4. ?? maybe point 5 ? *may change

Whimsical, charming, and glorious—all words I would use to describe my meal this morning.

And this book, I guess.

I'm not a huge fan of young adult fantasy, not because I have anything against young adult in particular (I don't), but because all of it seems sort of bleak recently. Like it's trying to be adult fantasy without most of the cursing and sex and cheating on your wife and whatnot.

And, certainly, I wouldn't call this a 'happy' book, per se, but it had this natural charm. I genuinely could not stop reading it, which never happens because I'm terribly slow and can't keep up with digital copies of books at all. The only reason I didn't finish the whole thing in one go was that it was 3 am and I am, unfortunately, weak.

I really don't have another word besides charming for this book. Watching the main character form relationships, both good and bad, with the people around her as those relationships evolved over time was so interesting. I just really enjoyed her dynamic with the paper crane, and her brothers, and the sweet prince who-I-love-and-deserves-so-much. This book was just so much fun to read. It felt very much like a cozy, rain read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advanced reader's copy.

The Six Crimson Cranes is the first book in a duology by Elizabeth Lim. Based enough on the Wild Swans that you think you know what is going to happen and you are sort of right, but the author weaves a very crafty story so things aren’t quite what they seem, ever.

Though only enjoyed reading. Wonderful protagonist who grows, as they all should, but is not so annoying at the beginning that you hate her, you just feel for her instead.

Like in the Wild Swans, her brothers are turned into cranes (instead of swans) and transform back to men at sunset. She is tasked with making a nettle net, (rather than a cloak) in order to break the spell.

Oh, and she has a wooden bowl stuck on her head, and can’t speak or else her brothers will die.

And, she is betrothed to a man she has never met, and doesn't want to marry. So there is that too.

And of course, being a duology, it ends on a cliff hanger, but well worth reading, just the same.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.</em>

Literally, the most amazing book.

Let me just say that Elizabeth Lim’s storytelling has improved so much in this book. Not that her writing in the Spin the Dawn duology was bad, but this book just completely swept me off my feet within the first few pages. The writing was so immersive and the plot was amazingly executed. I had so much fun reading SC.

And the characters! Shiori is honestly just a great protagonist. She's incredibly smart, brave, and hardworking - despite being a princess who’s been spoiled her whole life?? I freaking loved her character development. I also loved the fact that the other characters in this book were multifaceted. Lim really takes the time to go in depth with her characters and weaves such an intricate tale with all them connected.

Also this book made me rewatch The Wild Swans, which was such a trippy and nostalgic experience LOL. Definitely recommend watching that movie if you haven’t.

Okay, no more of me gushing about how I loved this book. I highly recommend it. It got me out of my reading slump and I’m crying thinking about how long I’m going to have to wait for the next book to come out.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

9780593300916

464 Pages
Publisher: Random House Children’s Books
Release Date: July 6, 2021

Fiction, Teen & Young Adult, Mythology

Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, is spoiled and used to having her father give in to her. That comes to an end when she misses her engagement party. She had used her magic to bring a paper origami bird to life. Unfortunately, the bird flew toward the lake and Shiori'anma followed the bird into the water to save her. She feels like she is drowning until a dragon comes to her rescue. When she tells her family she saw a dragon, her brothers dismiss the incident as a vivid imagination, but her stepmother is skeptical.

She and her six brothers are cursed by their stepmother. The brothers are turned into cranes and Shiori'anma has a bowl stuck on her head so no one will recognize her. She travels around looking for her brothers and hopes they can work together to break the curse.

This book reminds me of the Six Swans, a Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The story is well written and is easy to read. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys fairy tales.

I really enjoyed this book, and never thought I would be so worried about cranes. It is a fairytale with a curse, a family that truly cares for one another, and the arranged marriage trope. All are a good time and make for a grand adventure.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim is an amazing book. The representation was amazing, and the character writing was phenomenal. My favorite character is, Shiori, and I loved her character development, and how she actually acted like a teen.

Thank you for an ARC!!

What a fantastic and engaging read! The build-up, in the beginning, was a bit slow but by the middle of the book I was so hooked, I couldn't put it down. I loved the female lead, she showed cunningness, intelligence, and strength. This was just such a powerful story. The setup for book two makes me wish it were already done and ready to be published. I can't wait for the sequel. Highly recommended book!

In this sweeping adventure, Lim draws on elements from many stories and traditions to weave something wholly new and enthralling. It's a clever mix of comfortingly anticpated genre tropes and delightfully unforeseen twists and turns. You can expect an enchanting, mischievous princess, a powerful, mystical stepmother, magic paper cranes, dragons, and six brothers cursed to change forms in daylight. It has the lyrical, mythical tone of a fairy tale that you only find in the most excellent retellings.

