DNF at 10%. Sadly this did not grasp my attention and I have had to reread the first chapter 4 times to understand it. Sadly a no from me.

June Hur does not miss, this was so good even tho it broke my heart. I read this in one sitting it was impossible to put down. The mystery/thriller aspect was very well done and the romance had me kicking my feet my only complaint is that it was a bit insta love

Thank you to Netgalley to supplying the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur is a YA set in 1500s Korea, and follows Iseul as she tries to free her sister from the tyrant King Yeonsan, and the unlikely ally she finds in his brother, Prince Daehyun.

This was an absolute ride! Hats well and truly off to Hur! 4.5 stars!

Pros:
- June Hur starts the novel with a note; the story of the tyrant king, while shocking, is kept as true and as horrifying as history records show. There has been nothing swept under the rug for the sake of delicacy here, and it was absolutely the best choice. You are always aware of the stakes and you are always mindful of the toll the described events are taking on the characters. Such a good balance.
- The overarching mystery kept me so hooked! I can find sometimes that I can think myself ahead and spoil the twists, but my god I was shouting as it all came together, gasping, crying, all of it.
- The PINING! My lord these two.
- Found family relationships had me laughing, crying, and everything in between. The growth you see in our cast is so well done.

Cons:
- Check trigger warnings. The balance to keep this in the realm of YA is great, but certainly be aware this isn't for the faint of heart.
- I would have loved more of an afterword seeing our MCs healing, but it all came together in a cathartic way regardless. (I am just a sucker for a soppy ending)

I need a big hug now.

I was so excited to receive this ARC of A Crane Among Wolves that I started reading it the second I got home! Filled with political intrigue, a strong female main character and a heart-wrenching conflict this book gripped me from the start.
I was especially intrigued to learn that the events surrounding the King in this novel were based on the true, and horrific, actions of a 15th century tyrant that ruled Korea (then Joseon) for 11 years. Having a brief description of the history surrounding his reign at the start of the novel truly made me appreciate the terror that real people must have felt during his rule. It not only grounded the story in real life but it also made his character more insidious and terrifying.
June Hur was able to describe his gruesome actions whilst also giving the reader some hope and allowing us to look forward to Iseul’s small victories. She balanced the true story with the tale surrounding her fictional character very well.
As a fan of literature, history and Kdramas this book seemed perfect to me!

This was a dark story, and knowing that it depicts real facts from Korean history makes it even darker. I had some struggles along the way to follow the main mystery, but the plot still gripped me until the very end.

I loved how every detail of the Korean society of that time is explained throughout the dialogues. I found the female character a bit annoying, I didn't fully agree with her choices. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the romance, and I appreciated that it wasn't the main focus of this story.

This was my first time reading a novel by June Hur, and I loved it. It definitely felt like reading a K-drama, but with more authenticity.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I did my degree in Korean Studies and I love learning about all the intricacies and scandals of court life in the Joseon era. So this book immediately sparked my interest. It really does read like a fantastic historical k-drama, complete with a lovely romance plot, a dangerous mystery to solve, a dashing young prince and a desperate young girl trying to save her sister from a tyrannical king. I really enjoyed learning more about this period of time, and it's clear the book was meticulously researched too. There is some darker subject matter in it, so be sure to check trigger warnings!

I'd recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, a good mystery and/or has a love of historical k-drama.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for the ARC.

While I enjoyed June Hur's "The Red Palace" very much, "A Crane Among Wolves" missed its mark with me. With the former, Hur balanced an intriguing mystery that had you feeling very involved and well-developed romance that took on an organic pace to get me invested. For this one however, the romance felt sped up after a cliched Only One Bed scene between the two leads Iseul & Daehyun. The mystery of the serial killer was felt so detached from the main plot at hand (i.e. Iseul fighting to rescue her sister and getting embroiled in a rebellion) that I barely cared about the reveal. The most interesting character dynamic between Iseul and another character was unfortunately cut off midway through the story.

