Descendant of the Crane

Princess Hesina of Yan never wanted the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she is thrust into power as queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father's killer, she does something desperate: she engages the aid of a soothsayer, a treasonous act, since magic was outlawed in Yan centuries ago.

Using illicit information from the sooth, and uncertain whether she can trust even her own family, Hesina turns to Akira, a brilliant investigator who is also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. But in a broken system, ideals can kill — and as the investigation spins out of her control, Hesina realizes no one around her is innocent.