Reading Six Crimson Cranes felt atmospheric, expansive, and lyrical all at once. Lim manages to not only interweave the elements of the "Wild Swans" into the story seamlessly, but also other stories as well! I was entirely captivated by the magic, family, and dedication of Shiori. While it's a story of embracing ourselves and the bravery and love of Shiori, it's also about family and protection. About surpassing everything we ever thought we were capable of, to become something else entirely. Six Crimson Cranes is full of secrets, quests with dragons, and thrilling adventures.

My nostalgic heart loved witnessing the original elements of the story in Six Crimson Cranes as well as Lim incorporates new stories and angles. One of my favorite elements was how Lim examines motherhood and family. Lim goes deeper into the relationships not only with Shiori and her brothers, but also with Shiroi and her stepmother. I can't talk extensively about what I loved - because spoilers - but Lim truly brings another level to this retelling. At the same time, there's a fabulous romance which had me swooning.

Features Princess Shiori, whose story was considered a legend in the The Blood of Stars duology. Although both stories are set in the same universe, not reading the previously published duology does not affect plot or understanding of events. It does make it a much more enjoyable experience since I love searching for Easter eggs, such as the fact that A'landi is known for its silk and embroidery--Maia, the protagonist of The Blood of Stars, is a tailor known for her skill in embroidering silk.

Very fairytale-like. There's something so magical about Lim's writing style that draws you in and bewitches you to stay for hours in the world she has created. She weaves together the fantastical and the mundane so well that enchanted nettles seem ordinary and that humble radish-carrot soup seem magical.

It includes many of the elements central to fairytales and folktales: an evil stepmother, a forced betrayal, an eccentric tutor, a hidden identity, a lost princess. But I love how Lim breathes life into these classic archetypes and reimagining them in ways that are fresh and new, but still connected to literary traditions from which it borrows.

Though it hinges on the usual curse breaking plot, it doesn't feel like the characters are carried by plot armor from Point A to Point B. Everyone has agency or willpower to shape the story, and Shiori, in particular, shines in her way of rallying readers to cheer for her until the very last page.

The one thing that I could not stand in this book was the bowl over her head thing. That just was terrible and could have been done so much better. I understand it was a part of her curse but it was just dumb. She had a bowl over her eyes! She could magically see through them but people couldn't see her eyes. Didn't the wonder how she functioned so perfectly? That was just, ugh. The story itself was also a bit long for a book meant for the younger YA side. Way too much happened that wasn't truly necessary or just seemed like a filler. I liked the idea of the dragons, of course, but then suddenly she became this person who had the magic and blood that could unleash the demons from the mountain. Her stepmother wasn't the true enemy in the end and while that is fine, she of course died at the end. I liked how the cranes were her brothers and helped when they could, but we had that entire time where she was the cook while trying to find them. That could have been cut in half as well. Her character was your typical princess who doesn't want to do princess things, but it worked fine enough for this story. Now we are left with a kingdom asleep and her having to return the pearl but will have to wait who knows how long for the next part of the story

The Quick Cut: A princess hiding her magical talents finds life gets complicated when her stepmother finds out and curses her. Struggles ensue as she tries to undo the magic done to her and her six siblings.   

