I throughly enjoyed all the characters in this book and the plot (minus the TW aspects of it). Iseul was funny and fiercely confident in an almost foolish way. I loved how she threw herself into things with barely a thought (as I feel I do the same at times). I also loved how she gave the people she didn't like nicknames instead of trying to learn their actual names. I thought that was really funny of her. I also enjoyed Prince Daehyun. He was charismatic and clever when he needed to be. The plot twist at the end really got me there. I was so stressed about the outcome of the story. Wonsik and Yuel were great characters too.

I'm really glad I ended up buying a special edition version of this book! It's going to look so pretty and I'm excited to add it to my collection.

June Hur does it again! An incredible voice in YA historical fiction/sageuk. While Iseul was not my favorite protagonist of hers (she was infuriatingly impulsive and not as bright as her predecessors), she also might have the most growth of all of Hur's protagonists. This book was heavier than previous titles as a female reader and the reality of the the atrocities against women at that time period. I will be recommending this for the older teen readership due to this. I definitely appreciate Hur's commitment to being honest and forthright on the realities of the time period this book is set in. More than ever teens want the truth of history, especially in its horrors and atrocities.

A great read and another fabulous addition to Hur's body of work.

Phenomenal story building, fast pace, and perfect for kdrama lovers.

This was a massive win in my book because the increase in diversity and Asian folklore/history fiction was something that was missing in my childhood. Reading this book I am impressed at the intricacy of the weaving of the sequence of actions, mystery, and purposely placed proverbs. Every part of the story felt important and kept the pace going.

I enjoyed watching the character development of Iseul. I loved how she slowly matured and honed in on Wonsik’s wisdom to solve the hidden killer and most of all I love her determination to save her sister.

Every character has an important meaning to the story and as much as I have read I was pleasantly surprised I did not figure out the killer.

A great homage to the history of the time period that Hur set her story in. It really felt like I was there during that ill-rest moment in history - albeit fictionally.

The best was the ending! Watching Kdrama most historical period drama have such a devastating ending. I would gladly watch this novel because of how poignantly it ended.

Definitely a great fan now!
Thank you for this arc for an honest review. I will definitely be getting this when it’s out!

This is my first June Hur book, but definitely won't be my last. I fell in love with the writing and was fully invested into the plot right away and honestly the pacing of each chapter truly made it hard to put the book down! It was so easy to relate to both Iseul and Daehyun, and I think that the author has promoted this to be like a historical k-drama, and honestly, the book absolutely had those vibes and the tone fit really well too. I loved EVERY SINGLE moment and really enjoyed the political intrigue, the mystery and the romance so much. I really appreciated both POVs from ourr leads as well and their dynamic was so fun to read and I swoooooned multiple times. The side characters were really great here too and added a lot of flavor! The tyrant king was also REALLY easy to hate which was great in its own way lmao. 😂

I honestly am so glad this is my first book from Hur and can't wait to go back and read all of her backlog too!!

I loved the mystery and the characters (particularly Iseul, who used to be a spoiled wealthy younger daughter and then the world came crashing down around her first once and then again) and the details of the politics - among the upper classes as well as those more hard done by - particularly drawing attention to the unreasonable tyranny of the real historical figure that stood at the center of the conflict.

I think I was especially guarded when I didn’t need to be because the book was marketed as a “romance” but it really was more about the mystery, the coup, and the sister relationship. The two main characters did have very good chemistry and a great development of trust and respect over the course of the book.

I didn’t like the denoument - I think it sort of killed the momentum of the story and left the ending kind of crawling. I also felt like Iseul’s and Wonsik’s relationship seemed to deepen mostly off-page? Which is kind of unfair to Wonsik who was such a great character.

June Hur doesn’t miss. I’m more than ready for her next book!

A Crane Among Wolves is a perfect combination of historical fiction, a murder mystery, and YA romance. The obvious care June Hur took into researching and incorporating real people from the past into her story was a major highlight for me. I loved how she structured the plot and kept the content YA friendly, yet not shying away from brutal, dark reality from that time period. Hur’s storytelling is incredibly immersive and I absolutely loved this book. If you’re a fan of historical fiction, mysteries, romance, and/or YA, I’d definitely recommend this!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and Feiwel & Friends for the early copy!

