While I enjoyed the previous book, there was something missing in it for me. I found the story predictable and as I wrote in my review, it caught my interest, but it didn’t grab me by the heart. I felt like it was a precursor of things to come, an introduction rather than a full story which sometimes happens with the first book in a duology. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just the way it works out and that is definitely the case for the Six Crimson Cranes duology. Read back to back the two books are going to fit perfectly together.

Everything that I felt was missing in book one is in The Dragon’s Promise. From the very start Lim had my attention, she had me on the edge of my seat and oh yes, she most definitely had my heart, and she was ripping it in two at times!

In the first book Princess Shiori and her brothers have been on a whirlwind adventure, their lives turned upside down when they are all cursed by their stepmother. The boys are turned into cranes and Shiori is told that if she speaks one of them will die. On top of that a pot is jammed on top of her head. We eventually find out that all of this was their stepmother’s convoluted way to save them from their enemies, especially since Shiori is special; she has magic in her blood. Her blood can open the mountain doorway to let demons back into the world, and some see her as a living threat and others want to use her as a weapon.

As her stepmother lay dying Shiori learned her stepmother’s full story and her real identity, including that she carried with her a dragon’s pearl. She made a promise at that moment to return the dragon’s pearl to its rightful owner and The Dragon’s Promise starts where the previous book ended, with Shiori headed for the kingdom of dragons with Seryu, the dragon prince she befriended. Those who have read Six Crimson Cranes will remember that Shiori had promised the pearl to the Dragon King, and that is not the only obstacle that she comes across during her time with the dragons.

Once again Lim’s descriptions are magical, bringing the underwater palaces of the dragons to life, and yes I say palaces. The action starts right from the outset as Seryu and Shiori swim into trouble on their way down to the kingdom, and from then on the trouble doesn’t stop coming from Shiori. Despite so much happening everything flows along naturally, I never felt like too much was happening at once. Things are messy and chaotic, but so are the situations that Shiori finds herself in!

When Shiori returns from the dragons, still with the pearl in her possession (you didn’t think it would be that easy did you? 😉 ), she finds herself in a kingdom that she doesn’t recognise but recognises her a bit too much. Magic is returning to her homeland, Kiata, a land which has shunned magic for centuries. While Shiori is away people have realised, and attacks from a powerful sorcerer turned demon who managed to escape the mountain have stoked people’s fear of magic. Ministers of her father’s court are arguing against magic with one suggesting that Shiori be killed to protect the kingdom. Shiori quickly realises that until magic has a place in Kiata, she would not.

Hatching a wild plan to deal with the demon Bandur to save her people, and to get the pearl to the dragon it belongs to, Shiori enlists the help of her brothers once more and this time they are joined by her betrothed Takkan and her brother Andahai’s wife Qinnia. Qinnia is a new character introduced in this book, and it was great to see Shiori bond with a female character that was not a paper crane (as awesome as Kiki is, she is still a magical construct not a flesh and blood person). She’s clever, quick thinking, kind and makes the effort to get to know Shiori at a time when people are shying away from her out of fear.

Kiki is even more fabulous as the last time, and had me cracking up with some of her commentaries. There was more time spent with Shiori’s brothers this time as they were with Shiori more often and in human form most of the time.

And of course, there is much more of Shiori and Takkan! Their relationship is very different from the first book for obvious reasons, and it is beautiful. It is such a strong relationship based on trust and friendship, and what I admire most about it is that Lim has emphasised the way they communicate with each other. It has become a trope in pop culture, especially in YA novels, to have one partner go behind the back of the other, to keep secrets. Usually for some ridiculous reason such as protecting them. Lim has created a healthy relationship with open communication and trust, and I am here for it. That’s not to say that neither Shiori nor Takkan doesn’t want or try to protect the other, but they don’t do something stupid like not trusting their partner. I also felt that the interactions between them were so genuine and reminded me of conversations I’ve had with my own partner.

