The Dragons Promise by Elizabeth Lim is the second book in the Six Crimson Cranes series. It follows on from the first book in which protagonist Shiori, a Princess who discovered she has ancient magic, must travel across land and sea to save her people and herself.

In this book the plot is quite slow in a way because there is so much back and forth and progress that is made only to be immediately undone which I found to be quite frustrating at times. Obviously there can’t be immediate conclusions to the problems but I did feel like some of them were unnecessarily dragged out or continuously came back to. However, it’s a great Young Adult book and a fantastical spin on a classic tale.

I really liked how much Shiori’s relationships to her brothers were highlighted and the closeness of them all. It added to the warmth of the book and also made the stakes higher. Furthermore, I liked Shiori herself. She’s a great, strong female character for young girls in particular to look up to.

Also, in this second book there was a lot more romance which I enjoyed. Although I wasn’t overly invested in them as a couple, I did like them together and definitely wanted them to end up together.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending but it tied the books up nicely and satisfyingly ended it . Overall, this was a good read and definitely one that I think many young people will enjoy!

I adored Six Crimson Cranes but was rather dismayed by the sequel.

Despite my disappointment due to certain repetitive plots, The Dragon’s Promise was an interesting and spellbinding ending to Shirori’s story. Filled with hope, love and grit, the characters experienced phenomenal growth and bravery.

I liked the plot of Shirori and the dragons and hoped to learn more about them with additional appearances in the book. However, I was also disappointed that the dragon plot line only lasted the first 30% of the book. I wasn’t a huge fan of the romance and felt like it could’ve done without it. For some reason, I just didn’t buy it.

Furthermore, I found the plot was similar to Unravel the Dusk as it features familiar characters set in the same universe and felt like a setup to Maia’s adventures in the Spin the Dawn duology.

I highly recommend that you read the Spin the Dawn duology first before starting on The Dragon’s Promise as a certain character makes a special appearance and I was delighted when I read it!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Heartbreakingly average. It tried to do so many things all at once but still didn't manage to proof itself a sequel worthy of the excellence that Six Crimson Cranes was. Still, the romantic undertone, the sibling love, and the beautiful writing managed to keep this afloat, even though the bittersweet ending felt simply forced and unnecessary. Full review to follow soon.

I really think this story would have been better told as a standalone, it would have made Six of Crane's an even better book and we wouldn't have needed this largely repetitive, pointless sequel.

3.5 stars.

I loved Six Crimson Cranes, so I was super excited to get into this one. My favourite aspect of this book, as with the last one, was the incredible worldbuilding. I was so intrigued by the lore and some of the locations, particularly the dragon realm, even if it was quickly left behind as the plot progressed. The writing style made this book easy to read and was mostly why I managed to fly through it in a day. I really enjoyed reading about the central relationship - the romance was super cute - and it increased my enjoyment of the ending, especially from Shiori's point of view.

The biggest disappointment for me in this book was the villain, who wasn't as compelling as I would've hoped. I found that this lessened the stakes somewhat, especially as I wasn't convinced by the danger that the characters were in. I would've also liked to see more of some of the side characters (including a certain character who seemed to have been sidelined after the first third) as I felt they weren't as developed as some of the characters in the first book.

Overall, whilst I preferred the first book, The Dragon's Promise was a mostly satisfying end to the duology, and I'll definitely be picking up anything that Elizabeth Lim writes in the future.

Princess Shiori's journey in the dragon's promise carries on the adventure that was left unfinished at the conclusion of Six Crimson Cranes. It was an adventure wrapped up in a big heart. The first half of the book was incredibly enjoyable and heartwarming; I couldn’t help but smiling and grinning the whole time (shoutout to Edan from The Blood of Stars duology’s cameo fr).

The characters’ growth in the first book is good, but their development and relationship progression in this one is just as excellent. Same it was in the first book, the dialogues are still so seamless and appear natural. I love the banter between *coughs* Shiori and Seryu. I miss them so much! This also has its own moments of courageous actions where you find yourself rooting for certain characters, especially in the final chapters, I cried so hard I pulled a muscle in my back.

