A jaw-droppingly beautiful adventure. It's a masterful retelling of "The Wild Swans" and "Green Snake," two of my favorite fairytales from childhood. It's about time someone retold them! Princess Shiori's journey is heartbreaking and powerful - I've never seen so much character development in one book. The plot is well paced, the characters all well developed, and the world building is sublime. The reader feels like part of the magical adventure the entire time. This has got to be one of my favorite fantasy novels now.

Elizabeth Lim’s writing is so immersive and atmospheric. I really liked her Blood of Stars series, and this is a great addition the lore of that world. The story is based off the fairytale The Wild Swans, with some Chinese and Japanese folklore woven in as well. It certainly does have the feel of a classic fairytale, but also has some twists and surprises that I found very rewarding. The middle of the book felt very slow to me, but I think the slow burn of the pacing paid off in the climax. I was also disappointed that there weren’t more dragons in the story. The blurb promises the help of a dragon, but he doesn’t actually help that much in this story. The way the sequel is being set up, however, leads me to believe dragons will play a larger role as the series continues. I know I will be eagerly awaiting for it.

First of all, thank you Knopf for an eARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

Six Crimson Cranes follows Shiori, the princess of Kiata. Shiori has magic, but it is forbidden. On the morning of her betrothal ceremony to Takkan, a man she believes to be boring, she loses control of her magic.

When Shiori discovers her stepmother, Raikama, has dark magic, she banishes Shiori and turns her 6 brothers into cranes. Trapped with a bowl over her head, she is told that for each word she speaks, one of her brothers will die.

I lovedSpin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk, so I was extremely excited to see another book coming from Elizabeth Lim. This has a similar adeventure and trials setup for the story, but if even possible, Lim's writing has become truly magnificent. The imagery and the magic of the story is truly beautiful, and each section of the book really flows into the next. While parts of Spin the Dawn could be choppy, this was really well executed.

And, if you're wondering, there is quite a bit of romance! I loved the romance in this one. It is sweet, and it really takes its time to build. There are lots of spoilers, and an amazing twist at the end, but I cannot recommend this one enough! Can't wait for the next installemnt!

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim was a vibrant story filled with characters bursting with personality! I loved the story Shiori was a powerful protagonist that was easy to relate to and her interactions with the other characters were equally funny and emotional.

The overall setting and story was charming and the influences of the various fairytales and folklore woven into it created something that felt truly magical. Six Crimson Cranes read like a fairytale all its own and I cannot wait to see what happens next!

4.5 Hearts
SJ, Romance Junkies

This is my first book by Elizabeth Lim, and it was fantastic. I’m a huge fan of fairytale retellings, and the sharp characters, wonderful world-building, and clear prose made this a book I had a tough time putting down.

Based on the “The Wild Swans” fairytale, the story revolves around Princess Shiori, who lives in a land where magic is forbidden. She has a father, six older brothers, and a stepmother who doesn’t like her. She’s also engaged to be married to a boy she’s never even met. Shiori practices some forbidden magic, a small thing, and that small thing spirals into something much bigger, ending in a curse that turns her brothers into cranes, and which keeps her silent about what she knows or else they’ll be killed. To protect her family, she’ll have to manage in silence on an adventure that takes her on a journey of self-discovery and magic.

SIX CRIMSON CRANES is a lovely tale that sticks with you long after you finish. Filled with awesome storytelling and wonderful characters, it’s a fantasy not to be missed!

Can I just say, this cover is GORGEOUS. Breathtaking. I am deeply in love with this cover. I would marry this cover. I would adopt three kids with this cover.

Despite the beauty and absolute magnificence of the cover, Six Crimson Cranes was not my favorite- but that’s more of a me problem than the book’s problem. The tone is very fairy tale esque, which makes sense, because it’s built on the myths close to Elizabeth Lim’s heart.

