Received an Advanced Reader’s Copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Honestly I don’t even read the blurb anymore when Elizabeth Lim is the author. She’s an auto-request author for me and I feel very very blessed to be approved to read her work.

Her work is always brimming with everything as a reader I love to see. Just like in a dish where there needs to be perfect balance among all the elements in it (blame this inference on my mother, please, for all the cooking shows she’s been watching), a book requires that too, and Elizabeth Lim, no matter what she writes always always achieves that.

This is my second read of Lim’s writing and I can’t believe I love this one more than my first read (and I gave that five stars, mind you). I think she started writing more recently than I would’ve guessed, given how seasoned her writing feels. It’s always smooth, engaging and because of this the pace always feels perfect but I can never tell if it’s slow or fast because it feels fantastically steady. There were some questions here and there I wish were answered and some parts that felt strange; like some things surrounding the heroine’s circumstance and the conflict between acceptance and revulsion that it incited, but I felt with time it didn’t matter as much as the main plot that I was absolutely incapable of looking away from.

The world building actually started off in a really sweet way. Because the book starts off by handing us a little key with which we can open and happily explore little doors. And then like the tune in an orchestra dropping to begin a rise to crescendo, the atmosphere of the book changes and doors we never wished to explore are blown open and all the other ones except these are slammed close.

The plot takes a turn that we never expect and this is where the story becomes gripping, emotional and you feel the determination of the characters leak from the pages and into you. The plot never drags and even if there are some time lapses I personally felt that was perfect for the story and never created gaps and every scene bridged for more to happen and nothing felt rushed or unnecessary to me.

I’m going to refrain from commenting on each character because I do not have faith I’ll keep from saying something I shouldn’t. The best I can explain is that every single character in this book has a role and they have character plots that they never step out of. There’s kindness, madness, cruelty, love, pain, support, struggle, luck, hard work and intuition all thrown together and it was perfect. Absolutely perfect. It was both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.

Highly highly recommend. Five stars, if I could give more I would believe me. Happy happy reading.

This book was simply exquisite. Beautifully wriiten, a gorgeous setting and characters you truly cared for and rooted for. This is a book I know many will fall in love with!

As much as I loved Elizabeth Lim's writing in Spin The Dawn, I was just a little bit disappointed with Six Crimson Cranes. I was hoping for the same enchanting world-building and magic that we had seen in her other books, but felt like it was sorely missing. The first half of the book was especially difficult for me to dive into, and Shiori's nonchalant responses towards events that should have been shocking to her was something I had a hard time wrapping my mind around.

Thankfully the story gets better during the second half and I absolutely loved every moment. The character development was incredible; and I have a particular fondness for Shiori who turned out to be nothing like the princess she was based on in the original fairytale.

"Be the light that makes someone's lantern shine."

This book is so many things. It's fantasy and adventure and a mish-mash of retellings of some of the world's most famous fairytales with a ladleful of lesser-known ones. And, ooooooh....this cover!

When Shiori, the princess of Kiata, discovers her magic powers, she falls under her stepmother's spell, who also casts a spell on her six brothers turning them into cranes. Shiori is the knot that ties her brothers together despite being mischievous and foolhardy. But the spell condemns her to silence, and now she must endure and observe if she is to break the spell cast on her brothers and herself.

Dark and light, inventive and familiar, action-packed with a latent romance (Thank God for the latent part; otherwise, I would have dnf'ed it without remorse), this story kept me glued to my kindle for most of its second half. It's like pop-corn: you pop one in your mouth and you don't let go of the bowl until it's finished. I'm grateful that all the action was dependent on Shiori. I'm glad that Shiori wasn't the swoony type who allowed her love interest to distract her from her mission. I'm especially glad that despite her casual foolhardiness, she was equally ferocious and kind.

This is my first read by Elizabeth Lim. I found her writing to be both efficient, heart-warming/wrenching (depends on the scene), and thoughtful to her characters. I loved the family dynamics between Shiori and her siblings. My only negative take on this book would be that it contained one fairytale too many.