That said, I commend Hur for the great character development that her protagonist Iseul goes through — from a spoilt impulsive teen that I didn't quite like at all to someone who grows to open her heart to others and effectively utilizes the investigative skills she picked up along the way. "A Crane Among Wolves" may not be the book for me, but it doesn't deter me at all from picking up future Hur novels.

A Crane Among Wolves is my first book by Hur and, even though I enjoyed it, I didn't end up loving it. Iseul was a character I liked, but I don't feel like Hur gave us enough insight into her to make me really feel her plight. She seems pretty selfless, running into the Lions den to save her older sister, but as the story goes on we get little insights into her character that make us question her motives and I struggled with this polarity. Was she the spoilt girl her past made her seem, or the selfless one who would risk her own life to save her sister. I did enjoy how much of the book we get on her development alone, before she starts to work with Daehyun, and their romance starts to progress, I just didn't feel it was used as effectively as it could have been.

We also get POV chapters from Daehyun who, similarly to Isuel, was a character I had a complicated relationship with. He's not a good person, no one in the book is really, they all fall on the morally grey scale, all with their own end goals, but he does care for Isuel, and it's this that really pushes him into action when it comes to planning his coup. My favourite character by a mile was Wonsik, the grumpy ex investigator who takes Isuel under his wing.

I think the thing that didn't work for me with this book was there were too many moving elements. We have Iseul who is working on a plan to get her sister back. Daehyun who is planning a coup and we also the mystery of Nameless Flower, a killer going around leaving messages for the King. They all get drawn together, but in a way that feels almost forced, and because of this they all lacked any kind of emotional attachment for me. I also felt like, especially when it came to the political elements, there were far too many people to try and keep track of who was who and in the end I gave up trying, just blended them all into one big mistrustful man.

There are some pretty dark events and themes in this book, rape, physical assault, emotional abuse just to name a few, so it's definitely dark for a YA. It's also a story that just takes off from page one and, apart from a few small pacing issues throughout, never really lets up. I do feel the author could have taken a little more time and expanded on all the individual elements, the mystery and coup etc and it would have made for a more fully fleshed out story, but I actually found the pacing quite refreshing and enjoyed how it drew me into the story from the first page.

The romance wasn't a big win for me. It moves along at a rapid pace, as does the rest of the story, and because of that I never really felt it at all. I think because I struggled to connect to the characters, I didn't really get invested in their romance and, although I do think a lot of people will enjoy this one with it's enemies to lovers vibes, it wasn't for me.

I do feel, looking at other reviews, that this is more a 'it's me not the book' kind of read/ review. I just found myself getting a little bored in parts, with the amount of moving pieces nothing really happens until towards the end and by then I didn't really care enough for them to have the emotional impact they were aiming for. The mystery element ending was also just really random and kind of thrown in for good measure and it pretty much added nothing to the overall story. So this one just wasn't for me, but I do think I'm going to be in the minority and if you love dark, fast paced YA you should give this one a go.

(not me freaking out because this is my first ARC aha anyways, thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review)
The Good:
The Quotes in the book were on another level and had me all in my feels. And the dialogue was top-notch. Here are just a few to keep you wanting more:
“You are not dead.” “Disappointed?” “Terribly.”
“You look like a vengeful ghost” “And you are the sort I would furiously haunt for all eternity.”
“When one is able to differentiate good from evil, it is impossible to accept the way things are.”
“The truth reminded me of that crane; the truth was strong. It held the courage to strike out, no matter how ferocious the opposition.”

I love k-dramas, which is why I was drawn to this book. I loved being able to explore an era of Korean history, and June Hur portrayed it in such a deep, emotional way. It makes me want to learn and understand more Korean history (I feel the education system *my history degree* has failed me in the sense that there was never an option to study Korean history)
We had a bad ass main character who was so fearless, literally nothing stopped her from achieving her goal.