June Hur truly never disappoints. I loved this book. The writing just gets better with every book and I was so happy when I got this one. Hur perfectly balances multiple aspects of the story: world building, history, romance, politics, and outstanding writing and character development to create an engaging and stunning novel from front to back. The development of the relationship between Iseul and Prince Daehyun was my absolute favorite part and when I first say the title I was wondering how the animal imagery would play in and honestly I think the title and image of the crane and wolf works perfectly for them and many times the two characters swap when it comes to who I believe would have represented them. I love to see how the book title and symbolism plays into characters and so it was super fun for me as a reader to figure out in each scene who is the crane and who is the wolf. I loved the book, I can't express it enough. I got an E-ARC on Netgalley and I loved it so much I plan to buy a physical copy when it is released, that is how much I loved it.

This is a fascinating exploration of a historical time and place, as well as a great political drama and love story between Iseul and Daehyun. Iseul's sister is kidnapped and abused by a tyrant king, and she will do anything to get her sister back. Daehyun is desperately trying to survive at the king's court, while secretly plotting to overthrow that king for the good of the kingdom. They meet when Daehyun accidentally shoots Iseul while out on a hunt, during which the king has threatened to kill anyone who comes back without a corpse. Rather than killing Iseul, Daehyun kills his beloved horse, and the plot gets even twistier and more fascinating from there!

The author notes at the end mention something she discovered in her research that transformed the character of the rebellion and significantly impacted the later plot. (Sorry for being so vague - spoilers!) While incorporating those unpleasant historical truths into the narrative complicated what could have been a neat, clean good vs. evil dynamic, the book is so much better for having done so!

It’s crazy to imagine that someone who reminds me of Joffrey from Game of Thrones existed in history. I am so appreciative of June Hur for opening up a part of history I knew nothing about (even as a Korean American)- a story that needed to be told. I definitely felt the wistful, k-drama moments (I imagined certain moments in slo-mo haha), but readers should know this is not quite as romantic as one would assume based on marketing. It is definitely a historical rebellion/murder mystery, at its core. The high stakes, sacrifices and perseverance were well written. I do wish the dialogue and characters were less stiff, and that we could have gotten to know our characters more deeply, and for more interactions between them. The Nameless Flower plot line sometimes felt like an interruption from the greater conflict. Over all I’m glad I read it, but wish there was more focus on the ongoing interactions rather than flashbacks.

Loved the chemistry and tension between Iseul and Daehyun. Came to the story for the romance, stayed for the murder mystery and political intrigue!

Honestly, June Hur just gets better with every book I read from her. This is my favorite of her books thus far and I’ll do my best to explain why, but it could in part be just vibes. I found both Daehyun and Iseul to be flawed, but easy to root for. They’re both just young people trying to survive in a world that they shouldn’t have to be subjected to. I also enjoyed the mystery, but I had at least in part figured it out before the end and honestly, I think the character work is more the highlight of her books for me than the mystery anyways. I also feel that this book was impeccably researched, but she does mention that she took a few liberties with the timeline. If there is anything for me to pick at it is that I want more from the romance, but there are several very good reasons that I didn’t get that.

I love that she is writing more romance in her books and can appreciate her keeping them clean for the younger audience, though I can’t say that I think that younger readers are ignorant of sex and I don’t believe in policing books that way. I just appreciate that she writes solid books for teens that don’t have or really need sex. Also, for the time period, it probably wouldn’t have been appropriate for them. However, I love Daehyun and Iseul’s dynamic and their banter. The way the story unfolded prevented more pages of them being together and happy, but that’s fine. I still really enjoyed it.

As I mentioned above, I enjoyed both of the main characters of Daehyun and Iseul. Iseul is a bit spoiled, but is learning to be more independent because of her sister’s situation. She’s learning to think and to do things on her own. This means she starts out as being a bit unlikable at times, but as the story progresses and she grows, she becomes a lovely heroine. Daehyun struggles because in order to survive he has given into the King’s terrible whims. Now he’s trying to do the best he can for the people around him, while remaining in his brother’s good graces. Do I believe he is capable of awful things? For sure. Do I think he’s trying his best? Yes. Do I love that he’s willing to do terrible things to prove his love for Iseul? Yes. He falls first and he falls hard and I love it. He just wants to protect her, but she makes it so hard, particularly in the beginning when she shows she is capable of some truly terrible decisions.

