As I look at some of the reviews for this sequel to Six Crimson Cranes and I realize that a lot of people aren't quite as charmed with it as I was. That might be because I read this pretty close together and I didn't have to wait like some people. And perhaps because my expectations were different.

If there is one thing that I have learned with fairytale type of books as the first book of a series is that the rest of the books in the series never really keep up unless they dive into other fairytales. So I knew I was not going to get that from this sequel. And that was okay. We get a deepening of the world by seeing the world of the dragons and other islands.

This book is perhaps a bit more plot driven than character driven than I would have liked but there were just a lot of things that still needed to be resolved and discovered. There was more room for other characters than just Shiori and Takkan, and at the end of the day I think that is important.

There was some shouting about a love triangle, and while I am one that is not a fan of those, nothing about it bothered me. It was clear from the start that Seryu had feelings for Shiori even if she didn't see it herself. And it was also obvious that Shiori would never turn away from Takkan. So for me there was not a real love triangle. Shiori never gave Seryu false hope.

While we are on the subject of the dragons, aren't they a bunch of backstabbing court nannies, my gosh. There doesn't seem to be any fun reason to want to be apart of the dragon world if you constantly have to walk on your toes. But Seryu took a step in becoming his own self and I'm so proud of him.

Her brothers also seem to have grown during their time as cranes and even though we only get little bits and pieces it is still great to see the steps they are making. And I found the wizard entertaining but was sorry to see how little his role ended up being. He could have really helped Shiori since he knew more but of course all had to be done by her. I think that was a shame.

Regardless I enjoyed this duology for what it was and I can't wait to see what Elizabeth Lim will bring us next.

First of all, a huge thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dragon's Promise is the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes, and we follow Shiori as she undertakes her journey to fulfill her stepmother's last dying wish: return the dragon's pearl to its rightful owner, while fighting off those who desire to have the pearl for themselves, in order to return peace to Kiata.

This book was action-packed, full of surprises and made me feel a lot of emotions. As Shiori grows and comes off less likable in my opinion, I have grown to like Takkan and Seryu even more. I would have loved to get to know a little bit more some of the other characters like Elang and Gen. Takkan and Shiori's love story is really cute as they work together through the hardships, and according to me, the love triangle was not necessary or could have been better exploited. Kiki is still one of my favorite characters as Shiori's trustworthy companion and I loved her importance despite the fact that she is a little paper crane (and she is really hilarious). Like in the first book, Elizabeth Lim's descriptions are amazing, her writing is really easy to read and understand, and they made me want to live in their fictional world. Additional East Asian legends and myths have been added to this fantasy duology, including the Chinese legend of Chang'e (the Moon Goddess) and the East Asian myth of the Red Thread of Fate (which is one of my favorite myths). The dragon's underwater kingdom also seemed to be inspired by the Japanese tale of Urashima Tarô. Unexpectedly, I also found some references to the Blood of Stars duology, also written by Elizabeth Lim, and was happy to understand some of the elements and events happening in this duology thanks to The Dragon's Promise. I would recommend reading Spin The Dawn and Unravel The Dusk after this book.

In conclusion, I loved reading this book and I give it 5/5 stars! I love anything Asian-inspired (and such a pretty cover is a real bonus), and Elizabeth Lim is now one of my auto-buy authors, so thank you for writing this book and I can't wait to see and read what she'll write next!

I loved this book! I really enjoyed where this story went, all the twists and turns made me want to come back for more and more! Shiori is a badass! She’s such a strong female lead character

It’s not a massive secret that I absolutely adored Six Crimson Cranes. It was one of my top reads from last year. The Dragons Promise was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 🐉

It did not disappoint at all! It followed on from SCC, and focuses on the dragons more, which I loved. Shiori travels with Seyru to Ai’Long, the dragon realm to fulfil her promise to Raikama. Elizabeth has such a beautiful way of describing the world she’s dreamed up, I’m in awe!

My favourite thing about this series is the beautiful connection Shiori has with her brothers. It’s truly heartwarming. I also adore Takken, what a beautiful person he is inside and out.

At this point I think Elizabeth Lim can do no wrong. I adore everything she writes!

I very much enjoyed reading this action packed sequel to Six Crimson Cranes - I actually preferred this instalment. I’ll definitely be checking out this authors backlist.

Although, this sequel felt vastly different in tone and pacing to book 1 - the dragons promise has much more action, political machinations and fantasy elements than in six crimson cranes, in my opinion. The stakes were much higher and the although it is the same story that follows on from book 1, it felt a lot darker. This is all to say that I definitely enjoyed the dragons promise more.

