The first thing that drew me in to this book was the beautiful cover and Elizabeth Lim’s name on it. She always manages to have the most beautiful covers, as with her previous books, and I was so pleased to read this and see the content was just as great. I love retellings of fairytales like this, and the world building was really captivating and made it even more enjoyable to read. I also really enjoyed the arranged marriage trope with a soft prince, and the family dynamics of siblings who would do anything for each other.

There is no question about Elizabeth Lim being a master of retellings and Six Crimson Cranes only proves it further.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved H. C. Andersen’s The Wild Swans fairy tale about a princess who rescues her 11 brothers from the curse which turns them into swans every day from dusk till dawn. So, it’s an understatement to say that I was thrilled when I first heard that Elizabeth Lim was working on a story with a similar plot. There are a lot of different folk tales which tells a similar story about a young girl who’s brothers are turned into birds, the Grimm brother’s The Six Swans being one of the most recognized ones. However, I had yet to come across a young adult version of the story, or one set in an East-Asian inspired world for that matter, until I got my hands on Six Crimson Cranes.

Once again Elizabeth Lim has managed to write an absolutely remarkable book which completely encompasses everything I loved about the story as young, while at the same time bringing the story back in a completely new rendition. There’s action, a strong female mc, magic, evil forces and a terrific romance sub-plot, all told in the illustrative, vivid and poetical way of an old folk tale - without ever feeling outdated.

It was nothing but pure joy to read Six Crimson Cranes and I loved every single minute of it. Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lim's The Blood of Stars duology, I must say that I found Six Crimson Cranes to be even better and I’m already looking forward to see what more books Elizabeth Lim has in mind for the future.

If you haven't added Six Crimson Cranes to your tbr-list yet - now is the time to do it because trust me, this is a book you 'll want to read!

***I received an ARC of Six Crimson Cranes through NetGalley (thank you Hodder&Stoughton) in exchange for an honest review.***

Six Crimson Cranes is a magical story from start to finish. The execution was perfect from the moment we meet Shiori to the very last page. Lim has built a world that feels like a true fairytale and the East Asian mythology that's weaved into this story is nothing short of breathtaking.

Princess Shiori of Kiata has magic in a kingdom where magic is forbidden. One day she makes the mistake of snooping on her stepmother Raikama, who has many secrets of her own, including the fact that she has magic of her own. Raikama curses and banishes Shiori as well as turning her brothers into cranes. Shiori embarks on a quest to undo the curse, get back to her kingdom, and get to the bottom of Raikama's motives. The hurdles that Shiori faces along the way makes this story absolutely unputdownable.

Some YA fantasy books suffer from lag in the middle of the story with not much happening until the very end, however, you do not have to dread that here! It was packed with action and twists all the way through. You can expect dragons and an epic quest! It also has some of my favourite tropes including an arranged marriage. There is also a ridiculously sweet romance that had no business stealing my heart so unexpectedly! The love interest is incorporated into the story in such a flawless way that it felt organic and I loved watching the romance blossom. I wish all romance storylines could be executed this well.

One of my favourite characters from the book was Shiori's enchanted paper bird Kiki, who is her cheerleader throughout. This paper bird was so funny and a scene-stealer at times. The family dynamics between Shiori and her brothers was also everything that I could want! I loved getting to know each brother and following how the siblings become closer over the course of the story.

Another aspect of the book I loved was how amazingly it describes food. This is a recurring theme throughout the book and it made me so hungry. It really added to the immersive feel of the book and I was lost in the taste of Asian food through the pages.

Six Crimson Cranes is now one of my favorite YA fantasies of all time. If you want a YA fantasy story that is a fairytale retelling but feels so unique and unlike anything you've ever read before then you NEED this book. I also have no doubt that the sequel will be another wild adventure because of where this book leaves off. I will also not shut up about this book until all my bookish friends have read it!

This was beautiful in all sense of the word. Full of vivid colours, rich in culture and bursting with magic, it really lived up to my expectations.

