Hesina begins the book by believing the answer to that question is yes, and that conviction puts her onto the path of treasonous magic and an investigation that quickly threatens to put innocent lives at risk. Joan He’s DESCENDANT OF THE CRANE is a fast-paced fantasy centered on imperial politics and palace intrigue, but at its core is the simple question: will finding out the truth be worth the price you pay to uncover it? Review: (Note: This book includes mob violence and past/potential future genocide.) 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. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high? Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira-a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. 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.

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.

Descendant of the crane goodreads