I won’t go too in depth on plot, but Six Crimson Cranes is about a princess who discovers her stepmother is a demon and in retaliation her stepmother stops her from speaking and turns her brothers into cranes. It’s a story about loving yourself and being loyal to your family, as well as what it means to be heroic and what keeps you from becoming a “demon”.

This story is fun. It has all the elements of a good fantasy, with tropes and excitement. If you’re a fan of Katherine Arden, I think you’ll like this one.

For me, it was a bit subpar, mainly because I’m not one for the Katherine Arden style. I think this will also work well with individuals who want easy-to-read YA, because though the prose is beautiful, it’s simple, easy to make your way through.

I will be recommending it to others, even though it wasn’t my cup of tea.

A BIG thank you to NetGalley, Knopf and Ms. Lim for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title. An honest review was requested but not required.

This book has had a lot of hype. I mean, I was emailed twice with suggestions that I request an eARC. However, I do love a fairy tale retelling, and I was intrigued by the gorgeous cover, the description, and the high ratings of Ms. Lim's previous books.

Well. For once, the hype doesn't disappoint. This book was FANTASTIC. Easily one of the best I've read this year. Lots of action, characters that grow (both on you as a reader and into themselves), gorgeous setting, and a tight story. Yes, you can guess where the plot is going (I can't say that I was particularly surprised by any of the twists) but you absolutely don't care because the journey is so fabulous. Shiori is a terrific heroine and I am really looking forward to seeing her navigate her way in book #2. I don't want to spoil any plot points but the story potential in book #2 is absolutely huge.

Highly recommended especially to fantasy readers.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Overall, I did enjoy this book quite a bit. I liked the characters and how I was easily able to imagine them as real people. Like in some YA books, I found certain decisions that were made by the main character, Shiori, to be unrealistic, but I can usually forgive them due to the age range of both the characters and who it was written for.

I loved the magic in this book. I found the use of curses extremely interesting and quite unique. I have never read the source material that inspired this book, the Six Swans, but I found Six Crimson Cranes very magical quite immersive.

There were some things that I did not like as much. First, the action sequences weren't clearly written at all in my opinion. There seemed to be too much going on and there was no clear focus. These action sequences seemed to jump around from start to finish and it became confusing more than once. There was just too much going on anytime something exciting happened. I also found the ending a but predictable. There was a twist that I saw coming from a mile away that just sort of left the ending falling a bit flat.

While I did enjoy reading this book, there were times that I was just a tad underwhelmed by the time I finished.

I really enjoyed this book! The synopsis alone intrigued me: East Asian folklore? Evil step-mothers? Forbidden magic? DRAGONS? Yes please! I have learned that I am not really a fan of fairytale retellings, but this one was different. I would highly recommend this book.

Six Crimson Cranes is easily one of the best YA fantasy books that I have read this year, and should be one of the best-selling books of the summer. Although the beginning may seem a little bit slow, as you become immersed in this world, the story picks up rapidly. The details of landscape, magic, and myth are exquisitely incorporated throughout the story, with several twists and turns along the way. Our lead princess learns much about herself throughout the journey, including strength, patience, kindness, and wisdom. I have already recommended this book to multiple people, and will continue to do so. My only complaint? Waiting for book 2!

Elizabeth Lim never disappoints.

Six Crimson Cranes is the perfect read! Set in the same world as her Spin the Dawn series, the story follows a princess named Shiori who lives in a kingdom where magic is forbidden. She loves the life she leads with her six older brothers, even if that means she has to hide her own magic. But on the day she is to be wed to a boy she's never met, instead she finds herself face to face with a dragon. This sets forth a series of events that ends with Shiori cursed with a bowl on her head that suppresses her magic and her six brothers turned into cranes. And if she utters one word, it will mean the end for one of her brothers. Separated across her own kingdom and forced into silence, Shiori must reunite with her brothers and break the curse. With plenty of magic, fairytales, and secrets along the way, Six Crimson Cranes is an adventure you won't want to miss out on.