Shiori, the only princess and youngest of her 6 siblings, was a resilient and brilliant protagonist to follow and the family dynamic was explored wonderfully. The romance was very sweet and Shiori's friendship with her paper crane was full of love and fun.

The plot was beautifully (I'm running out of words with as much impact as this) woven with quests, secrets, adventures, betrayals and plenty of high stake situations.

It spanned even further than its lore and magic (which were 10/10 already) to explore motherhood, family, faith, perseverance and love. Truely a book that I will be reccomending for a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an advanced reader copy.

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the review copy, which was provided to me by the publisher. This fact does not in any way affect my personal opinion on this book. This post contains advertising and the rights for the book belong to the publisher.

Of course, is this only my personal opinion on the book and just because I give this rating to the book doesn’t mean, that everyone will have that opinion.

The writing style was nice and fast to read, as I expected it to be. I was already familiar with the world, so I didn’t have trouble finding my way into the story.
I liked the characters and how they changed throughout the story. Personally, I haven’t read the original fairytale, but I think I will pick it up after reading this book.
But something was still missing for me and sometimes I had a few problems with the main protagonist.
The ending was different from what you can normally find in the YA genre (IMO) and I was happy about it. I am excited to read the second book.

Conclusion
Another nice YA fantasy book from Elizabeth Lim

I give 4 from 5 Stars

Oh wow. What a tale. I went into this knowing absolutely nothing of what this book was about. I’d simply heard that Elizabeth Lim wrote beautiful books. And what a beautiful book it was. Although it felt like a slightly slow start, Elizabeth Lim has a very beautiful style of writing that felt very fairytale-like and whimsical. It took me a little while to really begin to love the characters but Shiori and Seryu were my personal favourites!! Their characters were so well written, although I do wish we saw more of Seryu and his connection with Shiori! I also loved Takkan!! I thought the ambiguity that was build around him before we finally meet him and see him as such a kind, warm person was so endearing to see, especially as we watch him fall for Shiori and vice versa in such a genuine heartwarming manner! I loved that… although I was also rooting for her and Seryu??
- I also went into this book thinking that it would be a standalone but the ending has me thinking it’s the beginning of a series? Possibly? I’m not too sure but if so, I’ll be very excited for the sequel! Anyways this was such a beautifully crafted book and story, I loved it and thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read it before it’s release!

A really beautiful retelling of the wild swans fairytale. This was a really fresh YA book to read and was beautifully executed.

I liked seeing Shiori (main protaganist) mature from a naive (and occasionally petulant) girl to a much more mature and thoughtful adult. And although thetr's a hint of romance it does so in a way that's natural and sweet; and seems to have steer cleered of any love triangle tropes.

I'm so glad this out Elizabeth Lim on the radar for me and I can't wait to read her other books- I certainly can't wait for this sequel.

Princess Shiori, our main character, has a secret - she possesses forbidden magic that she tries her best to hide, but on the morning of her betrothal she loses control and captures the attention of her stepmother, who then banishes the princess in such a way that she can never speak of her ordeal, she can never speak at all or her brothers, who the sorceress stepmother has turned into cranes, will die.

Shiori needs to figure out who she can trust but in a world of curses and conspiracies is there anyone who can help her?
As much as I complain about how many of them there are, I do love a retelling. As far as I can recall I’ve never read a retelling of the six swans so this felt really fresh to me. I know the story well enough to have picked up on some of the references but I wouldn’t say I’m hugely familiar with all of the beats so those who have a better working knowledge of the story might pick up more. But I liked the general plot trajectory of this book, and I was definitely surprised by the various places this story went, a lot more happened than I was anticipating and I very much approved.
One of the things that really sells this story is that it isn’t afraid to turn fairytale tropes on their head. I find it particularly impressive in this book because it manages to do that without feeling like the author is yelling ‘look how impressive I am’ at you. It’s subtle differences in character and tropes that make the book more interesting and more compelling than your average retelling.
This world is fascinating and, much like her previous books, Lim does not skimp on the details. We get to see the clothes Shiori wears, we get intricate descriptions of landscapes and people and food and festivities. It’s all incredibly rich and vibrant and fully transports you into that world.
I mentioned that the story goes to some different places than I would have expected and I think having those expectations of where the beginning, middle and end of the story would be meant that the pacing initially felt a little bit off. I suspect going back into it now it would feel quite different, but this might be something to bear in mind if you’re planning on reading this.
I wasn’t sure what I would get from this book but in the end I found it to be a lovely YA fantasy retelling that did some things I wouldn’t have anticipated alongside capturing a lot of the things that I love about this particular kind of book. I would definitely recommend it to those looking for retellings of lesser-known fairytales.
My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim is one of my anticipated release of the year and it did not disappoint.
TW/CW: physical abuse, kidnapping
What can you expect :

