Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim was an absolute standout of a novel that captured my heart from the very first page. Lim's storytelling prowess shines through in every aspect of this book, from the fierce and captivating main character, Channi, to the beautifully crafted friendships that she forges with other characters, including the highly memorable Ukar, her best friend and snake sidekick. The depth and complexity of Channi's relationships, especially with her sister, added a layer of emotional depth that deeply impacted me.

Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts. Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married and only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea and a finale that will leave you reaching for the Kleenex.

The lush world-building in Her Radiant Curse transported me to a captivating realm filled with magic, intrigue, and heartbreak. Lim's descriptive prose brought the setting to life, immersing me in a world rich in detail and authenticity. The bond shared between Channi and her sister added a poignant and heartwarming layer to the narrative, further enhancing the emotional resonance of the story. The author's ability to interweave these elements seamlessly is a testament to her skill in crafting a compelling and enjoyable reading experience.

As the story unfolded, I found myself completely engrossed in the characters' journeys and the intricate web of emotions they navigated. The heart-breaking finale left me reaching for tissues, a testament to Lim's ability to evoke such intense emotions in her readers. Her Radiant Curse is a masterfully written tale that combines lush world-building, immensely compelling characters, and a touch of magic that lingers long after the last page is turned, becoming a truly enchanting and unforgettable story that will stay with me for a long time to come.

This book has demonstrated that, no matter how talented an author may be, there will be some books that just aren't meant for me.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I went to request it having recognized the author and not realizing it was technically a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes. After having read (and being slightly disappointed by) the series, I came back to HER RADIANT CURSE a few days ago. And it was... alright, I guess?

HER RADIANT CURSE, above all else, is about family; more specifically, the complicated relationship between Channi and Vanna. There is undoubtedly some romance and action, but this reads like a more modern and adult version of a Grimm's fairy tale, with morals, lessons, and all the like.

As usual with an Elizabeth Lim novel, I found the pacing to be odd. This book starts off slow, gets super interesting for a minute, then goes back to slow. While this could be read as a standalone, there were also portions that I could see a potential reader being confused about without the additional characterization/world-building provided in the SIX CRIMSON CRANES duology.

Overall, however, I found this book to be delightful, but not world-changing. I actively enjoyed reading it, yet also found myself not willing to pick it up for periods of time. In fear of sending myself into a book slump, I forced myself to finish it off. Nevertheless, I extend my deepest thanks to NetGalley, Elizabeth Lim, and Random House Children's for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @netgalley for sending me an ARC of Her Radiant Curse in exchange for an honest review!
I loved The Six Crimson Cranes Duology, and Raikama (aka Channari) was my favourite character! So when Elizabeth Lim announced her own novel, I couldn't be more excited!
This novel is amazing! Channi is a sweet and courageous character, who has been abused her whole life, due to having snake-like features. On the other hand, her sister Vanna shines (quite literally). Despite their differences, they love each other and there's nothing they wouldn't do to save the other.
Their sister bond is the true love story of this book!
Adah is so abusive to Channi. He's the reason she was cursed and instead of apologizinf for sacrificing his daughter, he just shuns her and abuses her.
I love that the Kiatan emperor, aka Shiori's dad, wants Vanna to choose who to marry and not be forced. He immediately wanted to back down because people wanted to force her to choose the richest despite personality.
The world is so cruel and sexist to both sisters. Channi is discriminated against for her snake-like features, which are not her fault. Vanna, despite being beautiful, is treated like an object. The village wishes to literally sell her to a man so they can get the money, while she's stuck in a loveless concubine situation. It's despicable how these women were treated for things they couldn't control.
Hokzuh and Oshli are both intesting characters, who are connected to the sisters in different ways, but who end up being fundamental to both of them.
Ukar is such a sweetheart! He's Channi's best friend, supporting her through thick and thin, and he's the most sarcastic and honest character.
Angma is a very interesting villain. She has reason to be the way she is, but that still isn't enough to forgive her or to side with her. She's complex, but in the end still very evil.
If you loved Six Crimson Cranes, you should definitely check out this amazing prequel!