But I loved the moral of the story above all.

"Sometimes the truth is the hardest poison to swallow."

I truly cannot wait to put my hands on the next book.
Did I mention the cute dragon in this story? Probably not, but there you have it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for my eGalley.

Six Crimson Cranes is a beautiful fairytale, that sometimes rushed ahead a bit.

In Six Crimson Cranes we meet princess Shiori. She gets cursed by her stepmother along with her six brothers, who get turned into cranes. She then embarks on a journey to save her brothers, herself and her kingdom.

Six Crimson Cranes is a beautiful fairytale, following a very typical 16 year old who has to grow up fast. The way Shiori’s journey is described feels real, exactly like how a brash and brave teenage girl would act in these circumstances.

The characters are interesting enough, though aside from Shiori, they all fall a bit flat when it comes to character development or growth. Which isn’t bad necessarily, because this is Shiori’s story to begin with.

The romance was nice. It wasn’t rushed, or love-at-first-sight, but was built up slowly and sweetly. And the bond Shiori has with a brothers was very well written - you could feel the love between them.

Lim’s writing itself sometimes bothered me a bit. There are passages that are beautifully written, with lush descriptions that pull you into the story. Then the next passage feels rushed, like it could really use a page or two more to describe the situation. It almost felt like it was written by two different people.

All in all, Six Crimson Cranes is a beautiful fairytale, and I’m excited for the second part.

An exciting fantasy book filled with fairytales and adventure, which is both eady and fun to read. The book follows Princess Shiori (1st POV) as she is cursed and forced into a life of exile. I liked how the author put an new spin on the classic fairytale. The plot is filled with action and intriguing characters. My favorite character was Lord Takkan, who was set to marry Shiori. He is a kind, gentle, and brave soldier who starts to care for the protagonist when she is living in disguise. I liked how the protagonist navigated her curse and interacted via her magical bird. There isn't much romance but what little of it is there is sweet. My favorite character is definitely Raikama, the stepmother. I wish we had spent more time with her as I felt she was the only nuanced character. I loved that the author did not demonise the stepmother.
I wished the author spent more time on world-building and explaining the magic system, as I felt them to be underdeveloped. Also, most of the characters felt one-dimensional. The story is written from Shiori's first POV so there isn't much time we spent with other characters, but I wish to see other characters such as Takkan, Seryu and Hasho developed more. I sense a love triangle coming in the future book(s), and I wanna request the author: please don't do it. Please no love triangle. Takkan and Shiori are lovely together. Also, I'd like to see Shiori interact with female characters where they aren't enemies. I've seen this in most fantasy books that the only female character(s) other than the protagonist is either the villain or a bully/mean girl trying to steal protagonist's lover.

What I was looking for: The fairytale this is based on (The six swans and similar) is one of my favourites and there are not too many retellings. So I was curious for this newest one.

What I liked: The cover.

What I did not like: I accept a lot in my fantasy/fairytale stories, but that whole “bowl on the head and eyes” thing I could not understand and accept. Also, our heroine is very typically “not like other girls” and I am really fed up with princesses who dislike sewing and needlework. It us such a boring cliché.
Conclusion: I read E. Lim’s Spin the Dawn / Unravel the Dusk duology and while it had some flaws, in general I enjoyed it and was looking forward to more stories, hoping for improvement and development of the author. Sadly, for me Six Crimson Cranes did not deliver. I did not like the heroine, the characters were bland (the brothers, for example, did not have any distinguishing feature, they read like one boring person with six names) and I did not get any motivation why they did what they did and in the end, I just did not care about any of them.
P.S.: I was a bit disappointed that there was no note on netgalley that this is the first book in a series (duology?) and not a standalone.

