I love this series SO MUCH. I was so happy to see it continue and to get the step mother's backstory. However, knowing how it all ends has made it so much harder so finish. The writing is so lovely but the story is so sad and slow at the beginning its been very hard to focus and finish.

I think if they're read in story line order and not publish order it'll be better for all.

Channi was cursed as a child for her father's actions. He tried to sacrifice her in order to save his wife after the birth of a shining baby girl, but the being she was sacrificed to wanted the baby, not Channi. So she's grown up with the face of a snake and only snakes as her friends while her dad abuses her and keeps her hidden from those who have started to worship her younger sister. Channi should at least resent Vanna, but she loves her sister with all her heart and would do anything to help her.
I get that the inner glow in Vanna makes everyone fall in love with her, but she's really not much of a character and I never got much of a sense of her character. All she's ever described as or acts on is 'good' and that's honestly boring.
Everything that happens, good and bad, happens because Channi is willing to sacrifice it all for Vanna. Even the very interesting semi-antagonist never gets top billing because it's all about the shining sister with not much of a personality.
So it's an interesting read and there were moments that I was glued to the page, but I really wish that Lim had given the linchpin on whom the entire plot depends more of a personality than just being magically shining and good. Mainly because I really, really liked Channi and felt like she deserved someone better to be inspired by.

A very excited thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for the excellent read!

thank you to netgalley for the advanced reading copy. I really enjoyed this and will be getting copies for my shop.

I loved being back in this world!! The beginning and ending both were fast paced and exciting, though the middle did lag a little for me. I loved the little snake familiar and getting to see this prequel story of the two sisters!!! Definitely recommend to anyone that enjoyed the original duology. It makes me want to go back and reread now that I know the origins.

You *can* read this as the first book, but it might spoil the perception of a certain main character & some of the big reveal in the original duology.

"I was not born a monster."

Channari, alslo known as Channi, was very young when her sister was born with a light in her chest. Unfortunately, her mother lost a lot of blood at her sister, Vanna's birth. Her father then tried to save her mother by sacrificing a child. Vanna's radiance was so powerful that he chose Channi to offer her to Angma, the Demon Witch, who had the image of a tiger. He ran into the jungle and offered his firstborn daugghter instead of the health of his wife to Angma to hopefully save her. But before the tiger arrived, the serpent king poisoned Channi's blood, so she became useless to the Demon, for that Angma cursed the moon-faced girl to never look at her face without feeling pain.

Channi became a monster and the only way she could undo it, was to bring Vanna before Angma on her seventeenth birthday, If not, she would come for them both.

“One sister must fall for the other to rise,”

Channi has the ability to talk to snakes now that the poison is in her blood; only snakes are immune to her poison, as she is to theirs. The snakes call her “Lady Green Snake,” helped raise her while growing up in the forest, and taught her their wisdom, lore, and ways. Channi considers them brothers and sisters and her loyal and closest friend is Ukar.

With green-brown scales on Channari's face, she would always hide in the shadows and behind a mask till no one saw her cursed face, which is more like a snake than a human. Men shriek in terror in her presence and her sister Vanna is the only one who fell in love with her. Because of Vanna's love, Channi swore never to let the Demon Witch take her.

Her Radiant Curse is an individual prequel of Six Crimson Cranes. An Asian fantasy full of red eyes demons, witches, dragon stories, dragon's pearl, and Hokzuh a Dragon Prince whose destiny is tied with the Serpent Queen!

It's a wonderful book filled with magic, despise, revenge, and love that will give you all the feels and the understanding behind Lim's Six Crimson Cranes. While I personally felt like the book took a little bit for me to get into, Once I was at the third chapter, I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended for those who love magic, curses, witches, and all things dragons! 4 out of 5 stars.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton via Netgalley for giving me a chance to read Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim, I have given my honest review.

HER RADIANT CURSE is a YA fantasy book about a girl named Channi, who was cursed with the face of a serpent when she was a child and lives in the shadow of her beautiful younger sister. When her sister is to be married, Channi wants nothing more than to defend her sister from the evils of men as well as monsters. This is a prequel to SIX CRIMSON CRANES. While this book does read like a standalone, it does spoil a reveal that happens in SIX CRIMSON CRANES, so I definitely recommend reading that one first! I also think reading this second makes some of the character development within the book much more powerful. If you read SIX CRIMSON CRANES first, you also know roughly how this one will end, but thanks to Lim’s masterful writing, the end is still incredibly impactful.

Something that I love about HER RADIANT CURSE is how Lim was able to balance beauty and whimsy with darker topics, like a mature fairy tale. This made the writing style and plot completely engrossing without feeling stressful.

My favorite part of this book was the love between the sisters. I liked how the differences between them did not lead to resentment but rather the desire for them to protect each other from the different types of dangers that each would face. It made Channi so easy to root for because you could see how kind her heart was in spite of the way she was treated.

I am looking forward to reading more of Lim's books! Thank you to the publisher for the gifted copy!