I absolutely love the tales Lim draws upon. Her world is so vivid and real, I feel like I could step into its pages. Shiori's tale is gripping and exciting, and I couldn't put the book down.

Fairytales, dragons, magic, friendship, family, secrets, love--Six Crimson Cranes has it all.

If you've read Spin the Dawn, then this is absolutely a must read. And, if you haven't read it--well, pick them both because you will not regret it.

Thank you Random House & NetGalley for an eARC of this book!

Four stars from me 😌 Six Crimson Cranes is such a wonderfully woven tale of Japanese and Chinese folklore and fables. Shiori’s adventures were regaled in such an enchanting way and I loved it immensely! The characters were so rich with personality and flaws ~ Shiori herself was at times so frustrating (some of her decisions made me want to yell!!) but her growth over the course of the story really was one of my favorite parts.

Most of the conflicts felt like they were resolved pretty predictably, and a lot of the plot itself was skimmed over ~ certain aspects of Shiori’s adventure that took days (eg her sailing the sea alone for a week being summed up in a couple sentences) were so brief and didn’t have super rich descriptions. At first this felt kind of weak to me but eventually I fell into the rhythm of that kind of writing and realized that it did feel really reminiscent of reading a childhood fairytale because of that. My only major qualms were that the conflicts didn’t feel very high stake because of the writing and how things were resolved a quickly and without any sort of lasting tension.

Overall, I loved Shiori, loved Takkan, and I really enjoyed the experience of reading this story! There were so many really stunning moments and I just loved the author’s combination of a Hans Christian Andersen reimagining + Japanese/Chinese folklore ~ it was so unique, and I’m looking forward to the sequel!

Major thank you to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC!

I’ve been eagerly anticipating Six Crimson Cranes since I heard of the concept, and even more so after finally reading Elizabeth Lim’s The Blood of Stars duology (Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk), and needless to say, it didn’t disappoint.

Six Crimson Cranes is the first in a duology, and I’m honestly so angry/upset/stressed that I have to wait another year to find out what happens to our beloved cast of characters. Six Crimson Cranes follows Shiori, the only princess in a place where magic is forbidden — which would be fine, except for the fact that magic flows through her veins. The morning of her engagement ceremony, however, her carefully concealed gift is made known, setting the following events into motion: postponing the wedding she never wanted and catching the attention of her stepmother Raikama. With secrets and dark magic of her own, Raikama places a curse on Shiori, and her brothers. The curse in question? Shiori has a wooden bowl over her head at all times, and all six of her brothers are turned into cranes. And for every sound Shiori makes, one of her brothers will die. Determined to fix things, Shiori sets off on a journey to reunite with her brothers and to find a way to break the curse. In the process, she realizes that she’ll need help from the suitor she left behind at the altar, and that things are never quite what they seem.

There was so much to love about Six Crimson Cranes. The premise, the characters, the worldbuilding, the pacing, the yearning, the dynamics between all characters — Six Crimson Cranes is truly one of a kind.

Six Crimson Cranes draws from The Wild Swans and East Asian folklore, and while I’m not super familiar with The Wild Swans, I could definitely see the influences from East Asian folklore — most namely, Chang’e. The tale of Chang’e is one of my favorites, and I’m always on the lookout for any and all stories that reference Chang’e. I’ll also say that parts of Six Crimson Cranes reminded me of The Little Mermaid, which I found to be a nice surprise.

Almost immediately, I felt for Shiori. I found myself rooting for her completely. There was so much riding on her shoulders, and I wanted to give her a hug so badly. Shiori is so strong, intelligent, compassionate, and at times, too trusting, and a character that I just found really relatable. I loved watching her grow throughout the book — not just as a character, but also honing her magic skills.

