Review of A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur

*A Crane Among Wolves* by June Hur (2024). Published by Feiwel & Friends.

I don’t know how or why, but throughout my life, I’ve always gravitated back towards Korean and Korean diaspora writers. I studied abroad in Korea on a prestigious government scholarship when I was in high school, and knew some Korean, but then I fell out of Korea studies for a hot minute.

It was in graduate school I fell back into it. I ended up doing my master’s thesis on Korean women’s literature during the colonial and immediate postcolonial periods, which was a delight to do. These women were truly revolutionary, especially the likes of Kim Myeong-sun and Na Hye-seok, and they were inspired by the European literature they were reading.

On a more contemporary note, I read June Hur’s The Red Palace a while ago and loved it. When I first opened the book, I ended up reading all the way through in a single night. Not many books can get me to do that, especially considering I stayed up until 3 AM to finish that book with school and work the next day.

So when A Crane Among Wolves was released, I knew I wanted to read it. But because I am a master procrastinator, I didn’t end up reading it immediately.

It was many months later, when the book was on sale via Amazon Kindle, that I ended up purchasing the book. I didn’t read it until a few days later, but when I did, I also flew through it.

Here’s my review. I don’t want to ramble too much in the itnrdouction!

In order to save her sister, one girl puts herself in danger, crossing paths with a rogue prince.

This book takes place in Joseon in the early 1500s. For those who aren’t deep into Korean history, this is during the reign of King Yeonsan. Joseon history is especially brutal compared to some other regions during the same time, especially when it comes to court politicsl, but King Yeonsan is notorious for what he did during his reign.

He was a cruel ruler who wasn’t afraid to torture people. Ordinary people, or court members, no one was truly safe during this time. This book focuses on how he kidnapped and tortured young and older women alike, murdering and assaulting them as they see fit.

Our main character, Iseul, was a privileged girl. She grew up comfortable, but at the start of this book, her sister Suyeon has been kidnapped by the king to join his harem. Iseul leaves her village behind, despite the incredible amount of danger, and tries to bring her back.

This leads her to an inn, where the owner lets her hide, and Iseul learns quickly that if she defies the king openly, she is going to die. He will kill anyone who comes after his power, and she’s coming onto a crash course to do so. It’s then she manages to cross paths with the Prince Daehyun.

Daehyun is a prince, but he lives at odds with his half-brother Yeonsan. He kind of just exists in the background while all of this is going on, but he doesn’t agree with what Yeonsan is doing during his reign. As innocent people are getting butchered by his half-brother, he’s starting to get more antsy with these antics.

While Iseul is scoping out the palace and the situation at hand, she comes into contact with Daehyun. And at first, these two aren’t seemingly allies, but as we see throughout the course of the novel, their coming partnership will even evolve into something more romantic.

However, they’re determined to take down the king and turn the kingdom into something more livable and peaceful for everyone living in Joseon.

Like Hur’s The Red Palace, this unfolds like a Korean drama at times. A lot of the plot structures mirror the narrative arcs in Korean dramas, and other things are going to be having you shaking your head. There’s a lot of risk and danger in this book, but these characters are indeed wearing plot armor.

Hur tells a good story in this way though! I also think it’s a good way to make Korean history more accessible for those who don’t know anything about the peninsula besides Korean dramas and music. And that’s an equally important form of representation as well, especially considering the notions of han and trauma in contemporary Korean culture.

Overall Thoughts

I enjoyed reading this novel a lot, and like I mentioned before, I flew through it. Hur is a good storyteller for the work they’re doing, and I’ll happily pick up any of their novels in the future.

However, I did not enjoy this as much as The Red Palace. I thought this novel was a bit more convoluted as I was getting through some of the pages, and it felt more forced. The Red Palace flowed more naturally when it comes to storytelling, and this novel kind of hit a wall around halfway through.

I do think this is definitely working pick up once if you’re interested in the plot or story. Go to your local library, purchase it at an independent book store, buy it online.

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