An impeccably woven story of experience, personality, and culture. The settings depicted in the book, the characters and the narrrative were simply lavish.

This is the first book I've read by Elizabeth Lim and I absolutely loved it! I wasn't sure at first as it felt a bit slow but that only ended up helping to set the scene and build on the characters. The ending was so so good and set up perfectly for book 2. In the meantime I can't wait to go back and read Elizabeth Lim's other works.

I’d like to thank the publishers and netgalley for an eARC in exchange of an honest review.

As soon as I read the part in unravel the dusk when they speak about Shiori I realised that this must be the story they spoke about. So I was really excited to realise it was indeed the case. It was then even better to read this ‘legend’ from their story which was indeed true and he had witnessed some of.

The story starts off really well though it does a poor job of differentiating Shiori’s brothers, that’s not surprising. There’s a lot of brothers and they’re not on screen very much. I don’t know exactly where the inspiration comes from but it reminds me of a fairytale I knew growing up. I don’t know if this is a retelling reimagined within an Asian setting or if the original story was a Chinese fairytale and it was repurposed and that’s the version I knew. Either way it’s easy enough to recognise the underlying story if you’ve ever read some of the maybe ‘less commercial’ fairytales. We know I love fairytales.

So the hook of the book is mainly Shiori and her magic. We don’t need to know the brothers because they’re honestly more like set dressings and that fits a fairytale. We know they care about her and she cares about them and that’s all we need to know.

Anyway so Shiori has magic and she’s trying to keep it hidden. She’s also avoiding her betrothal to a warlords son and being pretty rude. She’s the emperors daughter and so she hopes she won’t be sent away. She meets a dragon and he begins teaching her how to use her magic. I really loved the inclusion of accurate Chinese dragons. In Chinese mythology dragons are water beings and not fire. So it’s a lovely thing to see.

Either way, as with Kim’s other work the world building and politics of various countries feels very fresh and real. I can believe it all and there’s logic to things that are happening. It’s not boring though like some fantasy can get bogged down in the politics stuff.

Generally this is a very fast paced book. I did flag a little around the middle when they go to a mountain but that section was over fairly quickly and worth pushing through after. I almost dnfd but I liked the first half enough to carry on and I was glad I had. The friendships and relationships that are key are well fleshed out. There’s a good amount of symbolism and foreshadowing that bares fruit for us too. I’m very pleased there will be a second book in this duology and since 3/3 of the Lim books I’ve read have been bangers, I’m excited for the fourth!

(4.95/5) One of my favourite reads of 2021! This is one of those special books where even just the memory of reading it makes me smile, because I had such a good time. (I mean, I did cry as well, but generally speaking it was just incredibly enjoyable.)

Six Crimson Cranes’ is super bingeable, and so many people who I buddy read this with went way ahead of schedule because they couldn’t help themselves – me included! I was so ridiculously busy in September (moving house…utter nightmare…) that I was genuinely concerned I’d fall behind, and I ended up actually finishing before schedule too. I think this is partly because Lim’s writing style is really easy to read – it manages to be both simple yet very vivid and illustrative, and the clear, honest, directness of the prose was the perfect balm to my near-constant frazzled state.

I loved Shiori’s character arc and narrative voice. (There’s also a brief POV shift near the end that also boasts very strong narrative voice, though I’ll stay silent on who because that would be a spoiler!) On a related note, it was really satisfying to notice the transition from Shiori getting life advice about “[finding] the light that makes [her] lantern shine”, to advice about “[being] the light that makes someone’s lantern shine”. It nicely shows what stage she’s progressed to in her development, and generally I just enjoy phrases that echo each other within a story. Many of the side characters like Kiki, Takkan and Megari were so lovable as well. There’s another character too but as it’d be a spoiler, suffice to say that I really appreciated Lim’s character work in this, at least with major characters. I was literally sobbing! That being said, while the antagonists really surprised me, I did find them slightly two-dimensional and while a couple of them felt genuinely frightening, another seemed almost a caricature villain.

The heart-melting romantic slow-burn here was also my FAVOURITE buildup to realising the love interest’s ‘beauty’ and oh my goodness. Newest OTP. I genuinely adored the romantic aspects; it’s important though not overpowering and surprised me with how realistic it was. (Get to the end and you’ll see what I mean!)

In my opinion, one of Lim’s biggest strengths is how she writes family bonds – they tugged at my heart in her ‘The Blood of Stars’ duology and just the same here. I loved the sibling dynamics between Shiori and her brothers, between Takkan and his little sister Megari, and of course Shiori’s friendship with her animal companion Kiki. (Are any of you always absolutely weak for a good animal companion character?)