* A lush retelling of The Six Swans fairytale
* East Asian rep on point
* Shiori – the female protagonist who is spoilt, judgmental (basically a flawed princess) but has an amazing character arc
* Forbidden magic
* A kickass side character who has no filter
* Sibling bond that forms the basis of the story
* Twists from the original fairytale that make the story so much more better
* Monsters and snakes lurking around
* And did I say, dragons?
*not summarizing the plot here *
Incase you are not convinced yet, If you have already read Spin the Dawn duology (I haven’t) I’m told there are recurring characters from there in this book, so a lot of Easter eggs to look out for..
If you are looking for a change from reading about faes and or fantasy royal families based on the west, or want to read something oriental AND YA, this book is for you.

Slight spoiler : There’s a curse in the book and I was acting up like I was the one inflicted with it and didn’t utter a word for hours while finishing the book. But truth be told, one part of the curse made no sense to me, as to whether the bowl on the head can allow others from seeing Shiori’s eyes, whether she can see them or not.

Elizabeth Lim surely has a way with words and I’m pissed at myself for not yet picking up her debut duology. I’m really really looking forward to this sequel. I want more of a certain Dragon in book two !

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an eARC!!
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Do watch out for this amazing book that releases on July 8th 2021!!!

I absolutely adored the story and characters in Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim. It had strong fairytale vibes with dragons, magic, enchanted paper cranes, curses. One of my favourite relationships in this story was that of Princess Shiori and her stepmother Raikama. Their love hate relationship is not one we come across often. It was refreshing. I poured through the book in a matter of hours as the writing was easy and engaging. I did wish to see more of the world and character growth but it was a well written fantasy that would make you crave for more. I would definitely recommend this story if you like
Dragons + arrange marriage trope + curses
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with the arc in exchange for an honest review

The Six Swans is a Grimm's fairy tale that I've hardly seen around - in fact, in the near 20 years I've been reading, I can think of only one other time I've seen this story retold. It makes it feel very new and unique, and hard to predict what's going to happen next. Plus the story has a nice twist on the roles and motivations for the various antagonistic forces arrayed against Shiori.

While this new series is not a continuation of Elizabeth Lim's <em>The Blood of Stars</em> duology, I believe it is set within the same world, just in another part of it. You don't need to have read that previous duology to read this book, but if you do, the world does feel richer as some of the world building elements have been explored in great depth before. Plus, it makes reading this book feel very warm and welcoming and familiar, as a lot of the internal mythology and magic carries over.

Naturally, you have the same lovely prose here that paint a vast array of different landscapes and situations. The snow-swept mountains, a small village, castles and palaces, a sacred lake that's calm and deadly. The magic also carries a large toll, vicious and stinging, but without resorting to the blood-magic-self-harm that's been so in vogue these last few years. Instead, it's alluring and dangerous, and the way the colours are used with the nettles was a lot of fun.

Shiori spends the first half of the book being swept around by other people's choices, rather than forging the path herself. Most of what happens is a consequence of her stumbling into the right or wrong people. It does make her feel like someone bobbing along with the flow, a spectator rather than a main character at times.

Another year until the next book! Yes, it's a satisfying ending with the main story all wrapped up and the start of a new one seeded in, so it's not as cruel as a cliff-hanger, but still.

"Six Crimson Cranes" has an interesting premise and I liked the overall plot, but the novel failed to impress me.