Shiori grows a lot in this book. She has to with everything that gets flung at her. The Dragon’s Promise deals with a lot of themes and ideas, drawing again on Eastern folklore and this time the ending felt very satisfactory. I am going to miss these characters, and I cried buckets during some of the scenes and at the end, but Lim has given them a proper send off. This is a very solid five stars for me and while I wait to see what Elizabeth Lim has next for us, I’m going to be catching up on her previous duology!

The dragons promise is the second and final installment in Elizabeth Lims six crimson cranes duology. Shiori just started her journey to the dragon-realm with dragonprince Seryu, shes desperate to fulfill her stepmothers last wish and find the Wraith to give him his heartpearl back. On this journey she has to face vicious kings, bloodthirsty demons and her own fears.
I was immediately sucked into the story and loved every second of it, Elizabeth Lims books have a special way of writing and they almost feel like classic tales from my childhood, but with modern fantasy-elements.

Wow... just wow...
I liked the first book and gave it 4 stars, but this is even better!
I was so into it I lost all track of time and place!
I love the way Elisabeth Lim writes, and the setting and plot is just stunning!

Easy 5 stars!

Shiori has begun her quest to the dragon realm with Seryu and her sassy sidekick Kiki. Returning the temperamental pearl she will encounter unexpected dangers. Is it worth keeping her promise with everything she needs to face?

Compellingly paced, this sequel is enticingly unpredictable, so full of gasp-worthy surprises. There is an ambiance of floating in this vivid world perpetuated by Lim's masterful use of words, as he shares her unending imagination with us. There is figurative speech here that should be applauded.

Shiori is as stubborn, courageous, compassionate and morally just as ever. If possible, you will love her even more in this installment. Her POV delves longingly into her emotions but is all-enveloping of whatever is happening around her. Everything isn't coming up roses for our heroine, as she goes through trials of fantastical and malicious obstacles as well as psychological turbulence. The author succeeds in making the story feel like your own personal fairy tale experience.

Witty, sometimes hilariously dry humor highlights the adventurous spark of the narrative. Can a narrative be adventurous, exhilarating and cozy at the same time? And also smile-envoking? If Lim is the author it can. The mythology continues to impress, as does the worldbuilding. The scheming here is on a whole new level, making your head spin with all the ever-changing deals & betrayals.

There are parts in the beginning, in the dragon realm, where I feel as a reader I did not have time to digest every twist and turn, the plot advancements came too close, no time for them to breathe. This evened out as the book progressed. Also some things seem to be implied that they happened or were said and I wish they had been elaborated.

Duty is a theme here as are faith & loyalty. In its own imaginative way, this story shines a light on the issue of being different. Different isn't bad. Being who you really are is of utmost importance. We also ponder the magic of the soul.

This story may have the best sidekick ever. Kiki of course. It is also highly quotable, with phrases of beautiful sentiments and life lessons. On a wisp of a dream, creativity its king, all the while gifting us with brilliant writing it does. This is a more than worthy conclusion to an amazing duology.

I guess I’ll have to begin this with a little disclaimer, I’m definitely biased because I’m 100% in love with this world that Lim has created, I fell in love with it before Spin the Dawn was released in the US in 2019 and I’ve just fallen more and more in love with the world since.

The Dragon’s Promise picks up pretty much right at the end of Six Crimson Cranes, with Shiori headed to the Dragon’s Realm (Ai’long) alongside Kiki and Seryu. The whole story is fairly fast-paced and a lot happens. There aren’t many quiet moments for reflection throughout which is kind of illustrated in how we’re only actually in Ai’long for the first third of the book. Within that time, if you’ve read Spin the Dawn prior to this duology then you’ll come across a certain old friend… (It’s teased in Unravel the Dusk!)

One thing I’d like to note is that if you haven’t read any of this world’s stories yet… start with this duology. Read the Blood of Stars after because otherwise you have a pretty good idea of what needs to happen in The Dragon’s Promise.

It’s clear that Shiori won’t rest until she’s fulfilled the promise she made to her stepmother, Raikama, at the end of the first book – to return her dragon pearl to its original owner. Within Ai’long, she learns that won’t be quite so simple to do…

With the quick departure from Ai’long, we also have a quick departure from the awesome character of Seryu. Honestly, I miss him. He was witty and charming and absolutely would have been a great match for Shiori… but Takkan is still definitely one of the sweetest love interests to be created, so I’m not too heartbroken over her choice!

