A prequel that beats the duology that it originated from!

I was quite apprehensive diving into this one because I'd been super disappointed with The Dragon's Promise which seemed to lose everything I'd liked about Six Crimson Cranes, and I also don't love villain origin stories, but this works as a standalone and I'm so pleased!

Channi and Vanna are great characters, and Channari is an engaging central character, I could appreciate her for who she was at this stage in her story and ignore the Six Crimson Cranes duology entirely. There were occasional references to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, but nothing that would be missed if you didn't read those two first, and if you haven't read the original duology, then the ending to this one wouldn't be spoiled, so this might be a nice one to start with, or to read alone, if retellings aren't your thing.

Really lovely read, the love of siblings, magic, hope , despair….I can’t decide if there is going to be another one, it’s left finished/ unfinished…beautiful book.

I was unaware this is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes but you can read it as a stand alone. I love the world building and layers to the different countries, cultures and creatures.. The characterisation was written with depth making you care for all the characters.
It also served, for me, as a brilliant introduction to Elizabeth Lim's work.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the early access to this book.

This was an engaging book, fast paced and interesting.

I cared about the characters, it was heart-warming. I really liked Six Crimson Cranes, and this gave off similar vibes.

I'd definitely recommend it!

This story explores the complexities of sisterhood and ideals of beauty, including the sinister consequences that can come with beauty. A full-blown fantasy steeped in Chinese folklore, Her Radiant Curse follows the feisty and courageous Channi, cursed in infancy to appear as monstrous as her sister is radiant.

Both sisters face challenges throughout the story that force them to grow as individuals, but also to grow together, despite everything conspiring to tear them apart. I found myself so invested in both girls that I genuinely felt hopeless at the prospect that only one could survive.

Everything about this novel is exceptionally well done. The writing is evocative and the characters are well developed from start to finish. The plot features twists and turns to keep you on your toes and with its fantastic pacing, it makes for a compelling read and gives you everything you'd want from a diverse YA fantasy.

I must be extremely dense because I initially planned to start this review by praising the evocative writing. It was only when I looked closer at the blurb I saw the information that it was set in the same world as 'Six Crimson Cranes', and I realised who I had read about. I loved this book when I set it aside and now, after (so) belatedly figuring out whose origin story this was - it felt all the more thrilling.
Set in a remote location, a father makes a tough choice between his two daughters when the time for sacrifice arrives. This choice leaves one of the girls scarred for life while the other survives, glowing enough for both of them. Both sisters are trying to do something for the other in only the ways they know how. It is never enough for things to go smoothly because more machinations are at play.
The world of the snakes is where our leading lady is most comfortable, having been marked as one of their own. When her younger sister's hand is to be won by auction, the older springs into action. Channi knows what the ultimate end game is, a piece of information she has withheld from her sister thus far. She fights long and hard, and the end is bitter-sweet, with more bitter than sweet, to be honest.
I highly recommend this book regardless of previous experience with the author's other books. The emotional quotient is high, as are the action sequences, making for a very satisfying read.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Thanks NetGallery and Hodderscape for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

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

As a big fan of Six Crimson Cranes, I liked to read this spin-off and immerse myself in this fantasy world. I loved discovering Raikama’s past too. Elizabeth Lim's stories are always magical and delightful to read.

This is the story of two sisters, one blessed and the other cursed. While her sister Vanna is beautiful and adored by everyone, Channi is despised by all the villagers except her lovely sister.

Channi’s adventure was thrilling to read, she had been fighting all her life and she wouldn’t give up until achieving her goals. The plot focussed on her journey trying to save her sister and breaking her curse. Although there is little romance (with a lot of tension) I did not feel it was lacking, because in this story love is about sisterhood and friendship.

Reading this book is like living a magical adventure. I enjoyed Channi’s story and felt her distress. It was easy to empathize with her suffering, because her life definitely wasn't easy. But despite this, she is a strong character and she fighted until the end. The story was a rollercoaster of emotions, and I loved it.

"Her Radiant Curse" serves as a prelude to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, unraveling the tale of Channi, burdened with a serpent's visage after being offered to the Witch in an attempt to save her mother. In the years that follow, she seeks refuge in the jungle, finding solace among her serpent companions. The only human who extends kindness to Channi is her sister, Vanna, a girl of unparalleled beauty, born with a radiant golden light.