Kiki just really got on my nerves and Shiori's ability to communicate without actually speaking was so overpowered that she might as well have kept talking the whole time. The relationships between her and her brothers remained rather superficial.

The novel's ending also didn't really work for me.

The story of the wild swans is one of my favorite, so when i heard about this book i knew i had to read it. I'm not a fat of retelling, but the asian setting won me over. the story still follows the original fairytale, but the tweaks that the author used are what makes this book interesting. The romance wasn't really my style, for once I did not care about the love interest and their relationship, while sweet, is not really my favorite one. I'm more interested in the relationship between the protagonist and the brothers, the magic system and the role of the dragons in this magical world. Also, I absolutely adored the plot twist at the end.

SIX CRIMSON CRANES was undoubtedly one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and now it’s one of my favorites of the year. I love retellings, especially those of stories I’m not well-versed in, as is the case of the Grimm brother’s The Six Swans. Add the East-Asian inspired setting and Elizabeth Lim’s writing, which I’ve come to love since reading her Blood of Stars duology a few years back, and you have a winner.

Lim’s magical storytelling is like the heartwarming feeling you get watching a timeless Disney movie while wrapped up in a cozy blanket, sweeping me away into this magical story and enrapturing me with its characters. Shiori was a delightful protagonist to follow. Her quirky personality and big heart made her fun and relatable. I especially loved her curiosity and her unflinching loyalty and love for her brothers, which is something that hit home given my very close relationship to my own siblings.

As delightful as Shiori was, this adventure wouldn’t have been as entertaining without an incredible cast of supporting characters. From our villain, Raikama, to the brothers, to Shiori’s friends, every character had something to add to the story. I never thought I’d someday add a paper crane to my list of favorite sidekicks, but now my sassy Kiki exists and it’s inevitable to fall in love with her. I did, however, expect to fall in love with the love interest. Knowing how well Elizabeth Lim wove the relationship with Edan and Maia in Spin the Dawn, I was ready to ship. And I did. Twice. That’s about as much as I will say because I don’t want to spoil, but I just love how obsessed I am with everyone in this book.

The story’s pacing was very balanced, with a good blend of heart-stopping adventure and tender sweetness. It had some slower moments in the middle, but they added context to the world, layered new characters we met along the way and fleshed out pre-existing relationships we saw in the first part of the book. Exciting discoveries and twists were peppered throughout the entire novel, including a little cross-over that will surely make fans of Lim’s previous works very intrigued. I definitely am, and I cannot wait to see what else is in store for this delightful story after that ending!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, for sending me an e-ARC through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

“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.”


After recently reading and enjoying Elizabeth Lim's Blood of Stars duology of course I was adding this one to my TBR and just look at that cover too .. blooming gorgeous!!

I throughly enjoyed this one, even more so than the duo mentioned above! Elizabeth Lim's writing is just so beautiful and lyrical .. the world she has created so enchanting .. every book I pick up sucks me in immediately.

Six crimson cranes felt like I was reading a fairytale and just put me in the best mood whilst reading it .. full of magic, curses, folklore, legends, story tales, mythological creatures, lovable characters and heartwarming themes!
I also once again enjoyed the cute romance!! Honestly, this book is just like watching a cute disney film!

A magical and enchanting YA fantasy read! Highly recommend.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton for an eARC of this one through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Elizabeth Lim is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors! I loved her first duology blood of the stars, and six crimson cranes keeps up with the tale like storytelling.
Shiori, is the princess of Kiata, with a secret talent for magic, which is forbidden in her kingdom, and with six prince brothers. In the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori, which is not really happy with the betrothal, end up in the sacred lake and meets a dragon. Shiori develops a friendship with the Dragon prince, and begins to train her forbidden magic. But soon things turn for the worst, and Shiori finds out that her stepmother, Raikama is also a sorcerer, and she curses her and her brothers! And so begins Shiori adventure to break the curse and save herself, her brothers and the Kingdom.
I loved the world, but it was the same as the duology so I already knew, it was interesting to see some connections, and am super interested to see further more. Loved the Characters, also loved Takkan (he appears latter in the story). The Plot twists were pretty good, and interested to see where the second one will take us!