When she goes home, the reunion with her brothers, Takkan and her father is very sweet and it was great getting to see more of her brothers’ characters show. But then of course she still had to return the pearl and try her best to help with the little demon problem from the end of the first book… so we get another adventure, of course. The adventure also takes Shiori to Raikama’s childhood home, so we have a little insight into her life and some emotional moments.

Lim manages to introduce some new characters too without taking away the majority of the spotlight from the others (though, I have to admit I was still very attached to that particular The Blood of Stars character, even in his very different form he was a joy whenever on the page).

Although I am most definitely extremely sad that this story is over… the ending was just so perfect. I cried a lot throughout the latter end of the book and a lot of that crying involved happy tears. In a sense, it was of a similar nature to the ending of Unravel the Dusk, and even that parallel alone had made me emotional.

All-in-all, this was yet another beautiful story from Lim. I can’t wait to read whatever she writes next, but these two duologies will always be recommended and they’ll always stay on my favourites shelf

One thing I will say is that this was an interesting way to end a duology! I really enjoyed Six Crimson Cranes so I was VERY excited for this book, I will say I liked the first book better but this one wasn't bad at all! The book just picks up straight away form the ending of the first one, I should have maybe re read the last chapter or two just to get myself in the mindset. I adore seeing Shiori, Kiki, and Seryu negotiate the complex political situations and unforeseen issues in Ai'long. I was quite interested to see how the rest of the book would turn out because the action was so exciting. The first 15-18 chapters were fab but it sorta went slightly downhill. The pacing didn't feel as smooth so at some points I was a bit bored. The villain in this book, who fell short of my expectations, was the worst letdown. This, in my opinion, somewhat lowered the stakes, especially since I didn't believe that the characters were in danger. In addition, some of the side characters sounded fascinating, so I would have wanted to see more of them.

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

This was disappointing. the first book was so good and this was so mediocre in comparison! Elizabeth Lim can do so much better! Even now her writing style is pretty! Things are very quotable. But so much of the book is rushed, characters are introduced and then left behind, her brothers are so bland and it felt like she just had to be rescued.

I did like what we learned about the step mother and I think Seryu (MY BABY) is an example for all men on how to handle rejection because at least he left her alone.

I really liked the book, although the first one was better. Still was glad I read the sequel. We already have the first one in our store and I will be happy to sell the sequel to our customers.

The Dragon's Promise is the sequel to last year's Six Crimson Cranes, a book I absolutely adored and wholeheartedly recommend to all my followers. I was so excited to be granted an ARC of this book but I kept putting off reading it because I was so nervous my expectations were too high! And unfortunately, they were...

Now, don't get my wrong, this wasn't a bad book. The book picks right up where the first left off, with Shiori about to descend into the Dragon Kingdom to find the true owner of the broken dragon pearl, keeping her promise to Raikama. This part ended up being my favourite, I really enjoyed the first part in the Dragon Kingdom, even if there was a painful love triangle shoved in (seriously though, why couldn't they just stay friends 😭) but it was interesting and beautiful and I loved discovering all the Dragon politics and such, but then the setting changed and my interest just sort of...waned? The villain was blah, the characters weren't as lovable as they were in book 1, heck even Shiori started to annoy me after a while 😅 every chapter ends with Shiori in some kind of danger and it just got old after a while. I wanted to shake her and just yell at her to think 🤣for a change. And the brothers who were such an important part of book 1 kind of faded into the background in this one.

So overall this was a bit of a disappointing sequel for me. I will always recommend Six Crimson Cranes, it was a lovable fairytale with a gorgeous setting and characters, but this one just didn't live up to it unfortunately.

Received an arc from Netgalley to review.

The dragons promise is culmination of Shiori journey that started in Six crimson cranes.

This had everything I loved in the first book, the incredible world building, fleshed out characters and the amazing writing style.