However something I found interesting was that by the time I finished the book, I was left feeling as though I had read more than one book. The amount that happens in this novel is simply overwhelming; I felt as though there were so different many aspects and pieces to the story that I think I’ve since already forgotten some details that happened at the beginning. It probably could’ve been a trilogy.

Something I loved was the author’s beautiful descriptions and imagery, making the atmosphere of this book feel so immersive and alive; the various places from the world explored in this book notably tangible for the reader.

I was invested the entire time reading - I couldn’t wait to see what happened next for our characters. There was never a dull moment in this book making it very hard to put down.

Aside from a few pacing issues, some difficulty in following the plot as it seemed to get more complicated as time went on and some moments of predictability/convenience, this was a solid book.

The Dragon's Promise is the conclusion to the Six Crimson Cranes duology and I really liked it. It is a sweet, heartwarming story that combines Asian mythology with romance and some high stakes.
The book picks up where Six Crimson Cranes has ended and we follow Shiori as she tries to fulfill her promise to Raikama as well as saving Kiata and her people.
I really like Elizabeth Lim's writing and I love the world, which is magical (and also has dragons). The story reads like a fairytale and it also has its twists and turns. It is well paced and has the necessary action.
I also really liked that a character from Spin the Dawn takes part in this one too.

The most important thing I have to say about this book is that Takkan is undoubtedly still paving the way for YA fantasy love interests, because really, who is doing it like him?

As one of my most anticipated sequels of the year, I couldn't wait to get back to Shiori's story (and takkan), and easily finished it within a day. This was a fun and easily binge worthy sequel, introducing new realms and characters yet still packed full with familial love, friendships and totally swoon worthy romance moments. The appearance from a certain blood of the stars duology character was also a very welcomed gift!!!

Although, I have to admit that this was slightly underwhelming in contrast to the first book, and even though I still enjoyed the read, I was disappointed with how rushed and disjointed the ending felt. Perhaps my expectations were too high after how much I loved six crimson cranes, but some of the plot points just felt a little too much?? Regardless, this was still an entertaining sequel, and Shiori, Takkan and Seryu will all remain very close to my heart <33 I can't wait to read whatever Elizabeth Lim writes next !!

I hadn’t read six paper cranes before finding this book, so I read both in a few days. I could put neither book down. The author is a master storyteller, the worlds she weaves come to life so vividly, I felt like I was reading an actual legend.

Character development in both books is so well done, but in the dragons promise, we the reader are given more insight into why the characters behave the way they do. All of the characters we are introduced to are somehow supporting but also characters in their own right. All felt real, as if they were actual people who lived long ago. The growth from the central characters though, Shiori and her brothers, was expertly done. We see the change from playful princess to fierce warrior.

I loved how this story was wrapped up. It felt so bittersweet but I was glad that not everything was wrapped up in a neat bow with the main character receiving everything with ease. I don’t think that would have done justice to the struggles the characters had faced across the two books.

I would read again and recommend to a friend.

I have I soft spot for this duology. I don't know what it is exactly, maybe it's the fairy tale vibes, the dragons, the magic, the reckless MC, or the fact that it's inspired in Asian folklore. Maybe it's how all of that is brought together with writing that feels magical, befitting a fairy tale.

The story picks up right were we left it, with Shiori having to fulfill her promise to her stepmother. In order to do so, she travels to Ai'long (home of dragons), Tambu (home of her stepmother) and The Forgotten Isles of Lapzur. I won't say much more because spoilers, but I will say that in Ai'long she meets a certain future enchanter who I was not expecting to see there (if you've read Spin the Dawn then you know).

I'll admit I was scared going into this. I mean, I've had an arc of this since february and it is now august, so there's that. I was scared of disappointment, of it not living up to my expectations and falling flat. At the beginning I thought that was going to be the case, until the story picked up and I couldn't put it down.

Also, I just really love the characters in this book. I adore Kiki and Hasho, missed Megari and, most of all, gave all my heart to Seryu. Just so you know, I would’ve chosen you, Seryu, damn the strands of fate and all. Maybe it's just the timing of me reading this, but I couldn't stop crying at certain points, not just the ending (which I absolutely loved, btw). I'll just say chapter 15 broke my heart.