Tw: death, murder, poison, curses, sexism, slavery.

This is the prequel story to the Six Crimson Cranes duology. Love folklore and this one was so intricate you had to pay attention. I need to read the duology to see how they connect, if they do. I keep reading it's connected and it's a standalone who knows. I enjoyed the tale. It was at times sweet and at times brutal. The only person who cared for Channi was her sister after she was turned into a "monster" everyone else was cruel. Her sister glows with yellow light and her father auctioned her off to the highest bidder while selling Channi to someone horrible.
Throughout Channi her life was trying to train and protect Vanni. And it felt like the underlying message was that no matter how well you plan, fate will always claim what it's owed.

Also, note to self when making wishes or deals be very specific or else it might turn out worse than what you have.

Thank you randomhouse for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim
⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

**Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for honest feedback!!**

I've loved Elizabeth Lim since I read Spin the Dawn. I've owned both Six Crimson Cranes and The Dragon's Promise for years now, but I have yet to read those. With that being said, my review of this book will be as though I'm reading a stand alone novel as opposed to a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes. I absolutely love the imagery that Lim paints in her stories. The Asian inspired background, characters, lore, etc. It just weaves into this beautiful story that transports you to another world.

Channi and Vanna have a beautiful relationship, and for me that stands as the most important part of this book. The lengths they go to for each other is intense and moving. Her Radiant Curse is the most befitting title I've seen in a while, and when you get to the last few chapters, you'll understand why. There's curses, dragons, magic, demons, betrothals, friendship and more. For me, the romance in this story fell especially flat, which is why I rated it down. While the sisters' love for each other is the heart of the story, Lim tried to make romance a subplot, and for me, it just didn't seem necessary. I didn't feel the connections between the characters, and the only physicality that happened was literally a sentence that said something along the lines of, "We kissed." And that was it. I was waiting for something more to happen, and although I understand the ending, I think the middle could have been done better. Overall, this was a rich, beautiful world that I found myself immersed in. This book works great as a standalone and definitely moved Six Crimson Cranes up on my TBR! For fantasy lovers, definitely give this book a try!

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Well paced and full of detail. Perfect end of summer read I felt like I was right inside of the book.
Thank you Netgalley for an awesome arc in exchange for my honest opinion

Her Radiant Curse was a fantastic spin-off/prequel of the Six Crimson Cranes duology. I loved delving back into the world Elizabeth Lim created and seeing Channi's story unfold.

We follow Channi who is cursed with a serpent's face when her father sacrifices her to Angma. Channi grows up in isolation and shunned by her parents. Vanna, her sister, and the snakes of the jungle are Channi's only solace. As Vanna prepares to be married off, Channi plans her revenge. Unfortunately, Vanna becomes Angma's target. One sister must fall for the other to rise.

I was so excited to read Channi's bittersweet origin story as she is the villain, at least for some time, in Six Crimson Cranes. This story was a roller coaster of adventure, love, and a lot of heartbreak. Lim creates such lush worlds woven with Asian mythology and spectacular characters, I couldn't help but be invested.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for and eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I own Six Crimson and Dragon's Promise - so grateful I haven't picked them up yet.
This is the prequel - the story of Channi.
The colors of this cover absolutely conveys the beauty, tragedy, complexity of this story. I loved the narrator - massive book hangover.

Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to Lim's previous duology, Six Crimson Cranes. It follows Channari from a young child to a young woman, long before she becomes the mysterious stepmother in that novel.
It had been a while since I had read Six Crimson Cranes, so I picked up this novel on the strength of Elizabeth Lim's name alone. It took me an embarrassingly long time to link the two in my head. So this novel can certainly be read as a stand-alone. Especially if your memory is as bad as mine.
Standard for Elizabeth Lim, the worldbuilding was engaging. There were also some extremely poignant moments of self-reflection.
I enjoyed my experience with this novel and will continue to pick up her future works.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

“Frozen” meets “Moana” in this stunning tale of sisterly love and adventure!