Shiori makes a loveable protagonist that is easy to cheer for in all her impish curiosity, impulsive exploration, and love of food. Best of all, we get to see some well-paced character growth and self-discovery as she fights to break the curse holding she and her brothers. During her adventures, readers experience many stressful situations but with satisfying results. The story balances with acrobatic precision family and romantic love, magic and mystery, curses and trials, foes both internal and external, and multiple strands of lore on a vast siren call of a map.

All in all, this is easily one of the best ya fantasy reads I've picked up this year and on a general list not limited by time. It has all the joys of the genre without falling into any of the traps. It's an exquisite piece of high fantasy, a fulfilling fairy tale retelling, and a spellbinding cast and plot irrespective of genre. For fans of Lim's Spin the Dawn duology, look forward to some fun easter eggs and full tie-ins that I didn't know to exepct. Plus, the last sentence of the book is one, brutal word that has me screaming for book two.

Thank you to Knopf Teen and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book, out this week on 7/6.

Honestly I loved this book it was amazing and I didn’t see the plot twists coming.

Shiori was mute most of the time which I thought would be annoying or a problem for the narrative but the author found creative ways to still convey words out loud. Shiori while annoying at times also became a great and strong character and I loved her. Also I really want my own Kiki where do I get one?

Also the love and bond between the siblings was absolutely adorable and I want so much more interactions between them as humans. Their dynamic was honestly the best.

Btw can we talk about Takkan? I love him he was so well written and such a sweetheart I fell for him along with Shiori. I applaud how well done he was. At one point I actually had to sit there and think wow he’s too amazing. Btw his sister is so cute I need more interaction between talking shiori and megari!

I love the world this was set in as well, both real and magical at the same time I could see that it drew upon East Asian culture and was well blended. The world holds so many different possibilities in it I need more!!

I think it does drag on a bit long but it was totally worth the read despite that and even then it was barely dragging. I’m just impatient honestly. I got this as a netgalley book but I definitely want to buy the physical copy of it!

What would you do if you, a princess, discovered your stepmother was secretly a sorceress? Upon your discovery, she curses you and your six brothers, turning them into cranes by day and cursing you to exile from your kingdom with a bowl permanently attached to your head and for every word you speak, one of your brothers will perish.

Shiori must now search for her brothers and try to break the curse on them and herself without the ability to utter a sound. She sets out on an epic quest to free them all from her stepmothers curse and save her kingdom. Her only real companion is a magical origami swan and occasionally, a dragon.

This book is an amazing Asian inspired reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Wild Swans”. I have always loved Hans Christian Andersen since discovering the origins of The Little Mermaid as a child. This reimagining surpassed my expectations and is probably one of my favorite reads so far this year. The plot was captivating from the start. It’s a beautiful rich fantasy that really comes to life through the vivid descriptions of the world. There’s a slow build romance in this one that isn’t the main focus of the storyline and I enjoyed that aspect. All the characters were fully fledged out and I loved Kiki the paper swan so much!

Before picking up Sic Crimson Cranes, I had heard of Elizabeth Lim but had never read one of her books before. I have been hearing about Six Crimson Cranes for a while because it is really hyped up within the book community so I never expected to be approved but I am so thankful. Saying I really enjoyed this book is the understatement of the year.

First of all, the cover (and also the map) is absolutely stunning and is probably what so many people gravitate toward initially aside from the author, but that's not even close to the best part. Elizabeth Lim does a phenomenal job with the world-building in Six Crimson Cranes and her ability to have Asian culture woven in is my favorite part. As a reader, you get transported to this magical world filled with familial bonds, self-discovery, animals, and so much more.

The plot itself was so captivating and grabbed my attention from the very first page. Six Crimson Cranes is essentially a reimagining of Asian folklore, specifically, "The Wild Swans" by Hans Christian Andersen. Although I don't have any previous knowledge of "The Wild Swans" it seems like all of the important elements are included in Six Crimson Cranes and Elizabeth Lim successfully incorporated its essence. There was a great balance of action, lore, magic, and relationships between characters.

My favorite characters by far were Kiki and Megari. Kiki is essentially a paper crane brought to life and I enjoyed everything she offered to the overall story. The idea of being able to create your best companion out of paper is adorable and hopeful. Megari was just so precious and I think she added great comic relief and a sort of sweetness to the story that was needed in between some of the more intense action and emotions being felt. Shiori is a really unique protagonist to read about and I truly enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes.

An interesting aspect of the plotline to me was the fact that romance was not very prevalent. I'm not sure what made me assume this book would have a good amount of romance in it but I was wrong. Don't get me wrong though, there are still moments of romance throughout the book but it definitely takes a backseat to the plot and lore. Typically the romance is my favorite element of a book and I tend to avoid those without it but I'm glad I picked up Six Crimson Cranes.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Six Crimson Cranes. The basis of my enjoyment stems from Elizabeth Lim's brilliant writing and world-building. I can truly say that I understand the hype now and I plan on reading more from her, hopefully including the inevitable sequel. This is a book that I will definitely be recommending to many people.

Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada for sending me an ARC for an honest review.
5/5 stars
I was so excited to read this one, and Elizabeth Lim did not disappoint! Six Crimson Cranes was a rich fantasy that came to life through vivid descriptions of food and scenery along with interesting elements of magic and mythology that blend together to create a well-rounded setting for the story. Along with the worldbuilding, the characters were well fleshed out, and I enjoyed being in Shiori’s head. The writing flowed easily, and I was engaged the whole time. The pacing felt good for the story. Shiori’s journey takes a few months, but I felt like even when there weren’t any big and action-packed events happening, there was still progress being made for her journey in some way.
Shiori is a Princess, and she’s a bit of a troublemaker. When snooping about reveals secrets, Shiori is cursed and sent away from her home. As part of her curse, her six older brothers are turned into cranes. Shiori is unable to speak because for each word she utters, one of her brothers will die. This is quite the predicament, and Shiori was a character who persevered and grew over the course of her journey. I liked her relationship with Kiki, and I enjoyed the slow burning romance between Shiori and her betrothed. Taken was a great character, and I like how he balanced Shiori.
This book was exciting, intriguing, magical, and so much fun to read. I’d recommend it to readers looking for a new fantasy adventure with elements of mythology who enjoy a slow burn romance as well as strong characters.

I LOVED IT. This story gradually got me more and more hooked as the story progressed. By the middle of the book was so invested! Going into the book I had not realized it was a re-telling story of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Wild Swans.” Lim successfully took the concept of the story, but completely made it her own. Elizabeth Lim gave us such a fascinating story in a world of fairy-tale elements, adventure, love, friendship, sibling bonding, plot twist, and so much more! The story and world building was fantastic from start to finish. The character development also was great. I liked how how this story was centered around Shiori, her brothers, and the curse, but branched into so much more. You could always feel the love and care they have for each other coming off the pages.

Shiori is an incredible main character. I found her to be very entertaining and such a strong girl. She was so dedicated to the task no matter how much obstacles came in her way. I loved watching her march forward with no fears or what she would face. Shiroi grew a lot from when we first met her in the book.

The story ended so nicely for Book 1 and left me so excited for the sequel!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six Crimson Cranes tells the story of the stubborn princess Shiori, whose choice to run away on the day she's meant to meet her betrothed earns her a run-in with a dragon. The dragon, Seryu, teaches Shiori to use the magic she has been keeping secret for fear of being thought a demon. But after Seryu leaves for the winter, Shiori discovers that her stepmother may be the magical being that everyone should be worrying about.

I can't say enough good things about this book! From the fairy-tale elements, to the brilliant adventure, to the sweet romance, every page kept me absolutely enthralled. Lim kept the perfect balance of playful fairy-tale and serious fantasy-adventure. I grew to really love Shiori and her paper crane, Kiki, and her brothers and Takkan found a special place in my heart by the end as well.

All in all, I adore this book, and I look forward to what Elizabeth Lim has in store next!

bestie it was so good!!! i'm such a fan of elizabeth lim, i used spin the dawn as the basis for a fantasy fiction seminar capstone project, she doesn't miss. a great extension of her world, a really compelling story and heroine that kept me on my toes, we love to see it.

3.5 or 4 stars

A huge thank you to NETGALLEY for providing me with an ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The retelling aspect was done extremely well, and I was definitely invested in all of these characters. The relationship that the main character had with a certain mythical creature as well was so so fun to read about. All of the characters, in my opinion, were very well developed, and the end left me craving the sequel already. The relationship near the last half of the story is definitely one of my favorites ever. The entire plot of the story was done very well, and I was hooked in this story from the start.

For me, the pacing felt off during the middle of the story, and as we neared the ending of the story, some things weren’t explained as well as I thought they could have been. Finally, I felt as if in the start of this story, it was going in multiple different directions at once, which wasn’t my favorite, but I didn’t mind it.

I would recommend this story to anyone who enjoyed wicked fox or priory of the orange tree!

*4.5 stars

I had very high expectations for Six Crimson Cranes and those were all blown out of the water. Absolutely stunning read.

Six Crimson Cranes is a reimagining of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Wild Swans” that incorporates Chinese folklore. The book follows Shiori, the princess of Kiata, who hides the fact that she has forbidden magic. After losing control of her magic on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, she catches the attention of her stepmother, Raikama, who has dark magic of her own. Raikama banishes Shirori, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die. Lost without her voice, Shiori searches for her brothers and along the way, discovers a new threat to the throne that only she can save the kingdom from. But to do so, she has to place her trust in her ex-betrothed and embrace the forbidden magic she tried so long to contain.

