I have been a fan of Elizabeth Lim's writing since I read her first series a few years ago. Her Radiant Curse immediately went on my tbr when I discovered that it was a prequel set in the world of Six Crimson Cranes and tells the story of Channi, who has a very important role in the previous duology.

It was a delight to step back into the world of Six Crimson Cranes and look at places that the other books had not visited. The world-building was done really well and I feel this book expanded and explained certain things that I didn't understand previously. The writing is beautiful and pulls you into the world and the locations the characters are visiting.

Channi was such an interesting character; her motives really shone through in all chapters. All she wanted was to protect her sister and that becomes her driving force from the start to the end of the story. Her growth, in her powers, in her strength and in her courage, were a delight to read about.

If you are a fan of Six Crimson Cranes and Elizabeth Lim's writing, then Her Radiant Curse is the perfect book for you.

First things first, can we all appreciate how gorgeous the cover it??? I mean damnnnn!!!!!

This is my first book by Elizabeth Lim and Her Radiant Curse has left me longing for more. Lim is a master of her craft and has weaved such a spell-binding story full of complex yet incredible characters. Her world building is also commendable. The way the story is written makes you feel like you are in the story and I can't say that for a lot of authors. Her Radiant Curse is a piece of art and Elizabeth Lim is a skillful artist.

The story is about a young girl named Channari (snake girl) who was sacrificed as a child by her father in order to save his wife and a radiant new born baby girl. However, the Demon Witch instead of killing Channari, curses her and promises to return when her new born sister turns 17. All her life, Channari has trained to protect her sister despite her father's and the town's hatred for her and how she looks. When Channari's sister is of age and is being auctioned off as a bride, Channari encounters a series of events and meets some interesting people along the way. All Channari wants is for her sister to not fall prey to the Demon Witch. How far will a sister go to protect her sister? Read to find out!

After finishing the book, I was a little disappointed that I wanted to know more about what happened. However, I found out that the story is linked to Elizabeth's other books. I am definitely going to read her other books NOW!!!!

Channi lost both her mother and her face the day her sister, Vanna, was born. Despite this she loves her sister more than her own life and will do anything to protect her. Unfortunately, with a beauty to rival a goddess and an internal light that glows outwards, Vanna needs a lot of protecting. Their father is only interested in how much men, ideally kings and princes, will be willing to pay for Vanna’s hand in marriage. Vanna’s suitors are only interested in her looks. And then there is the demon, Angma, whose interest in Vanna stems from something much more sinister.

Some details of Channi’s life are given in Six Crimson Cranes and in The Dragon’s Promise and they were really intriguing so I’m glad Elizabeth Lim decided to explore this in more depth. As usual she has created a cast of wonderfully unique characters and thrown them into a vibrant and chaotic plot. I don’t think I’ve ever loved a snake more! Even side characters had their own distinct personalities and were written in a way that hinted at a hidden depth. A great example of this is the sisters’ step-mother; she sends Channi out the house when a particularly vile suitor visits and the sisters joke about her loving her house more than her husband. The tone of these exchanges show the love and pride she had for her family.

Multiple small plot twists, aided by unpredictable magic and even more unpredictable characters, take this book from engaging to absorbing. Even knowing how it would end, I often found it difficult to see the path to get there. In my opinion this is a sign of true craftsmanship and makes for an un-put-down-able read.

#Bookreview alert [ARC]

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✏️AUTHOR - @elimpix
📚PUBLISHER - @hodderscape
📆PUB DATE - 29 Aug 2023
🧩GENRE - Teens & YA
⭐RATING - 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕[5/5]
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ
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•°𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠°•

❥・Oh my goodness, this book is an absolute gem! It completely blew me away with its sheer brilliance and left me speechless. I can't even begin to express how deeply this story touched me. It tore my heart into pieces, then stitched it back together, only to repeat the process over and over again. Every aspect of it is just incredible.

❥・And let's talk about the cover! Oh, wow! It's absolutely breathtaking, a true work of art that perfectly captures the essence of this beautiful tale. It's like a gift wrapping that does justice to the wonders hidden within.