Six Crimson Cranes is gifted with a dynamic cast of characters. I loved how distinct each brother was from one another. As an only child, I’ve always got a soft spot for books with familial relationships, and it was incredibly evident how deeply they all cared for one another. Hasho was definitely my favorite out of all of Shiori’s brothers, but I enjoyed them all, and am excited to read more about them in the sequel. Kiri, Shiori’s magical crane, had such an unique voice as well — you could really tell how much Shiori and Kiri cared for one another, and how deep their bond was. I also loved Takkan; Shiori’s betrothed, who has a heart of gold, and gives off strong Disney prince energy. I found that Shiori and Takkan had a similar dynamic to Maia and Eden in The Blood of Stars in that they’re both linked by the red string of fate — one of my favorite tropes. More importantly, their chemistry, their yearning and pining had me really excited to see how they develop more in the second book.

Lim’s worldbuilding is spectacular, and I loved that Six Crimson Cranes takes place in the same world as The Blood of Stars. I found her lyrical prose to be beautifully written, and I could easily picture all the events that unfolded in Six Crimson Cranes.

With dragons, curses, quests, princesses, and yearning, how could I not recommend Six Crimson Cranes to everyone I know? In other words, I am already apologizing to everyone I know for how much I’ll be talking about this one in the days to come — and how often I’ll bring up that we still have a year until the sequel is released.

"Find the light that makes your lantern shine," she used to say. "Hold on to it, even when the dark surrounds you. Not even the strongest wind will blow out the flame."

This book had a lot, and it was so good! I love fantasy novels, and Elizabeth Lim continues to weave magical tales in every book. Six Crimson Cranes includes forbidden magic, curses, dragons, poison, and more to entice readers.

Shiori uncovers a secret, and in return, her six brothers, Andahai, Benkai, Reiji, Wandei, Yotan, and Hasho, are turned into cranes. Shiori is unable to speak, or she risks it killing one of her brothers. Now being unrecognizable with the bowl on her head, she must set things right again before it is too late.

Shiori, along with her paper crane, Kiki, goes on a journey to break the curse. The princess discovers herself along the way while also growing in strength and discovering what's around her. She stumbles across her betrothed, Takkan, during her journey and ends up in Iro.

Here, in Iro, secrets are kept, and poison is spread. With an assassin on the loose, Shiori sticks to her plans of breaking the curse. But she also finds friendship in Megari, Takkan's little sister.

"Don't teach a dragon history, Princess, especially not magic history."

Seryu and Megari were my absolute favorites! Megari had so much spunk, and I loved that she was not afraid to speak her mind, especially when it came to Zairena. Seeing Megari's interactions with her brother Takkan and everyone in Castle Bushian was so heartwarming. Seryu is one of the best dragons I have read about, and who wouldn't love him and his cheekiness? I am definitely looking forward to knowing more about him in the second book and reading about his backstory.

The Nameless Queen or Raikama was such a compelling character! When you first read about her and all of the deadly snakes in her garden, you are intrigued. Then bam, the curse happens, and your viewpoint of her changes. I enjoyed reading the flashbacks Shiori had that included her stepmother because it showed how she warred with her vision of the current person she saw and who she knew growing up.

Takkan, the prince and future husband of Shiori, was adorable. He writes stories, cares for his sister, protects those around him, and risks his life to find answers. The little bit of romance we got was so cute! It flowed so nicely with the story, and I cannot wait to see what book two has in store for this wonderful cast of characters.

Six Crimson Cranes is such a magical story with family/siblings (her six brothers, and Megari and Takkan) and love at the heart of it. It leaves you asking yourself various questions. How far would you go for the ones you love?

"Sometimes the truth is the hardest poison to swallow."

Thank you NetGalley and Random House (Knopf) publishing for providing me with an advance reader copy!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review posted to Goodreads on 6-27-21

So happy to have received a Netgalley e-arc, thank you!

I absolutely loved this retelling of the Six Swans fairytale!
This book felt like a mix of studio ghibli (specifically Spirited Away) and a bit of dark fairytale vibes and it gave me all the nostalgic feels.