I actually requested this book on NetGalley without knowing that it’s a prequel in the “Six Crimson Cranes” series which sadly affected my experience, and not in a positive way.

If I had known this fact prior to reading Her Radiant Curse, I probably would have liked it more. The book can definitely be read as a standalone but it’s much more interesting when you connect the dots.

I loved reading about the relationship between the two sisters, Channari and Vanna, and it was the highlight of the book for me.

The plot wasn’t as immersive as I wanted it to be and it bore me at times. I had to force myself to get through it honestly.

Again, I will only recommend reading this after Six Crimson Cranes because otherwise it’s not really worth the time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

3.75 stars
I have actually enjoyed this book especially with the morally grey characters as well as the adventure and how action packed this book was. I was honestly not expecting how action packed this book would be, but this was such a wonderful surprise because I love action in books! I need to go and read her other books because I know this will be a great one!

𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲—This is a story about two sisters, Channi and Vanna. One is golden one and the other is monster.
⠀
“𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑯𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒕, 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖. 𝑵𝒐𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒎𝒆.”—chapter 31
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𝗔 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿'𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.
It was a captivating prequel that I' ve ever read. I really enjoyed reading Channi and Vanna's story.
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5 reasons why you should read 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲:
1. If you're looking morally grey characters in story, this one for you.
2. Such an adventurous and action-packed story.
3. A perfect standalone that enchanting you 'till the last page.
4. Adorable characters and their interactions are so entertaining.
5. I have mix feelings after reading the book. Maybe I'll re-read Six Crimson Cranes duology.
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If you're looking forward for sister's bonding and magical story, you can try to read 𝗛𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲.

I have a deep connection with the characters, but I don't see any of Elizabeth Lim's glorious writing in this book. 3 stars for the plot.

I already bought the physical book and would review it later after I reread this thoroughly.

I snuck in just in time to get an ARC of this, just days before it was published. I was beyond ecstatic, and though it meant reading this before I got a chance to read Dragon's Promise, I was so glad that I did.

Chanari clearly had secrets and a past before Six Crimson Cranes, and while some were revealed, so many others were left hidden. I'm so glad we were able to see her story, and now there are some characters I'm eager to keep an eye out for when I get back to Dragon's Promise. After I read Crimson Cranes again, of course!

Like I've come to expect from this series and Elizabeth Lim's writing, the mythology and world were above par. The blessings and unexpected results that having part of a dragon's pearl can bring to your life. The bond between siblings. All were handled so very well, and reading this was like a reward each time I got to pick it up again.

When Channi's mother lies dying after the birth of her sister, her father is given an impossible choice. To give up the new baby, the one with the radiant light spilling from her chest, and his wife will live. Instead, her father takes Channi to be sacrificed. But she is not the one Angma wants. Channari's life is saved when the snake god bites her, leaving her blood forever poisoned, but keeping Angma from eating her. Angered, Angma curses her face to represent the snake, and promises that she will return on Vanna's 18th birthday.

Channi has spent her whole life being hated and outcast. No one, not even her family, remembers that she wasn't born cursed. That she was once a regular girl. Not even Vanna, her only friend and the one that Channi would die for. She'll do anything to keep her sister safe, and she's remained ever vigilant for Angma's return.

Things are not as simple as Channi expected them to be. Despite managing to ensure that her sister is bought by a suitor who might one day grow to love her, Channi is soon separated. Now she must not only learn Angma's current identity, but also keep others who might do Vanna harm from finding her, and travel across foreign lands to find her.

Beautifully written, Elizabeth Lim is definitely one of my must-read authors!

Thank you to the publishers through NetGalley for the ARC!

Anything by Elizabeth Lim is an instant read for me. Her Radiant Curse was stunning! From the world building to each and every character the incredible attention to detail was classic Lim and so indulgent.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

This book was absolutely incredible. Elizabeth Lim has such a talent for creation beautiful fantasy books that feel like the perfect mix of a ghibli movie and a fairytale. What aa delight to read, truly.

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim

432 Pages
Publisher: Random House Children’s, Knopf Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 29, 2023

Fiction, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Teens, Young Adult, Prequel, Asian

Channari and Vanna are sisters. When Vanna was born, her father brought Channari into the forest as a sacrifice to Angma, the Demon Witch, to save his wife’s life. The Serpent King tries to protect her from Angma. As a last act, he bites her ankle turning her blood to poison. His last words are to find Hokzuh later in life because he will help her. When her father returns to the forest, he sees Channari is still alive but has been cursed. Vanna grows up and is known as the golden one because her chest glows. Kings and leaders from all the worlds come for her hand and things become heated. Now Channari needs to find out who or what Hokzuh is to protect her sister.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are well developed and it is written in the first person point of view. This is the prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes and explains a lot of the back story. I love the strength of the sisters’ relationship for each other. The book is full of so many emotions. If you like Asian folklore, you will enjoy this one. Once you are finished, make sure you read the next two books.

