Everything about this book is delicious. Lim creates a magical and detailed world that I was gladly lost in. Her attention to details, characters, and culture is superb. This is a book I will be reading again after it's publication. I already have it pre-ordered for my library.

Thank you to Random House Children's and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll be honest, it was the cover of a beautiful Asian women that drew me to it. I couldn't resist! That being said not only does the wonderful book have an amazing cover but a fantastic story! It did not disappoint!

A retelling of the Wild Swans fairytale, Elizabeth Lim creates such a refreshing and beautiful story of Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, whos magical abilities are forbidden. She tries to keep it in control but its still noticed by her stepmother Raikama, who has powerful magic of her own, who curses Shiori and her six brothers, who turn into cranes.

I was immersed into this wonderful tale, loved the romance, ached for the struggling Shiori, as she tries to break the spell, and am dying for the second book. *sigh* It will be a long wait.

Shiori is the spoiled little princess who longs to find her freedom before her arranged marriage to a boys she is sure she hates in a place she does not want to go. That all changes when her stepmother Raikama curses her and her brothers and her whole world is upended. I loved this story of bravery, perseverance and go I g people second chances that was woven with mythology and magic. Not everyone is what they seem in this book and characters I was convinced were evil (hello when are dragons trustworthy) turned out to be some of Shiori’s greatest allies.I am READY for the next book in the series to come out today!

I loved this book and was so happy that it lived up to its gorgeous cover. The world building was exquisite and I enjoyed seeing the fairy tale influence. Shiori is engaging and even though she can’t speak for most of the book, her personality comes through very strongly. I loved reading about the relationships between her and her brothers, as well as her love interest. There were many twists and turns that I didn’t expect, and I’m excited to read the sequel.

This book is about a magical girl in a world where magic is forbidden. What she doesn’t know is that her step mother also has magic and curses her and her brothers.

The main character, Shiori, couldn’t speak for most of the book so I was expecting some plot holes, but everything that happened was well explained.

I thought the story was good, but sadly, I fell into a reading slump while reading it. Despite that, I still really enjoyed the book.

I was provided with an eARC of this book in exchange for a fair review.

Elizabeth Lim's writing style is an absolute DELIGHT. Her stories are a love letter to the tales/legends that inspire them, and Six Crimson Cranes is no exception. Shiori was a wonderfully written MC and the perfect narrator. Kiki was the perfect "familiar" and I kept forgetting she was a paper crane and not a real person. Takkan was so endearing and I loved him from the moment he appeared on the page, and Shiori's brothers were a colorful patchwork of personalities. I literally could not put this one down, and read it in one sitting. This book had so many twists and turns, and even when I though I had the story figured out, the author still surprised me. I am VERY much looking forward to the next book, and can't wait to have the finished copy of this one in my hands!

Oh, my! What a beautiful, lovely book. This is the story of a young princess who has been betrothed to someone she believes she does not want to marry. She is cursed by her stepmother, who turns her 6 brothers into cranes. The princess, Shiori, is unable to speak of any of this or her brothers will die. Nice fantasy, based on fables, and a well told story. I really enjoyed the book, finishing it in 2 days! Looking forward to the next book. Highly recommend!

I enjoyed this one. I really appreciated the main protagonist's character growth, I think that was my favorite part. I liked the shifting loyalties and the characters not being who they seem to be. We don't actually get to see the brothers' adventures so that felt a bit too convenient but that's not a huge complaint.

Six Crimson Cranes is, at its core, a story about family. Shiori and her brothers are cursed when they discover that their stepmother is a demon— Shiori to not speak, and her brothers to transform into cranes in the day. If this sounds familiar, it’s because Cranes is a blended retelling of many fairytales, including The Wild Swans, Cinderella, and the Chinese legend of Chang’e.

The beginning of the book felt very middle-grade to me; the main character is a stubborn princess who refuses to marry the son of a third-ranked lord so she opts to jump into a lake instead. However, as the book progresses, the stakes get higher as she discovers that her stepmother possesses dark magic and is suddenly transported far away from her kingdom and her brothers. For every word that she speaks, one of her brothers will die so she is forced to survive without uttering a single sound. I was truly engaged in the story once we got deep into the curse; I was so desperate to know how the curse gets lifted and what happens to the characters in the end! Although this is my first Elizabeth Lim book, I’m quite excited to read her Blood of Stars duology now if she can keep me this captivated and emotionally invested in her characters.

Shiori grows so much as a character during this time. We meet her as an impulsive and coddled princess, yet she quickly adapts to surviving. Although she loses much of her pride, being in her head gave us a deeper understanding as to her end goals and how she attempts to accomplish it. I will admit that I cried at Shiori’s and her stepmother’s interaction at the end. Even as the villain, Raikama’s motivation for driving the story was incredibly impactful, even if it was for the wrong reasons.

