A Crane Among Wolves (2024)

Captivating mystery, political intrigue, and aperilously beautiful romance.A Crane Among Wolvesexcels at suspense even with true history’s outline.June Hur reigns supreme in making the past come alive.

⊹ 𓏲࣪ 4 stars ★ 𓄹 ࣪ .
⤿ no spoilers in this review

⤷ “ you would brave a life with me ? ”
“ i would brave this life, and a thousand more. ”

HELLO ??? JUNE HUR WHEN I CATCH YOU. WHEN I CATCH YOU 😠

⇢ the plot. a crane among wolves is set in 1506 joseon, which is under the rule of the tyrant king yeonsan. (a historical note: king yeonsan is infamous for extensive purges, mass executions, bloodshed, and abusing women.) iseul, a sheltered teenager, embarks on a dangerous journey to save her sister, who has become a victim of the king. prince daehyun, who despises his half-brother's actions, wants to overthrow him. despite their initial disdain for each other, iseul and dahyun find common ground, leading to an unexpected begrudging alliance. i truly adore june hur for choosing to write about this topic. as someone who is familiar with it, i thought the author did a great job portraying the harsh realities that people faced during that period. the fact that june hur managed to write about such complex themes in such an emotionally devastating and gripping way amazes me ?? and i can't help but love her for it 😌
+ i love love historical fiction books, but it doesn't always necessarily mean it has to be a slog to read. it can be enjoyable, and this book is exactly what i mean by that.

“ i will be yours, and i shall be your ruin ”

➼ “ if by any chance we do not meet again in this lifetime, then i will find you in the next-or as many lifetimes as it takes to see you again ”

➼ “ iseul-ah. you have me, so use me ”
+ a part of me died 🫠

➼ “ my heart feels a little lighter ”
he felt undone

⇢ iseul + daehyun. i loved loved reading about these two characters ?? what i especially adore about daehyun is how sweet he is ?? a lot of the fictional men i've seen come off as toxic, but he was absolutely so precious, and i love seeing men who do justice to the "in a world of boys, he's a gentleman" lyric. he's mature, caring, considerate, and open-minded ?? can i have him ? please and thank you. AND WHEN HE TAUGHT ISEUL HOW TO PROPERLY STAB ??? *faints* iseul + daehyun's journey, both together and apart, is filled with pain, fear, and desperation, and i could not help but feel the emotions seep through the pages. even though i did feel that iseul's character and the buildup to their romance was kind of lacking, i still really enjoyed how vulnerable and resilient she was. really, my only complaints are that the pacing was uneven, and i was looking for a bit more character development, but please believe i still love them dearly.

⇢ the side characters. MY SWEET WONSIK <3 please i love him like a father 😭 i won't give away too much bc this is spoiler-free, but oh wonsik, ever the honorable selfless character 🥹 i have so much affection for him. he truly made this book 10x better.
+ the murder mystery. i somehow managed to be caught off guard once the killer was revealed. not me guessing every single character to exist in this book as the culprit, yet still managing to be wrong 😭 please you should have seen my desperate attempts to ingrid at figuring out who it could have been 😭 we were grasping at straws at that point.

“ one is imprisoned by a thousand rules as a woman, and no one will explain to me why such rules exist ”

➼ “ rape is about power; it is never about desire or love ”
+ never truer words said

⇢ the ending. CHAPTER 42 ?? OH MY 😭 JUNE HUR THE WOMAN YOU ARE FOR WRITING CHAPTER 42 ?? I GASPED, TEARS WERE SHED, LIVES WERE CHANGED !! if any part of this review will convince you to put this book on your tbr, LET IT BE CHAPTER 42, which alone deserves ALL STARS.
+ the epilogue was so fluffy too, and did justice to our favourite characters stories.

thank you june hur, for writing such an authentic and powerful book that will continue to haunt me entirely because of chapter 42, and thank you to my bff (the most amazing human being to exist) who read this with me and also experienced a mental breakdown 🤭 it's always so fun to incoherently scream together over books 💐❤‍🩹

thank you to the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review !

"This is our fate. We must be silent even when we are in pain; we must endure."