The narrative is skillfully woven, capturing my attention right from the beginning and refusing to release its grip. The storyline builds upon the foundation laid in The Dragon's Promise, offering a well-crafted expansion. The characters are not only delightful but also undergo thorough development. While reading the Six Crimson Cranes duology beforehand is not imperative, this prequel seamlessly connects with moments that harken back to the events in Six Crimson Cranes.

***Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an e copy of this book in exchange for an honest review***

I went into this books COMPLETELY forgetting that it was a prequel to the ‘Six Crimson Cranes’ duology. I requested it because I love Elizabeth Lim’s writing style, the lush world building and beautiful stories she weaves.
Throughout this book there were slight nods that made me remember it was connected to her other books, but this didn’t become apparent until the last 10% when everything came to a head- and honestly it just made me go back and read the last few chapters of Six Crimson Cranes because I forgot how a certain characters story concludes and this was all feeling a bit too sad.
It just made me sadder 😭

I adored the bond of sisterhood between Channi and Vanna in this story, and once more Lim has created an enthralling and beautiful world.
I’m just sad it wasn’t happier- the romantic in me dislikes lack of romance, but the love throughout these pages was still there, and a driving force to these characters motives and actions.

Now I need to go finish the duology 🙈😂

A great magical story. I loved the relationship between the two sisters during the whole story. The fantasy element was so good and magical and all of the descriptions of the world were amazing

ahhh i really enjoyed this! i loved six crimson cranes when i read it so i was super excited to be accepted for this one! it follows the strength and thread between two sisters - one portrayed as ugly, a monster the other as beautiful and desirable. tale as old as time. but the sisterhood and sibling bond just made me ahhh during this, it was so beautiful and stood as a reminder that sibling, familial love is just as significant as romantic love. the combination of classic myths and fairytales was so cleverly told, i found myself having flashbacks to my childhood reading beauty and the beast. thank you netgalley for letting me read and review this x

I'm incredibly grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for generously providing me with a complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest review! Elizabeth Lim has once again captivated me with her storytelling in Her Radiant Curse. After feeling let down by The Dragon's Promise last year, I approached this book with some apprehension. However, I'm thrilled to report that it exceeded my expectations and proved to be a valuable addition to this enchanting world!

Elizabeth Lim's writing is truly enchanting and immersive. I was completely engrossed in the world she created and found myself deeply connected to Channi's perspective. Channi, the main character, is a fascinating individual, especially if you're familiar with her role in Six Crimson Cranes. Her strength and determination are palpable, and the love she holds for her sister, Vanna, radiates from the pages. It was heartwarming to witness how Vanna remained her top priority throughout the story. Despite knowing the eventual outcome (if you've read the main duology), I couldn't help but root for the sisters and become fully invested in their journey, particularly their conflict with the formidable demon witch, Angma.

I really enjoyed this, it can definitely be read as a stand-alone without having read the Six Crimson Cranes duology which is a nice spin as often you'd wind up a little lost!

I feel like Lim effortlessly delivers every time, and this book was nothing unusual to that. We had an emotional story which reels you in, its fun and gives you all the feels at the right moments. It flowed so well and I'd have expected nothing less. I'm still an auto-buy I think.

Thankyou to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

This book left me conflicted as its was just very average for me most of the way through.
I struggled to want to pick it up, however when i was reading it, it was easy to read and plodded along fine.
I think this could be due to being YA and my personal tastes being more Adult in writing style.
That being said the last 20% sucked me in and had me hooked.
I'm new to this author and this world (i believe this is meant to be a villain origin story) and because of the ending I'm now going to have to read the Six Crimson Cranes duology as i just cant imagine our characters being the villain.

3.5 stars!

Her Radiant Curse is the prequel to the enchanting Six Crimson Cranes duology, centred on the ill-fated Channari (aka Raikama) and how she became who we knew her as in Shiori’s story…

On the island of Sundau, there are snakes, tigers, demons and most importantly, two sisters, one radiant and one cursed. And for one sister to rise, the other must fall… Her Radiant Curse is a triumph of tragedy and family, brimming with Lim’s rich prose fans have come to know and cherish. It is exactly what makes prequels worthwhile.

The characters were well developed and truly loveable. I’d probably say the characters in Her Radiant Curse have been my favourite and Lim’s strongest to date. Channari was the perfect balance of fierce, maternal and humorous. Ukar, Channari’s snake side-kick (similar to Shiori having KiKi as her sidekick), was sassy and grumpy with a dash of sunshine. There’s then Vanna, Channari’s sister, who was the perfect balance of entitled, innocence and entirely compassionate. And there’s Hokzuh, who is a character readers will perhaps recognise, and I thoroughly enjoyed this version of him and seeing his connection with Channari/Raikama.

