Honestly, this was such a fantastic read and I was so engrossed while reading this one that I couldn't put it down for a single minute!
Channi is just a few years old when her mother gives birth to her sister Vanna - who is born with a captivating radiance, and their father leaves Channi in the jungle hoping to save their mother's life by offering her to Angma the Demon Witch. But, Channi ends up being cursed with the face of a serpent and shunned by the whole village. The only light in her life is the bond that she shares with her sister despite being opposites. And with her sister's seventeenth birthday approaching their father decides to marry off Vanna in a way that Channi despises - with a contest where kings compete for her hand by showing off their wealth. She is determined to protect her sister from these vile suitors and from Angma who had warned her that she'd be coming for Vanna soon. But how far will she be willing to go for the only family that she loves more than herself?

Channi is such an interesting and complex protagonist because she's fierce and loyal to a fault. But at the same time, she gets angry very quickly and is hyper-focused on vengeance too. Though she's been treated unfairly for her entire life, she retains some goodness while making friends of the scaly variety as she can communicate with them. She isn't immune to betrayal or disappointment but she picks herself up quickly even if she's been defeated. But honestly, sometimes I just wanted her to slap her dad because he's the worst person in this whole story and I didn't like how she helped him at certain moments. I know that this is because she yearns to be a part of her family and has been conditioned to respect him at times but omg whatever was done to her was straight-up emotional abuse and she deserves better. I felt so sorry for her at times.

Another interesting thing is how Vanna comes off as naive and sheltered at first, but she has some hidden strength too. She was the only one who actually loved Channi unconditionally, so no wonder everyone was captivated by her. I loved discovering more about her slowly. There was no doubt about Channi's love for her sister but I wondered about how much of it was influenced by her promise to her mother and perhaps by Vanna's abilities too. I think that's what made this story very fascinating and complex, and I really enjoyed it! Elizabeth's writing is very beautiful and brings everything to life. I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a tear or two at certain moments 😢

Hokzuh and Ukar were such amazing characters too and I loved the bond that slowly developed between Channi and Hokzuh! I wish they could have spent more time with each other!

In the end, this is a spell-binding fantasy story that's centered around sisterhood and magic with some amazing characters! Though this is a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes it works perfectly well as a standalone and I think almost everyone would enjoy this!

The prequel to the Crimson Crane series, focusing on the origin story of Channi, who becomes Shiori's stepmother in Six Crimson Cranes. Channi was cursed as child by the Demon Witch to have a serpent's face and has been shunned by others ever since. Channi's sister Vanna was the only one to care about her and Channi is determined to protect her from the Demon Witch who has sworn to come back for Vanna when she's older. However things don't go as planned and Channi finds herself in the company of a dragon and she has to rely on him to help save Vanna. Overall, an engaging prequel to the series centered on the bond of sisters and the lengths they'll go to save each other. Fans of folklore and adventure stories will like this one. For readers who have already read Six Crimson Cranes, this will make them want to re-read it with a new understanding of Channi.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's for the advanced copy of this book.

To be completely transparent, it has been a hot minute since I read six crimson cranes so I thought I needed a refresher to get into it... but thankfully, I did not. This is a stand-alone/spin-off of Six Crimson Cranes and it was a lovely addition to the universe. The story follows two sisters in a far away land and excels in building their loyalty and friendship. I thought their bond was a really strong point of the novel.

Where it fell off for me, was pacing. I felt like it slowed down in all of the wrong places and then suddenly ramped up for that ending. It was great though, and that's a very minor fault for an otherwise great book.

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Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim was for me, almost entirely a cover buy/request. Not only did I pre-order this one but I requested a Netgalley copy based on that amazing artwork. I have to say, I’m not mad at it having read the book either! The other portion of my determination to read this was that I’ve been dying to try Elizabeth Lim and I thought this would be the push I needed. I am glad I picked it up, because -yes. She is worth the read.

Her Radiant Curse follows a young girl then young woman as she spends her life training to protect her sister. Her father, in a incredibly poor parenting moment, attempted to sacrifice Channi instead of her sister to a Demon to save his wife’s life. Instead Channi was cursed, and effectively a due date was placed on her sister’s life. She would die at 17, or Channi could hand her over. Through circumstances at this moment Channi’s face is twisted to appear as a snakes, and her blood incredibly toxic. She vows to her dying mother she’ll protect her sister against everything and everyone and thus kicks off her life.