I loved the beautiful writing.
I loved the different East Asian myths and legends melding together in this beautiful story.
I loved the paper cranes and especially Kiki (cute animal companions! Except in a paper crane form of course)
I loved Takkan and the slowburn and sweet romance
I loved all of Shiori's brothers and their interactions with each other.
I also really loved Raikama, she was so mysterious that I just wanted to know more about her.
There are many more things that I loved from this book, but out of everything, I loved Shiori's journey and her growth throughout this book.
I am in love with both the U.S cover and the U.K cover for Six Crimson Cranes.

5/5 stars
I just adore this book so much and I cannot wait to read what's going to be coming next!

Shiori is the daughter of an emperor, the only princess of Kiata. She discovers she has magic, which is forbidden in Kiata. While she tries to conceal it, her stepmother, Raikama, discovers her secret. Raikama has always hated Shiori and so she banishes her, casting a curse. She curses Shiori so that no one will recognize her, sticking a wooden bowl over her head and making it so if she ever speaks again, one of her brothers will die for every sound she makes. Raikama also curses Shiori’s brothers so that they become cranes everyday, in danger of hunters and others sent to kill them. Sent to a faraway fishing village, Shiroi despairs of ever seeing her brothers again or breaking the curse. In constant fear, Shiori does her best to keep going, searching for a solution. Nothing is as it seems; magic, thought to be forbidden, is prevalent throughout the land. Unfortunately, that solution seems to lie in trusting Takkan, the boy she was betrothed to. But with her magic, Shiori is the only one who can break the curse on her and her brothers.

Even though she is betrothed, in an arranged marriage, Shiori is determined to not be married off and to maintain her sense of self, which her family tries so hard to stifle. She does have responsibilities, as the only daughter of the emperor, but she wants nothing to do with it. She just wants to study magic in secret and eat delicious food and spend time with her brothers. With her enchanted paper crane, Kiki, she is perfectly happy to continue on her path. When her stepmother curses her and her brothers, Shiori proves herself to be very intelligent and strong willed, even as everything seems to be against her success; she keeps looking for solutions and continuing on, biding her time. I did mentally shout at Shiori sometimes, berating her for not noticing what I thought was clear as day; even after all she went through, she still trusted too easily and expected things to go well, lulled into a false sense of security because nothing bad had happened for a minute. But she’s only sixteen (turned seventeen during the course of the novel), a princess and only daughter of an emperor, so she’s bound to make mistakes.

The writing flows so easily and I turned page after page without many breaks. Shiori being such a relatable character helped immensely. The fantasy aspects, as well as the fairytale structure, made for a somewhat predictable read, but there were still a few twists that I couldn’t fully predict. Even though the structure was familiar, it certainly wasn’t boring. And as with many fairytales, I was happy to keep reading. I once read the entire Grimm’s fairytales cover to cover and if that isn’t full of repetitive tropes and stories, nothing is. This retelling turns several fairytale tropes on their heads and I can’t wait to see what comes next! Because apparently this isn’t a standalone! It’s the first in a duology, with an open ending. Some things are resolved but I still have so many questions.

The thread of fate weaves itself through the whole novel, literally at times. There are certain things that seem destined to happen, things Shiori can’t do anything to change. Like her betrothal; no matter how hard she tries to avoid it, even with a curse put on her so no one knows who she is, Shiori can’t avoid Takkan, nor can she avoid developing feelings for him, or vice versa. She fights against it, wanting to make her own choices and her own path. Along with the thread of fate, there are other fantastical and fairytale elements that just keep popping up, maintaining the vibes of a fairytale, even as the story expanded beyond those parameters of a fairytale.

I loved the physical descriptions; even though they were just describing the basic surroundings, it felt so magical. Mountains and forests and snow and ice. So beautiful. And the magic itself was wonderfully described, easy to picture. Sometimes, magical descriptions are too fantastical to imagine properly but this was not the case here. The clothing was so colorful and elaborate, with small details that came in handy to know later. It was just such a vivid picture and I really appreciated how easy this book was to fall into and enjoy.

