A Crane Among Wolves
This dense but fast-moving YA adventure begins with 17-year-old Iseul staggering through the forest of medieval Korea, desperate to find and rescue her sister. The teen feels partially responsible for her lovely sibling’s abduction by the minions of the evil king, Yeonsan, whose reign (1495-1506) is recorded in history as one of the most violent and despotic in the turbulent history of that nation.
Iseul’s saga is told in her own cranky, headstrong voice, alternating with scenes that focus on the idealistic Prince Daehyun, the only surviving brother of the savage king. The two protagonists survive a perilous initial meeting to become reluctant allies in a conspiracy to topple the reign of Yeonsan, and also solve the mystery of the identity of a serial killer who is targeting members of the Royal Council (which includes Daehyun). Iseul must find a way to assist Daehyun and his mentor, the sage detective Wonsik, before the killer strikes at the prince she feels increasing attraction to—and before her sister succumbs to the vicious appetites of the king.
The setting, as the author admits, is intense and grim for a YA novel, but Hur lightens it with her energetic, dryly witty characters and a truly moving romance. Details of daily life in Korea raise the stakes for Iseul’s commitment to saving it from its own wicked king, even without the reader’s connection to the growing love between Daehyun and Iseul to maintain interest. This is a compelling narrative about a neglected but fascinating place and time that the author convincingly argues can serve to inspire its young readers to work for peace and justice.