The story has the feeling of a fable and by the end of the book that was my absolute favorite thing about this. It was fast paced, an easy and quick read and the ending seemed to present this setup of a world where more stories could be set and take flight. Not only is the ending wonderful as far as set up or a true ending, but it’s tragic and sad in a way that I didn’t see coming and one that I actually loved. For a YA Fantasy I’m impressed. Elizabeth Lim took a story that felt familiar and in the end gave it a profound and truly impactful feel.

If you enjoy fable style fantasy or YA fantasy in general this is one I can safely recommend.

I love Elizabeth Kim’s writing, it’s so lush and beautiful. A lot of her stories are from lores from her culture and I am obsessed. If you like stories with great setting, beautiful writing, amazing plot that will always leave you guessing for more, then you need to give this book a shot! Thank you so much for letting me read this and for the author for writing this!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the infusion of Asian folklore in this story. Channi was such an amazing character and I felt so sad for her and all the hardships she faced in life. The sisterly bond between Channi and Vanna was incredible and was really special. I look forward to reading the Six Crimson Cranes series next to see more taking place in this lush and exciting world.

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim is the spin off prequel to one of my absolute favorite duologies to ever exist – Six Crimson Cranes. This is Channi’s origin story, Shiori’s step mother – we see how she became the amazing character that we saw her as in Six Crimson Cranes.

This is one of my most anticipated releases this year and it did not disappoint. Elizabeth Lim is master at story telling, she has perfected the art in which she is able to deliver YA stories and this was so very beautiful.

It was surprisingly a lot darker than Six Crimson Cranes. It brushes lightly on a lot more adult themes so if you are expecting another lower YA story, that is not what this is. It is however, very emotional, and it brings Six Crimson Cranes full circle.

There is romance in this book but to me this book reads more as non-canon a-spec. Because really it wasn’t romance but a bittersweet story of a girl who is trying so desperately to find love, a girl who wants to be seen as important, and finding that love and importance within herself and being ok with the idea of non-traditional happily ever after.

I took so long to gather my thoughts to review this because I just loved it and I am still a mess of emotions thinking about it.

Thank you for the Random House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Well this was a book I didn't know that I needed. It was full of mythological fantasy, an epic quest, demons, curses, and most importantly sisterly love that wins every time.

This reminded me so much of the kind of stories I used to read when I was young. It felt like a fable you read before bed where there's hidden meaning and lesson. One that would teach you about not going into a dark forest and looking for trouble. In this case, it is about defying orders and being defiant. I loved that about our hero, Channi. She is a hero that is cursed and shunned, but eventually proves her worth by going on an epic quest to save her sister and kill the evil witch.

I liked that this was a standalone, though I would have loved to see Channi on adventure with The Dragon. I liked this type of enemies to lovers, though it goes more platonic and there is no real romance in this book. I like that the main love is about family, and sister bond. I loved Ukar! I need one in my life.

What bothered me just a tad bit was the end. It was sad. Though I can see why the kind of ending was chosen, I wanted for a happier one. But I understand, not every story is a fairytale.

Thank you so much to the publisher and TBR and Beyond Tours for providing me a copy of the book for review. All opinions are my own. 4.5 rounded down.

Delightful book. A little bittersweet, a little sad. Everything I’ve read by this author has been excellent. I’d be hard pressed to pick a favorite. I think you could read this prequel either before or after the Six Crimson Crane books and enjoy it equally well either way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

WOW! When I say get ready to have feelings I absolutely mean it. This book totally ripped my heart out and stomped on it, and kind of put it back together at the end? I finished it yesterday and I still haven’t recovered.

Elizabeth Lim crafted such a beautiful and compelling world with her Six Crimson Cranes duology, and the more information we received about this character, the more I wanted to know about her! I won’t spoil that series just in case anyone is reading this book first.

