"Her Radiant Curse" is an exciting read centralizing Asian mythology and the lengths sisters will go to protect each other. The emotional depth of this book draw you in for thrills and heartache alike, so by the end you're shocked at how swiftly you've found yourself at the end.

What didn't work for me personally was the inconsistent nature of character motivations and the worldbuilding. Some things felt like clear callbacks to an earlier work by the author, which is fine, but did leave me a touch out of the loop. Not too much to see lost, but enough it was clear I was missing out.

What a phenomenal prequel! This book reminded me of everything I love about Six Crimson Cranes and it made me appreciate Channari's character immensely as we read about how her character came to be. The author does an amazing job setting up the context in this book to connect with everything that happens in the Six Crimson Cranes series; I absolutely loved the whimsical and beautiful language that was used.

This was a very character-driven story. Channi is a very strong character to follow and we get to see just how complex she is. Through her love for Vanna and her desire to protect her sister from the Demon Witch, she does everything she can to save Vanna, despite all the demons, curses, and consequences. The bond between the sisters was such a heartbreakingly beautiful part of the story and I wish we got to see more of Vanna, though I was still very satisfied with how everything was portrayed towards the end. As for the other characters, I quickly grew very attached to all of them - Ukar, Hokzuk, and even Oshli, and it was both an exhilarating yet emotional journey to see how these characters transform.

Her Radiant Curse gave me a new perspective on Six Crimson Cranes (which I am very tempted to re-read). The storytelling is lush and compelling, and all the beautiful and bittersweet moments left me extremely emotional. I also love that I read this after I read the Six Crimson Cranes duology because it added such an emotional layer to the entirety of this world and though this ending did leave me sobbing, I have a greater appreciation and understanding for certain moments that happen in Six Crimson Cranes.

Her Radiant Curse is, ultimately, a novel about family, about a girl's desire to save her sister by taking her sister's curse upon herself. Because of this curse, Channari - or Channi, more familiarly - has the face of a snake, with no nose, scaly skin, and slitted eyes. In an effort to be ready when Angma, the entity that laid the curse, returns, Channi spends her free time fighting beasts in the surrounding forests, and most especially tigers, because Angma appeared to her originally as a tiger. Channi's sister, Vanna, is everything that Channi is not: beautiful, kind, and most of all, radiant - quite literally radiant, as she was born emitting a glow from her chest than has continued to shine for the nearly 17 years of her life, a shine that has brought many to believe that Vanna is the descendant of the gods, and that her intercession can bring them the fulfillment of their wishes, and therefore they bring offerings that have significantly improved the family's life. As Vanna approaches her 17th birthday, the date that Angma promised to return, their father opens negotiations for her to be wed - or at least to be given to the king who can bring the greatest treasure to the family before taking Vanna away with him. This is where the novel begins, and Channi, as she has done all of her sister's life, is trying to ensure Vanna's safety from those who would purchase her from their father. But things go awry almost immediately.

This is a wonderfully written and engrossing novel, totally different from the author's previous novel, Six Crimson Cranes, and yet the writing evokes the same type of wonder in a unique and fantastic world. Suitable for middle school to adult, this novel is recommended to anyone who enjoys fantasy, especially those who enjoy fantasy based on mythology.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Obsessed with this series ! If you loved six crimson cranes and dragons promise then you will absolutely adore this book as well .

Thank you NetGalley for the arc .

This was an excellent young adult fantasy! This book tells the story of sisters Channi and Vanna. Vanna is extremely beautiful and Channi is cursed with a serpent’s face. Elizabeth Lim has a beautiful and captivating writing style that had me completely invested in the characters and the storyline. I really enjoyed this reading this one!

Although this is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology you don’t need to read it on order to read Her Radiant Curse. I haven’t read the duology yet, but I definitely will be picking it up soon after reading this one! I definitely recommend picking up this book, especially if you like fairytales, sibling stories and emotional reads.