That isn't to say the story is absolutely perfect. There are some parts of the plot that flow more naturally in some places than others. the main conflict in second half felt a bit dragged on to me (the same issues I had with Unravel the Duak). And for those who anticipated seeing more of a certain character (everyone knows who I’m talking about), while you may not find it entirely satisfying, it was still executed very well, it felt natural, and it was... beautiful.

I think many of Six Crimson Cranes readers & enjoyers would love this especially because so many elements paralleled one another. The finale was brilliantly brought together by the ending. This book serves as a strong capstone to the duology. May the adventures of Shiori, Kiki, Takkan, Seryu, and the six cranes princes will continue to be the light to your lantern or make it shine even more brightly.

An amazing sequel to the first book of the series and like that one it didn’t disappoint.
The plot is still gorgeous and keeps you hooked.
Another great book by Elizabeth Lim!

An amazing sequel! Once again Elizabeth Lim doesn't disappoint with her books. I enjoyed everything - the world and character building, the atmosphere, everything. It is absolutely beautiful writing, everything written by Elizabeth Lim is just beautiful.

Pick up this duology, as well as everything else she has written. You won't regret it.

So excited to read this after loving the first book.
The author definitely maintains the world building well and the writing is very familiar. It tells us more about an adventure Shiori must make with the dragons Pearl and the dangers that come with it.
It was an enjoyable read with familiar characters from book one and some new faces. Definitely a recommended read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for the eARC in exchange for an honest review
Opinions:
After finishing Six Crimson Cranes I was insanely excited to get to this one and although it wasn't really what I expected it was going to be, I still really enjoyed it! I can't say that it was as good as the first book and I do have some issues with it that I'll go into further detail on below, but overall it was a very enjoyable read and a good sequel.

The book started off quite well, and without getting into spoilers, it was pretty much what I thought the book was going to be about, considering how the last book ended etc. It was a bit repetitive at times and it kept on recounting things that happened in the previous book, I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt though because I read the books back to back so maybe that's why I found certain stuff very repetitive.

Then there's the biggest issue I have about this book. I still love the book don't get me wrong but... I personally think that it should've been split into two books to make the series a trilogy. From around a bit before the midpoint of the book, the story, setting and plot change quite a lot and I would have preferred that this book focused on the first half a bit more in detail and then another book could focus on what happens from then onwards. I think that in this way both of the major plots in this book could have been given more importance and maybe it wouldn't have felt as if the author tried to cram all her ideas into one book to close the chapter on this world.

The best part about the whole book, apart from the characters and their dialogue because similarly to the first book these were impeccable, has to be the ending. The series closed off in a very beautiful way, I cried obviously because honestly it's rare that I don't, and I really wish the ending could have been longer because of how good it was.

All in all, I can't really be specific with my criticism without getting into spoilers and that's not something I want to do. I still loved this book and think that it is a worthy companion for its predecessor, however, I just expected more from it.

Quotes I liked:
"Your heart is your home. Until you understand that, you belong nowhere."
Final rating: 4.5⭐ rounded down
Picking up more books by the author?: I'm considering it, maybe I'll pick up Spin the Dawn...

The Dragon's Promise picks up right after Six Crimson Cranes, so this review may have a few spoilers for that one.

Where the first book is solidly a retelling, this one ventures into its own path. Shiori has promised to return the dragon's pearl, so she sets off with Kiki and Seryu into the dragon's realm to do just that. But the dragon's pearl is a finicky thing, and its owner is not where, or even who, Shiori expects it to be. At the same time, Bandur is gaining power - and is angling to become the Demon King who will release the demons from the holy mountain and destroy Kiata (obviously by killing Shiori). So cue another adventure to return the pearl, save Kiata, and destroy the demons. And get married to Takkan.

I ended up liking The Dragon's Promise more than Six Crimson Cranes and it's not because I dislike retellings. I do love a good retelling, and I have done some myself. But where SCC just felt flat to me (I still don't get why everyone was raving about it), what I really loved about TDP was this parallel journey of discovery and redemption. As Shiori journeys to return the pearl, she uncovers the truth behind who her stepmother was and her motivations in setting up all that she did in SCC.