Having read and loved Lim's Blood of Stars duology I had high expectations going into Six Crimson Cranes, and unsurprisingly I loved this just as much if not a little more than her previous series. Shiori has always had to hide her magic for fear of persecution. However on the day she's meant to meet her betrothed, her attempt to flee causes her magic to surge and catches the eye of her stepmother Raikama. Shiori tries to warn her brothers about their stepmother, but by the time they believe her its too late. Using dark magic of her own she turns Shiori's brothers into cranes and leaves Shiori with a warning, she must never speak to anyone about who she is, for every word she utters one of her brothers will die. Abandoned with only the clothes on her back and a bucket on her head to hide her identity, Shiori must learn to fend for herself if she is to survive. But there are darker forces at work, forces that need Shiori alive and she will have to rely on the one person she vowed never to meet if she wants to break the curse and save herself and her brothers.

Shiori is an absolutely brilliant character to follow through this story. Her character growth is off the charts and I loved seeing her grow from the slightly spoilt Princess to the woman who is willing to put her own life on the line to defend those she loves. The knowledge that any word from her lips will mean the death of one of her brothers weighs heavily on her, and to ensure she doesn't slip she does her best to keep from forming any attachments, meaning she leads a fairly solitary life. She is incredibly resilient, strong even in the face of danger, but she is also just a young girl trying with all her might to return to her family.

This is wholeheartedly Shiori's story, but Lim brings us a cast of side characters that I defy you not to fall a little in love with. My favourites were Takkan, Shiori's betrothed and Megari his younger sister who was the perfect scheming little sister and I adored her. There are characters you will love and ones you will love to hate, but Lim manages to bring every single one of them to life.

Six Crimson Cranes reads almost like a fable/fairytale and it threw me a little bit at first, but as soon as I got used to the writing style I was completely swept away. It took me back to my childhood when my parents would read stories to me, and I was hit with a huge amount of nostalgia just knowing I would have LOVED this story as a child, and though the characters are written quite young I still managed to love it now. Lim's writing style is as magical as the story and I easily found myself immersed in Shiori's world, not quite ever wanting to leave.

The romance in this book was something that really added to the story. It was beautifully written and effortlessly sweet. Seeing these two characters who have never met, and yet have been betrothed most of their lives learn to like and eventually love each other was just *chefs kiss.* Shiori had been determined that she would never marry Takkan, but the more she gets to know him, the harder he is to resist. But while Shiori knows who Takkan is, Takkan has no idea of Shiori's true identity, and it breaks her a little falling in love with him, but being unable to share who she truly is. The romance is slow burn, and I cackled at some parts, especially when Shiori was trying to convince herself she wasn't falling for Takkan, and Megari's not so subtle ploys to get them together.

There is plenty of this book I can't talk about without giving away spoilers. Lim has this amazing talent of making the readers look in one direction whilst leading us in a completely different one. I thought I knew where the story was going, but by the end I realised Lim had a different story in mind, and I will admit to being a little shocked by the ending. It's set in the same universe as her Blood of Stars duology and fans of that series will notice little nods to it throughout, as well as one slightly huge on at the end. Though the story didn't quite end as I was expecting, Lim still managed to get me emotionally invested and I am incredibly eager to get my hands on book two.

I absolutely loved this book! I read it in one sitting and couldn’t put it down for anything! Here are some of the reasons why…

Firstly, the world. The world of this book is so rich, and I’m not saying that because it is based in a culture that isn’t my own, but rather because Elizabeth Lim’s writing is so lyrical and beautiful and detailed that I felt like I was standing in the book, in the palace and the mountains and rivers that the characters were. This is the first book by Elizabeth Lim that I have read and her world building alone would be enough for me to read her Spin the Dawn duology!

Alongside the world is the magic. The magic in this world felt very fleshed out and very real. There’s some magic systems that feel as if they aren’t part of the world or feel as if they are new to the world, but this magic system felt ancient and wisened, like the world itself.

On top of all this the book has incredible lore and mythology. I loved how the lore and mythology (which is Japanese based) was woven into the world until it became a seamless part of the book. Stories about dragons and their own realm don’t feel out of place in this book but rather enhance the world itself.