My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

The Dragon’s Promise is the second and final part of the Six Crimson Cranes duology by Elizabeth Lim, a fantasy–adventure which takes us to many magical kingdoms in East Asia. In the first book, a loose retelling of the Wild Swans fairy tale, but with its own spin, we meet the Shiori, the princess of the Kingdom of Kiata who has six older brothers with whom she is very close. Her mother is dead and her father, the Emperor, is married to the beautiful but cold Raikama, who has snakes for pets. Unknown to her family, Shiori has magic, something that is abhorred in the kingdom. Soon she finds herself cursed by Raikama having to wear a bowl stuck over her head and in an unknown part of the world, not allowed to speak or her brothers will die, while her brothers are turned to crimson cranes, who change to human form at dusk. The story was very well told, using the basic template of the Wild Swans story and some familiar tropes, while also giving some other tropes their own spin and weaving in folklore and legends from the East.

Keeping this spoiler free for the first book, in The Dragon’s Curse, Shiori who has managed to break her and her brothers’ curse in the first book is tasked with returning a dragon’s pearl (the ‘heart’ of a dragon) to its owner, but to do that she must first discover who he is. This entails a journey to the Dragons’ realm underwater with her friend, a dragon, Seryu, and then a further journey to find the owner of the pearl. As the bearer of the pearl and wielder of magic, Shiori must bear its weight and things are not made easier by the fact that the monsters that had been released in her last adventure, especially their menacing leader Bandur covet the pearl for themselves. And if that weren’t enough, the Kiatan people are now aware of her magic, and many in and outside court wish to see her ‘sacrificed’ to save the kingdom.

This was an enjoyable read but much less so than the first book, for unlike that this didn’t feel like one tale but the combination of a few—three to be precise with a few other threads also tied up. We have a part of the adventure in the Dragons’ realm, a beautiful and dangerous place with its own court and intrigues; the journey to restore the pearl to its rightful owner which involves Shiori turning her brothers into cranes once again; and then addressing the problem of the monsters she’d unleashed back in Kiata. While these segments are definitely connected, and we’re also following along the romance thread with Takkan (her betrothed from the previous book) and to which a triangle element is introduced, they still feel a bit disconnected from each other.

There are secrets and revelations in the book, and some of the themes taken up and lines along which the author develops the plot as to the monsters towards the end, in Raikama’s story, and then also with the humans who have taken against Shiori in Kiata are very relevant, as is the end in its own way a very pretty one, but still it didn’t feel like everything fit together. Perhaps a longer series to do justice to each segment or some editing out to restrict this to a more cohesive story would have helped. This isn’t to say that these elements or plotlines are bad in any way but just that they needn’t have been stuffed together. I did feel the author wrapped up each segment in a fairly satisfying way, and found the fairy tale element that formed the end a lovely one.

The book is well paced and easy to read with some great descriptions of the different realms through which they travel—the splendour and danger in the land of the dragons, the small village in which they find themselves and which was once Raikama’s home, or the home of the pearl’s owner with its very dark towers and well of the blood of the stars. There’s also the close bond between the siblings, and her relationship with her father, who loves and protects her despite being stern when he needs to be as well.

A satisfying read, fairly enjoyable, but one that could have done with some toning down in terms of the number of threads developed.

3.75 stars

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favourite reads of last year, making The Dragon's Promise one of my most anticipated releases of 2023. I couldn't wait to dive back into Shiori's sort and see what would come next for her, Takkan & Senyu.

Overall, I'm happy with how the story developed and ended and a duology was definitely the right choice over a trilogy. Revisiting the enchanting world the author developed in book one was so wonderful, and I'm glad we got to know Shiori's family more as well as learn more about Raikama.

I definitely feel like this was a bit weaker than book one in certain areas - I wasn't a big fan of how the plot shifted from the dragon city & Senyu's grandfather hating on Shiori, to what seemed like a disconnected plot about demons. I would have LOVED if Senyu remained a guide/support for Shiori through her journey to return the pearl, but I'm glad there was no love triangle dragging on.

If you enjoyed book one I would still definitely check this out - it does provide much more depth to the characters we learned to love in SCC. I just wouldn't have expectations for something as beautifully enthralling as the first instalment was, it's hard to maintain pure perfection after all!

This book was so stunning and everything that I expected it to be! I was so happy to receive an arc of it after reading all of Lim’s novels with NetGalley. It took a moment to reimmerse myself back into the world of Shiori but once I was back I knew I never wanted to leave.
The characters were just as perfect as the first book and they’re development was effortless as they transferred and settled nicely into the new instalment.
I really appreciated seeing the origins of Bandur and Gen/Edan as a fan of Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk. I loved how these books created the foundation for the characters and felt that they were perfect reflection of the past selves of these already developed characters.
Lim never fails to impress in her creation of setting and her world building was beautiful as it she created the underwater Dragon Kingdom, the Unholy Mountains and we were reintroduced to Lapzur.