June hur...pay for my therapy.
I am truly at a loss for words. I expected to like this but oh god I loved it. I personally love historical fiction and this was Korean-based which made the experience so much better for me. I can't comprehend how June Hur took such a dark period in Korean history and portrayed it in such a way that the reader is inclined to read about it. King Yeosan did go down in history as a tyrant who ruled the Joseon dynasty ruthlessly, June Hur did amazing in weaving history into a YA Fiction.
This story follows Hwang Iseul an orphaned girl who is looking for her older sister who was taken captive by the King. Prince Daehyun who despises his brother's unjust rule, plans to overthrow the King. However, he requires Iseul's help to achieve this. Both Iseul and Daehyun must put differences aside to achieve their goal.

⤿

Such a stunning and strong character. Iseul who has been pampered since birth and never faced a hard day's work finds herself having to survive in the harshest of circ*mstances. Her determination to find her sister was what made the efficacy of this story true. Iseuls story portrays the injustices King Yeosan did to the common people. Taking people captive, taking over land, and butchering innocents. The sisterhood in this book was what I was looking for and it delivered. She wasn't annoying or whiny. Stubborn indeed, but for the right cause.

⤿

Deahyuns story shows King Yeosan's tyranny up close, how his kith and kin despised the King's rule and were planning to stage a coup against him. Underneath Daehyuns cold and cruel mask lies a sweet man with a heart that feels so much he has to force himself to turn into stone. His love for Iseul...dear god. Get someone who loves you the way Daehyun loves Iseul. And when he gave her a bag full of hangwa, yeah I felt undone. If I could give Daehyuns chapter stars...they would go up to infinity. I want him so bad. Best man best man best man. I cried internally on chapter 42. The pain was unbearable.

⤿ Iseul+Daehyun 소울메이트:
"If by any chance we do not meet again in this lifetime, then I will find you in the next-or as many lifetimes as it takes to see you again.”

June Hur...god bless you. I was so scared. So scared near the end. I was deranged, clawing at the air. The angst was so good. Every single one of their encounters had me pulling my hair out.

"You are not dead."
"Disappointed?"
"Terribly."

"You ought to have more care, my lady."

(minor spoilers ahead)

⤿ Wonsik 원식:
"I am tired, his voice laced with wind. I need to rest."

I love him the most. I would trade my own soul to save him. A father figure. A fighter. Literally had to tolerate these kids majority of the book. One of my heart chambers will be dedicated to him. Always the helper, never helped.

Plus the killer? I guessed it...but hm. Kinda shady in my opinion. I would've liked Daehyuns guard to have been the killer instead of the actual killer. That way it would've been more shocking and interesting.

"To those who have dared to be a beacon of light even in the bleakest of moments."

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

---
⸝⸝ ꒰🧷 ⁞ 𝜗𝜚˚⋆

2/5

The girl searching for her sister clashes with the prince who wants to find a way to dethrone his tyrant half-brother? The two joining forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen? And all this from both of their points of view? Not to mention the gorgeous cover? As soon as I saw this book, I knew I had to read it, but unfortunately, as it turned out, it didn't work for me. Even though I really wanted to, I couldn’t get into this story. Probably because I couldn’t connect with the characters. If I'm reading a book and instead of being immersed in the story, I'm counting down the pages until the end of the chapter, I know that's not the best sign. I'm embarrassed to admit it, because I hate doing it, but unfortunately I skipped a lot of descriptions and boring dialogues to get to the end.

I hope it will be a "it's me, not the book" situation, because the book itself wasn't bad. I think some people will definitely love it because the writing was quite alright, the characters were likable, and the ending was satisfying. I think the author has a lot of potential, so if her future title looks promising for me, I will definitely give her a second chance.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!*

➳ 2.25 stars ✩
⤿ a spoiler free arc review

₊˚⊹ ᰔ “hope is dangerous. love is deadly.”

this was my first book by june hur and to say it was underwhelming would be a huge understatement. i found myself bored and skimming through pages, because it did not catch my attention well enough.