❥・Elizabeth Lim has truly outdone herself with this masterpiece. She is a true magician when it comes to storytelling, and she has crafted a spellbinding narrative filled with love, adventure, and enchantment. The writing itself is pure poetry, whisking me away into a world I never wanted to leave. There's something addictively beautiful about the books set in this universe, and they only keep getting better and better.

❥・The characters... Oh, the characters! They are absolutely marvelous. I became completely invested in their journey, rooting for them every step of the way. Channi and Vanna, in particular, are the kind of female characters we need more of. They are strong, intelligent, and capable of holding their own, but their true power lies in their love and unbreakable bonds.

❥・I can't stress enough how much I adored this book. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to read it before its release. It has amplified my excitement for its official debut to a whole new level.

"One sister must fall for the other to rise."

Her Radiant Curse was a prequel of Six Crimson Cranes, take set in Asian inspired world full of magic, witches and monsters. The story following the origin story of Channi the mysterious stepmother from the duology. This book will become spoiler for reader who not yet read the duology.

As long as I remember, I read everything from Elizabeth Lim and enjoy aspects she offer from her stories. Renewing traditional folktales and childhood stories wrapped with mesmerizing storytelling style, combine that with unique plot and well written characters will keep me engaging until the last pages. This one offer strong bond and love between sisters, Channi and Vanna. The characters both MC and sidekick are loveable and easy to remember, even I cant hate the villains. I would love to recommend to reader who love soft magic and beautiful fantasy with family bonds.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodderscape from Hodder and Stoughton for provided my copy. My thoughts and opinions always become my own. Publish at 29 Aug 2023.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for supplying me with a copy of this book*
This book tells the story of Channi.
Going into it, I hadn’t really read anything about it and thus didn’t know that it was the backstory of one of the characters from Six Crimson Cranes. However, I found it an easy read and I don’t believe there is anything that I didn’t understand from not having read the other books.

In Her Radiant Curse, Elizabeth Lim takes us back to her Asian-inspired fantasy world filled with red-eyed demons, witches, dragons and sisters!

Channi, the moon-faced girl cursed by the Demon Witch, must save herself and her sister, Vanna. With her face resembling that of a snake, Channi has spent her life hidden in shadows, but her connection with snakes proves to be her greatest strength. As she embraces her unique abilities and forms unbreakable bonds, Channi's determination to protect Vanna is unwavering.

Set in the same universe as the Six Crimson Cranes duology, Her Radiant Curse stands on its own as an individual and captivating story! One of the few instances where a prequel is better than the original!

It was heartbreaking but worth it: the details (songs, recipes, and the bowl!!) nod to the previous duology, add depth to the narrative, inviting us to fully immerse themselves and dive right back!

“Strange, that in the moment that should come to define me, I felt so little.”

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own

I love everything about Elizabeth Kim’s writing. This book tells the story of Channi who we were introduced to in the Six Crimson Cranes series. Channi is cursed after an incident with a demon witch, the only way to break her curse is to sacrifice her sister.

Channi is a loyal, fierce and awe inspiring main character. She is brave and fights hard for those she loves. Despite facing challenges that affect her every day, she loves hard and will do anything for those she loves.

The writing in this book is simply beautiful; the scenery setting and world building is stunning and totally immersive.

The story gripped me right from the beginning and I could not put this book down.

Absolute perfection

8.75/10

"I was not born a monster."

Channi, Channari, the moon-faced girl was very young when her sister was born with a light in her chest. Her mother lost a lot of blood at her sister's birth, Vanna. Then her father for saving her mother, tried to sacrifice a child, Vanna's radiance was so powerful that he chose Channi to offer her to Angma, the Demon Witch. He ran into the jungle and offered his girl instead of the health of his wife to that tiger, Angma. But before the tiger arrived, the serpent king poisoned Channi's blood, so she became useless to the Demon, for that Angma cursed the moon-faced girl to never look at her face without feeling pain.

She became a monster and the only way she could undo it was, to bring Vanna for Angma before her seventeenth birthday, If not, she would come for them both.