Lastly, the characters. Shiori was a great main character to read about. She is confident and self-assured, but even amongst that she has moments of doubt and worry and terror and anger. I love that the story is really about Shiori and the bond that she had with her brothers which drives everything she does. This isn’t a story about great powers against each other, but rather about family and the power of family. (Although the epic kingdoms/magic battle does come into it as well).

I absolutely adored this book! Shiori is a believable protagonist and I loved how the author introduced new twists in the story. The dragon Seryu was adorable and the sibling relationship is top noch.

A nice enough but not an outstanding take on YA retellings of fairy tales -- I did appreciate the flair of Eastern mythology on what I had known primarily as a European tale, it added a novel freshness to the remix. The lack of enthusiasm otherwise is entirely on my part, as I am growing less and less enchanted with YA lit as a whole.

Thanks to #NetGalley for providing an ARC of #SixCrimsonCranes.

I can see a lot of people loving this book but unfortunately, I can't join in no matter how much I want to.

Six Crimson Cranes is inspired by a brothers Grimm fairytale called The Six Swans, which I loved as a child.

In this version, it's Princess Shiori's six brothers that are cursed to turn into cranes during daylight. Shiori is also cursed by her stepmother to be unrecognisable and if she was to say a word to anyone, her brother will die.
So, the majority of the book is Shiori's quest to first, find her brothers and then together for them to break the curse. We follow Shiori as she struggles with her new life where no one knows she's the Princess and everyone mistreats and abuses her. This is mixed with a few sprinkles of the things she and her brothers must do to be free of the spell.

It sounds like a great fairytale that should've catch my attention from the beginning and kept it till the very last page but alas, it didn't even come close to that. I found the book quite boring for most of the time - it was just this monotonous telling of a story with barely any action or angst. Every action that Shiori had to undertake to break the spell at first sounded like a hardship but just when you think ah-something-dramatic-is-about-to-happen, Shiori succeeds without a scratch. Although, we're to believe she has it very hard because of the curse and people mistreating her, everything magically falls in her lap.

I understand it's mostly my preference in books that made me not love this as much as other people. I prefer action, intrigue, unexpected twists and a connection between the love interests that goes beyond holding hands. Instead, I got a long retelling of a story aimed at the younger part of the YA audience.

Oh my goodness, I could not put this book down...I had buddy reads to keep up with and a long overlooked TBR pile, but none of that mattered because I was hooked from the first line.

"The bottom of the lake tasted like mud, salt, and regret."

Shiori is the sixteen year old, headstrong, princess of Kiata, desperate to spend one last summer festival with her brothers before being married off to the son of a northern Lord, but forbidden magic runs through her veins and one small mistake is all it takes to turn her world upside down and to make things worse, she nearly drowns and comes face to face with a dragon.

After nearly drowning in the lake, Shiori's life takes a turn. No one believes her, she is punished for missing her betrothal ceremony, and catching the attention of her stepmother.

With her own secret to keep, Shiori and her brothers a cursed by their stepmother, they are turned to Cranes, and Shiori is left unrecognisable and unable to utter a word of who she truly is for every word that passes her lips a brother will die.

Finding herself far from home, unableb to speak and totally alone, Shiori has to find her brothers and figure out how to break their curse, but along the way she uncovers a cunning plan to take her fathers throne.

Shiori is hugely likeable. She is strong, determined, resourceful, and selfless. Despite all she goes through she continues to do for others more than she does for herself, she finds friends as well as enemies, discovers that people are rarely as they seem and learns that sometimes she must trust those she would rather not.

There are a whole host of wonderful supporting characters in a world brought richly to life with smells and sights that flow of the page in a twisty turn-y story that leaves you guessing and second guessing the whole way.

I am excited for more, you should be too!

