𝓵𝓪𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭: a crane among wolves by June hur

⋆𐙚₊☕️ ₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

“If you love someone, then you can resent them to your heart's content, but I believe we ought not to burn the bridge we might one day wish to cross. A burned bridge leaves no way back."

• shin haewon, pg 192

first of all, i’d like to thank june hur and the publishers for an arc (my very first one!!) to be able to read a book that i have been anticipating for a while now!! i’m forever grateful for the chance to read the book before it is published!! thank you for allowing me to read such a beautiful story on netgalley!! (review will be posted there as well!)

but as for the book itself, which i will give a spoiler free review here, june hur did NOT disappoint!! it truly is as everyone says: a pride and prejudice k-drama. one of the very important pieces of the story is the importance of fiction and writing, in a time where works of fiction and literature were starting to be prohibited. it’s such a unique perspective to write, given that now more than ever we need to keep stories alive, allow it to shape our minds. june hur writes this in the most poignant way, telling us that despite our characters dealing with very real and serious issues and situations for their love of writing, it cannot be stopped and will never be stopped. and that’s beautiful.

Although that is the main theme of the story, i do appreciate how the author writes the shin sisters. I can feel the inspiration from the Bennet sisters but these girls are distinctly their own characters and own people. I felt for them and cried for them when they went through hard times, they are written as close knitted, together through everything and that’s a wonderful message to give the reader- something i treasure being an eldest daughter with a younger sister. It’s especially wonderful to see how they stand up for one another given women and society’s view on them.

Seojun is, by far, one of the greenest flags in literature. I noted the P&P parallels with his character but it was never jarring or distracting. He is headstrong, blunt but fiercely devoted to his beliefs. His relationship with the characters throughout the story is so sweet (especially his first meeting with haewon!! that was honestly one of my fav parts!) and i love a man who yearns!! (#bringbackmenwhoyearn) i love seeing his relationship with haewon develop throughout the book as well as his own inner thoughts and arc.

and i know the misunderstanding trope is in this, a trope i hate with a PASSION- but this is one of the VERY RARE instances that i could deal with it because there is a very specific reason as to why there’s a misunderstanding and it’s not stupid (thank you june hur for this!!!)

it’s a book that tackles themes of literary censorship, family dynamics, romance and even womens roles in society at the time, beautifully. i can’t wait for the book to come out in may and enjoy a physical copy of it on release day!!

⋆𐙚₊☕️ ₊✩‧₊˚౨ৎ˚₊✩‧₊

𝓷𝓮𝔁𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓭: convenience store woman by sayaka murata