A Real Review: Thank you to Knopf Books for providing the ARC for an honest review. 
 Could you imagine what it would be like if the words you spoke hurt those you care about in a deadly way? It's a tragic thought, especially when you consider how much words can make a difference in our lives. How would you adjust to that reality? Would you find a new way to communicate that couldn't harm those in your life? Or would you instead try at all costs to undo the damage done to you? This is the struggle for Shiori - the princess of Kiata. 
 Shiori very much does not want to get married to the boy her father has betrothed her to. As the only girl of seven siblings though, it isn't much her choice. However, when her betrothal ceremony comes, her usually well hidden magic chooses to make itself well known and attracts the attention of her stepmother - someone with dark magic of her own. Her stepmother turns around and curses Shiori - along with her seven brothers. She turns all seven brothers into cranes and tells Shiori that she must remain silent - or for each word she speaks, one of her brothers will die. How will she adapt to her new reality and can she undo what's been done to her family? 
 This book has such strong worldbuilding that it's hard not to get wrapped up in the scenery that the author created. I could really imagine each moment and with the storyline being what it is - the entire book has a very strong folklore vibe to it. The plotline itself keeps making me want to compare it to Cinderella. They have similar setups and it's hard not to see this as a more diverse version of the Disney movie many of us have seen. 
 It's difficult not to root for Shiori. She gets separated from her family, has to track down her transformed siblings, and do what she can to stay silent in order to keep them safe. All while knowing that her father is still side by side with the stepmother that did this to her. How could anyone not feel at least a little bit heartbroken by that?!?! I wanted to see her succeed in the end and get back the family she had in the beginning. She also does go through quite the transformation personal growth wise. The more she goes through, the more that she matures as a character and learns what it's like to do the hard work to have what you want. 
 The only downside to this book is the other characters. There are so many characters in this story and outside of Shiori - it's hard to really define any of the other characters. This is especially true for the seven brothers. They play such an important role to Shiori and yet by the end I still had a hard time telling them apart. I feel like the author either should have cut a few characters or spent more time defining them. Even if they aren't the main character, they should still feel like well rounded players in the story. 
 A cute tale with a need for more character definition. 
My rating: 4 out of 5

Absolutely promising, fairy-tallish, dreamy, magical start to brand new fantasy series!

A well-executed, creative, original, Eastern mythology meets action packed adventure with dark fairytale vibes definitely put this remarkable book on your radar.

If you already enjoyed Blood and Stars duology and became fan of seamstress Maia, it will be easier for you to adore Princess Shiori and her dark magical adventure!

Shiori is the princess of Kiata, the seventh and only girl child, 16 years old, spoiled by brothers, having hot and cold relationship with her stepmother Raikama : the nameless queen, engaged to be married with third lord of barbarian North named Takkan.

But she neither wants to get marry nor wants to know more about her future husband. And she has a big secret to keep: she can do magic by giving lives to paper birds. This is small scale but it’s still threatening when you’re the princess of an empire who forbids the magic.

Her destiny changes the day her groom to be visits her alongside his father. During her own betrothal ceremony, she finds herself chase after Kiki( paper crane she’s created) and she jumps into palace lake fully clothed to catch the Crane and the last thing she sees before getting drowned is a sea dragon who saves her life.

But her only problem is not getting house arrest to sharpen her sewing skins with her stepmother. Takkan and his father perceived her attitude as an insult and they left the palace urgently.

But Shiori barely stays out of trouble. When she attends Summer Festival, she meets the human form of sea dragon. His name is Seryu and he offers her to teach magic.

And later she finds out she’s not the only magical entity at the palace. Her stepmother is also a snake-human who can perform dark magic and as soon as she catches Shiori who learned her secret: she curses her by putting a bowl magically glued to her head, even her eyes are covered by bowl so nobody can recognize her.

Shiori finds herself exiled to farther village and the bowl is not the only curse she has to deal. Raikama also forbids her to talk or write anything about her situation: if she opens her mouth to form a word her brothers will start to die one by one. She also turns her brother into six cranes and cursed their own father not to remember his own children.

As her six brothers fly around the empire to find her, poor Shiori is caught by merciless woman to work at the kitchen of a dilapidated inn. Now she’s a poor maid, humiliated by the kitchen crew, trying so hard to her way back to her home!

As soon as one kind and charming soldier arrives to the inn to borrow her money and his dagger, her fate will change and she will get a chance to find her brothers and break the curse her stepmother put on them.

But this is the only beginning of her compelling adventure and nothing as it seems. As she learns more about herself, the curse, she slowly finds out how naive she is from the beginning and she is the only one to change things radically at the empire!

Overall: interesting, intriguing, riveting start of epic series! I loved Shiori and her complicated love-hate relationship with her stepmother.

Takkan was one of the sweetest heroes I’ve ever read. He can sing, draw and read poems. Yes, he’s adorable cinnamon bun!

I’m looking forward to read the second book! This is one of the most amazing fantasy reads of 2021!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Knopf Books for young readers for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC

This book was exciting in premise but it failed for me. I'd neve read anything by the author previously and I was hoping this would give me a new name to put on my shelves.


Instead what I read was awkwardly paced with weak characters. Our main character is the only girl out of seven children. She has six brothers and I couldn't tell any of them apart.


