Book Review: Descendant of The Crane by Joan He|A naive princess, a suspicious death and an unreliable protector

Blurb (as on Goodreads):

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 engages 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.

Joan He’s take on this Chinese-inspired fantasy failed to impress me. Princess Hesina is about to take the throne of Yan, a title that came with a price. In this case, the untimely death of her father, which might look like a natural death to all but not to Hesina. As Hesina tries to find evidence of foul play, she confronts a soothsayer, an offense that is considered high treason, she also faces the dilemma of who in the court is trustworthy and who isn’t. And that is how she meets Akira, a robber and Hesina’s last chance at getting justice for her father.

The story as such is full of plot holes and reads like a hasty, poorly narrated fiction novel. The character sketches are a hit or miss. While a few of them are well written, most are just boring, unpredictable and irrational. Most of the plot feels abrupt and written in haste, except the final chapters, which brings back the usual elements of a political conspiracy.

The second half of the story definitely left an impression on me and made me believe that the author could have given more time for the characters to grow, especially Hesina and Akira, who appear uncertain and mysterious most of the time. A plot oriented take that could have been written better.

With half-baked characters, sloppy writing and a plot without purpose, ‘Descendant of the Crane’ goes to my ‘disappointed’ basket.

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