A solid 5 stars

I thought this book was amazing. There was action from the start to the end, which is something I didn’t expect. The magic system was really unique, especially with the use of Kiki and the dragon pearls. This wasn’t something i expected to have dragons in either. The main character underwent a lot of character development which was interesting to read, especially as she went from a shelter princess to a girl having to fend for herself. Shiori’s relationship with her brothers was refreshing to read, they were close but due to their roles they grew apart. But the curse bought them back together in such a great way, they all bonded and spent all their time looking after each other in a way they never had to before. This book had a pretty big plot twist which I didn’t expect at all which really added to how much i enjoyed reading it. It wasn’t predictable at all. Overall, i gave this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and would highly recommend this.

I have to draw attention to the beautiful covers for Six Crimson Cranes. Both editions I’ve seen (the U.S. one pictured above and the UK edition) are absolutely gorgeous.

Okay, now onto the review. I’m a big fan of Elizabeth Lim’s writing style, and Six Crimson Cranes lived up to my expectations in this regard. The writing is quite lyrical and descriptive, but it never manages to quite tip over that line into being too flowery. The settings and the descriptions of clothing are probably my favourite things in this regard, and I think there’s so many beautiful lines, particularly at the start when Shiori is in the palace. I also really liked the relationship that she had with her brothers, although I do kinda wish we spent a little bit more time getting to know them before they become cranes, because I think that would have made the stakes of the story even greater.

The fantastical elements of the story are what truly sold it for me. Lim has this beautiful mastery over retellings, where she’ll weave in these tiny little details and nods to stories, and it just reminds me so much of picking up fairytale anthologies when I was a child. I wouldn’t say that there’s a lot of fantasy elements going on in this book, but there’s definitely some elements of it.

I also really liked Shiori. The voice came across very clearly from the first page, and it felt as though you learned a lot about the character a lot of the way that made her very relatable and likeable. Her paper crane was a cute addition too and again reminded me quite a bit of some animal side-kicks in other fairytales or popular culture.

There are moments when the book does get a little bit confusing. While I loved the magic in it, the inclusion of the dragons felt a little odd as they sort of came in and dropped out the story a lot. But then it’s hard to say too much about that because it’s clear from the ending that this book won’t be a standalone. The ending of the book also felt a little bit rushed, and there was a lot of explanation and stuff right in the final few chapters, which I personally found a bit hard to follow. That might just be me, but it did feel like some of the plot twists didn’t quite pay off as planned because there were lots of things held too close to the chest, and so when you learn some of the political stuff right at the end it feels more like you’re trying to connect all the dots rather than enjoying the twist? I’m not at my most eloquent today (blaming this heat wave) but it definitely had me scratching my head a bit.

Overall, I did love the plot and the fairytale elements and all the characters, although I do wish that we’d learned a bit more about the brothers early on. The voice of the protagonist was also very strong and really made me want to keep reading, even when I was meant to be putting down the book to do other stuff. The ending was a bit confusing and hard to follow for me personally, but I’m giving it some benefit of the doubt as the novel isn’t a standalone.

DNF at 50%. Unfortunately this didn't really work for me, but in this case it was 100% a matter of personal preference, and not any fault of the book.
There wasn't anything I actively disliked, but it didn't grab me in anyway. I tried hard to push through to see if I would change my mind, but in the end I just couldn't go on. The book felt in general quite young for me, I probably would have liked it way more if I had read it in my teens.
I'm sure many readers will love this book, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