The not-so-good (in my opinion)
This was pitched to me as similar to Alchemy of Souls (which is my favourite k-drama). Maybe this is why I was disappointed in the book, because I was expecting fantasy and magic: the main component of Alchemy of Souls. This was not fantasy, this was just historical fiction.
It felt a bit rushed, and I’m thinking it could have been a duology? That way the events and characters and relationships could have been more fleshed out. At the end, the author does note how she condensed the events to make one book, so this was probably intentional, but it didn't sit right with me.
Daehyun is the prince. Yet he kept sneaking out of the palace. How was he not caught?
It felt very convenient Iseul happens to stumble upon the inn where a coup has been in the making for years. She somehow becomes the centre of it. Maybe this could have been fleshed out more if the book was a longer/ a duology. I feel like the opening chapter shouldn’t have been the opening. Action happened before the opening chapter which was continuously referenced but I had no emotional attachment to it because we only see the Iseul running away.

3.75/4 stars- really good captivating read. I appreciated that the book went straight to the point, the plot was not dragged and kept the action going.
I really enjoyed the characters evolutions, I would have appreciated a bit extra character study for both Iseul and Daehyun. That is the only fault I could give it- other than that I truly loved it. The side character were amazingly outlined and the story flew extremely well.
This is my first book from this author but won't be the last! Truly reads like a KDrama which I appreciated a lot!! The book almost brought me to tears at the end so you just know that is a good one!

A Crane Among Wolves by June Hur is a K-Drama in a book. I don’t know how else to explain it other than it reads exactly like a K-Drama. It is a historical book made interesting by political intrigue and romance.

This is the first book I have read by this author and I definitely enjoyed it! It is set in 1506, Joseon Era, which was a tumultuous period of Korean history. The trigger warnings should be read as multiple dark themes are either mentioned or portrayed: misogonistic behavior, rape, and death. And while exploring such dark themes, this story also characterized by a likable set of characters. It showed that even in the darkest times there can be hope, courage, friendship, and love.

What I really liked was that the story in itself told a lot about Korean culture during that time. It didn’t gloss over the atrocities that are bound to happen when a tyrant holds power and it portrays the coup in a very realistic way. It made this book so much more powerful. In face of adversity, the main characters sacrifice themselves and are left with the consequences of their actions.

The only problem that I would have with the book is that it is based on a different culture, but there is no additional context and it might be hard to understand to someone who knows less about the culture (aka someone who has not watched as many K-Dramas as I have…). There is even many Korean words included that make reading a bit more difficult if the reader is not used to it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’ll definitely keep my eye in this author.

Thank you so much to Headline, Wildfire and NetGallery for providing me this ARC.

thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

a crane among wolves is a historical romance novel in disguise, attempting to also be a plotty, suspenseful, action-packed cozy-gritty detective mystery in the vein of chloe gong’s these violent delights
- yet more proof that modern day ya is not for me; sorry but i just didn’t buy any of it — didn’t buy the chemistry, didn’t buy the friendships or the stakes, didn’t buy the plot or the mystery, didn’t buy the emotional journey
- writing lacked subtlety and had a similar problem to these violent delights as well, both too vernacular and too formal => tone inconsistent
- nonsensical plot where you just have no idea where things are going yet know exactly how they’ll end up, not in a good way
- maybe because this was based on actual history which is far more random and less satisfying than fiction
- felt like it needed another few drafts just to figure out 1) what the story was trying to say and 2) how to get the emotions and characters right, showing not telling etc etc
- at least an attempt was made
- can be enjoyed if you just turn your brain off all the way
- overall: idea had potential but read like an overly ambitious fanfiction i would drop in the middle :/ great cover tho, and other people seem to like it so maybe it's just a me problem
- [also… trying not to judge… but the author put jesus her lord and savior in the acknowledgments???? like okkkk]

I enjoyed this book, I really liked the historical part of it as I find the Korean culture quite fascinating and their history so different than mine, it’s very interesting to read/see! I loved finding out more about this specific time Joseon and how dark this period in history was. I also agree with the author, we need to talk about the dark periods in history so they’re not repeated and unfortunately we do see them happening over and over again throughout the human history. I am also not surprised by the dark turn this author found when searching for material - something are transversal to cultures and times.

I am also a fan of K-dramas and I can tell you, with a full heart, that I could see this playing out in a k-drama and I LOVED that! Both Iseul and Daehyun are great companions during this book, you do want to see them thrive and find their happy ending. You have this whole set of characters that are relevant to the plot and in the back of your mind you’re divided by trying to see the coup happening and who’s the Nameless Flower - and let me tell you I did not see that coming!