I noticed a significant improvement in action scenes since Lim’s ‘The Blood of Stars’ duology – at least for me – as they were clear, impactful and dynamic without confusing me. Of course Shiori herself can get confused in the midst of a melee, but I shouldn’t need to reread the same passage six times, and I was very glad not to here! One thing that did confuse me, however, was how Shiori’s curse was broken. I muddled out a theory with one of my buddy read partners but I’m not sure… While reading I just gave up trying to deduce it and ploughed on!

The ending was excellent and leads very well into Book 2, and I think the conclusion (intermission?) hits harder if you’ve read ‘The Blood of Stars’ duology first. In Book 2 I predict that we’ll see a lot more of a potential competitor in the romance department – I’m usually wary of love triangles, but here I’m quite intrigued, probably because I’m actually quite interested in learning more about this character. I’m so excited for the sequel and can’t wait for the undoubtedly gorgeous cover to be revealed!

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother. Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

The story and atmosphere of this book is great. I enjoyed the way the twists and turns changed the well known story. It also has some nice fairytale vibes, which I whole heartily loved. The magic was mostly explained on the go, you find out things as Shiori is learning. Nothing felt pushed or forced in this story.

The characters were my favourite part. Shiori is great, she has a nice character grow through the story and I enjoyed to see how she changes. Her relationship with her family is very well presented. The way she cares for her brothers and their interactions are so precious. I wish more books had this type of relationship. There are some interesting twists regarding her family as well and I felt very emotional towards the end. Also, we have some romance, but it is slowly developing and I really enjoyed the little details.

I whole heartily recommend this book. I cannot wait for the 2nd volume.

I received an eARC from the publishers through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.

Wow, this was my first book i read from Elizabeth Lim, and I'm blowen away.

1. I'm a sucker for retelling of old stories and where there is given and unknown twist. So this book was up my alley of books. but allso the story "Six crimson cranes" are told from is a story i have heard and seen as a cartoon as a kid alot of time and I loved it, so it was a must to read this book.

2. It's a retelling so you expect one thing but get another, nothing is as it seem. And we get that in this book. I did get the "WHAT!" experience.

3. I cant wait for book two in this series i will deffently be reading it.

So all in all I can recoment this book, if you love retelling and allso love the unexpected in books.

So therefor my 5 star rating, i was very entertained and can't wait for book two

Elizabeth Lim knows how to weave a wonderful tale!

Shiori has forbidden magic, she normally hides it well but on the morning of her betrothal she loses all control and her stepmother, Raikama, discovers her secret! She banishes Shiori and turns each of her six brothers in to cranes, she is warned that she mustn’t talk of it or for every word she speaks.. a brother will die.

Although this is sold as young adult, it does read younger, however Lim is such a good storyteller that you don’t actually mind. The pacing, plot, world building and magic system were all executed beautifully. I loved the characters, their relationships and the twists and turns of this enchanting story. It was just a pleasure to read.
I can’t wait for the next one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.
I really enjoyed Elizabeth Lim's Spin the Dawn, so I’m not sure with I didn’t read this one earlier.
I loved Lim's writing and the whole mythological aspects of the story. The characters were likeable and I couldn’t help but root for Shiori.
The book felt more like a middle grade book rather than a YA book to me though.
Overall I definitely recommend this book and plan to read further books by the author.

Woah.

This book was incredible. The pacing of the plot was perfect and the world building and magic system were so beautifully executed. The characters aligned to their character traits and offered a lot to the plot, which flowed really well. I was so engaged throughout the entire book and I really look forward to finding out what happens next!

I requested the book from netgalley and did not read it in time to leave a meaningful review. I’ve ended up buying the hardcover edition and will leave a proper review when I’m done.

Unfortunately, I really didn't like this one and so I didn't continue. I didn't realize I forgot to write a review.

The book reads way too young for YA and once I remembered the original tale I lost interest in the retelling as nothing was keeping me hooked.

this story is perfect. from cursed beings to familial relationships, my heart was entranced by the consistent plot peaks and enchanted by the magic of love; the fantastical aspects were excellent and the revelations were surprising —every point was emotionally propelling for me. lastly, it made me cry. i truly hope to write a coherent, lengthier review of this book soon but till then, i'm going to dedicate all my time recommending this as one of my absolute favorites.