“One sister must fall for the other to rise,”

Channi, with the strongest poison in her blood, can talk to snakes; only snakes are immune to my poison, as she is to theirs. They call her “Lady Green Snake,” raised her, and taught her their wisdom, lore, and ways. She considers them brothers and sisters and her loyal and hectoring closest friend is Ukar.

With green-brown scales on Channari's face, she should have always hidden in the shadows and behind a mask till no one saw her cursed face which is more like a snake than a human, men shriek in terror and her sister Vanna is the only one who fell in love with her. Channi swore never to let the Demon Witch take her. Not ever.

Her Radiant Curse is an individual and a spin-off of Six Crimson Cranes in a land far away from Kiata, the kingdom of the crimson crane, where the magic is more potent than Kiata which the gods suppress.

An Asian fantasy full of red eyes demons, witches, dragon stories, dragon' pearl, and Hokzuh a Dragon Prince whose destiny is tied with the Serpent Queen!

I got a headache when rating this book, I like the love and good friendship in it, enjoyed the snakes much, but sometimes I hated the sense of revenge and despise, and then I hate that I hated it; other times story became a little silly, childish, there should be a red line for magic and fantasy, shouldn't be exaggerated and unbelievable!
So, this was entertaining, enchanting, and heartbreaking but not flawless!

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton via Netgalley for giving me a chance to read Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim, I have given my honest review. Pub date will be 29 Aug 2023.

I LOVED the six crimson cranes duology so when I saw this was set in the same world I pressed that request button so fast. This book was beautifully written. It told the tale of 2 sisters and their battle to remain together despite all the odds. I absolutely adored Channi and it definitely explained somethings about her personality in SCC. Gorgeous world building as per usual.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest review.

This book is a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes however it can be read without any prior knowledge to this world. There are some references to SCC but not in the sense of you feel like you are missing some of the story by not understanding the references.

This book is perfect for anyone that loves whimsically dark stories with a thread of mythology. It is ultimately a story about the power of familial love and the strength that it can give us, whether by blood or not.

I would say that there are some trigger warnings that should come with this book such as death, blood, torture and human sacrifice.

I really enjoyed this book and was another great edition to this world that Lim has created.

After feeling a bit let down by The Dragon's Promise I was a bit hesitant going into this book, but I was pleasantly surprised! It was great to get some insight into Channi's life before the events of Six Crimson Cranes, as she's originally presented as the villain of the story, but it's eventually revealed all is not what it seems. Despite knowing how the story was going to end it was still a very sad ending. Overall a great instalment in this world!

Thank you to NetGalley for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

As with all of Lim's books in this universe, this book was such an easy read. If I had had the time, I could easily have devoured this whole book in a single sitting. In fact, I may very well do that when my physical copy arrives because I absolutely adored this!

There is something about the books in this world that are just so beautifully addictive and they only ever seem to get better. I absolutely adored Spin the Dawn and, when I read it, I didn't think I would be able to love the sequel any more. When the next book came out, I thought the same. Yet, I am continuously proven wrong and that fact makes me so very happy.

Before I even get excited about Channi and her arc throughout this novel, I want to take a moment to appreciate the extent of the world building throughout these novels. We have seen so many different parts of it and it is so rich with culture, landscapes and religions. It is an absolute joy to get to see more of it, especially when it is crafted so seamlessly.

Now... Channi! Oh what a fun character she is to see this world through. She is a character forged by the necessities of the world she is in and we see that in her every interaction. She is not a happy, friendly girl who is ready to take on the world; she is angry and hurt, but also determined and loyal. I absolutely loved seeing how she adapted and grew from the first to the final page.

I absolutely adored this book and am so grateful that I got to read it already. It's got me even more excited for its release than I already was!

DAMN, THOSE LAST CHAPTERS!

Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes series which tells the story of love, betrayal, pain, and heartache.

*spoiler*

It is not a bittersweet ending. It is not a happy ending but a haunting one for the protagonist.

Ms. Lim mesmerized her readers once again with the world of Six Crimson Cranes. I do love the first book but we don't speak of the second one haha.

Channari and Vanna's characters are well developed and these are the type of characters you would be so invested with.