This newest introduction to a Duology is brilliant in its world building, it’s fun, and filled with legends, magic, curses and dragons with a hint of a wholesome romance that will have you feeling like you are wrapped up in a hug 🤗
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I haven’t actually read or have any idea about the Six Swans Fairytale - so I went in blind; regarding what exactly the plot of the book may have been.
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But I swear, I fell in love with the writing style of the author first - she has this beautiful engaging writing that conveys the deepest of emotions in the most simplistic way possible - and to do that in a fantasy, is a testament to the talent of the author.
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A spoiled princess, her adoring brothers, an indifferent stepmother and an indulgent father form the basic arc of the story until magic and a dragon rears it’s heads.
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I really want to go into detail - about Shiori, a princess with the most wonderful character growth, her relationship with her brothers, her learning of her past, her present and her strength to face her future - and the way she handled everything thrown at her, the betrayal, the hopelessness and the loneliness with such grace.
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I could ask also talk about how I wished we had more of the sibling love shown in the book, Shiori and her brothers deserved more and how she found solace in the arms of the man she didn’t think was good enough for, but now felt she didn’t deserve.
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I could talk about a whole lot of things - but I would just tell you that this book, is a book you need to read especially if you are in the mood for amazingly fresh and rich fantasy with on point East Asian Rep and love finding new retellings to fall for 😍

I really enjoyed reading Six Crimson Cranes – I would say, probably more so than Lim’s debut. Based on the Grimm fairy tale of the Goose Girl, she takes this source material and weaves it into a new story inspired by Lim’s Asian heritage. This is a beautifully written, compelling fantasy. For me, the fairy tale atmosphere has something insanely comforting, so I had a great time reading this (I kept sneaking chapters on my phone).

Shiori works really well as a main character – she undergoes such a growth arc over the course of the story that the girl at the end is almost unrecognisable from the girl at the start of the events. She starts out as a spirited, rebellious princess, spoiled and concerned mainly for herself and her future. But the events of the story change that. She grows up, and realises the impact her behaviour and actions have on the people around her. Nevertheless, she doesn’t lose any of her spunk and wit, which means it’s a joy to follow her.

TL:DR super addictive fairy tale retelling that I’d recommend. Also look at how pretty it is…

"Learn from my mistakes, and learn from my joys. Surround yourself with those who'll love you always"

This story was beyond captivating & so beautiful written by Elizabeth Lim that I ended up reading Six Crimson Cranes in one sitting. I adored this book, from the dragons and magic, to the cute little paper crane that had a bigger role in this story than I expected.

Six Crimson Cranes is a powerful, beautifully written re-telling that held so many elements that are true to the original while also making this story its own story. We Follow Shiori, the youngest to the Emperor with her forbidden magic, her six brothers & her paper crane best friend Kiki and her newly made friends Dragon Seryu as they all go on this adventure of magic, fantasy and growth together. Reading Shiori's character development was amazing, she goes from some what of a stubborn spoilt princess, to one that loses nearly everything and her own identity due to her actions (she also has a bowl on her head which I honestly forgot about sometimes) to someone that becomes her own person and it was amazing to read and watch her grow throughout the story.

The stunning world building, character interactions and the details really bring this world to life, making the story flow so beautifully. You can also expect some romance, it picks up a lot more towards the end but during the story you can pick up hints of a love triangle with Shiori, Seryu and Takkan that seem to stem off,, but there is a second book so who knows what will happen there. I can not wait to see what comes next for Shiori and her family.

I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone because you will love this book so much.

Rating: 4.5*

**Thank you to netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with this E-Arc**

What can I say other than wow! Elizabeth Lim has outdone herself with this beautiful and truly encapturing tale of love, magic, curses, and secrets set in a world that with her writing skills she makes vividly real through her creative imagination to yours. As soon as you start reading it is as if you are transported to Shiori's world; watching everything happen around you through the tale, utterly able to lose yourself in the magnificent realm.

I could not put the book down from start to finish, constantly wishing for my work day to end so I could cuddle up and fall back into the pages. It was like a piece of magic enclosed in a fairytale-like story. The way in which Lim writes, paints this more-than-real world around you as you read with characters that not only feel real, but you can truly see and envision with every essence that makes them them. Each with their own personality and role to play.

I thought that I loved Spin the Dawn, but it seems with each book this amazing author writes she creates a new favourite. I can not wait to read the tale we are lucky enough to enjoy next.

A massive thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for making me one of the lucky few to receive an early review copy, and letting me lose myself in this beautiful tale early.