I'm not new to books with large casts of characters. What makes those books work and this one fail is the depth of the characters. How different they are and how they stand out from one another.


Even when the brothers were being named, I still had no idea who they were after they were off the page.

There are characters I feel are under utilized. We're introduced to one at the beginning of the story who seems like he'll be integral to the story and that fizzles out. Then we meet the love interest and he's just flat. I can't root for a couple if half of it is just a boring piece of cardboard. </p>


When it comes to the author's style, it isn't difficult to read. If anything it's fairly simple. Her worldbuilding was decent. I could really see some of the things and got a decent enough understanding of the world at some points.

However, I'm not reading books for the worldbuilding. I want story, character growth, characters I can root for and cheer when they fall in love. And none of that happened.


It has a decently handled ending but that doesn't make up for anything else. If I have to keep reading because "well the ending is good" that means the rest of the story isn't. And the structural flaws alone made it difficult to get into.

I wanted to love this book but I just couldn't. It had so much promise.

Maybe I'll give Lim's other works a shot at a later date.

All in all? 2 stars.

I think Lim did a fantastic job with the world building within Six Crimson Cranes and I really found myself enjoying learning more about the setting of this story. Unfortunately the pacing made the overall enjoyment a little lackluster, as I found the beginning a little rushed and the middle a little jumbled, but the ending was really strong. I think if you are less into books for plot and are really looking for a beautiful world and interesting characters, this one may be worth picking up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children’s publishers for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

First off I absolutely adore the world Elizabeth Lim has created. I really enjoyed her previous books and loved how this book ties in. The writing was wonderful and I felt completely immersed in the world building. I wanted to be eating all of the food and enjoying the festivals described. The characters were amazing. I loved Shiori’s personality and how she never gave up even when things were difficult. Takken was so perfect and I loved how he and Shiori built a really strong relationship by the end. The twists and real truths about each character were wonderful. It was hard to know who to trust. Just when I thought I knew what was happening the ending happened and I cannot wait for the next book. The ending shocked me. It’s hard to even put into words just how much I enjoyed this book. I really appreciated the strong family bonds and the romance sprinkled in. I highly recommend this book.

This was an endearing tale of family bonds and friendship. Romance, while not absent, was a very short footnote to the whole story which I found very refreshing. I struggled a little with the first 25 – 30 % of the story… It seemed to rush through the beginning leaving it hard for me to form a connection to the characters. However, at about the 40% mark…. the story seemed to take a turn. The pace slowed significantly giving me time to really get to know Shiori.

Character growth and development throughout the story was phenomenal. Shiori starts out as a irresponsible child. who kind of got on my nerves a little. As she goes through the challenges presented to her you can definitely see a shift in maturity and overall likeability. Shiori’s relationship with her brothers is extremely sweet. I loved their interaction, and how they sought to protect each other at all costs.

Do not get me started on Kiki….. I have all the love for her, and without spoiling it too much, I wish I could have a little sidekick such as her. She is one of my favorite characters in the entire story.

So, after a rocky start, I found myself falling for this imaginative story. I very much am looking forward to the sequel.

The first thing that drew me in to this book was the beautiful cover and Elizabeth Lim’s name on it. She always manages to have the most beautiful covers, as with her previous books, and I was so pleased to read this and see the content was just as great. I love retellings of fairytales like this, and the world building was really captivating and made it even more enjoyable to read. I also really enjoyed the arranged marriage trope with a soft prince, and the family dynamics of siblings who would do anything for each other.

WOW, you guys....this book was absolutely INCREDIBLE! First of all, thank you to NetGalley for giving me an advanced ebook copy, as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Six Crimson Cranes was my best read of 2021 so far and it exceeded my every expectation! I already knew it was going to be wonderful, but the tale Elizabeth Lim wove together was so much better than anything I could have imagined. The only thing I hate is that I now have to wait for a sequel! Shiori was an incredible MC and I loved following her on her journey, and I can't wait to see where she goes next. Her character arc was wonderful. She grew and changed so much but still stayed true to herself. My favorite character by far though was Seryu, I wish we got to see more of him but I'm sure he will play a much bigger part in the sequel. The magic, demons, and lore in this book are so interesting and I want to learn more about the dragons and their history. But most of all, I WANT MY SHIP TO SAIL!!! I need a sequel ASAP and it's going to torture waiting for one.