As another #ownvoices book, I enjoyed so many aspects of the author bringing her own culture into her writing. I was quite excited to not only see western fairytales that we all know, but ones I recognized from my childhood, such as the red thread of fate and the moon goddess and her rabbits. Cranes was a wonderful read and I am excited for the next book to see where Shiori goes next.

I really enjoyed Six Crimson Cranes. I am a sucker for fantasy with fairy tale aspects, people who can change from humans into animals, and cinnamon rolls for the main romantic interest, especially when said cinnamon rolls don’t die. This is a return to the same world as Spin the Dawn, but the characters are new and it incorporates other myths, legends, and magic than The Blood of the Stars duology. I enjoyed Shiori just as much if not more than Maia. While she is a privileged little snot in the beginning as her tale of resilience and sacrifice unfolds, she grows to be quite lovable.

I’m not sure if I would say that Shiori holds her own in a group of relatively likable characters. Her six brothers all fall into some sort of overarching character cliches, i.e. the leader, the scholarly, the warrior, but I found them each to be likeable. I just wish we’d seen more interaction between them in Shiori. I would say the relationships that really stand out here are the ones between Shiori and Seryu, Shiori and Takkan, and most of all Shiori and Kiki, her animated paper bird. Shiori and Seryu have such a friendly banter, while her and Takkan are actually quite sweet to one another. Kiki is the best though because she constantly helps to keep Shiori from dying. Having an animated paper bird is apparently quite useful in this world of inherent danger.

As I mentioned before, this is the same world as The Blood of the Stars duology. However, Kiata is a place that I believe was not on the map provided in either of those books. It’s an island off the map, which takes inspirations from Chinese and Japanese culture and myths. That being said, the author does rely heavily on the readers background knowledge of these two cultures when it comes with what a lot of things are supposed to look like. I don’t remember most buildings or the scenery really being described at any point in the novel other than for a completely made up volcano. It didn’t really hinder my personal enjoyment of this book, it’s just not as richly described as some other worlds that I have dipped my toes into.

Personally, I really enjoyed the pacing and the plot as a whole, however, I could see where some would say that the story feels a little disjointed, which was something that I complained about myself for Spin the Dawn. There is definitely a point in Lim’s books where you can go, here is where the book is going to turn and take a totally different path, for better or for worse. I liked both halves of this novel, which is something that I had a problem with in Spin the Dawn, though it grew on me with my reread. This one has a slower first half, but there is almost too much going on in the second half. The ending also feels super chaotic and there is a tie there that readers who didn’t read The Blood of Stars duology won’t understand. I would say that, based on this book alone, readers should be fine reading this one, but not Lim’s first duology. This is supposed to sort of be a prequel anyways, so there isn’t a real need to have read them.

Overall, I would recommend this to fans of retellings, snarky animal side kicks, sibling bonds, and characters growing through hardships. If you’re looking for something with super detailed world building, a lot of romance, or a lot of ‘palace intrigue’ this is not going to hit those points for you. If you liked Spin the Dawn, you’ll probably like this. I personally think it’s better than both Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk, but you’ll have to decide for yourself. I’m excited about Lim’s writing just continuously improving and I look forward to what she puts out in the future.

Six Crimson Cranes will be released on July 6, 2021! Pre-order a copy if this sounds like something you’ll enjoy! Thank you to Netgalley and Knopf for providing me with an e-ARC of this book, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

It's no surprise that I loved this one. Six Crimson Cranes is a retelling of my favorite fairytale, and I absolutely adored The Blood of Stars Duology. Six Crimson Cranes follows Shiori, a princess with forbidden magic, whose stepmother curses her and her brothers. Other fans of the original fairytale will find this retelling close enough to be satisfying but different enough to keep them intrigued.

One of my favorite things about The Wild Swans and Six Crimson Cranes is the strength Shiori finds in her silence. She is such a strong and resilient protagonist, and I loved following her in her journey. I also loved that this is a companion series to The Blood of Stars, and the little nods to the former series delighted me.

Thank you so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I have no doubt that I will continue to read everything Elizabeth Lim writes.

What a lovely book! Had I started reading Six Crimson Cranes this on a weekend, I would've stayed up all night reading it (but no, I started it after a full day of work, with another full day of work ahead, so sleep got me, it happens when you get older and quit caffeine, okay). It was a little tense at the beginning, reading through her pre-banishment relationship with her stepmother, but since we know that's not the main struggle of the story, I was able to get past it and that's when I knew I was committing myself to being sleep-deprived for the next workday. Shiori's tenacity, detective skills, and her relationships with the "mercurial dragon" and not-fiance made it very hard to put this book down. Without giving it away the ending of Six Cranes was very satisfying and tied up loose ends of this arc nicely while setting it up for the second book in the series. (I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.)