Channi and Vanna, what a beautiful example of strength and sisterly love. They went through so much pain and heartbreak, but that unwavering love and support shined through until the end and seriously I AM STILL TEARING UP THINKING ABOUT THIS BOOK!

Read this is you live for books that give you big big endless feelings, magic, family, incredible friendships, and complex characters.

I’m not sure if I would say this is a happy ending, but it’s not all sad, either!

Note: I received an Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for this review.

All in all, I thought this book was great.

This new release by Elizabeth Lim is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes series, and is a fantasy YA based in a world beautifully inspired by Asian myth and folklore. We follow Channi, a young girl who was cursed with a snake face who is trying to protect her younger sister Vanna, who is a beauty without compare. Its a beautiful story about sisterhood, personal triumph, and finding your own strength.

The book read for me very quickly, which I appreciate immensely. It helps me get fully immersed into the story and appreciate it in an organically raw readthrough.

I’m tragically believing I am aging out of YA - I liked the story but it wasn’t my favorite. Its definitely centered around a younger protagonist who represented a more adolescent worldview, and I didn’t personally feel drawn to it (I am almost 30, after all). I would still say Channi’s character is super well rounded and developed, and by no means is a poorly constructed lead. Its just a personal preference in this case.

In particular, I really loved the sisterly bond in this story - I am an older sister myself so I could really understand the unconditional love Channi has for Vanna.

The plot itself is pretty standard - its an adventure based story with consistent ups and downs. My one critique is that the plot seemed to include a few too many ups and it seemed a bit redundant after awhile. It could easily be split into two books.

The last note is that the book was not really advertised as a prequel, and it wasn’t until I looked at Goodreads that I noticed that. While you dont need to read the other books to enjoy this, I would’ve appreciated the heads up.

In summary: great YA fantasy with exciting worldbuilding and interesting characters. Would recommend for a YA reader looking for something new.

Her Radiant Curse is available today wherever books are sold!

If you love YA fantasy with Asian mythology vibes, a strong sister bond and a sprinkle of romance then I recommend picking up this book!

I absolutely love following Channari’s story, her story got me hooked right from the beginning making it almost impossible to put down. Plus it comes with an dazzling world building and loveable characters.

I love and admire Channari’s character. She may not be the ‘golden one’ but she definitely has a heart of gold. It was shown with how much she loves her sister and how far she’s willing to fight for her.

My heart breaks reading how the people treated her because of her appearance, even her parents. Fortunately, she has the snakes as her family and best friends to get her through all the judgement and resentment she got.
(special thanks to Ukar who always bicker with Channari and liven up the story!)

Overall, this is a well written prequel. It was heart-warming and also heart-breaking at the same time, I got teared up near the ending.
I highly recommend reading this one and I’m really looking forward to read what the author’s has in store next!

Her Radiant Curse is a standalone and a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes duology.
In my opinion, you can read it just fine without reading Six Crimson Cranes first. But if you’ve read it, this book is a story of Raikama – Shiori’s stepmother.

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!

A brilliant new story, If Channi is the bad guy, no she isnt, she actually cant be wrong and I am sorry about that. The cast of characters were fun and vibrant, the book helps flesh out the world even more.

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

a solid 4.5/5, i really really liked this!! i think i'm officially an elizabeth lim stan - i also really liked spin the dawn and six crimson cranes by her. her storytelling and worldbuilding are expressive and so beautiful to read. i especially love the way she writes about family, which are heavy themes in all of her books it seems.

this book is a prequel to six crimson cranes but could be read as a stand-alone. however, i highly recommend you read at least six crimson cranes (either the first book or both books), and even spin the dawn, to be able to really appreciate channi's character and her epic backstory in her radiant curse. i didn't realize that spin the dawn + six crimson cranes were all set in the same universe/world!

going into this, i already knew that channi dies in six crimson cranes, so i knew this book would ruin me. and it did! but in the best way possible. this story is essentially a love story between the 2 sisters, channi and vanna, one who is cursed to look like a monster, and one who is blessed with light and beauty. in the summary blurb, there is a mention of romance between 2 fated enemies, but the romance in this novel is quite subtle and doesn't have much development - that isn't to say that the romance wasn't appreciated! i really liked the dynamic between hokzuh and channi, and how their mistrust turned into allyship into friendship into romance, and then into betrayal.