Overall I loved this book so much and found myself enthralled in the narrative unable to stop reading it! The perfect sequel and continuation of the story and a beautiful addition to the world of both Spin the Dawn and Six Crimson Cranes.

With thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was nervous this second part of the duology wasn’t going to live up to first. Much like Six Crimson Cranes with the intro to Shiori’s history, The Dragon’s Promise takes a little while to get going as we are introduced to the Dragon realm.

That’s not entirely fair. I struggled with the first third because although there is action and people (of a sort - dragons, mermaids, enchanters…) to meet most of it is Shiori fighting against the Dragon King without even fully understanding the rules. As per standard fairytale narrative. The trouble is Shiori is spectacularly powerful on home ground and has just gained confidence in herself. She doesn’t exactly lose that confidence or tenacity at least but the odds are stacked against her and I was frustrated at how little agency she has. After the climatic conclusion of book one… The action sequences also lack an energy.

Back in Kiata even with everything going wrong Shiori is able to act far more on the narrative and we rejoin characters we love (as well as Seryu and Kiki from the beginning) and more villains. I loved the touch that she is still mourning her step-mother and the discoveries she makes on her quest rang true in the search for information about who our family were before we knew them. Points as well for the fiancé trying his best but not really being as useful as the magic lot (he does try and manages to be very helpful sometimes!) - especially Shiori who doesn’t quite go down the noble idiocy route. And the stakes are real, the ending… well, I was very satisfied. It could have been so easy and it isn’t which is wonderful.

I could continue waxing lyrical about the motifs and underlying plot structure in terms of who fights who and the added complications which don’t distract from the narrative. I could. I won’t. It is very much an epic fairytale story based on our times though with countries and people behaving in recognisable ways which was another touch I appreciated. Ultimately I wish the first segment was shorter but that’s probably personal preference. Push through! The story builds up to the second half and becomes strong enough to be a worthy end to the series you won’t want to miss.

This gorgeous gorgeous book picks up where Six Crimson Cranes left off as we follow Shiori to the underwater Dragon Kingdom as she’s set on returning the pearl to its rightful owner while trying to prevent a demon from escaping its prison. I loved being able to glean more information about the characters from SCC in this book, especially Shiori and Serhyu, as character growth is important in books and this one is no exception! I managed to whip through this one in 3 hours and the ending left me in tears. Lim is an absolute master at world building and although this was the perfect ending of this duology, I will miss this world so very much.

I loved six crimson cranes after getting it in a fairyloot box. The story was beautiful.

This book was one of my most anticipated books of the year and I was hoping to love it. I felt like there was something missing from the book. Maybe I should have reread síx crimson cranes before I read the arc.

I might give this book a second change when I get my fairyloot edition but for now I give it 3.5 ⭐️

3.75 - I wasn't a huge fan of Six Crimson Cranes, despite the fact I rated it 4 stars it didn't really stand out to me. I'm afraid to say the sequel failed me as well. I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I was hoping for a story that was more character-driven rather than plot-driven. It took me ages to get through this book, mainly because I wasn't interested in the story and the romance (although very heartwarming) got boring quickly. I believe other people could like it. Personally, it wasn't for me.

Thank you to the publisher for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I've thought about my review for long time and I'm going to state all my feelings honestly. I was very excited for this ARC as I loved Six Crimson Cranes when I read it, I even reread it before reading this because why not? Compared to the prequel, The Dragon's Promise falls a bit short. SCC was highly intriguing and immerse while TDP was dragged on and on for too long. I couldn't figure out what was wrong and why I wasn't liking it but now I have my answer, TDP was very slow and so many things could be removed. I loved Seryu in SCC but he changed a lot in this book which I didn't like, he wasn't the same in some way. The conclusion is also one I didn't like but to get what you want you have to sacrifice a bit I get it. Overall, I loved Takkan a lot.

3 stars!🌟

Elizabeth Lim is pretty much an auto-read/buy author for me. I have adored every book she's written and this is no exception. I will say that I perhaps didn't find this one to be as strong a novel as 'Six Crimson Cranes' but I definitely still enjoyed it so much and the ending was great.

I think it was the part with the dragons and Shiori's adventures revolving around that didn't fit the vibe of the duology for me but really that's not a complaint as much as an observation. This was still a fantastic book and a satisfying ending to this duology. I can't wait to have a physical copy in my hands.

4/5 Cups of coffee from me, thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Okay so I can not say that I did not enjoy this book I just felt a little lost having not read the first one. I am sure it will do well but was not for me as I was confused having not read the earlier book

i fell in love with this book. It has amazing storytelling and a brilliant plot and i couldn't put the book down gave it 4 stars! i can't wait to pick up whatever this author writes next.