Channi was a normal, human girl until her father offered her as a sacrifice to the Demon Witch and she was cursed with the face of a snake. She became the polar opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna, regarded by all to be the kindest and most beautiful girl on their island and possibly the world.

Vanna is the only person who doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Channi’s face and for that, Channi loves and treasures her. That fierce love is what motivates Channi to defend her sister against the cruel suitors who bid for her hand. In doing so, Channi puts herself at risk, becoming the target of the cruelest suitor. She finds herself launched into a quest across land and sea and allying herself with enemies, all to protect protect her sister.

Elizabeth Lim’s prequel, “Her Radiant Curse” is an amazing adventure story sea that features a sisterly bond at its heart. The love that Channi and Vanna have for each other is equal heartwarming and heartbreaking.

This might be a hot take, but I enjoyed “Her Radiant Curse” more than “Six Crimson Cranes,” and I really enjoyed “Six Crimson Cranes.” Channi has so much depth right off the bat and we see her struggle to accept the curse put upon her by the Demon Witch but also continue to hope that her curse might someday be broken. I loved that Channi wasn’t fully committed to either outcome but instead vacillated between between hope for the positive and resignation for the negative.

All of Lim’s characters, not just Channi, are so vibrant and interesting in their own right. I saw somewhere that Lim has been working on “Her Radiant Curse” for years—before “Six Crimson Cranes” even came out and it really shows. The level of thought clans care put into each scene is evident and made it such a wonderful read.

oh my god oh my god oh my god do you ever have a moment where a line is uttered or a character says a word and suddenly everything snaps into place and you realize you were such an idiot for not realizing it before? like it was all in front of you and it should have been so obvious but it took all the way to the end for things to finally connect and it was that one piece of dialogue that really cemented it in your mind?

if you liked six crimson cranes (regardless of your opinion for book 2), read this.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's/Knopf, and Ms. Lim for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

Ms. Lim's writing is so beautiful and evocative. I was hoping for a whole new story but wasn't disappointed at all to find that this is Channari's villain origin story. Channari seemed like a greyer villain than I had expected and here her story is laid bare in all its loneliness. Like most villains her later actions stem from childhood misfortune; in Channari's case she is rejected by her father and reviled by her fellow villagers for circumstances completely out of her control. Her sole comfort is her sister, Vanna, who figuratively AND literally is the light of Channi's life. Channi would sacrifice any and everything to keep Vanna safe and happy.

I don't usually enjoy villain stories because you know going in that the ending will be - at best - a sad one. And somehow it didn't matter. The story was so gripping, and the writing so lyrical, that I was hooked. I have particularly liked the Asian fantasy I've read lately, and this is another excellent example. Highly recommended to practically everyone, as this story has something to suit every demographic. Love, romance, magic, adventure, demons, dragons: take your pick.

thank you to netgalley for a free arc of this book!
4.5 stars! a magical story that follows two sisters, one as monstrous as the other is beautiful, as they fight to protect themselves, and each other, from a demon that threatens their lives and sisterly bond

know this: i don't annotate. i don't tab. i don't highlight. but i did with this one. not a lot but enough that i was surprised at the amount of lines i highlighted
woooowwww this was good. heartbreaking, lush, mystical, and gripping
i was hooked from the prologue which is rare for me, books don't usually capture and hold my interest until 80-100 pages in but within the first few pages i was immersed. i was a big fan of channi's character growth in this as well, turning her weakness into a strength was a joy to read
rarer even is the fact that while i love romance, as it is my main genre, i could've totally done without the mere hints of it in this book. to me it actually sorta pulled me out of the plot and felt like it was forced in as a way to pull in a wider audience

Elizabeth Lim strikes again! In this prequel to Six Crimson Cranes, we learn about where Raikama came from and how she ended up in Kiata. This story was beautifully presented with visuals that jump off the page! Channi is on a time crunch to save her sister, Vanna, and keep her out of the hands of a demon who wants to control her. But as Channi goes through trial after trial, we learn the true reason why the demon witch wants Vanna for herself. Filled with Asian mythology, bonds of sisterhood, and found family, Her Radiant Curse is a great addition to any collection!