A tale of two sisters, one who was sacrificed by their father to save the other and in doing so was cursed with the face of a monster while the other was given a beautiful face and golden light... but one of them must fall for the other to rise. This story serves as a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes book and follows Channi and Vanna. While her mother was giving birth to Vanna and dying, her father had taken her to the woods to sacrifice her to save his wife... but the witch in the woods only wanted the beautiful sister... she only wanted Vanna, and instead let Channi live but cursed her with a monstrous face that horrified anyone that looked at her and her only true companions were the snakes who named her their queen. On her mother's dying breath she made Channi swear to protect Vanna... and that is the only reason years later she still endures her father's physical and mental abuse, being outcasted and treated like a monster by all, all so she can watch over her beautiful sister who is in turn loved by everyone and is their father's favorite. Yet the time has come for Vanna to be married off, whether she wants to or not, and in an attempt to free Vanna, Channi finds herself facing off against a vampire, making unlikely alliances, and traveling to strange places in order to save her sister. This one started off great but then fell off for me unfortunately. I adored the Six Crimson Cranes books and this one definitely had potential but really fell flat at the halfway point. Channi's love and obsession with her sister didn't really connect with me. Channi herself just wasn't that likable or made me care about her with her bad decision making. She didn't learn from her mistakes and she was just so frustrating at times. I found that I just didn't care all that much for her by the end of the book and I still felt bad for Hokzuh, and the whole love interest/resolution by the end of the book did not feel satisfying at all. I really liked the first half of the book but was left disappointed by the end. You could read this as a standalone but I think it would be a good one to read with the rest of the series as well.

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's, Knopf Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Absolutely delightful.

I loved the first duology so I was thrilled to be getting a spin off in the same world and that worked as a prequel.

As usual, the wiring is excellent, the pacing is perfect and the storyline is divine. The characters are wonderfully developed and it was so nice to delve into the story of Channi. It was great to see what led her to becoming who we see in Six Crimson Cranes and this was the perfect addition that readers didn’t know we needed.

Elizabeth Lim has an extraordinary capability of transporting readers to luscious and sometimes brutal worlds, and Her Radiant Curse is no exception. Similar to her other two series, The Blood of Stars, and Six Crimson Cranes, Her Radiant Curse is a unique tale with various elements of Asian folklore, high fantasy, and adventure. The unique interpretation of demons and dragons, as well as some other creatures in the story specifically, is a breath of fresh air to the fantasy genre.

The book begins by providing a rich backstory to Channi and her sister Vanna, while simultaneously showing the divide between legend and fact in their world. Born with an internal light and goodness, Vanna is the yin to Channi’s cursed yang. Their independent journeys centre around them constantly fighting for each other while learning how to fight for themselves.

As the story progresses, Lim weaves a diverse world with varied landscapes richly detailed with their own cultures. While the pace of the book was fast to keep the story progressing, I found I wanted to stay just a little longer in these different locations to explore them a little more. Each setting had its own unique personality with different wildlife and customs which were only just touched on before moving the characters along.

The way Lim built Channi and Vanna’s characters was at times predictable, but overall smooth and comprehensive. The way she wrote their relationship provided great backstory, along with the story and character development. You can’t help but love them both and for the duration of the book, you’ll find yourself rooting for them to succeed and find their happiness while being heartbroken whenever they experience setbacks.

Most of the side characters also had a surprising amount of depth; the exception being Channi and Vanna’s father and step-mother, who seemed really two-dimensional to fill the hole of a secondary adversary.
A personal favourite was Ukar the snake, who is also Channi’s best friend—his snide comments and unwavering support made him immediately endearing. His sass and disdain when it came to certain love interests was amusing while simultaneously not what you want to read if you’re a romantic at heart.

While nowhere near a romance novel, Lim explores young love from a couple of angles including a burgeoning romance that is forbidden, and the tried-and-true enemies to lovers trope. Whilst somewhat predictable, you can’t help wanting it to happen all the same.

As a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes, you may feel like it’s necessary to read those prior to enjoying Her Radiant Curse, but that’s not the case (although you might get some more references). In fact, I hadn’t read Six Crimson Cranes before reading this, and I think I enjoyed it more, as I didn’t know exactly where the characters were going to end up.

It might be worth mentioning though, like with her other books, the worldbuilding isn’t as obvious and laid out as some other fantasy novels. The beginning sets the scene for most of the mechanics of the world, as it progresses, some new details emerge, leading you to sometimes alter your perception of how things work. This can be at times frustrating for some, as it leads to wanting a little more detail about how the world works. Luckily you can continue to experience the world and find out more in Six Crimson Cranes.