I can proudly declare I’ve found one of my favourite reads of 2021, if not my absolute favourite! I adored this book and cannot sing its praises highly enough.

Six Crimson Cranes is a full bodied tale with an enchanting mystery, lovable characters, multiple antagonists and truly wonderful world building. I was completely swept up and away until the very end, and even then, the temptation to start all over again was remarkable.

The world building was flawless and incredibly immersive. From dragons and demons, to curses and sorcery, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to discover more and seize the feeling of magic-made-real that this tale evoked. Lim weaves everything in such vivid and lyrical yet comforting prose, which I found similar to Laini Taylor’s style. I truly felt like I journeyed across the land of Kiata to each provenance ventured. It was such a joy to envision wintry landscapes, beautiful gardens, and the lively celebrations and finery worn, then a furious dragon giving chase across the sea. All of this coupled with the burning questions of how Shiori and her brothers were going to break their curses, and what their stepmother was up to, made this unputdownable.

The characters were fun and so easy to love, and equally so, teeth grindingly loathsome where appropriate. We essentially follow Shiori’s fall from grace, where she’s the only girl of her siblings, and subsequently the only princess, and as a result, had a privileged and beloved upbringing. This turns on its head when people no longer know who she is and she has to survive like anyone else. It was rough to see her brought so low, at times it felt too much by how grim it all felt, but Lim pulled it back before it became too off putting. I loved that Shiori never entirely surrendered her gentle nature and kindness in spite of everything she faced.

Alongside Shiori, we have her sidekick, Kiki, an enchanted paperbird, who was supportive, humorous and courageous. Gosh how I loved Kiki.
Then there’s Seryu, a charmingly cheeky water dragon. His character so reminded me of Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy but more energetic. I was actually a little disappointed by how small of an appearance he made as he was so interesting, but it’s clear he’s going to play a larger role in future sequels. On the point of little appearance, this was the same for Shiori’s brothers, as they spend the majority of the book separated from Shiori as cranes.

The romance! Six Crimson Cranes has a friends to budding romance set up, that was so sweet and pure, I’ll be distraught if Shiori and Takkan aren’t together and married by the sequel’s end.

Oh my gosh how badly do I want the sequel now! The book ends with enough questions answered to leave you satisfied, all the while laying the foundation of the next chapter in this world. In other words, there aren’t any large unresolved questions, but there’s enough crumbs to make you curious for more.

All in all Six Crimson Cranes was charming and unadulterated escapism that provided much appreciated respite from the wider world, partly from the wondrous world illustrated and partly from how delightful Lim’s writing was. It’s took a piece of my heart as one of the best YA fantasies of its kind. I’ll happily reread this again and genuinely can’t wait for others to experience this beauty of a book. I have a feeling people who enjoyed Raya and the Last Dragon will enjoy this too. I’ve preordered my signed copy!

Thank you kindly to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard amazing things about Lim's writing, despite never having never read any of Lim's work before, I was so excited to sink my teeth into Six Crimson Crane. And I can tell you now, I for sure wasn't disappointed! I'm still reeling from this book, so this review may be slightly incoherent.

Spoilt Princess Shiori'anma has magic, but she's always been told that magic is dangerous. When Shiori discovers her stepmother dark secret, her stepmother curses her to never speak again, for every sound that Shiori makes one of her six brothers will die. Oh, and the cherry on top? Her brothers also got cursed and were turned into cranes. Shiori, now cursed and magicless, is forced to find a way to break her and her brother's curse.

Six Crimson Cranes is a stunning East-Asian inspired fairytale, and it sure does feel like Lim has woven magic into each sentence, pulling the reader into this beautiful, whimsical world. The story is well-paced with fantastic twists and turns, and all the characters are so wonderfully woven into the story. The character development of Shiori'anma is *chefs kiss* and the slow-burn romance between her and our cinnamon roll love interest 😭😭😭 Takkan has my heart, truly.