at times, the bloodlust/revenge stemming from channi's overprotectiveness for vanna was a bit much, but i guess given the way channi is treated by her father/stepmother and the rest of the village, it's understandable that she needs to be so aggressive, not only to protect vanna, but also to protect herself.

there were moments that somewhat reference six crimson cranes, but the best callback was in chapter 39, which was a direct parallel to the chapter in six crimson cranes where channi dies and shiori is holding her in her last moments. it was so heartbreaking to read :(( i did end up rereading some portions of six crimson cranes after finishing her radiant curse.

overall, i would highly recommend her radiant curse if you've already read six crimson cranes and want to learn more about channi, shiori's stepmother, or if you want a heartwrenching, epic journey about love between 2 sisters with dragons, snakes, magic, demons, and a strong female protagonist that you are always rooting for.

thank you netgalley for the arc!

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my top reads of the year when it came out, and this book definitely exceeded my expectations. As always, Lim crafts compelling multi-faceted characters and a well-drawn plot that keeps the reader turning the pages long into the night. This was an absolute joy to read, and I can’t wait to add it to my bookshelf.

I've enjoyed all of Elizabeth Lim's work I've read so far, and Her Radiant Curse is no exception! She creates such lush worlds, strong characters, and engaging storylines. Her Radiant Curse is a prequel novel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, and it is really interesting to see one of the characters of that series come to life in a totally different way.

Her Radiant Curse is an Asian folklore inspired tale of two sisters - one blessed, one cursed - and the lengths they would go to to keep the other safe. I liked that the sisters were the relationship at the true heart of this story. There are some surprising twists and turns along the way, and this definitely didn't end the way I thought it would.

Recommended if you like YA folklore inspired fantasy!

Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for an advanced copy for review. All opinions are my own.

Oh my god. I just... this book was something else entirely. I don't know what I was expecting, but the ending took me completely by surprise. To the point that I actually had to take a break from reading the arc to understand what just happened. But I absolutely adored this book and the characters we saw in here.

The sisterly relationship between Vanna and Channi was so sweet and pure that I couldn't help but feel for them and their situation. We rarely get a good sibling relationship in YA, so the fact that theirs was at the forefront really meant something. I loved the character growth that our main character went through and the fact that she could talk to snakes?? Get outta here, I love that.

I want to thank penguin random house for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are entirely my own.

I think a prequel novel can be quite a difficult proposition—how to write something exciting, engaging, and surprising around a story we already know the ending of? This prequel to Six Crimson Cranes manages! Although, knowing the ending, every interesting bit just reinforced how repeatedly very sad I was for absolutely everybody.

Her Radient Curse is an Asian folklore inspired tale by Elizabeth Lim. I was pleasantly surprised by this novel! It's my first Elizabeth Lim work but I was very excited to read it after hearing great things about the author and I was not disappointed!

The main relationship in this novel was the sisterly bond between Channi and Vanna. I liked that this relationship was at the forefront of the story and I enjoyed reading about the two of them!

I thought the plot of this book was really unique and I really liked the fantasy element with tigers, snakes and dragons. I thought it was really interesting how Channi had been branded and how that affected her, those around her and the novel.

I do have to say I was shocked at some of the twists this novel took! A few things happened that I never would have expected. It was definitely a ride at times!

Overall I'd recommend Her Radiant Curse to anyone who wants to read a lush Asian folklore-inspired tale about the bond between two sisters.

Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours and the publisher for an eARC of this novel. All thoughts and opinions contained within this review are my own.

this book follows two sisters, one beautiful and the other monstrous, who must fight to save each other after a betrothal contest gone wrong. but they quickly realize that one sister must fall for the other to rise.

i‘ve loved all of elizabeth lim’s books so far, so i was super excited to read this one, which is a prequel to the six crimson cranes duology! i do think this could be read as a standalone, but i’d recommend reading lim’s other books too just because i love them :)

i loved that this one had a pretty big emphasis on sisterhood. channi and vanna’s relationship was so interesting to read about. i liked how they faced some things together and some things apart, but with the other in mind.

i highly recommend this book!