I found the plot of this book to be so intriguing. The premise of the book, from the curses to the dark magic to the magical creatures, is so fascinating. There were so many plot twists that I was never able to predict and shocked me every time. AND THE CLIFFHANGER OH MY GOD I had an entire crisis over the last line in that book. Sequel immediately please.

Shiori was a lovely main character to follow. She's courageous, curious, and strong-willed, and I just love her so much. I also loved the side characters, and it was super interesting to see their development. They definitely shocked me a bit.

I hate to make comparisons, but I found the romance in this book much more interesting than that in Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. There's also not a...500 year age difference. The romance is a spin on the arranged marriage trope, and it's essentially a super slowburn strangers to friends to lovers. Takkan is the golden-hearted cinnamon bun boy of my dreams I love that man so much. I want to give him a hug HE'S JUST TOO GOOD. I kind of sense a love triangle coming in the sequel, but I'm going to pretend that possibly doesn't exist.

Above all, this book focuses on family. I loved seeing Shiori's bond with her brothers as well as her other family members. The story really emphasizes how deeply Shiori cares for her family and the lengths they would go for each other. It was also interesting to see the family dynamics of other families featured in the story.

As always, Elizabeth Lim's writing absolutely sucked me in from the first page. Her writing is so lyrical and absolutely beautiful. The worldbuilding was captivating, and the food descriptions definitely made me very hungry. I also need a moment to admire the cover. PLEASE it's so beautiful.

For those of you that are fans of Spin the Dawn, then you'll be happy to hear that Six Crimson Cranes is set in the same universe! There are some mentions of A'landi, as Kiata is a neighboring kingdom, and the magic system works pretty similarly.

My only critique is pacing. This is also something that I noticed with Spin the Dawn; the story starts out super fast-paced and I couldn't put the book down. Then, the pacing slows down until finally picking up for the last 25%. I was hooked in the beginning in the end, but I did lost interest a bit in the middle.

Go pick up this book when it comes out July 6! Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

tw: death, violence, slight gore

Elizabeth Lim continues to enchant in this beautifully written fairytale adaption of The Six Swans. Shiori is the princess of Kiata, and is able to perform magic, which was said to have disappeared from their kingdom. She is the youngest of seven, and has six older brothers. Her stepmother Raikama is mysterious, and when Shiori stumbles upon a secret of hers, her brothers are transformed and she must set out on a quest to save them.
I have read other versions of the original fairytale, and I was still surprised by this book. Six Crimson Cranes takes the original fairytale and beautifully integrates it into this new retelling. The descriptions are gorgeous, and Shiori is a likable and strong heroine. I enjoyed the interactions between Shiori, and her two possible love interests. Shiori had such great character growth over the course of this book, and the ending was really good and unexpected. The only thing I think that could be improved are the descriptions of her brothers, only a few were really described well to where I could differentiate them. I sped through this book, and am highly anticipating the sequel!

** Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review**

The cover art is what drew me in, the synopsis hooked me in and Elizabeth Lim's obvious love and passion for fairytales made me a fan!

If you love;
- Fairytale retellings
- Dragons
- 6 brothers and 1 sister who love one another so fiercely
- A twist to traditional tropes
- Fun fairytale tropes
- Heroine who, while scared and alone, pushes through life's trails to save her family
- A super cute beginning to a love interest.

Overall, I couldn't put this book down! Jump into this new novel with both feet

*3.5 stars*

First off, I want to give a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children’s for providing me with an ARC!

I was so excited to get my hands on this book because 1) the cover is absolutely stunning and 2) magical princess? curses? falling in love with the person you didn’t want to marry? Sign me up. And Six Crimson Cranes turned out to be an enjoyable story that lays the foundation for what I think will be an even better sequel. My favorite aspect of the book was the main character Shiori; that girl has no fear and i respect it. She doesn’t care about embarrassing herself or making people angry, she just does what she has to do without hesitation and it was so refreshing to read from her perspective. Takkan was a great love interest as well. I loved that he was a sensitive soul but was still brave, and most importantly, he respected and supported Shiori’s decisions. I liked the side characters but would have liked to see more of them, especially Shiori’s brothers and Raikama (where is the Raikama prequel honestly).

Fairytale vibes were promised and Elizabeth Lim definitely delivered on that front, but that resulted in the book reading a bit young for me personally, though there were quite a few bloody scenes to balance that out. My other issue with the writing was that the first half of the book skips forward in time a lot, making me feel like I didn’t have the opportunity to get attached to the characters or the world until things slowed down in the second half. Overall, I feel like this book serves mainly as a prelude to the real story, but the ending was fast-paced and had some great twists that I didn’t see coming, so I have hope for the next installment in the series.