Six Crimson Cranes is one of my favourite fantasy books, and I was so excited for the release of its sequel. However, The Dragon's Promise was incredibly underwhelming. The plot felt disjointed, the pacing was inconsistent, and every chapter ended with some plot twist sentence / a sentence about the main character falling. This took me out of the story and, as a result, I found it hard to finish.

It took me a little while to get around to this one. I absolutely adored Six Crimson Cranes as well as Lim's Spin the Dawn Duology so I expected amazing things from The Dragons Promise and I was not disappointed. Like all of her other books, Lim has a gorgeous writing style that paints such a vivid and beautiful world in my mind. The characters are amazing and fun and the story keeps me guessing as it takes its twists and turns before reaching its final conclusion. I was happy with the way the story ended and it didn't leave me with any burning questions. I loved the book but I would find it difficult to explain why it didn't give me that "perfect book feeling" the way that I felt with Six Crimson Cranes and Spin the Dawn. Nonetheless, if you are a fan of the author and you liked her other books you will definitely like this one.

The perfect follow up to Six Crimson Cranes - it was so good! I was immediately reimersed back into the world and did not want to put it down.

Headlines:
Separations and reunions
Star-crossed connection
Paper enchantments

I'm somewhat conflicted over this sequel to Six Crimson Cranes. I really enjoyed book one, the plot, the characters and just the magical elements of this world are mostly enchanting. Book two brought separation for some characters and I just didn't enjoy the dragon world, not did I enjoy the demon storyline.

What I do love about this book is Shiori, Takken, Kiki and the brothers. Those elements kept me invested and reading on. I really appreciated the reflections Shiori had about her step mother and the connection I saw with her father. Sense of family is strong in this book.

I wanted the kind of tempo I felt in book one and while this was a rather pacey read, it was ultimately satisfying and it did tug on my heartstrings later on. So overall, I do think this is a duology worth reading but it does suffer from second book syndrome in my humble opinion.

Thank you to Hodderscape for the review copy.

I felt a little like this book was underwhelming compared to Six Crimson Cranes. I had originally thought this feeling was because I was in a small reading slump, but after thinking about it, I realised that it was actually because none of the things I expected from the book happened. Sure, it was still an adventurous fun read, but after having Six Crimson Cranes ferment in my brain for a year, there were just some things I wished would be addressed in book 2.

The love triangle between Shiori, Seryu and Takkan was one of them. I really enjoyed the romance in book 1, but in this book, I just could not enjoy it with the completely miniscule love triangle. Love triangles are a hit or miss for me usually, but I never thought there would be a book where I would actually want more of it.

I think in terms of emotions too, where Six Crimson Cranes was a roller-coaster of emotions, The Dragon's Promise is a constant feeling of frustration. I felt that this book had so much loss and frustration from the characters, I just wanted the book to end so that they could rest.

All in all, it's still a good read, but I just had bigger expectations.

After enjoying book one I had high hopes for this. Sadly this just didn't work for me.
I found myself struggling to care for the plot. The characters felt like they weren't being developed as the story progressed.
Overall all the things I liked about book one seemed to be lacking here.

Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, but tragedy grounded his dreams. Now the dust has settled, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home.

The anticipated sequel for Six Crimson Cranes, and for me it was enjoyable but wasn't as heart pounding as book one was, so I was slightly disappointed.

The Dragon's Promise follows straight after the ending of Six Crimson Cranes, and after Princess Shiori has broken the curse, she and her brothers were under. Then problem is things still aren't at peace and what's even better we get to meet the Dragon's and travel to their world under the sea.

I honestly really enjoy Elizabeth Lim's writing style and found this book so easy to read. I loved being back with Shiori, Takkan and Seryu. The characters are one of the reasons why I really enjoyed book one and I was routing for them to defeat evil that seemed to appear on several fronts.

So, let's talk plot. It wasn't the best plot that I have read, and it was a slight let down from book one, but I still enjoyed the fact that we got to go and see the Dragon's and we saw more of Seryu. I will say that the Dragons are mean, and I was not expecting that, but it did add another layer of intrigue to the book and had me questioning at times what was happening. The evil that appeared in book one reared its ghastly head and at times I found it quite comical, but you know good prevails.

I did like the style of writing like I said Lim creates a wonderful world that is so easy to navigate. Her characters are well written, and I enjoyed the banter between them. I like that Shiori was still growing as a character and that it wasn't just a one-off thing in book one. I would have liked to see more of the brothers in this book as felt that they were so crucial to Shiori as a character, but they weren't as prominent which I understand but I would have liked to have seen more of them.

Overall, it was an enjoyable second book and the mysteries that were left unanswered in book one was answered in book two.

I really loved Six Crimson Cranes, so maybe my expectations were too high for this book. It was nice to be with our beloved characters again. But it feels different, and a bit repetitve. As I said, maybe I was expecting too much after Six Crimson Cranes (one of my favorite read of 2021). Characters that I liked in Six Crimson Crane I started to like less (or even dislike) here. I like the universe and the writing is still very good!

