Descendant of the Crane

Written by Joan He

~400 pages

Published by Albert Whitman

Publication date: 2nd April 2019

Summary (from 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 and alluring 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.

Why I can’t wait to read this:

Do you even need to ask? Chinese-inspired fantasy = yes please for me! Give it to me now! I love fantasy books in general and lived in China for over four years so have a deep love for the country, its people, language, history, culture and folklore.
I usually quite enjoy books set in royal courts with intrigue, betrayal and secrets galore.
In this kingdom, magic has been outlawed, yet it still exists. I would like to see this idea explored further.
A female main character who is thrust into a powerful position, despite doing everything she can to avoid it – this sounds like fascinating reading for me!
Also, look at that gorgeous cover! The number of book covers that I would be happy to frame on my wall just keeps on increasing. This particular cover was designed by Feifei Ruan and is rich in symbolism linked to the book – see the full article about this here.