The only reason this was only a 4⭐️ read for me was due to the writing style. Although I know that there is a certain beauty in the Korean style of writing/speaking, it does go around in circles until it reaches its destination and it always catches me off guard! For that reason, it did take me a while to get into the story, and to understand what was happening and where it was going (took me roughly 40%!). After getting used to the style and the plot did pick up, I did not want to stop reading this!

Many many thanks to the publisher for this e-arc!

God, what a boring, yet frustrating, read.

I didn't like Hur's debut too much, and I couldn't get past the first few pages of her sophomore, but I thought I'd try again with this one for the heck of it. Clearly, I should really listen to myself more.

Iseul annoyed me immensely. She's entitled and demands everyone to bend to her whims simply because she believes her needs severely outweigh everyone else's. She's also so stupid. Despite never doing anything hard or worthwhile before the story begins, she believes she can capture a serial killer in order to make a bargain with the clearly evil and unhinged king. This girl can't even change her bloody sandals! She's literally leaving traces of herself everywhere she goes!

Numerous characters, including Daehyun, keep telling her how idiotic her plan is, but she refuses to see reason to it. I'm all for stubborn characters, but stubbornness is a spectrum, and Iseul was very much on the imbecile side of it. Even when her actions led to someone dying for her (RIP Wonsik. You deserved so much better), she still went to throw herself into danger just so her prince charming or someone else inevitably had to save her dumbass. She never grew from this; she remained fairly stagnant until the end when she decided she was in love with Daehyun.

Speaking of which, Daehyun was the slightly more interesting than Iseul. His struggle, on the surface, was intriguing and should have made the story a good read, but the prose was so dry, dethatched, and info-dumpy that it stripped all that nuance away. And his romance with Iseul was so nonsensical and lackluster that it made me care less for them than I thought was possible. Him faking his death was the biggest eye roll of them all. Like, really??

The only thing I can say I like is Hur's unrelenting depiction of tyranny and its atrocities. I also can see how passionate Hur was in her research and making her story as historically accurate as possible, which I always commend authors for doing.

All in all, this definitely wasn't for me, and I don't think I'll be reading any of Hur's works in the future.

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars

I’ve wanted to read a June Hur book for a long time, and I absolutely devoured this one as soon as I laid hands on it. It took me three days to read this whole novel, and the hype seems to be real because I can’t wait to pick up another one.

A Crane Among Wolves feels like a historical K-Drama in novel form; keeping the best bits of the genre, pacing and politics, and taking full advantage of the literary medium to spin out the mysteries, motivations and historical detail. If you read the Author’s Note at the end you’ll also find that a lot of the history is completely true - and Hur strikes a good balance between fact and fiction to tell her story as well as represent the true events.

I also adored the places Hur chose to use Hangul (the Korean language’s alphabet) and gently elaborate on some traditional elements that perhaps readers unfamiliar with Korean culture might not be familiar with. It’s so subtle that it doesn’t turn the book into a history lesson, but even as a intermediate Korean learner I appreciated.

This book also had the perfect balance of romance versus plot for me. I often moan about the distraction of love arcs in derailing many a Young Adult novel, but Hur has a lovely satisfying sub plot that exists alongside the core narrative. I had a lot of fun with this book and I look forward to the next.

Really enjoyed reading this historical Korean story. There’s a heavy use of real historical truth, which makes the story feel more real. The end was heartbreaking but also satisfying.

2.5

Had me in the first half ngl.

I am conflicted about this book. I liked it enough, there was a lot of things that I enjoyed and was especially surprised by. But on the other hand, man what was that ending.

The story is a dual POV, but is a confusing one. There is Iseul, whose account is told in the first person and her main goal is rescuing her sister from the clutches of a bloodthirsty, lustful and evil King after the sister becomes a doomed concubine. Then there is Daehyun, whose account is told in the third person and is the favourite brother of the King, who is hoping to stage treason. It's a simple enough story - both of them team up as their plans and goals somehow align and they can use each other as pawns to achieve their objectives. And I liked how slowly they fell in love, I think Hur does a fantastic job in writing subtle romance, and I do applaud her for making me care about them. I also liked how a lot of our expectations were subverted, a lot of the good guys don't make it to the end, and sometimes bad people with a lot of power just live and that's how life goes.