Also, that cover is gorgeous!

Shiori’anma, princess of Kiata, is about to turn seventeen. Seventeen means she will be forced to marry her betrothed and leave her home to live up north, a move she’s dreaded since childhood when her betrothal was announced. But Shiori is hiding a secret: she can do magic, magic rumored not the exist in Kiata for centuries. When she unravels her stepmothers own forbidden magic, the world as Shiori knows it is upended. Her stepmother curses her six brothers into cranes, conceals Shiori’s identity and casts her away to the isolated reaches of the kingdom, where every word she speaks will be the death of a brother. Silenced and alone, with a paper bird and a temperamental dragon for help, Shiori must find her brothers and find her way home. Along the way, she learns more about her magic, herself and the young betrothed she tried so hard to run away from. Elizabeth Lim struck gold with this new novel, the first in a new series (set in the same world as her ever popular The Blood of Stars duology). A beautiful mesh of European fairy tales, Asian folklore and mythology, and pure magic.

My favorite part of this novel is that it takes a fairy tale and doesn’t make it fluff. So many retellings take out the dark bits, but this one embraced them instead of shying away from it. There were assassination attempts, poisoning, murder and just a bit of gore. Six Crimson Swans follows The Wild Swans fairly closely, just enough to retain the core structure of the fairy tale, while the influence of Asian folklore and mythology put it over the top. The world building was beautiful and vibrant. If you love a good retelling, this is absolutely one to read.

I was hesitant to like to Shiori at the beginning. While her dynamic with her brothers and stepmother was wonderful and intricate, she came off as brash, spoiled and naive. Her evolution throughout the story was so well tuned, and who she became by the end redeemed her. Being first person, the reader misses out on the complexity of the brothers, who take a backseat to Shiori. Understandable, but I wanted more of their dynamic. By far the best written character to me was Raikama. Her backstory was heart wrenching and beautiful.

The only thing that fell flat to me was the magic system. I love that there is inherent complexity to magic in Kiata, that magic has consequences and isn’t wonderful, even with the best intentions. I wish there was more explanation on how it works, hopeful that will come in the next book.

This is a cannot miss new release!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

**Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

“Find the light that makes your lantern shine. Hold on to it, even when the dark surrounds you. Not even the strongest wind will bow out the flame.”

Ya know those books that have everything going for them, but they still fall flat? That was Six Crimson Cranes for me. I absolutely adored Spin the Dawn. I had some problems with Unravel the Dusk, but I had really high hopes for this novel. The synopsis sounded amazing and the covers are gorgeous, but the execution was meh. It took me two months to finish because it was very staccato. The last 15% of the book made me want to bump my rating up a star because it was really good, but the middle was too boggy for me to justify 4 stars.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the opportunity to review this eArc! Six Crimson Cranes is a wonderful collage of fairytales and magic, a story of a young princess who must break the curse her stepmother set over her and her brothers—a story of growth and redemption in all forms. Set in the same world, as Lim's bestselling duology, Spin the Dawn, one cannot help but enjoy the rich history and culture of Kiata, from the loathing of magic to the exhilarating festivals. Six Crimson Cranes is a sweeping tale that depicts the importance of forgiveness in those that are misunderstood, and the necessity of hope in times of darkness.

Who knew that this book was set in the same universe as Spin the Dawn?? Not me!! What a lovely surprise!

As usual, Lim beautifully blends storytelling into her books, creating a rich background to her own story.

This is a fairytale retelling of a princess named Shiori, whose 6 brothers are turned into cranes by their stepmother, and Shiori is cursed. Each sound she makes will kill one of her brothers.

The classic fairytale type story with an evil stepmother (those poor ladies always get the shit end of the stick), a curse, identities to be uncovered, a quest, a dragon sidekick (of a sort), etc. etc. Romance was there, but minimal, and quite sweet. In the end, not the focus of the story.

Shiori’s search for her brothers, and her growth, maturity, and bravery during this search, as well as her love for her brothers, compassion for her future husband’s family, and empathy toward her stepmother, are all the real story. Especially as discovers more and more of her magic.