What I really hated about TDP was Shiori, because MY GOD DID SHE REGRESS. As I said immediately after reading the book: Super absorbing read but omg Shiori is SO annoying in this one. I liked her better with the bowl over her head.

So if you do read Six Crimson Cranes, it's really gotta be for this one. Which is mostly villain stepmother redemption, if you ask me.

Note: I received a digital ARC of this book from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Will be crossposted to blog on 13 July.

A incredibly well put sequel. I loved everything about this duology but especially the universe, the atmosphere and the characters which are absolutely exquisite. If you're looking for a great dose of escapism with a well crafted plot line and a beautiful writing, this book is for you. No this duology is for you, as well as every other book series written by Elizabeth Lim.

ARC provided via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Elizabeth Lim is with no doubt one of my favourite authors, loved every single book I have read of her so far, and hope to keep up with her work, and to read so much more from her.
“Six crimson cranes” was a fantastical and atmospheric read, I love the way Lim plays with mythology and fantasy, the characters she writes, and the relationships she wovens. I do feel that the second, “the dragon’s promise”, was a bit of a stretch of the first one, the first one could have been a stand-alone. I did like to read it, but it felt that there was no need for a whole second book for the things left.
BUT I still loved to know more of the intricate fantasy world Lim built in the blood of the stars duology and the references to that first duology.
I will keep recommending Elizabeth Lim books to everyone that likes fantasy and romance, but bare in mind that this one was not my favourite so far.

Epic quest after epic quest and a great way to end! Kiki will forever have a place in my heart and feel I need to learn how to fold a paper crane now! :)

Copy provided by NetGalley.

A beautiful sequel.

I read ‘Six Crimson Cranes’ and ‘The Dragon’s Promise’ back-to-back as the narrative follows seamlessly on and it didn’t disappoint. Shiori continues to be a character with strong morals, unshakeable loyalty to her family and a delight to observe develop. Her brothers and Takkan provide many opportunities to highlight her qualities, their ties growing ever more unbreakable through the trials they face.

There are many things that I love about this book from the magically far off island, so beautifully created it would make anyone wish it were real, the interwoven East-Asian influences, and the tender relationship between Shiori and Takkan. While I do enjoy reading about the broody male characters in other books, I found Takkan’s kindness and positivity a breath of fresh air.

The narrative has a very fast pace which suits the desperation within the storyline; however, I would have enjoyed longer pauses to provide a welcome release in tension. This is the reason why I would give it 4 stars instead of 5.

‘The Dragon’s Promise’ is certainly a book I would recommend if you enjoyed ‘Six Crimson Cranes’.

This book is a solid 3.75 stars, it was great (but not as good as the first) - whilst the start felt kind of disconnected from the first book at times, it was absolutely amazing. As the book continued to progress, the story however started to weaken.

Lim's writing is absolutely magical, dragging you right into the center of the realm, created by her absolutely stunning world building. Shiori improved a lot from the first book, now being an amazing main character who was MUCH more likable (but she still acted so so recklessly which was such a big fat NO NO as she hadn't learned from her past experiences or mistakes, which as a reader is an amazing parallel to find. )

However, I stand by the fact this could have been a fantastic stand-alone, and whilst the ending of the first was such a WTF it could have been resolved in a longer first....anyway this was still pretty good.

ALSO THAT COVER IS STUNNING AND SO SO PRETTY !!

The ending was ~interesting~ to say the least, and for me, at least, it was slightly disappointing - not the ending I expected to receive, anyway still read this!