If you like;
- East Asian inspired settings
- Fairytale Magic ✨
- Cinnamon Roll love interest 🥺
- Slow burn romance 🔥
- A Sassy paper crane sidekick
- Fun family relationships!
- DRAGONS!!!
- Food descriptions that'll leave you yearning for a recipe book
- A cliffhanger of an ending
this will be the perfect read for you.

5/5 Stars for this gorgeous book

P.S. I would like the second book now pretty please 💖
Update: P.P.S. I saw another review saying that this would be good for fans of Disney and Ghibli, like yeah 100% hard agree on that one.

TL;DR Recommendation:

Favourite. This book has worked its way up onto one of my favourites of the year. A mind-blowing fairytale that will swoop you into its magical world on origami wings.

THIS IS A GOOD FUCKING BOOK AND YOU SHOULD READ IT.
I’ve sat here for about an hour trying to figure out how to put my love for this book into words and I think that smashes it tbh. It’s rare that I devour such a long book in a few days and if you chose to dip your toes into this magical world, this is what you’re in for:

✨ A re-telling of a Grimms fairy tale
✨ One princess hell-bent on avoiding being married off to some brute in the north
✨ One corrupt stepmother (obvs) that banishes her and her six brothers away from their home
✨ One exquisite story about them finding each other again

Shiori is 16 and much like any 16-year-olds who happen to be the youngest of 7 siblings, she’s a fan of breaking the rules and causing chaos – princess or not. We’d absolutely be pals.

Shiori also happens to be the only daughter of the Emperor of Kiata and is very much used as a bargaining chip to build alliances with other cities. We swoop into her world on the day of her betrothal ceremony and between the option of her entire kingdom finding out she can wield magic via a fluttering origami bird (heeeyy Kiki, you cutie) or running, Shiori chooses to jump into the lake. Perfectly natural reaction if you ask me.

After being rescued from drowning by a dragon called Seryu, she’s in the dog house with her dad. Relationships are ruined, alliances are in tatters and reputations have been shat on. The punishment? Embroider a giant-ass tapestry by hand under the watchful eye of her stepmother who catches every little mishap.

Not content with learning her lesson, Shiori’s curiosity gets her in trouble again except this time it’s a little more serious and in the form of a corrupt, dark magic-wielding stepmother. Scrambling to tell her brothers, Evil Stepmother quickly throws two pretty mean curses across all seven of them. For her beloved brothers, they’re turned in cranes. For Shiori, she cast away from her home, with a warning to never utter a word to anyone – every time she speaks, one of her much loved brothers will die.

Exiled from her home, without a coin to her name and an origami bird as her only pal, Shiori needs to find her way home and break the curse that looms over them.

This is a fast book. Everything comes at you within the first 100 pages and it can absolutely be overwhelming BUT holy shit am I here for that. Throw everything you can at me, keep me wanting more and I’ll absolutely be your biggest advocate.

The world-building is captivating, the characters will warm you to the core (even the shite ones) and I’m so unbelievably excited to see what happens to this magical little nugget. Honestly do yourself a favour and read it. My ramblings do not do it justice.

Shiori is becoming the princess she was raised to be. She detests her lessons, the mindless activities she is set, and the distance forming between herself and her brothers, as they grow up and venture off into the world. Everything about her life, both the good and the bad, is soon put at peril when she unwittingly makes a discovery. It puts her entire family's lives at risk and sees her banished from her palace home and forced to live as a nameless, faceless, and voiceless outcast, instead of the adored princess she once was.

The actual events and characters that featured throughout this book remained of interest but something about them both still kept me at a distance. I can't accurately describe just what it was about this book that halted me from ever becoming fully invested or intrigued. I remained interested enough to continue, but never eager to pick the book back up again each time I set it aside. Perhaps it was knowledge of the original tale or perhaps that it was a case of bad timing, as I read this in-between adult high fantasy books and this read like it was aimed towards the younger end of the YA audience. Neither of these is, of course, the book's fault and I'm sure it will have a vast number of happy readers, if the rest of the early reviews are anything to go by.