💌 𝔀𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝔁𝓹𝓮𝓬𝓽:
⤿ dual pov
⤿ both 1st and 3rd person povs
⤿ enemies to lovers
⤿ slow burn
⤿ forced proximity
⤿ one bed
⤿ love triangle
⤿ found family

‎ ‎౨ৎ • 𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽: in joseon 1506, the people suffer under the rule of tyrant king yeonsan, who commits violent atrocities. his half-brother daehyun has lived his whole life in his shadow, waiting for the moment to dethrone his half-brother. staging a coup and failing is fatal. and yet he has no way of knowing who to trust. iseul, 17, had lived a privileged life as a yangban aristocrat. but when her older sister suyeon is taken as the king's, she leaves the safety of her own village to try and steal her sister back. after learning about the serial killer 'nameless flower', iseul decides to catch the killer to win back her sister's freedom.
despite the very alluring plot, it wasn't executed as well as it could have been. the story felt very convenient and contrived. and the inclusion of the mystery plot took me out of the story the most - it didn't leave me guessing and it was very obvious from the beginning who 'nameless flower' was. lots of the story felt almost too fast, as though there wasn't enough build-up and only this huge explosion that left me wanting more. it also felt like many of the plot points were delayed so for most of the story i was just waiting for something to happen. i also found myself already knowing major plot points/'twists' before they even occurred, which reduced my enjoyment whilst reading this greatly.

‎ ‎౨ৎ • 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓻𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓬𝓮: this was.. definitely something. it was very fast-paced, which i usually hate, but here i was very indifferent towards it. i felt no emotion because their relationship was just not convincing in the slightest. i honestly wish there was no romance and a heavier focus on the actual plot.

‎ ‎౨ৎ • 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝔀𝓻𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓷𝓰: the majority of the problems that i have with this book stem from the writing. for starters, it's written in 1st person pov for iseul and 3rd for daehyun and their chapters alternate, which really took me out of the story. also, there is a lot of telling and not enough showing. for example, we are constantly told about wosnik fatherly relationship with iseul, but i saw none of it, and i remember them speaking three to four times maximum. the prose was lovely at times, but not the best. i never really felt connected with the characters and plot. it felt like this was the first draft, as there was so much potential that was not utilised correctly.

‎ ‎౨ৎ • 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼: the character development of iseul was much needed, although it came rather late in the story, she went from a spoilt, petulant and immature teenager to someone who i could tolerate (barely). however, we get very little insight into her which really didn't help. daehyun didn't really do much for me - i feel like this is an issue i have with many mmcs, as i often feel like they are always praised for just existing, but hawlty✨

‎ ‎౨ৎ • 𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓽𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼: i came for the cover tbh. it was also incredibly misleading to label this a sci-fi/fantasy when it is a historical fiction. however, if you are able to suspend your disbelief or even better; completely turn your brain off. this is also very dark so please, please, please check the trigger warnings <3

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for my honest thoughts!

˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

☾.°✧౨ৎ ‧ pre-review:

i'm not mad, just disappointed.

and maybe also just a little bit mad.

rating+rtc

˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

☾.°✧౨ৎ ‧ updates:

soft dnf @ 43% for now because i'm not loving how literally nothing has happened yet - i'll probably come back to it soon tho

˚✩ ⋆｡˚ ✩

☾.°✧౨ৎ ‧ tbr-review:

i got approved for the arc!! the cover is so so gorgeous ugh😻😻💝

I ranked every book I've read so far in 2024, and this currently sits at #1. 😳

“We live in a terrible time. An era when the truth is a crime. And there is nothing we can do about it—”

♡ A Crane Among Wolves is dark, gripping, and heart-wrenching. The main story is based off true events from Korea's devastating history, and Jane Hur doesn't shy away from showing us the heinous deeds of King Yeonsan.

I often found myself reflecting on the story and its similarities to events from both of the cultures I associate with (Filipino and Chinese). I'm sure every nation has experienced (or is currently experiencing) ruthlessness, selfishness, and unjustness from people in power. This story highlights how these gruesome times should not be forgotten, and how there are crimes that should never be forgiven.