Elizabeth Lim knows how to spin a fairytale, she stands out as one of my favorite fairytale authors. I loved her writing what I thought was a standalone, and it sort of is! It’s a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes and I really really loved it. There’s not a whole lot I can say in detail that isn’t a spoiler but I will say I loved the sister relationship and Channi in particular so much. More dragon lore, more demons and deceptions! It was an excellent read, I hope Elizabeth Lim does more stand-alone type stories more in the future, I think she really shines in a more contained story. Though, she shines anyway so what do I know!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's/Knopf Books for Young Readers for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I almost forgot how engaging and compelling a storyteller the author is.
Coming into the book as a fan of the series, I wanted to hate Channari (being a fan of the Six of Cranes series - where she is written as one of the morally grey characters that cursed the protagonist), BUT my love for grey/flawed characters won over. This book is "her hero/villain story that gave me a better understanding of why Channari did what she did and made me appreciate this prequel much more than I expected.

Character development was spot-on for Channari. The author fully articulated the difficulty of Channari's life and the choices she faced in trying to save her family, especially her sister. It was impossible not to love Channari in this book! I am ashamed of my previous reaction to reading the sequel since learning Channari's life story, who won me over with her perseverance and resolve to protect those she loves and holds dear. She also empathizes with many other characters in the story, and ultimately, it broke my heart to see how much she had to give up to be where she was in the succeeding books. Channari had to do what she did with the life that was "fated" to her. It was not an easy path, but she dealt it all with grace, dignity, and bravery beyond any characters I encountered. Her determination to rise at impossible moments is beyond comprehension - an admirable trait that would determine her and her sister's lives.

The story's vivid imagery and exciting characters enhanced my reading experience. Every leaf and dragon scale described was I was holding on to that leaf or touching those scales that I could not help but relate to them. The plot to rescue Channari's sister and her family is captivating because these "predicaments" never seem to end! Just when I thought things were looking up, something grave happened, so I stayed put.

Overall, Her Radiant Curse is a fantastic journey with Channari and the wonder of magic. The author's world-building was beautiful and written in great detail, with so much love and emotion that it felt like the author lived through these lands. The story had many spine-tingling twists and non-stop suspense, and the "new developments" made the book an unputdownable page-turner from start to finish. If this doesn't convince you to read this book, let the heart-warming theme of sisterly love bring you to pick up this book!

After her father makes a desperate attempt to save her mother from death, Channi is cursed with a face of scales while her sister is born with radiance and beauty known the world over. Vanna has suitors vying for her hand but all she wants is to be in a safe place so her beloved sister can come with her, when a place is secured Vanna leaves and Channi is tricked right back into the hands of the Demon Witch that cursed her to begin with. “One sister must fall for the other to rise” and Channi will do everything to make sure her baby sister survives.

This was a beautiful prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology and I absolutely loved getting to know the sisters and know their full story since we only get a snippet in the duology that follows! Sooooo good!

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim

This was a beautifully woven story with notes of classic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and more modern YA books too!

It took my favorite story elements and blended them into a richly layered tale of strength, sacrifice, and becoming as we follow Channi on her journey to save her sister Vanna from the clutches of demons and dragons alike.

Channi was a really interesting character in Six Crimson Cranes as the “evil” stepmother and so it was fascinating to take a peek into her back story and see how she became that woman.

My heart broke for Channi as she loses the things she loves time and time again. Her bravery and strength were so moving.

The plot was fast paced and engaging. The dialogue was seamless and the characters were immaculately written.

I really really enjoyed this book! It was an amazing addition to the Six Crimson Cranes series.

Thank you to @elimpix @netgalley for an eARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I really liked Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, so when I saw she had a new book I definitely wanted to check it out. I won't bother repeating the summary as its on the main book page and in countless other reviews. Readers who are already fans of this author will find more to like here. This story features more great sibling relationships, magic, expansive and beautifully-developed world building and an intriguing premise. It was a little slow at times but overall, another good story from Lim.

Channi first makes her appearance in Lim's duology, Six Crimson Cranes. Following in its footsteps, Her Radiant Curse spins a lush tale steeped in beautiful world-building and Asian mythology. I don't think you will have to have read anything else by Lim to enjoy this one. While it is connected to Six Crimson Cranes, it is a prequel and a standalone. Perfect for testing out the waters!

The sisterly love and friendships depicted in this book were so special, the magic system is well-developed, and the action sequences were fun. Channi and Vanna's bond is the main crux of the story, and it was so touching to see how these two girls are willing to do anything for the other, and how their relationship is shaped from childhood into adulthood.

This did not quite get five stars from me because the plot wasn't woven together as tightly as I expected. I absolutely devoured Six Crimson Cranes, even the soft 'fluffier' scenes really added to and developed that story more, and Her Radiant Curse did not quite live up to that. I think the abundance of travel sequences took some of the sense of urgency out of this for me, which is why I have given it four instead of five stars.