Now, I have a few problems with the writing. A lot of things are told to us, and not shown. We are told this happened and that happened - but it happens off-page. Major plots happen without us being shown it - we are told that it happened and we have to accept it. It's a bit distracting - here we have a character who is at the centre of the coup and things are happening off-page, and we the readers are only told it happened. Why is the coup talked about for hundreds of pages only for us to be told it worked somehow, and a new king was reinstated?

HUH??

I know we are only following two people's POV, and that's understandable, but for both characters to not be involved in the central plot of the book is wildly frustrating. I can't even tell you what happened in the coup, bits and pieces are told to us, and I don't know if we're meant to put them together despite the glaring holes in the picture. After the coup happens as well, we are just TOLD that things weren't easy at first because of the corrupt officials, then the last few pages of the book, we are again TOLD that things are on the mend. In no instance were we shown these two situations, so how am I supposed to believe things were hard then on the mend? By just sourcing it as 'trust me, bro'?

This book suffered from a bad pacing issue towards the end. A huge plot twist happens and the two main characters don't do the hard work of trying to repair their broken relationship and their broken selves? We're just supposed to accept that they worked everything out so easily? KMT.

This book would have been good as a duology, it felt like it should have been a duology, there were too many things happening in one story clearly. There was so much build up to the coup and I suppose Hur just wanted to wrap it up in the last 10% of the story. Also I just didn't like the change from first person to third person - just keep one and run with it. Hur is now a seasoned enough writer to be able to write well - but I feel like they still need to improve a bit more.

Actual Rating: 4.5

Beautiful and devastating, heart-warming and heartbreaking; ’A Crane Among Wolves’ takes a brutal and bloody tale and manages to intertwine moments of humanity and love throughout. This book had a heart at its core that burrowed its way into my soul, yet it simultaneously created a chilling picture of life under King Yeonsan’s rule.

History has always fascinated me but King Yeonsan, and Korean history in general, is new to. Now I know that I definitely need to discover more of it. Life within this time and setting is vibrantly depicted within this novel from its clothing and cuisine to the terrors of a tyrant’s rule. Mentions of superstitions even pop up on occasion, creating a truly immersive world to discover. The horrors and atrocities of King Yeonsan are mentioned throughout and utterly appalling to behold. The level of devastation that one country, in one short span, must have felt (which I’m sure many others are unaware of) is devastating to behold.

What really surprised me about this novel was the moments of warmth, love and general sense of found family scattered throughout. The sisterly bond that drives Iseul’s actions is beautifully complex and exquisitely crafted, showing how wedges can form between siblings but love remains buried beneath throughout. The romance is also wonderfully crafted, showing a slow and tender shift of feelings between two individuals who, utterly understandably given their pasts, are afraid to let love in. Possibly my favourite bond though was that of Iseul and Wonsik; the unexpected mentor/apprentice dynamics brought a smile to my face on more than one occasion and the way that Wonsik connected to and guided the younger characters at the centre of this novel was beautifully captured on the page.

So the world, characters and bonds between them were all beautifully described. Whilst the villains of this novel were all believably crafted and collected a vast catalogue of horrors between them. The ‘Nameless Flower’ revelation managed to catch me off guard and I found the investigation into those crimes fascinating to discover.

Personally my only wish is that there’d been a little bit more attention paid to the coup itself. Given the dual perspective narrative much of the events understandably can’t be displayed upon the page but I do think more of Daehyun ‘s role during the event could have been shown. Similarly I’d have liked to have seen one or two more interactions between Daehyun and King Yeonsan towards the end too and preferably at least one scene showing Grand Prince Jinseong as he’s everybody’s hopes for the future.