This was such a great sequel to Six Crimson Cranes!! And the romance in this one was *chefs kiss*

I really loved the direction this book took for the duology. Shiori undergoes significant development and we see another side to her and her brothers, as this plot is darker than the first book. I loved Takkan and Kiki and I would gladly take a novella with more fluff from them!

I like books that feel as if you're in the middle of one of my beloved wuxia or xanxia stories. So of course I was all in for the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes.

There was a lot in this book. A lot. The journey to the dragons - a part that I truly adored because they are, as characters, very interesting and complex and I would have loved to read more of Seryu and his realm. But alas, so much more had to happen to bring the story to an end. Enough to stretch it into another book, actually. But so, some more character driven parts fell short for the sake of telling the story.

I liked it, but it didn't warm my heart in a way I hoped and counted on. There was too much in it, and often the solutions came way too easy to Shiori and her crowd. But I really loved the ending. That saved most of the book for me.

Brilliant as always. I love how Lim always manages to tie her books together even if they aren't in the same series!

If you haven't picked up Lim's books before, I urge you to grab one right now, doesn't matter which one, they are ALL amazing!!

After finishing Six Crimson Cranes and especially, after an ending like we experienced, my curiosity about what was to come made me desperately want to read the book. I felt this was the perfect ending to the Six Crimson Cranes books. The story was magical. I do wish there was more exploration with Takkan and Shiori, but I did appreciate this wasn't just a romance.

I'll also be posting a review of this on my Instagram account at @blondesbooknook

Many thanks to NetGalley for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my opinion.

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

It's an okay book, but there is way too many things that's going on for me. The scene of the story changes so fast, and it's some what chaotic.

I really had hope for this one, but ugh... it didn't catch my interest very much, especially not with the chaos the book came with.

and that's why i have rated as I have

5 stars! An excellent magical ending to this duology.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

The Dragon’s Promise is immersive YA Fantasy that revolves around Shiori’s adventure to fulfill the promise she made to her stepmother.

Writing is engrossing, vivid, and fast paced with Shiori’s PoV. Plot is interesting and filled with lots of adventure and twist and turns. It wouldn’t be spoiler if I mention everything mentioned in synopsis is wrapped up in first 30% of the book which was a surprise. I get now why all readers wished there was more of dragon world.

It was interesting to meet new characters under the sea that I would have liked to know more but that was short lived. Relationships in this book is my most favorite part. Kiki is still my most favorite character. Seryu made those first 30% come alive. I wish there was more of his story. Romance between Takkan and Shiori is cute and charming. There is love triangle in the beginning but author nicely avoided it by limiting it to first 30%.

I loved more of legends, folklores and exploring not just Taijin Sea but also other parts of the world that takes us to Tambu Islands and Forgotten Isles of Lapzur with its own legend.

Why 4 stars-there was lots of potential with new characters (especially those half-dragons), layers (cult) and setting (Ai’long) and it could have made an amazing story if those areas were explored more, making it a series than ending it with duology. Let’s just say I loved first book more.

Overall, this is immersive, fast paced, action packed and adventurous YA fantasy with spectacular world, theme and layers but first book was much better than this sequel.

The Dragon’s Promise, second book in the Six Crimson Cranes duology, tells of Shiori’s quest to return the dragon’s pearl to its rightful owner.
I really enjoyed this sequel and was delighted to once again visit the magical eastern world Lim created in these books. Shiori journeys to the kingdom of dragons, and I enjoyed learning more about Seryu’s background. At times, pacing felt a bit slow, but I was totally invested in the characters and persevered, which was rewarded with the most beautiful conclusion to this duology. Like in the first book, the banter between Shiori and her brothers was really funny, and I adored the dynamic between Shiori and Takkan.
Overall, this is definitely a duology I’ll be recommending, and Elizabeth Lim is an author I will be following. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic review copy – all opinions are my own.

A beautiful sequel to a beautiful story. I can’t physically describe just how much I loved this book. Wow. A solid five stars.

six crimson cranes was my favourite book last year and oh boy did this sequel deliver and meet my expectations in fact exceeded them, i was immediately drawn back into this world and i love that we get to see the incredible workd of the dragons i have so been looking forward to that and it was truly magical , our main character goes on quite the journey and really is devloped so well and the romance was fantastic very happy about who was chooses

The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth Lim is the magical sequel to Six Crimson Cranes. This story picks up where we left Shiori carrying the promise to her stepmother and entering the dangers of the dragon’s realm to return the pearl to its rightful owner if she can find him, when so many others are hoping to take possession of the precious dragon’s pearl.
This is a fast-paced book, full of twists and turns and a thoroughly enjoyable sequel. I loved being back in Shiori’s world and discovering more about the characters I had come to love in Six Crimson Cranes. Shiori is a strong and determined character who will go to any lengths for the ones she loves and isn’t afraid to take risks to do what is right, which makes the story more compelling. I raced through this book in a few days and would recommend this and Six Crimson Cranes to anyone who enjoys magical, fantasy writing. I’m looking forward to reading more of Elizabeth Lim’s work in the future. Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a digital review copy.