This book was a lovely, refreshing read. I quite enjoyed it after the prequel. However, I think it was a bit slow to start and only picked up halfway through. The ending was quite fitting. I still enjoyed the prequel more though.

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favourite releases of 2021 and I am so sad I didn't love this book just as much.

The Dragon's Promise picks up right where Six Crimson Cranes left off and see's Shiori travel to the Dragon realm. From the first page TDP was fast paced and jammed packed.

This made The Dragons Promise feel super rushed yet at the same time it also kept dragging on and on. There were way too many enemies to overcome and everytime I thought the book was wrapping up there was another problem.

I really wish I had loved this book but I feel like it would have been better as a standalone. While this book wasn't quite for me, deffinetly give it a go if you enjoyed Six Crimson Cranes.

*no spoilers*

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favorite reads this year. This heart warming retelling stole my heart and I couldn’t wait to read the sequel and discover how everything was going to end.

The Dragon’s Promise has the same fairytale atmosphere as his predecessor, the same enchanting writing, the same lovely characters. It was so easy enter in this world and get lost in it. Miss Lim has a gift to create beautiful stories with great messages and stealing our heart in the process.

But the story itself didn’t had the same rhythm and quality than the first one. The plot started a bit chaotic and despite the pace getting better, the truth is that the plot felt always very disconnected from the original story. I was curious about was happening and about Raikama’s origin story but, in the end, it was all very messy and didn’t serve a big purpose to the story.

That made me sad because I love these characters and they deserved an emotional ending but it was a bit difficult when the plot didn’t let you feel it. Even though I was immersed in the story and worried with the characters, at the same time, I was feeling that something didn’t sound right.

I would read this duology again but I think Six Crimson Cranes would have work as a standalone perfectly. I recommend it the same, because I love the first book, I just wanted the sequel had lived it to the hype. It is a good story, with lovely characters and a fairytale style. Just wasn’t perfect as I hoped for 💜

⭐️⭐️⭐️,5

* Thanks to @netgalley UK for providing me an arc of this book in exchange of an honest review

Many thanks to Hodder&Stoughton and NetGalley for letting me read an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Returning to the magical world that we were introduced to in Six Crimson Cranes, The Dragon's Promise takes us in an entirely different direction: downwards, into the ocean, diving head first into the realm of magic.
This book was much more heavily focused on the magical aspect of the world, which almost made up for the... less than ideal pacing. The vibes were great and I especially enjoyed Shiori's time in the realm of Dragons, but ultimately, no single aspect of the story was explored in a way that felt satisfying and fulfilling to me.
I did like the nods to Lim's other duology, The Blood of Stars, and I think that the connection of both stories worked out really well. It seemed cohesive, still left some room for curiosity and overall made the reading experience more fun.

Ultimately, I suppose it's just time that I admit to myself that I don't connect with Lim's writing. This was a cute YA duology with some great concepts and vibes that really should have hit home for me, but at the end of the day, I simply could not connect to it, no matter how hard I tried.

enjoyed more the first one, the story is a bit messy and had a lot of plot conveniences, the story goes all over the place without a clear line, not bad but i would prefer the first one alone



Here is a video review for it that is live on October 30th https://youtu.be/KSy8Ua3dz0k

The Dragon‘s Promise is the second book in the Six Crimson Cranes series. Princess Shiori made a promise to return the dragon pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping this promise is dangerous. She must go to the kingdom of dragons, navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alive, fend off thieves and defend everyone and everything she loves. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster…
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Dragons are my favourite mythical creatures EVER so I loved that The Dragon‘s Promise is partly set in the kingdom of dragons. 🥰🐉 I think that‘s why I actually enjoyed the sequel even more because the dragon kingdom inside the sea was fascinating.
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I enjoyed being back with the characters and and I love Shiori and Takkan together! Everybody needs a Takkan in their life. 😊
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I‘ll be honest, I thought the book started off strong and then I got a bit bored towards the end. However, I thought that the writing was beautiful and it was a satisfying conclusion. And the cover is gorgeous! So if you enjoyed the first book, I‘m sure you‘ll enjoy the second book too 😊️
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*rated 3.5 stars* Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my review copy!

Having loved the first book in this duology, I really wanted to love this one too but it fell a little flat for me.
I definitely feel like this could have been split into two books and the series could have been a trilogy because the two halves of the book felt very detached from one another. Because of this many of the great elements and characters that were set up in the first book felt forgotten. And then the plot also felt rushed and too convenient.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book which takes place in the underwater kingdom but the rest of the book was disappointing and I wished more time had been spent on fleshing out the story.

Loved loved this one!! Gripping and exciting and as always a fab read and can't wait to see what this author does next :)

The Dragon's Promise is the concluding book of Elizabeth Lim's Six Crimson Cranes dilogy.

A dynamic concluding volume, of whichI loved every aspect, from the challenging storyline, to the development of the characters and their relationships.

Shiori's journey was adventurous and exciting, sparkling and eventful. A journey that has been able to involve and entertain me from the first to the last page.
I will miss this world and these characters!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!

The second volume of this duology follows Shiori, her brothers and Takkan as they try to return a Dragon's pearl.

The book immerses you in so many different settings in this world - Ai'long, the home of dragons, Tambu, the home of demons and Lapzur the Wraith's prison. They are all rich with life - though I do think the book spent a little too long under the sea.

The journey these characters are on is set up well, but much as I wanted Shiori to have a happy ending (if you aren't part if the Shiori and Takkan ship, just go away) - I struggled to stay invested in her journey. The pacing, which was so well controlled in the first book, felt over slow in this one and my attention drifted.

That said, I still continued to read, I was invested whilst actually reading and the twists and turns, the character development and the love story underpinning this book were all as good as I wanted them to be.