I am so sorry to say that this book was disapppointing to me.
While I loved Six Crimson Cranes, I just felt this book felt flat in comparison when it came to worldbuilding and character development.
Our main character Channi is portrayed as the evil stephmother in the other series. She is an amazing snake queen and I was so rooting for her own story. We follow her growing up with her father and sister as her mother died when her sister was born.
And ever since her father is mean and her sister is honestly a happy little sunflower b*tch. I did not like the family setting at all. The way Channi was treated just because she has a snake face that she literally did to sacrifice herself for her sister. Who is obviously a radiant beauty and everyone wants her. Competition style no one is good enough just because she is gorgeous was discusting. Especially as big sister Channi was not allowed to disturb or diminish her value by showing her fking face. I am sorry this just aggrivated me.
The story with the dragon pearl was intruiging, but Channi picking her sister over herself over and over again was just too much.

Every time I read a book from this world it is somehow better than the last. Elizabeth Lim writes so fun, fast paced fantasy stories with the serious and emotional elements. I love how she writes her characters, the in depth world building. I loved reading the story of these two sister, especially after the part we read in Dragon's Promise. I really hope there are more books set in this world. If there is or not, I will most certainly be reading whatever Elizabeth Lim writes next!

I was delighted to get eARC ofHer Radiant Curse - it's the standalone story of Her Radiance/Channari, aka Shiori's stepmother from Six Crimson Cranes. This expands on the story that was first told in The Dragon's Promise. Channari is an incredible, engaging character. She goes from strength to strength and believable doubt and the tension between her and her sister over their fates is utterly gripping. We also get to learn more about Kharamelan the Dragon and how he ended up in his particular mess through his relationship with Channari and the witch that cursed her.
Also I never thought I'd love a snake but Channari's best friend, Uruk is a fabulous danger noodle and so sassy.
I absolutely tore through this absolutely gorgeous story, full of Lim's sumptuous world building and a twisting tale that hurt you every chance it got. You don't even need to have read The Six Crimson Cranes Duology to enjoy it as it truly stands alone.

#herradiantcurse #amreading #review #eARC #sixcrimsoncranes #thedragonspromise #ya #fantasy #dragons #magic #witches #bookstagram #books #beautifulbooks #reading #somanybooksolittletime #notenoughshelves

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance copy of Her Radiant Curse for an honest review.

Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes covering Ramaka or Channi's story.

Channi was made a Monster by her father's offer to sacrifice her to the Demon Witch Angma. Now cursed with the face of a serpent Channi is the opposite to her sister Vanna who is beloved. Vanna is the only person Channi trusts and who sees her as more than a Monster.

At 17 Vanna is to be married off for money and Channi is intent on preventing her getting married to some of the vulgar suitors. In doing this she gets mixed up in one suitors wrath and ends up over seas starting a battle to return to Vanna's side and protect her from the curse of the Demon Witch.

After The Dragon's Promise felt abit disjointed I was interested to read Lim's next offering and I must say this is a return to form.

Her Radiant Curse was a fantastic epic YA fantasy steeped in Asian Folklore. I was hooked on this book and couldn't stop reading.

The story was well crafted the characters were enjoyable and it gave us fantastic insight into Channi's origin. While being a prequel I wouldn't say you need to read Six Crimson Cranes first but it does give good context and there are some moments dropped in that lead you back to aspects of Six Crimson Cranes.

A fantasticly crafted story and I look forward to whatever Elizabeth Lim releases next.

This absolutely beautiful prequel to Six Crimson Cranes duology was amazing!
This book was amazing and one I stated I couldn’t put it down. It was absolutely heartbreaking at points and I really felt all the emotions coming across from the writing. The world building is fantastic and the author truly captivates a magical story.
Channi is such a strong and Beautiful character, I enjoyed learning her backstory and everything she did to protect her sister.
I loved meeting all the characters and they were beautifully developed throughout the book. I absolutely loved going back into this beautiful world and would love more stories from this world.

Thank you to the author, netgalley and the publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology that introduces the empresses back story to us and it was action packed and heart-wrenching. It made me tear up and feel so many different emotions. My favourite yet from the author