I picked up A Crane Among Wolves because I had reached the point where I wanted a historical romance that wasn’t set in Regency or Victorian England.
I like those settings well enough, but there are only so many drawing rooms, dukes and marriage markets one can take before wanting to go somewhere else.
I wanted something rooted in Asian history, written by an Asian author, and Korea was an easy choice because by then I had watched far too many Joseon-era Korean dramas.
That turned out to be one of the best parts of reading this book.
I didn’t have to work very hard to imagine the world at all.
The palace, the clothing, the social hierarchy, the officials, the tension around the royal family – my brain already had an entire K-drama production department available. I could practically see the hanbok, hear the dramatic music and picture somebody staring meaningfully across a palace courtyard.
Reading it sometimes felt less like reading a novel and more like watching a historical Korean drama playing inside my head.
And considering the story involves a tyrannical king, political intrigue, danger, romance and an attempt to change who sits on the throne, it wasn’t exactly lacking in K-drama material.
I also liked that the romance wasn’t separated from the historical setting. Iseul and Daehyun’s relationship develops while much bigger and considerably more dangerous things are happening around them, so the book never became simply a romance dressed up in historical clothing.
I gave A Crane Among Wolves four stars, and I think what kept it from five was the pacing.
There were parts where the story started to drag a little for me. Not enough to make me lose interest, but enough that I could feel the momentum dip before things picked up again.
That said, I still enjoyed the book overall, especially the setting and the way it played so vividly in my head like a Joseon-era Korean drama.
The ending was satisfying enough that I don’t remember finishing it annoyed – which is probably why, looking back now, the pacing issue is the part that stands out more than anything else.
It also sent me looking for more June Hur.
And considering I later gave The Red Palace and Behind Five Willows five stars, that worked out rather well.
4/5