That being said, it was a really enjoyable, easy to read, YA fantasy novel. It was interesting, compelling, and written in a way that didn’t underestimate the reader. Her Radiant Curse is a masterclass of heartbreak and longing, exploring sisterly love, and complicated family dynamics.

She’s done it again. Another favorite book. When I was finishing The Dragons Promise I was so intrigued by the possibility of this being a story and was so happy. I loved this character, seeing how flawed she was and how hard she loved. Really amazing seeing how everything started.

We accompany Channi on her journey, where an unfortunate curse transforms her visage into that of a serpent, all due to a sacrificial offering made to the Witch in a desperate attempt to rescue her mother.

Elizabeth Lim can do no wrong, I love this characters and I love this world. I loved Six Crimson Crane so much so it was fun to find out more about the world before that story. This was so fun, well written and beautiful, I loved it so much. Thank you Netgalley for this advanced eARC.

Elizabeth Lim is turning into a auto-buy author for me. Her writing style is vivid and imaginative, and reading Her Radiant Curse felt like reading a fairy tale, or a legend. It is bittersweet, mostly bitter; the ending is heartbreaking. As ever, her characters are real and multifaceted, and beautifully portrayed. I very much enjoyed the story crafted here.

️*Title: Her Radiant Curse- I read it as a standalone but it's in the world of the Six Crimson Cranes series.

*Release date: 8/29/23 read: 8/8/23

*Author: Elizabeth Lim, 1st time author for me

*Page Count: 432 ebook

*POV: h-Channi

*Setting: starts @ their homeland Sundau

*Genre: YA fantasy, romance, East Asian Lit

*Tropes:
✅Sisterhood
✅Arranged marriage/The Selection (Kiera Cass)
✅ Western fairytales-Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella retelling
✅ Dragons& other mythical creatures
✅ Demons/Witches
✅h's quest w/ companions
✅ Magic

Look out for:
⚠️ bullying, abuse. murder

*Synopsis: Two sisters, 1 beautiful and privileged, the other a monster and outcast, are set on their own destinies for love and to save each other.

*Characters

Channari/Channi-(19) Serpent Queen. She's cursed @2 yrs. old w/ face of a snake& poisonous blood because her father didn't want her mother to die after giving birth to Vanna. Sacrificed Channi for a favor from a witch, but her mother died the next day.

Vanna-(16) the most beautiful girl you've ever seen, has a light in her heart. Agrees to be married off in selection to the highest bidder.

Khuan/Adah-Channi and Vanna's father who abused Channi and only cared about riches he received because of Vanna's beauty.

Lintang-Their stepmother. Doted on Vanna/trained her to be a princess, indifferent to Channi.

Ukar-a snake, Channi's bff. Helped her train to kill Angma and protect Vanna.

Oshli-a young shaman in love w/ Vanna. He doesn't want her going thru w/ the selection ceremony.

Dakuok- High priest who joins w/Adah in selling Vanna and Channi off to Meguh, just to get money for his temple. Oshli's father

King Meguh of Shenlani-a cruel ruler who wants Vanna as concubine, collects rare creatures and keeps them prisoner.
.
Queen Ishirya- Meguh's wife, true ruler Shenlani

Prince Rongyo- 16, will be king of Tai'yannan . Wants Vanna as his wife, a suitor @ the selection.

Hokzuh-Dragon prince, half dragon, and prisoner of Angma because she has his black pearl.

Angma-The Demon Witch who mesmerizes people. She cursed Channi and wants Vanna's body to become immortal.

Nakri-the Nine Eyed Witch, agrees to help Channi but tells her the truth of the prophecy.

*Review: I've never read anything like this. I knew nothing about Asian Lit and legends of Lor' Yan. There are such fascinating stories with mythical creatures and their great powers.

*Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC🖤! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Her Radiant Curse

I love this “prequel” to Six Crimson Cranes. It gave some great backstory to a misunderstood character. It was enthralling to learn more about her and where she came from.

The writing is a fairytale’s dream with emotion and warmth and that spark of magic. Just what I’ve come to expect from Lim.

The plot kept me hooked even though I knew the ending. The magic was the how and why, which the story delivered spectacularly.


Content: death, violence, demons

When I saw the announcement for Her Radiant Curse, I squealed. One of the things I really wanted from The Dragon's Promise was more time spent in the different environments (here's hoping for a Seryu spin off now eheh). I was especially drawn to Raikama's story and wanted more. I am seriously so pleased that Elizabeth Lim delivered just that and this story has exceeded my expectations.