There's a lot of sub-plots woven into the story as well, including the planning of a secret coup, the mystery of a murderer, and the pining of two young characters. Fair warning: If you're looking for something fast-paced and action packed, this isn't for you. This book focuses a lot more on the bigger picture rather than the individual events that were going on.

♡ Iseul and Daehyun are likeable characters, and I was definitely on this journey with them, the whole way through. Neither were perfect by any means, but they both fit perfectly into this story.

Iseul. Iseul's character goes through a lot of character development. She starts off as a spoiled (but self-aware) girl who has no choice but to grow up and toughen up when she realizes how cruel the world can be… even to young girls like her.

Daehyun. He's very much the poster boy of a Historical K-drama — a tad stoic, very mysterious, and overall just the good guy. I would have loved to get to know him more (his chapters were half as short as Iseul's), but a liked his character well enough. He had this honesty to his character that I really appreciated.

Tomorrow, the kingdom could sink into the sea.
Tomorrow, all the elders we trusted could betray us.
Tomorrow, the fog might consume everything we loved.
But I had him today. And he had me.

♡ Iseul and Daehyun together? This was enemies-to-lovers done well. I found their relationship to be slow and realistic. We got a few he's-touching-me-and-that's-making-my-stomach-tickle-but-idk-why scenes before we got the I'll-scarifice-my-life-to-keep-you-safe scenarios. I don't think you'd get attached to their romance at first (at least I didn't), but by the end, you'll feel your heart just bursting for these two. The angst and the yearning were so good.

“In dark times, every mother becomes your mother, every child your child, every sister your sister… and every stranger-in-need a friend.”

♡ Iseul and Daehyun also have a gorgeous found family in the side characters. The side characters were all well-written, and I definitely grew to love them. (Special shoutout to my favorite character, Wonsik!) They all had specific roles to play in the story, and I enjoyed watching our main characters grow bonds with them. Like with Daehyun, it would have been nice to have a liiitle bit more of a background for them, but overall, we have a pretty solid cast here.

“History moves its course, but it is the youth who point the current in its direction.”

♡ The writing style definitely leans a bit serious for this one. It's not the easiest read in the world (i.e., the writing is far from casual), but it adds to the ambiance. Trust me, if anything, you will feel like you're in 1500s Joseon. The writing also just makes the story deeper and more impactful.

♡ I'm going to leave this review with my favorite thing about the book: the ending is something I will think about and reread over and over again. (In fact, I've already reread it three times!) It's perfect. It's the best way to get off the emotional rollercoaster that is A Crane Among Wolves. No spoilers from me, though, so you'll just have to read it for yourselves.

TLDR: If you're interested in some fantastic storytelling about politics and power, featuring a team of unique characters (and an angst-y romance between the two MCs), please do yourselves a favor by picking this book up.

I HATE THEM SO MUCH (affectionately)!!! i've lost count how many times i keeled over bc the angst was angsting, june hur write a death trope book please
୨୧ ⋆˙ and to u who went to the other side reading this with me (and the many incoherent messages at u know which parts), rina dearest, thank u.

the queens chloe gong and ann liang both loved this, so on to the tbr it goes 😗

YOU GUYS YOU GUYS I SCREECHED BC guess what: I GOT THE ARC OH MY GOSH. when i saw the email from the publisher-WHAT IS LIFE I HAVE NO WORDS 🙁

thank you to ingrid and rina for making me so excited to read this in the first place i love you both very dearly 🤍

thank you to june hur for the arc !

Me: *sees June Hur's got a new book deal* *heads over to Goodreads without having even read the plot yet*
What can I say, she writes really good books (very simplistic but hey, the books are just *chef's kiss* perfection)

Happy publication to this beautiful story. Please check this out and Hur's other works!

June Hur is not allowed to write about siblings anymore because every time it is devastating.

Truly, June Hur is one of the most talented YA writers currently. She consistently delivers heartfelt characters and intense plotlines that keep me up long into the night. Her ability to weave character arcs, intricate mysteries, and untaught history into one novel is a skill.