The first thing I always say when reviewing a sequel is whether or not you need to do a reread before starting book two. In this instance I don't think it is essential to do so if you have a good enough memory of the events of Six Crimson Cranes, the book fills you in enough that you can power through, but I think it is worth doing a reread if only to continue the emotional arc of book one - a lot of the romance is less dwelled on in the early part of this book and I think you need to care about that relationship to feel that the ending is satisfying. I would say do a quick reread to refresh and then jump straight in to The Dragon's Promise.
In a lot of ways this book is a fairly typical YA duology book two - we expand the world greatly from the events of the first book and send our characters on a new adventure. So if you loved the characters of Six Crimson Cranes you'll likely have a decent enough time. My issue was that this felt like a lot of very disparate ideas all tied together- we visit the dragons, we go to various kingdoms, there is a LOT happening in quite a short book and the overwhelming feeling I had was that I was never quite sure where the book was going or what was happening. Some people may enjoy that feeling I find it makes the book quite hard to read because it can throw off the pacing. I almost feel that there was a book and a half crammed into one book rather than it feeling like the structure of a duology. This is a complaint I have had with a number of recent YA sequels so it is definitely not unique to Six Crimson Cranes but it is disappointing nonetheless.
I still thought that the worldbuilding and the writing were really well done, noone can deny that Elizabeth Lim can craft a scene, but the plot of this book and the structure of the story let it down for me. I thought that the overall ending was very satisfying and I'm glad I have read both books but the first book definitely carries the duology.
My rating: 3/5 stars
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley - all opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for The Dragon’s Promise. This was a release I was very much looking forward to because I absolutely adored the first book.

However, I was thoroughly disappointed.
My actual rating would be 1,5 stars, I rounded it up because of my love for Six Crimson Cranes and because the world is really beautiful, so 1 star would not be warranted.
I enjoyed the first 10% of the book and loved that it started with a bang, but then it got very old very quickly.
The plot was repetitive and many scenes were dragged out more than necessary.
The worldbuilding was messy and confusing. There is so much going on, we have underwater dragons, demons, humans, the pearl, witches, magic, different kingdoms,… – it was all just A LOT and I lost track of how everything is connected.

I also found Shiori to be annoying, she was constantly acting on her own and going against what she was told, causing trouble and not communicating properly with the people who care about her.
The other characters like Seryu, Takkan, Kiki and her brothers, that I really liked in Six Crimson Cranes, felt more bland in this book, and not as charming anymore.

I effectively DNFed this book at 65% and then just skimmed/clicked through to the end, because I just did not care anymore about what happens.

I believe that Six Crimson Cranes would have been a fantastic standalone, instead of adding another 400 pages novel that was lacking substance and direction.

Overall, I was really disappointed by this and my heart hurts because of how excited I was for this release. I think the author has great talent and the world she created was magical and wonderful, so I will certainly continue reading her work, but this book really wasn’t for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Dragon's Promise is a well-paced book and a delightful read.
This story is the perfect follow-up to the events in Six Crimson Cranes. Shiori is in the Dragon Realm. But she has to find a way back out. Kiata is in danger and she has to return the Dragon pearl to its rightful owner. We see more of the magical world. While we hope that Shiori, her brothers and Takkan can save their homeland.

I was extremely excited to read this book, as its predecessor, 'Six Crimson Cranes', had set up a fantastic world and premise for us to explore further. I had rated SCC a full 5/5 stars on Storygraph and had extensive Discord chats with friends about how much I was anticipating the release of 'The Dragon’s Promise'. But like with any duology, I was a little wary about how plot threads would be resolved and whether the conclusion would do the series justice, let alone make sense. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised that it was much more than I bargained for (but who expected returning a cursed dragon pearl to its rightful owner to be a linear storyline, right?).

The first few chapters of the book retain the tension and conflict and uncertainty that we were left with at the end of SCC, which does an excellent job of literally throwing you into the deep end along with Shiori. They don’t shy away from continuously proving that Shiori is still a little firecracker who has a tendency to get tunnel vision. And I love this book for that; she messes up as much as a human looking through a human-centric lens would when dealing with other creatures – trying to gauge where we have control and where having the upper hand is possible. She has to learn to recognise other creatures as beings with emotions, wisdom and thoughts without assuming that they can be controlled/subdued by a human (as a lot of high fantasy often tends to). Her wit from SCC did not leave her, adding some humorous moments in the midst of her quest to save her kingdom, and she’s a very entertaining character to follow.