Overall, this was a fitting end to a beautiful story and I’m sad to say goodbye to this world

“Your fate is bound to mine now… Your heart is my own, and where you are is my home. Whatever we face, we face it together.”

In the sequel to the beautiful ‘Six Crimson Cranes’ by Elizabeth Lim, the heroine, Shiori has been taken to the underwater realm of the dragons. She is meant to hand over the broken pearl (a dragon’s heart) her late stepmother gave her, to the king of the dragons.

But her stepmother had asked her to give it only to the one to whom it belongs. And so begins her next quest. If Shiori wants to protect her kingdom, her family, and her betrothed, she’ll have to face many new dangers.

I just love Shiori. She’s smart, feisty, and won’t be told what to do. She’ll follow her heart and won’t shy away from challenges. I enjoyed ‘The Dragon’s Promise’ immensely. Like its predecessor, it’s a beautifully written and gentle read.

This was one of the sequels I was most looking forward to and I must say that I am not overall disappointed! This volume is even more immersive than the previous one, action packed and full of twists!

I got many answers to the questions I had while reading the first volume. I really like the unconventional paths that Emizabeth Lim has chosen to take, going where we didn't expect her to go and sweeping away my fears easily!

The evolution of the characters is relevant and interesting! Honestly, I didn't expect anything from some of the characters and once again Elizabeth Lim has convinced me.

There is only one thing I regret: I am not completely satisfied with the exploitation of magic and two universes on some points. I would have liked it to be more developed, it was even one of my expectations, especially when it comes to the world of dragons, their powers etc.

This ending... It is so original and pleases two aspects of my personality which are totally opposite, I won't say more to avoid spoiling but... Well done!

I really preferred this second volume to the first one (although I really loved the first one too) and I can only recommend it!

The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim is a sequel to the best selling Six Crimson Cranes, and I would highly recommend that readers start with that book before picking up this one which picks up right where its predecessor left off. It is difficult to provide a summary without spoilers for book one but suffice it to there are dragons and demons, magic and mystery and even a hint of romance. Those readers who enjoyed the first book will certainly enjoy seeing how Shiori's story pans out. The reader sees how she grows stronger as a character both physically and emotionally as she is pushed to her limits and beyond. There are strong themes of family that also appealed to me and I appreciated the author's writing style which was almost poetic at times.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

What does it feel like when one of the most anticipated books of the year becomes the biggest disappointment of the year?
I'm talking about The Dragon's Promise, Six Crimson Cranes book 2.

2.75 stars

The storyline felt really repetitive and unnecessary and after reading this sequel I would have preferred Six Crimson Cranes to remain a gorgeous standalone.

In The Dragon's Promise I never found the vibes I loved so much about Six Crimson Cranes and even the descriptions of this fabulous and wonderful world in this sequel got a bit lost.
Even the love triangle is a half disappointment ... I admit I'm not a fan of love triangles but if done right I appreciate them and they entertain me, but here the romance part did not thrill me at all.

The thing I appreciated the most was finding all the beautiful characters that I missed so much, especially Kiki and Seryu ... I love them too much and I would read a book dedicated only to them!

In a nutshell, this sequel certainly made me return to the wonderful world created by Elizabeth Lim and made me find some characters that I had missed so much but it didn’t satisfy me and to be honest it also bored me a little.

Six Crimson Cranes certainly remains a beautiful book with a much more compelling storyline.
If you want to read my opinion on Six Crimson Cranes, here is the link to the Goodreads review: Six Crimson Cranes Review

Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Elizabeth Lim for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dragons promise is the highly anticipated sequel to Six Crimson Cranes. It dives straight into how the first book in the duology ended with Shiori entering the realm of the dragons.

Shiori has to keep her promise to return the pearl to its rightful owner. With her dragon companion, Seryu she needs to take on the crafty dragons and return to Takkan so that she can finally defeat the demons in the mountain. The first third of this novel, set in the world of the dragons was a wonderful, exciting start to the book, the middle felt like it dragged on a bit but, it did really pick up towards the end. That said, I still devoured this book as though my life depended on it.