This novel is based on the period of King Yeonsan, a tyrant who destroyed his subject's livelihoods and stole hundreds of women for his concubines. It follows Iseul as she tries to save her older sister, kidnapped by the King. It also follows Prince Daehyun, half-brother to the king, who lives in fear for his life. He is determined to dethrone his half-brother despite how impossible of a task it may be.

A Crane Among Wolves feels heavier than Hur's previous books, not just because of the content but because of the characters. Iseul is a bit spoiled going into this novel and, from the beginning, feels immense guilt for what happened to her sister despite their rocky relationship. She doesn't start likable, but she grows through the story. Her selfishness and spoiled tendencies fade as she sees the devastation throughout her country on her journey to find her sister. She goes through a lot of grief, and her connection to her sister is beautiful. I grew to love her strength and empathy.

I didn't get a good read on Prince Daehyun. Most of his character was developed before the story started, so he remains constant throughout the novel. Overall, I liked him but didn't feel as strongly about him.

June Hur, the woman she is, made an enemies-to-lovers I actually enjoyed. Isuel and Daehyun are on opposite sides of the spectrum in personalities, backgrounds, and goals. But Hur took her time building their connection and writing tense back-and-forth dialogue. They so gradually go from enemies to allies and friends. It's one of the most natural examples of the trope I've seen. Was it my favorite romance by her? No, but that's more a case of personal preference.

The mystery was clever and fun to piece together, but it didn't fit naturally into the overall story. I think between the intense emotional journey Iseul was going on and Daehyun trying to stage a coup, the murder mystery was too much for the plot. Technically, the mystery does relate to Iseul's and Daehyun's separate journeys, but I would've preferred a complete focus on the character's arc. Still, the mystery was written well; I don't know if it was necessary to the story.

Hur once again delivered a beautiful, atmospheric mystery that floats between great genres. I highly recommend this one if you love siblings, enemies-to-lovers, Korean history, and mysteries!

Check TW, especially if you find violence and talk of SA triggering.

The biggest thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!
-----------
IT HAS BEEN ADDED TO NETGALLEY. I’m June Hur’s biggest fan I’m going to throw up.

my unhinged behavior is checking to see if this book has been added to NetGalley several times a day. June Hur mentioned it should be on there soon and I took that as "make sure it hasn't been added in the last thirty minutes" I have been waiting for this book for so long
---------
we have a cover and she’s a stunner😭

june hur you have done it again. the start was kind of frustrating, but it gets better (and angstier) that it got me anxious and gasping

If June Hur has no fans it's because I am dead

the cover is soo 🤭

King Yeonsan has the dubious honor of being considered one of the worst kings in Joseon's long history. This novel is framed around his eventual overthrow, after a bloody reign infamous for its cruelties.

Central is Iseul, a young noblewoman from a disgraced family. Her sister is one of the many young women (and not so young, for that matter) dragged away for the king's pleasure. Iseul is determined to rescue her. Iseul is hard to like, but she slowly begins to accept those trying to help her, and eventually learns that a circle of mutual trust is far stronger than acting on one's own.

I think the way to sum up this fast paced, unflinchingly vivid novel is to say that it's a sageuk in prose. It really has all the tropes of a sageuk--the historical setting based on fact, if rearranged to make it accessible to the modern reader--including a lovely romance.

But be wary. This novel, based on a very terrible moment in Korea's long history, has far too many content warnings to count. It serves as a warning about the worst of human nature, but that is balanced with the slow learning to embrace the best.

Sending my therapy bill to June Hur...

At first, I would like to thank to June Hur to send me this Advance Reader Copy to me as an exchange for honest review!

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur is sUPER gOOD! The books is about the story of Iseul, who attempts to save her sister, who was taken to the palace and forced to become one of the king's puppets. It made Iseul confront numerous challenges, one of them, is her desire to find a killer named Nameless Flower in order to get a reward from the King, to get her sister back ofc and she is involved with Daehyun, the prince. OMG. I also adore this Prince!

To be honest, I felt puzzled while reading this novel since it's not just about Iseul and her sister but more than that; it's also about an eventual Joseon revolution. This book serves as an example of how sacrifice is necessary for a revolution to occur and also giving us what women didnt have at that era cause u know the Joseon era patriarchy is sick.

