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A Crane Among Wolves  By  cover art

A Crane Among Wolves

By: June Hur
Narrated by: Greg Chun, Michelle H. Lee
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Publisher's summary

June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history.

Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.

1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.

Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death.

Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off―but there’s no way to know who he can trust.

When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:

Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant.

Also by June Hur:
The Silence of Bones
The Forest of Stolen Girls
The Red Palace
©2024 June Hur (P)2024 Listening Library

What listeners say about A Crane Among Wolves

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History at some of it's cruelest, and I couldn't stop listening

June Hurr has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This book is yet another testament to June's amazing ability to tell stories woven in seamlessly with history. Whoever decides what books are made into tv/movies, please let this be one!

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omg !!!!

omg omg omg !!!! June Hur !!!! my new favorite author !!! she's definitely in my top 5. amazing story ! loved the history!!!! it was beautifully narrated!

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the historical atrocitied

loved the book. I love histories even if some are changed a bit. the characters came to life with the readers.

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Amazing storyline and voice acting!

Absolutely loved how much devotion was put into promoting awareness on Korean history through this riveting story! I feel all the characters felt very realistic with their flaws and limitations, while still incorporating female voices, wishes and grievances without it standing out as too out of the ordinary for people of that time to think. I also really enjoyed the voice acting to the point I forgot that this was an audiobook, rather than a movie or TV show. So many moving parts that helped bring this audiobook to life, and I’m grateful for everybody’s efforts into this story! Will definitely look more into the author’s other works and the voice actors’ works, as well!

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Beautifully written

I absolutely loved this book and the fact that it has a bit of history in it for Korea. I felt my heart break for all the characters and then the growth and healing of them as well.

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LOVE IT!!

The author did a phenomenal job writing this book, though I wish there were a little bit more romance between the female lead and male lead but overall it was amazing!! I love how it ended and I love the flow as well as the effort and research it took to make this story. However, the only thing I can complain about is the narration. it wasn’t bad. Just any word that started with an ‘S’ or ‘CH’ whistled and I couldn’t listen to this book with the volume too high as when those words were pronounced, it would literally ring in my ears.

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wonderful

I love history and what a great way of getting it but in the form of a love story

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Superb Historical Fiction

I fell in love with the characters and setting. Perhaps I am biased because I have a sister, but the sister storyline held my heart as much as the romance between the main characters. The historical description of the palace, politics and peasants is intriguing throughout the novel. The villains are truly despicable which makes the factual atrocities even more horrific and heartbreaking. As a former secondary English teacher, I highly recommend this book for young adults with a similar warning you would give for Holocaust content. Overall, the story is a grand coming-of-age adventure.

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Enjoyable story.

I liked the Detective story within the historical events Also hearing from 2 viewpoints was interesting

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A Historical Tale of Sacrifice and Heroism

A riveting story of a young woman's quest to rescue her older sister from the clutches of a tyrannical king and a traumatized prince who seeks to rid the land of his brother's cruelty. A Crane Among Wolves is a tale of love and sacrifice. The author does not sugarcoat the sadness and brutality of this time period in Korean history, and even the coup leaders are far from noble. As Hur states in the historical note accompanying this book, we must learn from history, even the dark times, so that they will not be repeated.
Iseul is an engaging protagonist, and i loved her growth throughout the book. Daeyun is also an engaging character, struggling with PTSD and longing to be something other than a puppet prince to his paranoid and power-hungry brother.
When a serial killer begins methodically massacring officials in the king's court, Iseul and Daeyun reluctantly join forces to discover the culprit in order that Iseul might rescue her older sister from the king's clutches. However, things are not what they seem, and the killer might be closer than either Iseul and Daeyun know.

Hur has crafted a meticulously researched and beautiful story. The struggles of the two protagonists are palpable, and they are both endearing characters. I especially loved how Iseul learned to observe her surroundings and draw conclusions based on what she could see. The subplot regarding the serial killer, (Nameless Flower,) was particularly riveting with a great climactic reveal that I did not see coming. I had my suspicions, but Hur was adept at cleverly concealing clues throughout the story.
The king himself is frightening but oddly empathetic to a certain extent. You will hate him rather strongly, but hur does well at depicting paranoia and exploring the themes of revenge and justice.

The narration of this audiobook is phenomenal. Michelle H. Lee brings a vulnerability and stalwart strength to iseul and reads with energy and compassion. I particularly loved Greg Chun's depiction of Prince Daeyun, and he reads with great energy. A stellar performance from both narrators.

Recommended for anyone who loves stories of political intrigue, unusual historical settings, subtle but genuine romance and stories of suspense.
Happy listening, and God bless you all.

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