This was enhanced by Lim’s writing. I. LOVE. HER WRITING. I fell in love with how she used imagery in SCC, and I’m happy to report that this has not left in TDP. Each new character introduced in TDP has so much flavour, and there ended up being so many different perspectives that the world itself feels fleshed out. The banter in this series is great. Fraying and blossoming relationships alike are written so compellingly through description and dialogue – even lines that sound like they could be cliches felt thoughtful. The symbolism and stories drawn from Asian mythology also carry on throughout both the language and plot in TDP, which made me extremely happy.

Contrary to what the title may lead you to assume, TDP does not have a lot of Seryu in it. Going into this book, I was somewhat afraid that Lim would try to drag out a love triangle and make Seryu’s whole shtick ‘the immortal being that fell in love with a mortal’. I was scared because most duologies that focus on only one love interest in the first book tend to try and overcompensate and sacrifice plot to develop the second love interest. We avoid that here! When Seryu’s involvement came to an end, I was left anticipating where the rest of this book would go. I can’t say much without giving away important plot points, but the places Shiori goes and people she meets do give her opportunities to continue growing and tie up loose ends.

On the topic of Seryu, he is genuinely one of the highlights. Diving into his world distinguishes the culture and hierarchy of his kind to that of the mortal realm, giving him more depth than the cliche immortal being’s main traits: 1) ethereally gorgeous and 2) being inexplicably, unconditionally and irrevocably in love with the human main character. His feelings for Shiori are communicated extremely well through his actions, but he retains his pride as a dragon through and through. The first chapters where Shiori is rather helpless and clueless in Seryu’s world feel less like an opportunity to present her as a human that can conquer or outwit beasts and more like a way to showcase Seryu’s character and world. I loved him until the end because a love triangle is never forced upon the reader. Lim gives us space to appreciate both Takkan and Seryu in the duology AND respect Shiori’s decision on how to carry both of those relationships forward.

This book does have its shortcomings though. Duologies are always tricky because pacing is a difficult thing to plot out between two books. The plot is packed, so you’re not left wanting for more – if anything, you wish you could have moments for Shiori to breathe between journey phases. And I get that that’s the point – she doesn’t have the luxury of taking a break as the looming threat of a crafty demon threatens to break free . . . Yet I wish Lim didn’t sometimes gloss over her fatigue or her fear or her distress with a convenient coma or sleep. A lot of the plot threads end up resolving out of the sheer convenience of coincidental timing.

Unfortunately, the pacing takes its toll on some character development as well. Bandur as the ‘main villain’ pales in comparison to the compelling Raikama in SCC and instead presents as a more traditional one-dimensional bad guy. While this makes sense in context, I did find myself more intrigued by the unpredictability of antagonists with less page time. Another slightly frustrating point was the level of cooperation exhibited by the people in Shiori’s camp. I get it, in the band of heroes against the nay-sayers, it makes sense for most of their perspectives to align. But the amiability of Takkan and her brothers felt too unnatural at times, as they tended to defer to her judgement without protest, no questions asked. The lack of impactful/high-stakes conflict within her closest circle did unfortunately feel like a convenient way of progressing the plot quickly, so in some ways, I wish this series was a trilogy so we could have maintained the standard of character development shown in SCC. Regardless, I think that the amount of healthy communication in Shiori’s romantic relationships in TDP gets a huge plus for being refreshing to see in a YA novel.

'The Dragon’s Promise' is a satisfying finale to Shiori’s journey, full of legend, myth and memory. It elaborates on Raikama’s impact on Shiori beyond death and her continual resourcefulness and desire to save the people she loves in spite of her (many) antagonists. Its exploration of ostracism in all communities begs the question as to whether belonging is something you’re born with, something you earn, or something you have to extend to others. In spite of a few bumps in the road with pacing, the plot content and characters make this VERY worth your while, and I yet again found it hard to predict how some parts would end. I highly encourage fans of SCC to return to this world to get more than just closure. I was hooked from beginning to end and rate it a solid 4/5 stars.

Yes, I will be adding the UK hardcover edition to my shelf when it comes out.