This is a beautiful standalone prequel to Six Crimson Cranes! Such beautiful world building and an easy flow!

I haven’t read the completed duology yet but even with only reading book one I had a pretty good grasp of the world! Channari was such a gorgeous character and her story is so incredibly heart wrenching. The loyalty between sisters is/was so unbelievably sincere.

I found myself literally gasping and cheering for her the entire way! I loved every gripping moment of this Eastern Asian mythology!

Thank you Netgalley for this opportunity!

Her Radiant Curse was so beautifully woven, and adventure in sisterhood, loyalty, and doing whatever it takes for those you love. It was equal parts heart breaking and lovely, and I love how it wove a story about self assurance and love.

For those reading after the duology that preceded, it is a beautiful glimpse at a character we heard a lot about. We get to see Chanari grow into the woman we see in the duology, and have some of our questions answers as to how she came to be, who she really was, and why she lived and did the things she did. For someone coming to the story for the first time, with no prior knowledge, this story will read like a fable with enchanting magical systems, bittersweet relationships, and a main character whose arc is both solemn and beautiful.

I would like to start by saying that I loved the lush, rich feeling of the atmosphere in this. It felt so vibrant and lovely and I had such a good time with that aspect. Unfortunately, I struggled with feeling as if some of the writing felt a bit juvenile and there were moments that felt as if information was being bashed into my head over and over again. There were some point that the writing felt clunky and I couldn't bring myself to connect with the characters much. That being said, it's still a pretty good read and I finished it fairly quickly.
— A low 3🌟 I don't believe I will be continuing simply because I can acknowledge this just doesn't seem like the right thing for me.

“Her Radiant Curse” by Elizabeth Lim casts a bewitching spell, intertwining fantasy and mythical elements with an evocative exploration and development of a sisterhood bond, while immersing readers in a captivating world. the everlasting and unconditional bond between Channi and Vanna drove the plot and was one of admiration, capturing the essence of sisterly loyalty. Channi’s transformation into a cursed being and the development and exploration of accepting herself adds complexity, and her unwavering devotion for her sister is profoundly touching, despite the various hardships she faces. The setting and world built by Lim is nothing short of enchanting with the seamless fusion of mystical elements. The careful graceful intertwining of suspenseful action while including a romantic subplot maintained an engaging rhythm, leaving me hooked up onto every word. overall, this text thoughtfully probes themes of sacrifice, beauty, acceptance, and the steadfastness of sisterly connection making it a must-read for fantasy enthusiasts who appreciate intricate characters and emotionally charged storytelling.

4.5 stars

I absolutely loved this book. It was so beautiful and filled with magic in every page. I'm in awe of Elizabeth Lim's writing and I literally cannot wait to read more from her. Full review to come soon!

This was a fantastic story. I did not expect that was a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes so when I made the first connection it was a wonderful surprise. No, you don’t need to have read the other book to enjoy this and yes it can be read as a standalone but it was wonderful to get the whole back story of Channi! She and her sister have a wonderfully sweet bond and that was really special. It could have been so much worse what with Vanna being the golden one, and Channi’s curse. Channi is such a strong young woman and it was easy to love her and root for her through her trials in trying to protect her sister from the demon Agma. Yes, it was bittersweet but it has to be this way for Channi to be who she was meant to be. Such a good book!

That being said, I really really want to go reread Six Crimson Cranes again!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book to read and review.