Her Radiant Curse is everything I love about Lim's writing. It's beautiful, emotional, and yet some how maintains that light fairytale like feel. Channi is hands down my favorite character from this world now. I loved how her story evolved. It felt really complex, more so than past Lim books. And despite knowing how everything would end, I still found myself so emotional and compelled.

4.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this so much. You think you know Channi's story because of The Dragon's Promise but it's so much more than that. I cried and I laughed and I truly rooted for every character.

Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, and it is just as beautifully written and exciting as its predecessor. Channi, the protagonist, is a young woman who is cursed with a serpent's face after being sacrificed to the Witch to try and save her mother. She spends the next years hiding in the jungle with the other snakes, her only friends. The only human who is nice to Channi is her sister, Vanna. Vanna is the most beautiful girl of the country and was born with a golden light shining from her.

The plot of Her Radiant Curse is well-crafted and engaging. Channi's journey is one of self-discovery and acceptance, and she is a relatable and sympathetic character. The supporting cast is also well-developed, and I especially enjoyed Vanna and the Witch. The world-building is rich and detailed, and the author does a great job of bringing Chinese mythology to life.

I would definitely recommend Her Radiant Curse to fans of Six Crimson Cranes, as well as to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels with strong female characters and lush settings. It is a beautifully written and exciting story that I couldn't put down.

Here are some specific things that I enjoyed about the book:

The characters are well-developed and relatable. Channi is a strong and determined young woman who is easy to root for. Vanna is her beautiful and kind-hearted sister, and the Witch is a complex and intriguing villain.
The plot is well-paced and engaging. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put the book down.
The world-building is rich and detailed. The author does a great job of bringing Chinese mythology to life.
The writing is beautiful and lyrical. The author has a gift for creating vivid imagery and transporting the reader to another world.
Overall, Her Radiant Curse is a beautifully written and exciting fantasy novel that I highly recommend. It is a must-read for fans of Six Crimson Cranes, as well as to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels with strong female characters and lush settings.

Channi and Vanna are sisters, one with cursed with the face of a snake and one with an ethereal glow. Channi, the snake faced one, sets out to protect her sister from the demon Angma.

I didn't realize this was a prequel until near the end of the book. I haven't read Six Crimson Cranes. I do think it works as a standalone. This was an enjoyable read but there wasn't anything about it that felt particularly unique or distinct. It's a well written fantasy novel. However, the characters felt a one dimensional to me. The plot was also pretty standard and nothing about it particularly stood out to me.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc!


This was so fantastic. I could not put this down. A fast paced fantasy that enchanted me until the last page.

Any book that makes me cry at the end is a 5/5 story, I don't make the rules! A beautiful and tragic story about sisters and sisterhood and how the sisterly bond fairs when met with curses, loneliness, and heartbreak.
Having read six crimson cranes and the dragons promise I knew that this story wouldn't necessarily have a happy ending as this is the prequel story to the plots in the original duology. Seeing Channis background and how she became the woman Shiorio knows just hurt and was so beautiful to read about. The last 10 pages were just filled with hurt and loss but also contained the necessary points to have a new start.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

In this prequel to her Six Crimson Cranes duology, Elizabeth Lim tells the story of Channari, cursed with the face of a snake, and her sister Vanna whose heart radiates gold.

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favorite duologies of the last few years, so I was beyond thrilled when I realized that this book would be Channari's story. It certainly did not disappoint! I loved getting to know Channi through her narration, and to see everything she went through leading up to her role in Six Crimson Cranes. Despite knowing the outcome of their story, I still found myself hoping that things really would turn out well for Channi and Vanna, that there would still somehow be a mysterious resolution that would end with both of them being alive and happy. I was still heartbroken when things turned out the way I knew they would. And in the end, I really really wanted to pick Six Crimson Cranes back up again!

I also thought it was incredibly interesting that this was the story Elizabeth Lim began before Six Crimson Cranes was even a thought. I feel like I have a whole new perspective on the duology now, not just because of knowing Channi's story, but also knowing how deeply the duology's plot really is rooted in her life. In all, I think fans of the Six Crimson Cranes duology will find a lot to love here, and hopefully it will also offer an intriguing new approach for readers who have yet to pick up Shiori's tale at all.