I had to sometimes suspend my disbelief in terms of Shiori’s curse. She was cursed to not be able to speak, lest a single sound kill one of her brothers, and she was cursed to have a wooden bowl stuck over her head. The nature of the curse made it so she could see through the bowl, but no one else could. However, the wording of some of the interactions later made it seem as though other characters could see her eyes or expression, which would have been impossible. Also, it wasn’t just speech that would cause the curse to activate; it was any sound coming from her throat. I wasn’t entirely sure of the parameters of this curse. Did a gasp count? A scream would count, a whimper. But a gasp? And how did Shiori prevent herself from making sounds in her sleep? I can’t believe she didn’t make a single sound during that whole time, no matter how determined she was not to. I appreciate the effort Lim went to in order to emphasize how hard Shiori tried not to make sounds, biting her tongue, her lips, her cheek; causing herself physical pain so as to not make so much as a whimper. But I couldn’t believe she didn’t make a single sound at all during the several months it took for the curse to run its course.

I would have loved more dragons! Shiori meets Seryu, a dragon prince. He begins to train her in the ways of magic, especially dragon magic. After she nearly drowns in the lake, he puts a sliver of a dragon pearl in her heart to save her. The magic of the dragons is more prevalent than the dragon that we’re made to like from the start and I really hope there’s more of him in the sequel! Though, given how things might pan out, there could be a love triangle, between Shiori, Seryu, and Takkan, a thing I do not want.

I look forward to the sequel, where I’m sure to see more fantasy and fairytale elements, as well as a likely epic conclusion of love and magic. I would recommend this book to fans of Elizabeth Lim. Honestly, I haven’t read many books like this and I’m looking forward to reading more!

An extraordinary tale about a beloved princess of kingdom of Kiata with her six brothers—and a stepmother that curse them with her dark magic. Six Crimson Cranes is a well written retelling of Brothers Grimms’s The Six Swans. This book is filled with familial love, siblings dynamics, fated relationship, political intrigue, dragons, and doomed magic.
Shiori’s journey as a royal to cursed and exiled princess, her self-growth when she was doing her mission to break her curse is the part of this book that I loved the most, beside her relationships with her (evil) stepmother, her older brothers, and Takkan. Speak of Takkan, he is my new favorite male character now. He's painfully sweet and perfect my heart hurts.

Anyway that ending, yeah. I wish i can read the next book now.

This book was absolutely fabulous. I'm in a reading slump right now and having trouble finding books I can focus on. I devoured this. Fantasy, re-told fairy tales, flipped tropes, strong female characters, it was all there. Works ok as a stand alone, but I can't wait for the next.

I have yet to read the author's original duology, but I intend to. While this novel was not a favorite of mine, I am sure that it will have great appeal to some readers. 3 stars.

I think my issue with the novel primarily stemmed from its beginning; I struggled to get into the groove of the book. It felt like I was just waiting for the story to truly begin, a feeling I didn't get until I was roughly 40% through the book. Unfortunately, even then I felt like the story was just missing that special spark. To be perfectly honest, I was fully prepared to give this book two stars until the end, which was a bit rushed, but had a twist that I truly did not see coming.

Truth be told, while I didn't love the book, I do think it will receive good ratings from readers. Those that enjoy the folklore/fairy tale sort of atmosphere will likely connect a little better than I did.

Posted to Goodreads on June 26, 2021.

3.5/5

My god is the story just as beautiful as the cover art! Loved everything from the concept of the story, magic, twists and even the slow burn romance. So cute and fun and just overall a great time time to read.

I would say the only thing keeping me from giving it a full 4 stars is the magic system felt a bit underdeveloped and the pacing in certain parts of the book was a bit slow. But overall it wasn’t distracting enough to make no dislike the reading experience at all. Looking forward to the sequel!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital review copy!