My only quibble with Her Radiant Curse, which I’ve felt in most of Lim’s novels with the exception of Six Crimson Cranes, is the pacing and energy of the story dwindles for a period. In Dragon’s Promise it was the middle of the novel, and with Her Radiant Curse, it was nearer the end. However, in spite of this, the ending of Her Radiant Curse is truly magnificent as it is heartrending. As fans of the duology know the story, and have followed the books over the last few years, this backstory has been years in the making and Elizabeth Lim delivered the Star Wars reverse-endings-of-all-endings. And anyone who follows my reviews will see Dragon’s Promise wasn’t the finishing instalment I’d hoped for, but with the prequel’s existence, it now makes details and context in Dragon’s Promise feel more worthwhile after the fact. A very clever and rewarding benefit to writing a prequel! I would throw bouquets of roses at Lim’s feet, but instead, shall aspire to grow a Moon Orchid in her honour.

Her Radiant Curse is magical, adventurous and every other sentiment that befits a novel as fairytale enchanting as this. The way Lim pulls this off all the while winding toward the bittersweet end, is nothing short of testament to how talented she is as a writer. She’s one of my favourite authors and has delivered an exceptional prequel that honours the duology by making such a detailed world with memorable characters. Thank you for such a beautiful adventure Elizabeth, I am your loyal reader and I can’t wait to see what’s on the horizon! Meanwhile, everyone who hasn’t immersed themselves in this world, you really need to get some radiant crimson in your life. Seriously, pick this series up!

I think the cover is very nice! It's really beautiful and a great eye-catcher. I also find the interior design of the book very beautiful and appealing. But unfortunately it's a real shame that NetGalley users don't get the book as a "ePub version" and therefore can't see the beautiful design of the book.

The author's writing style is not so easy to read and it took me some time to warm up to her writing style. It is written in a somewhat complicated way and I often found it difficult to understand. In addition, it was often not written vividly or I couldn't imagine what was being described. For example, it took me a long time to finally understand how exactly I was supposed to imagine Hokzuh or Channi, as I didn't find them sufficiently described. It was often difficult to follow the story.

Overall, the plot was nice and I liked it, but it was also very long-winded in places. It took me a long time to read the book because it is not easy to read. The plot was captivating, but it was just too drawn out. There were a few storylines that surprised me and that I wasn't expecting. Nevertheless, it was only mediocre for the most part and the ending was rather disappointing.

I didn't know beforehand that the book was the prequel to Six Crimson Cranes. I would have liked to have been given a note about it beforehand as I think that would have made it easier to read. But now I'm really looking forward to the author's dilogy and will read it straight after this book!

Edit: after reading Six crimson Cranes, I'm glad I read this book first. It allowed me to understand what the author is referring to when it comes to Channi's past. I like it very much!

3/5
Solid books but I prefer Six Crimson Cranes and Shiori to this book. I unfortunately wasn't that invested, but when I was reading it I enjoyed it.

One must fall for the other to rise. Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent's face.

This story is a prequel to another duology I love Six Crimson Cranes, but I would definitely say read that first before this book. It fills in the gaps of one of the characters and explains their motivations further as well.

If you have seen my other reviews you know that I love me some Elizabeth Lim and I was not disappointed. The world building continued on from SCC and there some good nods to it as well if you knew what you were looking for. You could also read this book as a standalone and not be confused.

However, I did think the the story dragged on a little in the middle and the pace slowed. The romance was fairly non-existent which I enjoyed as a meh on romance person.

I thought that the friendships in this book were great and I want my own sassy snake sidekick! Channi and Vanna’s sister dynamic was gorgeous and I really enjoyed a pair of siblings who were as protective of each other.

The ending was a real zinger and I was sad, shocked, betrayed and all the feelings! I can’t say too much for spoilers but if you struggle in the middle stick around for the end!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I've enjoyed most of Lim's other work, including the companion piece to this story, Six Crimson Cranes. While it was interesting to see how Channi ended up as Shiori's stepmother in that tale, I felt it lacked a bit of the magic of the previous books. I did enjoy the relationship between the two sisters, which felt very realistic. But I'd probably reocmmend the Spin the Dawn/Unravel The Dusk duology over these books.

What a joy this book was, and what a beautiful addition to The Six Crimson Cranes duology. I adored it and I bloody love Lims writing style. You need need NEED to read this!