I truly love the characters that Lim has created, although I found Shiori's rash and headstrong decisions to be rather irritating at times. I adored the bonds between the siblings. The best aspect of this novel is the rich depictions of mythology and legend. I'm not sure it lived up to its predecessor, but TDP was a satisfying and exciting conclusion to this duology.

Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for an arc of this wonderful novel.

I loved the first installment of the duology, so I was very excited to read this. Although it was very interesting and well written, it felt a little rushed. In my opinion, the story would have worked better, either as a trilogy, or as one book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

A BIG thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this arc.

This review is spoiler free.

I literally read The Dragon’s Promise straight after finishing Six Crimson Cranes and I was looking forward to being able to continue Shiori’s story without endless waiting for a publication date. SCC was action packed and TDP doesn’t disappoint on the action front. A LOT is packed into the 456 pages and I mostly enjoyed it.

The plus points: Takkan, the journey to Ai’long and everything that happened during Shiori’s stay, Kiki, a nice little plot twist and finally learning more about Raikama and her early life. On the downside: we are introduced to a host of new characters who are barely developed leaving you wanting more, Shiori appears to have learned next to nothing from her adventures in SCC and is still behaving recklessly at every opportunity, blink and you miss Seryu who deserves more plot and, the biggest bugbear of all, the convenient wrapping up of every plotline in a nice neat bundle to complete the duology. I feel like there was enough material here for a trilogy. If all the new characters and locations had been developed further, we could have had the 'Empire Strikes Back' novel that most trilogies are given, ending with a mind blowing cliffhanger before sending the heroes off to conquer the bad guys forever in book three. On the other hand, SCC could also have easily been a standalone novel with a few adjustments. I feel that either option would’ve worked in the author’s favour over this effort to tie up the story in duology format. 3.5/5 stars

This is the second and final instalment to the ‘Six Crimson Cranes’ duology and unfortunately, I think Kim should have just left it with the first one! The premise of this novel is really engaging but entirely misleading. It starts with the protagonist’s adventure in the Dragon Kingdom, which I found really interesting and connected to a lot. But unfortunately, unlike the synopsis suggests this exploration of a new land last about 100 pages which are then followed by a series of random adventures for the rest of the 300 pages. It just didn’t flow well for me.

Also, I just didn’t connect with the characters or their romance. It seemed as if the love interest followed the protagonist blindly even though there was a lack of romantic connection - half of the time Shiori was pining for a dragon which she suddenly lost interest in after five minutes back in her homeland. Saying this, I did enjoy Shiori’s connection with Kiki as well as the writing style of the novel which is what ultimately connected me to the story. Sadly though, I don’t think I’d recommend this one as it just wasn’t for me!

TW: demons, violence, fire, death of a parent (mentioned), torture

Six Crimson Cranes was such a wonderful read and so naturally my expectations were high for this book and I got to say I was not disappointed! I definitely need to get physical copies of these two books 🪷💕

The Chinese mythology found in these novels are just so intriguing and beautiful. The author took these Chinese mythology elements and added her own fantasy elements, this was done well.

I enjoyed this duology and can definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for some magical young adult fantasy filled with some romance and adventure! 🪷🐉💖

Thank you @netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton publishers for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Okay

4/5 🌟

Thank you so much to @hodderscape for sending me an eARC.

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favourite books of 2021 so I was really looking forward to The Dragon’s Promise!

This book continues on from the adventure of Six Crimson Cranes. Princess Shiori made a promise but it’s no easy thing to fulfil and she’s being pulled in more than one direction. This book was full of adventure, political intrigue, magic, and of course dragons. I enjoyed the journey Shiori went on even though I did find her impulsive nature frustrating at times.

There was a lot packed into this one and a few interesting new characters were introduced. Sometimes things felt rushed to me but I do still think this was a great follow-up to Six Crimson Cranes. There was also still a heavy romance element like in book one. As someone who rarely reads books without any romance involved somewhere I enjoyed this.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to seeing what Elizabeth Lim writes next!

Rating: 4/5🌟
#TheDragonsPromise #NetGalley