Elizabeth lim is a go to author for me now. The book is magical in every sense of the word! Our main character is cursed to never speak of her magic or one of her brothers (who were turned into swans) will die! I mean What a premise!!! Loved it and it’s a really fast paced read. Would highly recommend

I fell in love with this world and its characters whilst reading this. It was filled so many great elements that I haven’t seen in many other fantasy books before and it blew me away. I am desperate to read the next book on the series!

Realy thought I'd left a review for this earlier. I've only just managed to get back into my netgalley account so that might be it.

Six Crimson Cranes is an amazing first book: it has all the good vibes. The Wild Swans is one of my favourite fairytales and this was a great retelling.

All the characters were interesting! I particularly liked Seryu and was really hoping for something to happen there (maybe in book 2?) and Her Radiance, the empress consort.

The world was great, who can say no to arranged marriage, dragons and it’s a fairytale retelling of one of my favourites. A high recommend!

Will definitely be reading Elizabeth Lims other work.

I was so, so excited for this story and I am so so happy that it exceeded my expectations. I loved it from start to finish and am now an even bigger fan of Elizabeth Lim’s writing and storytelling than I was to begin with!

This story more than delivers in terms of immaculate world-building with gorgeous mythology, and engaging writing that expertly sets up intriguing legends and strong characters who are worth rooting for. It is a really well-rounded story that lives up to expectations on every front.

Six Crimson Cranes is a lovely addition to the book world by Elizabeth Lim and I decided to give this new series a chance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for allowing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Plot summary:
Shiori, the only princess of Kiata is currently trying to avoid marrying her betrothed, and on the morning of her betrothal ceremony her (very forbidden m,agic) loses control and attracts unwanted attention form her stepmother Raikama.

Raikama banishes the princess and turns her 6 brothers into cranes, warning if she speaks to anyone, every work will kill one of her brothers.

Shiro searches for her brothers, alone and penniless, when she uncovers a conspiracy to take over the throne. She can only trust one person- the boy she very adamantly did not want to marry. Can she save the kinbgdom before it's too late.

Review:
Plot and World Building – This was a really wonderful premise and as i am normally a fan of fantasy fairy tales with Asian backgrounds I decided to give this a shot. The first few chapters felt a bit startling as i was flung right into the story and characters with only a small amount of worldbuilding so it took me a while top get into the story. however once the initial curse had been put onto Shiori and her brothers the story became more fluid and developed a lot better making it much easier to read.

Plot wise it was enjoyable and kept me intrigued. Also arranged marriage trope? enemies (from her side) to lovers trope? SIGN ME UP.

Overall pacing of the story was very fast and it worked well for the plot for the most part, although there were points I felt were slightly rushed/overlooked towards the end of the book.

Characters and Development- Shiori is a character ii had a love hate relationship in the beginning. Her initial introductions come across as entitled and spoiled (as expected), and she slowly developed once the curse was placed upon her to be a much better human overall and it was a beautiful process. But the initial impression made me really struggle to like her.


Takkan was the saving grace of this story. Sweet prince who wants to make the marriage with the princess work? Willing to talk to the peasant girl who can't speak and treat her like an equal? Actually cares for his kingdom, the princess, her brothers and is an amazing brother son himself? swoonworthy and the best part of this book hands down, HIs development and relationship with Shiori was just magnificently done.

The side characters, inc. all the brothers, dad, stepmother, Takkan's family etc. were all well developed. Special mention though to stepmother Raikama who was just fabulously and elegantly developed throughout.


Final Thoughts:
I will be honest and say I was not a fan of the Blood and Stars Duology, but wanted to to give new series a try regardless with a fresh start. This was a considerable improvement for me from my previous experiences as I left the world wanting the sequel. It's fantastical fairy-tale setting and honestly wonderful characters did it for me!

I really enjoyed this, Elizabeth Lim's previous duology was a favourite of mine and this one definitely hit the 5 stars for me. I really enjoy her writing and her characters. I love the world she built in this and really really enjoyed reading it.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Six Crimson Cranes is such a beautiful book, full of magic, mythology and amazing world-building. Elizabeth Lim has this fantastic way of writing that just lures you in and absolutely captivates you. I loved the characters in this book and quickly found myself so invested in Shiori's journey. I think the characters were well developed and I cannot wait to see how their story unfolds in the next book.

I do wish we had seen more of Seryu as I thought his character was so interesting. maybe we'll see more of him and the dragons in the next book?

I definitely recommend reading this book if you love fairytales or Lim's writing!