Altogether I absolutely recommend ’A Crane Among Wolves’ though and found it a fascinating story to uncover. It’s a beautiful but brutal, well rounded depiction of life under a real life tyrant in 1506 Korea which manages to intertwine a sense of humanity and warmth throughout thanks to its central characters and those surrounding them. Needless to say I’m now itching to read more by this author.

"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.
This story follows Hwang Iseul an orphaned girl who is on the look 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.

Iseu 이슬l:
"Hold yourself together, Hwang Iseul"

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 circumstances. Her determination to find her sister was what made the efficacy of this story true. 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.

Daehyun 대현:
"I swear, the next person to harm you will die by my own hands."

I want him so bad. Best man best man best man. I cried on chapter 42. The pain was unbearable. Underneath his 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. If I could give Daehyuns chapter stars...they would go up to infinity.

Iseul+Daehyun:
"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. But thankfully, it went well. The angst was so good. Every single one of their encounters had me pulling my hair out and gasping.

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

lmao I love them hehe.

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

HES SO SSKKSKSKKSKSKS. I couldn't breathe during this chapter. Omg.

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 hearts chambers will be dedicated to him.

Plus the killer? I guessed it...but hm. Kinda shady in my opinion.

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

thank u to the publisher for the arc!

Unfortunately, it seems like I haven't yet been cured from my curse of only finding mediocre books.
All right, that was a bit harsh. This book certainly wasn't bad and probably doesn't deserve my bad mood, so I'll start with the things I did enjoy.

I really loved learning more about this part of Korean history. It's not a topic I know much about, so I can't talk about historic accuracy, but it seems to me like June Hur did her research. And it was a good foundation for a novel. On that note - this book is not fantasy, it's entirely historical fiction. Don't expect any magic or whatnot.

The plot itself was well done. Political, but not overly so, exciting, but not too much. It actually felt realistic! I haven't done any research, but I can actually imagine a revolution happening this was.
The plot around Iseul and her sister was also a great idea. It made sense. And while Iseul may not always have made the smartest decisions, she was smart enough to listen to others when they pointed her into the right direction. And after all, she was simply a spoiled girl trying her best. So her character was also very well done. I'm not sure if I can call her likeable, but she did learn from her mistakes.
Daehyun on the other hand was actually really interesting. I wondered if he as a person actually existed or if he was based on a historic figure, but in the end I don't need to know. He made sense, that's good enough for me. His goals were realistic, he did what he had to do. Also, he was simply a really good guy.

The writing style was nice. Very calm, good descriptions. Not as gruesome as I would've expected, but still very effective. I really got immersed into this part of history.

But unfortunately, there were parts of this book that I didn't enjoy.
First and foremost - the romance, if it can be called that. Look, I don't care if it's realistic in historic context, I don't care what the records say, this is not a history book, but historic fiction and the relationship was flat. It was supposed to feel romantic, but it wasn't. The two of them didn't know each other. They fell for each other in the span of basically one conversation. I'm not going to say that it was rushed, because it did take basically the whole book, I'm saying that they barely talked about anything personal at all. There was no chemistry, no sparks. And you don't need to be a romance author with lots of emotional or explicit scenes to get those sparks across. I just didn't feel it. There were a handful of scenes supposed to showcase their growing feelings, but even though they were quite cliche, they seemed so constructed.

Unfortunately, this can also be said for the rest of the book. It lacked emotions. The first half was great, the premise was interesting, but it couldn't keep it up. After the first half I stopped caring about the plot as it simply stopped being exciting.

The ending could've been fantastic. It had so much potential. I just don't understand why authors are afraid of taking risks. It would'Ve offered quite the reward in this case, but not, everything got played safe.
I'm also not quite happy with the resolution of the Nameless Flower. The mystery was interesting and I had hoped for something brilliant to conclude it, but it felt flat.

So, this book wasn't bad, but it was way too clincial for a topic like this. Of course historic bases are risky - you have to make sure to be respectful and stay true to the actual occurrences. But you can add in emotions, you can bring it to life. This book talks about all the horrific things that happened, but you don't actually feel them. Make me hurt about all the tragic stories. Make me feel angry aobut the injustices. I did learn a few things, but I didn't feel them.

Thank you, NetGalley and Headline Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.