The side characters in this were great too. They really help draw you into the court politics and the mystery investigation that are at the heart of the plot. They never overtake Daehyun and Iseul, but they help smooth out their flaws a bit and enable them to achieve their destiny. Each one is also fairly fleshed out to the point where I feel like I would know what they would do in certain situations. Maybe not every situation, but in quite a few. The side character that I feel is fleshed out the least is probably Iseul’s sister, but she also doesn’t get that much page time. We get a feel for her more from Iseul’s memories than anything else. I did appreciate the commentary surrounding her character on victim blaming and in a sense purity culture.

One of the reasons that I continue to read Hur’s books is the sense of place that she instills with every book. They all take place at different points in Korean history and she isn’t afraid to show some of the worst parts of their history. I appreciate that while she doesn’t address all the atrocities, she also doesn’t really sugar coat it either. I think that this book could go too dark, especially with the fact that there are a lot of not great people involved in this segment of Korean history, but she strikes a nice balance with it while still showing how absolutely horrendous those in power truly are. As a side note, this would make a truly excellent K-drama.

Overall, I think fans of Hur’s other books are just going to gobble this one up. I think that if you’re a reader looking for the same dynamics as The Forest of Stolen Girls, that this isn’t quite going to be that, but it’s the closest of all her other books. I don’t think people looking for pure mystery are going to be so taken with this because it is fairly straight forward, but I think that if you like a touch of mystery mixed in with other genres such as historical fiction, romance, and court intrigue… this could be for you. Now I just have to go sit in the corner and cry until her next novel comes out.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of this novel, however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Wow those last few chapters were a rollercoaster of emotions lowkey giving kdrama forreal

This korean historical fiction set during Joseon-era is about iseul in search for her sister who was taken by the king. This story is told with an treacherous political backdrop of a dictatorial king along with a little mystery and romance involved. The author was able to combine all these components together to create such a dynamic historical fiction story with accurate historical events that shockingly happened.

the author depicts the horror that is the rule of the dictatorship where i felt the intense energy as a reader. the author revealed that all of the brutal acts done by the king all happened in history as well as some of the characters were also actual historical figures. she also mentioned that she didn’t censor/blur any horrific atrocities of the king to truly capture the hellhole of this era. learning about this part of korean history was not just shocking but also eye opening. with the author’s message in mind “confront disturbing historical events are crucial. it is imperative to confront history because it repeats itself when ignored.” - stories like this are important to read about and to bear witness to

in a desolate environment ruled by a heinous king, there’s bit of romance which i absolutely loved!

Even though, the romance was more subplot, I still adore iseul and daehyun my pookie bears!! slowburn dislike to friends to lovers - the first time they met was very knife-to-neck tension heavy. However, a friendship develops between the two when their alliance take down the king forms. the heavy tension turned into wholesome affection for each other. The way they that solely understand each other’s traumas as well as loneliness GOT ME. they found security in each other in a hostile environment - found love in a hopeless place fr

even tho we don’t see much of iseul and her sister’s relationship, iseul’s love for her sister is evident in her constant perseverance to search and save her sister. iseul’s character development was also evident throughout this book. from spoiled daughter to resilient sister

even though we don’t see much of issuel’s sister suyeon,, her journal entries were impactful where she voices her feelings of the burden of being the eldest daughter.

overall, i wasn't expecting this book to be so impactful and grateful to have the opportunity to experience this story.

I absolutely loved this book. It read like a K-drama and was very entertaining! Can’t wait to read more from June.

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur intricately weaves together a captivating mystery amidst a backdrop of horrifying historical details. Set in Joseon-era Korea, Hur masterfully brings to life the tumultuous political landscape of the time, where treachery and intrigue lurk in every shadow.

The mystery at the heart of the novel is expertly crafted, keeping readers on the edge of their seats as they follow the protagonist's journey to uncover the truth behind a series of gruesome murders. Hur deftly blends elements of suspense, historical fiction, and romance, creating a narrative that is as compelling as it is immersive.

What truly sets A Crane Among Wolves apart, however, are the horrifying historical details that serve as the backdrop for the story. From the strict social hierarchies of Joseon society to the brutal methods used to maintain power. Hur does not shy away from depicting the harsh realities of life during this period. Through her vivid descriptions and meticulous research, she transports readers to a world that is both captivating and chilling.

Overall, A Crane Among Wolves is a blend of mystery and historical fiction that will leave readers breathless until the very last page.While the novel offers an engaging story filled with suspense and romance, it's important to note that it contains themes of violence and trauma, which may be triggering for some readers. Hur's impeccable storytelling and attention to detail make this a must-read for anyone looking for a gripping tale set against a fascinating historical backdrop.