I'll be reading more from this author very soon!

A lovely follow up to 6 Crimson Cranes which delves more deeply into the dragon culture that was introduced in the first novel. Shiori enters the kingdom of the dragons to honour her promise to her stepmother Raikama to retun the dragon's pearl to its owner. Her quest leads her to a better understanding of her true power and love for her betrothed Takkan.

Princess Shiori must fulfil her promise to her stepmother and return her dragon's pearl to its rightful owner after escaping her fatal curse. Shiori must deal with unusual situations as the journey includes a time-traveling dragon's lair and an island that is the home of demons. Shiori must deal with the pearl as its disordered state threatens to damage people around her while negotiating human politics and its disregard for the magic that runs in her veins. Will she cut the strands of fate or can she mend everything she's done?

The second book of this wonderful series was magical, fantastical and entirely epic! I loved every minute of it and could not put this book down.

Highly recommended!!

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

The Dragon’s Promise is a sequel that was just as fun and magical as the first book.

The story picks up exactly where Six Crimson Cranes left off and has us following Shiori on her mission to uphold her promise by travelling all over the kingdom.
I avoid revealing too many plot details when reviewing a sequel due to spoilers but honestly I wouldn’t even know how to summarise the storyline more here. This is one of those books that you won’t be able to guess what direction the adventure will take you next.

There is still a Studio Ghibli / fairytale adventure vibe overall but the scope is a lot broader. From diving deep into the depths of the dragon kingdom to voyaging across the seas to far isles Elizabeth Lim allows us to further explore this beautifully rich world she has imagined which was one of the things I really loved about this book.
Another was Shirori and Takkan. Rereading book one before picking this up made me become enamoured by their slow burn relationship once again and my heart was just swelling watching it continue to blossom here.

Alongside exploring new parts of this world there is a lot more emphasis on the political tensions particularly in Gindara, as well as how the opinions and superstitions of the people surrounding magic come into play. Themes of grief, fear and loss are deeply explored but also love and remembrance.

I felt there was a slight set back however, in that there were various new (and old) characters and lore being introduced which weren’t given enough time to be explored as the focus was very much on Shirori and her journey. The pacing was also quite fast so some of the action scenes felt a little bit rushed and over as soon as they started but it was all so entertaining through and through.
Final Rating – 4.25/5 Stars

This is a little disappointing for the follow up and final novel of the Six Crimson Cranes duology. The problem with basing the first book in your series on a fairytale is how do you follow it up? A similar problem to Sarah J Maas' series. The first novel leans on the fairytale structure; it's outline is already decided, the author just fleshes it out with new characters, a few twists, et voila. Then the author has to write a sequel, so does she pick a new fairytale? Or does she try to build on the finished fairytale? Better to go the Naomi Novik root and just write standalones.

There's a half hearted love triangle in this one, which is the standard requirement for a YA these days, and the heroine is thrown into a lot of self perpetrated peril. The villains are a little one dimensional and overall it's just much more mediocre. Worth reading of you liked the first book, but perhaps don't anticipate a story up to the same hype.

Words cannot describe how good this book was. Elizabeth Lim did it once again. The writing, the plot, the characters (officially comfort ones now) will forever have my heart. The world is truly magical and even though there were parts that didn’t go how I expected (or wanted) I still really enjoyed this book! The story wrapped up well regardless so yes definitely read this!

Six crimson cranes was one of my absolute favourite reads of last year and so I could not wait to pick the second book in the series up.
Unfortunately I didn’t love it as much as the first but I still absolutely loved it - such a magical and beautiful sequel. Elizabeth Lim’s writing is just my kind of perfect.

I want to thank NetGalley, the author Elizabeth Lim and the editor for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

I loved the magical universe of volume 1 but unfortunately, I had a much harder time following the story of volume 2. This is, of course, my opinion and I do not want to discourage other readers because in fantasy books like here, details that do not pass me, may not pose a problem for others.
I would try to reread this series at another time because I really want to give this book a second chance.

I still love the universe the author created, her imagination, and her way of writing.

I loved six crimson cranes so much and was so excited for this sequel. Lets say this did not disappoint at all. I loved how all of the relationships in this book developed. The new character that was added had me laughing so much.

The plot was so gripping and had me hooked from the first page and that ending was spectacular. I loved how this book was different from the first where it strayed from the fairytale vibes of the first book and i really enjoyed it.

I think this has firmly place Lim in my list of instant buy authors

Off the back of Six Crimson Cranes (which I loved) I was really looking forward to reading the sequel and finding out how it would all end. The story picks up where book 1 left off, with Shiori heading to the dragon kingdom.

Whilst there was a hint of love triangle I am glad that that was not the main focus of the story, I think Shiori was a good main character if not a little too trusting.

I enjoyed Kiki the sassy paper bird sidekick, I do enjoy my characters to give a little sass, I think it makes the characters seem more.. human? I know I definitely rib my friends, a good rule of thumb: if I am mean/tease you it means I like you. (Might be a British thing!)

Without spoilers it is hard to say my true feelings about this book but I do think that Six Crimson Cranes was the better book and could have even been a standalone. I wasn't disappointed by this book it was just not what I thought it was going to be.

Learning about the dragon kingdom was great and whilst I adored the description and world-building of it all, I was a little disappointed that we did not spend more of the story there nor was it brought up again throughout the rest of the book, it made it feel like a loose thread to me.

Can we just share a moment for the beautiful cover art though.. i love it!

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I'm so sad I didn't love this cause I loved the first one so much.
It felt rushed, and the first third of the book felt like a completely different story. The villain was average compared to the villain in the first book and the plot was a lot less intriguing.

I still love this world and these characters but this just didn't hit the way it should :(