Because of this book, I went through five stages of grief. The bargaining with the betrayal of those closest to you, the sorrow over losing family, the anger over rape and patriarchy, and DUARRR I'm crying a lot because of June Hur's chapter 42. I was out of breath for a long time! It caught me off guard ;'( don't ask me about the romance, cause it serves well! AND THE PLOT TWIST IS A CHEF KISS!

"History moves its course, Young Mistress Iseul.... but it is the youth who point the current in its direction."

I’ve got so many incredible Asian fantasy arcs on my approved list recently and this is another one I’ve just received which looks ✨incredible ✨

SO INCREDIBLY GOOD

DNF 44%

I could push through the last half of the audiobook but I’m just not feeling it.

While A Crane Among Wolves has some beautiful descriptions and a lush fantasy setting, it just didn't deliver in terms of the story. I felt like it definitely had a lot of potential, but it fell down in terms of pacing and character building. Unfortunately, I was left disappointed when I finished it.

Iseul and Daehyun, the main characters, I couldn't bring myself to care about them. They lacked the dimension and layers, which is pretty much why my enjoyment was...absent.

I'm sad, but I'm looking forward to more from the author in the future!

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Buddy read with Ren!

While Ren gave this 3 stars and wasn't a fan of the ending, I thought this was a really great read! And I'm saying this as someone who doesn't read a lot of historical fiction.

I went in thinking it wouldn't be that dark of a novel, but this was deliciously atmospheric without absolutely drowning in its darkness. It treated the topic of living under an oppressive tyrant with the gravity that it deserves. Too many times, the YA novels I've read don't seem to understand that serious situations like this aren't just set dressing to sprinkle some flavor on a tropey story.

Anyway, on to the characters and plot.

It's usually hard for me to connect with a character like Iseul (pampered younger sister types), but the author really made me care for her and her problems. I wanted Iseul to reunite with her sister. I wanted Iseul and the prince to get together and live happily ever after. I wanted Iseul and her found family to end up as a happy, thriving family unit working at the inn.

I won't lie. I barely know anything about Korean history, but the setting was described adequately enough that I felt immersed both in time and space. I wish there was more time spent on describing the mundane, but Google helped fill me in.

I liked the murder mystery plotline for what it was, but I did wish the book focused more on the rebellion. But then again, that's just me being a huge fantasy nerd who loves books about rebellions.

Anyway, I'm pretty excited to tackle more of June Hur's works!

Thank you to Feiwel & Friends and NetGalley for this arc.

finished one of my most highly anticipated novels of 2024… all i can think about is how a very wise person once said “expect nothing and you will never be disappointed”.

Thanks to June Hur and Feiwel & Friends for sending me an ARC through Netgalley! This does not affect my thoughts about the book in any way. Out on May 14, 2024!

This was a remarkably heart-shattering high-stakes tale of mystery and treacherous court politics with a longing-filled slowburn romance. Iseul and Daehyun reminded me a lot of The Red Palace trope wise, but this was unexpectedly a tale of violence and tragedy and is a historically accurate story that serves as a reminder of Korea’s darkest periods.

A Crane Among Wolves transports a reader back into the beauty of the ancient Joseon Dynasty of Korea while narrating an equally dark murder mystery behind the scenes with bits of romance on the side and lots of little twists. Not only does June give us a new romantic pair to be emotionally invested in (with a handsome and clever prince by the way), but this story also concentrates on the bravery and strength of women, especially that of the main character, and openly challenged misogyny and sexual abuse. The characters were dare I say, all strategically placed like game pieces on a board, with their own peculiarities and flaws to complement each other that fueled this story to the end. I would, with no hesitation, always recommend this!

But, but, but, I want it NOOOOOOW!!!

Edit: COVER!!!! SYNOPSIS!!!!

Edit Edit: Thank you, Edelweiss, for the ARC.

”Because rape is about power; it is never about desire or love.”