If you enjoyed Lim’s other duology, set in the same world, and love fairytales, folklores, and strong female characters, I would highly suggest reading this.

I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did. I loved the character of Shiori and how fiercely she cares for her brothers. I couldn’t put this down and read it in less than 24 hours. I absolutely can not wait for the next book.

DNF’d at 33%

I feel awful about giving this book a low review since I was so graciously given an ARC by Random House Children’s... but I also want to be honest.

I really love the cover of this book. There’s a sense of motion, action-packed liveliness, and hey, maybe even a kickass Asian female protagonist???? Finally???????

What I’ve read of the book is disappointing. The writing is elementary and I struggled to see the appeal in the simple style. The characters felt incredibly bland and 2-dimensional. I disliked the protagonist, Shiori, from the beginning. As someone who is of identical age as her, I would NEVER act in such a childish way to my siblings or to my parents. She also didn’t seem to have any redeeming qualities and was endlessly bratty and complacent. I was hoping that she would get better as the story went on, but now I don’t really feel like sticking it through to find out.

The fairytale aspect of the story was also lost on me. This retelling didn’t feel magical or take me to a place I’ve never been before. Every time I picked up the book I just wanted to be elsewhere.

I’m sure, from the raving reviews I’ve read from my friends, that this book has redeeming qualities. I just think that perhaps it’s not the right book for me, at this very moment, in this very place. I’m not going to not recommend it since I think the concept is such an intriguing one and I think many would be enraptured by the style — I’m just going to say that you should take my review with a grain of salt and maybe look closely at the synopsis to see if this is something you’d be interested in.

Elizabeth Lim has crafted a well-written, beautiful fairytale based on East Asian folklore and European fairy tales. Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, is on the cusp of her betrothal. She has been able to conceal the Forbidden Magic that flows through her until the stress of the ceremony causes her to lose control. On the good side, her wedding is put off. On the bad side, her stepmother has figured out that Shiori has magic, so banishes her and turns her brothers into cranes. The stepmother, who is also a powerful sorceress, threatens Shiori with the death of her brothers if she tells anyone what is going on. Shiori finds herself poor, silenced and alone until she gains help from unlikely magical creatures and the betrothed young man she tried to escape. Only by claiming the magic that runs through her veins can Shiori'anma save herself, her brothers and the kingdom. Elizabeth Lim has created a beautiful new tale brimming with magic, love and action. Anyone who appreciates classic fairy tales and folklore will love this new one, as will lovers of fantasy like the series by Leigh Bardugo and Maggie Stiefvater. Many thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read the ARC.

I absolutely loved this story. The strength Shiori exudes, the family bond, the magic, dragons, this has it all. For me this is a stunning adventure packed with magic carrying just the right undertones of romance. I cannot wait for the second book in this series.

this is one of those books that you should absolutely judge by the cover. because oh my gosh this was incredible.

a nice list of things I loved because im still in shock over how good this was and writing paragraphs would be a mess:

- our main character, shiori. she was strong, curious, brave, a little mischievous, and her development was incredible. she was a fantastic protagonist and i loved going on this journey alongside her perspective.
- the world building and mythology was all so beautiful and so well described. it was never confusing, and i was captivated by the fascinating magic system, mythical creatures, and all the interesting cultures and traditions.
- the WRITING oh my gosh i absolutely loved elizabeth lim's storytelling in her previous book "spin the dawn", and that same lovely, effortless, lyrical prose was present in this book. im running out of adjectives but it is just absolutely stunning.
- the theme of family and shiori's relationships with all of her brothers were also so so heartwarming.
- the plot and pacing is just perfect. not once, from the very first chapter to the the very last, was i ever bored. i was in a constant state of anticipation, and i finished this easily in two sittings. the plot was so well crafted, and there was always something happening or something to look forward to, but it was never overwhelming. again, it just felt perfect.
- the romance. im a sucker for a good arranged marriage, and while i wish this trope was used a little better, the actual romance regardless was still a swoon worthy, sweet, slowburn, with the perfect amount of angsty development. it is a major SLOWburn, but i actually loved how minor it was and how it never overshadowed shiori's main plot line.

this is one of my favorite books this year, and im so excited for everyone to read this stunnigly immersive, gorgeous, thrilling new story.