Iseul’s older sister had been kidnapped by King Yeonsan and she was desperate to get her back.
There’s a killer plaguing the land called the Nameless Flower who is killing the King’s officials and a reward has been offered for his capture. Iseul sees this as her chance to win her sister’s freedom.
Prince Daehyun was the bastard prince swore he would not die at the hands of his half brother, the king.

The Prince and Iseul don’t actually start their reluctant alliance until over 30% in, so we get to see their individual development first. Not to mention, the story shifts between their perspectives!

”You look like a vengeful ghost," he murmured, adjusting the seat.
"And you are the sort I would furiously haunt for all eternity," Iseul retorted.

For a YA book, this is dark, but it covers a period of history that normally doesn’t tell the atrocities committed and those silenced.
I always appreciate that about Hur’s books.

I struggled to follow along with the main mystery, but I think this is because of the amount of withheld names and the confusing attempt to link mysteries together.
I also felt the reveal was lack-lustre and I felt slightly disappointed by how it played out.

Thank you to Headline for providing an arc in exchange for a review.

Bookstagram

This looks so good!!!

"...a girl and a prince who must join forces to save her sister and the kingdom from King Yeonsangun, one of Korea's most hated tyrants."

"Political conspiracies
Enemies to lovers
& one epic battle to end King Yeonsangun's reign of terror..."

Disclaimer: I received a review copy for free via Netgalley, and am voluntarily leaving my honest thoughts. Many thanks to Macmillan for the opportunity!

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 just want to give the biggest thanks to Netgalley and especially the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this eArc!! in exchange for an honest review, but I'm just very grateful for the opportunity to have been able to read an e arc of my most anticipated read of 2024!!

This is my third book by June Hur, and I'm just realizing it's also my third five star lol. I absolutely loved this book. I was left feeling unwell yet settled, and also had the oddest urge to cry minutes after I had finished reading the book - whether because the story was over or because I was so taken by Iseul and Daehyun's journey and what they went through and their ending, but I have never felt so emotionally impacted by both the story and characters before.

Do not go into this expecting the same level of romance, or at the very least focus of romance, as in The Red Palace. However, do not let that deter you from reading this historical masterpiece. Something about June Hur's writing is just so gripping and engaging that, while I was under extreme stress of what is going on, I was just as equally invested. She is so good at setting the mood and raising the stakes and heightening the tension, that you just can't help but feel like you are in the moment with the characters, experiencing every emotion and high stake situation as them. Even while the romance like I said, is different from The Red Palace, but it's just as emotionally charged oh my word. The way their relationship develops, especially as the characters themselves develop and we get a better insight and understanding to their characters? Beautiful. While I found the foundation for their romance slightly weak, I ended up not minding and even getting invested in their relationship because of how well June Hur not only gave us insight to their characters, but also showed the way they develop as characters.

She's also so good at making everything that's happening not only make it make sense, but also work so well and be well-balanced with each other. Honestly, I had thought that maybe there was going to be too much happening in this book - a serial killer, the cruel rule of the tyrant, Iseul's and Daehyun's individual and combined journeys, and the overall brewing plot to overthrow the king. It sounds like a lot right? And at first, it did seem like it was, but not soon after, everything just clicked and then kept running like a well-oiled machine. Everything just becomes so smoothly connected, and it just felt natural reading everything that was happening at once.

Okay, back to the plot itself. Oh my gosh, is this plot gripping. The high stakes were high staking as I've never experienced high stakes before. Again, June Hur is so good at building tension and raising the stakes. It seems like things are going well, but there are little bits of information here and there that throws everything into doubt, and the way she writes the tyrant king and his awful attitude yet the sword he holds at the throats of those who can revolt and balancing the line between brewing revolt and fearful subservience is just so good.

The themes she also explores and writes about were also thought-provoking. It wasn't heavy-handed in its delivery, and while it did get quite heavy and dark and grim at times, I think June Hur approached and wrote about them in a really good way. I'm about to go and research this period of history in Korea myself!

In the end, ACAW was an amazing read full of tension and high stakes while also delivering a gripping journey of Iseul and Daehyun - both together and their own individual journeys. A story that did not shy away from the dark reality of history and of corruption, but one that still delivers love and hope and a light in that darkness.