I loved this story and how beautifully written it was. The characters were well developed and there were quite a few surprises I did not expect.

A huge thank-you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for this e-arc of Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim.

[CW: death, demons, poisoning]

She's done it again, friends! Elizabeth Lim never ceases to amaze me with her brilliant storytelling and phenomenal imagination. This reimagining of The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen, mixed with Chinese dragon folklore and Japanese legend is a beautiful blend of cultures and fairytales. From the moment I first began reading, I was totally mesmerized. I couldn't stop - and truthfully, I didn't want to! I was hanging on to every word. In this book, you'll find darkness and hope, adventure and romance, and so many jaw-dropping moments.

Shiori is such a strong protagonist who finds true power in her silence (listening and learning from those around her and utilizing her other senses) and ingenuity (coming up with creative ways to accomplish tasks and communicate) - rather than just relying on others. She's the literal definition of a badass leading lady. She doesn’t need Takkan or her adorable origami sidekick, Kiki, but they provide excellent supporting roles and bring life and laughter to the story when it's needed most. Shiori wants to see past what other people see and tries to think the best of even the worst characters. She's someone that I could learn a thing or two from, that's for sure.

One of the things that I liked the very most about Six Crimson Cranes was that no one is who they appear to be - but they’re also not who you might suspect they are. I kept thinking I had sorted out the truth behind a character and it was honestly thrilling to be proven wrong. As someone who is often disappointed by the predictability of some "plot twists," reading this book was incredibly satisfying.

For those who read the Spin the Dawn duology, you're in for a treat! A few familiar names, places, and items are mentioned throughout this book and it felt like discovering little easter eggs along the way. It also made me want to reread Spin the Dawn... especially when I reached the ending. (Dun dun DUN).

I was so lucky to have the opportunity to receive the ARC of this book and I'm anxiously anticipating its release... along with the announcement for the next book - because I'm impatient and absolutely dying to learn what happens next. What a wild ride! This is a story I will continue to recommend for a long, long time!

This is the perfect novel for folklore based fantasy. It draws on mythology and folklore from East Asian tales and tells the epic story of Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, cursed and on a quest to save herself, her six brothers and all of Kiata.

The story is both an epic tale of saving the land and also the personal struggle of saving her brothers and discovering her true self.

This is a story for anyone who loves folklore and mythologies, wants to discover more folklore from lesser-used sources, or enjoys a story about self discovery with a strong heroine set at the center.

A princess cursed to not speak, six cranes, and a magical journey that will change their lives. Princess Shiori’anma “Shiori” is the only princess of Kiata and harbors a dangerous secret, she has forbidden magical abilities. When one of the cranes she has brought to life accidentally reveals her secret, suddenly her stepmother has cursed her 6 brothers to turn into cranes and that if Shiori ever speaks of the curse or reveals herself, her brothers will be killed. She is left in a place she does not know, with no money, no ability to speak, and must find her brothers and break their curses. Along the way she meets a dragon and runs into her ex-betrothed. Soon she finds herself enduring task after task in order to find some way to rescue her brothers and break the curse, all the while facing more demons, evil magical wielders, and a dangerous court life. She must find some way to embrace the magic that she has tried to keep a secret and uncover the truth about not only her stepmother, but the magic that is inside her.

This was a magical story mixed with different fairytales and myths from the six cranes story to the girl with the bowl to many more. I absolutely adored the blending of fairytales and the distinct storytelling style that Elizabeth Lim has. I cannot wait to see where the story continues and where Shiori goes next!

*Thanks Netgalley and Random House Children's for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Everything Elizabeth Lim writes is so breathtakingly beautiful (and the cover too!) that I want to read it all in one sitting. The characters were so compelling, especially Shiori, who I could grow with as the story progressed. The fairy tale elements were well done. I can't wait to see the sequel!

I love pretty much everything Elizabeth Lim has written and Six Crimson Cranes is no exception. I love the reinvention of classic tales and the new magic that was imbued in them. The pacing alternated from slow to fast throughout the novel, but I personally didn't mind and enjoyed it. You really get to live through Shiori's character development and see her become more than just a pampered princess. All of the close family relationships were so sweet, and I love how the Stepmother was developed most of all. This book hasn't even been officially published, and I can't wait for book two!

What a thrilling magical adventure! I absolutely love Elizabeth Lims writing. She writes so poetically and her attention to detail is beautiful. I was enthralled with Spin the Dawn so I was excited to get back into another book by this author. Very well written and great pacing. An amazing story with magic and fairytales.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read an early copy.

I really enjoyed this retelling of the Six Swans fairytale set in a rich and deep Asian-inspired world. Author Lim creates a complex and fascinating set of characters and lore including the protagonist and her brothers, her stepmother, and those who help and protect her along her journey. The villains are dangerous without being cartoonish, and the pacing is quick. Lim makes a few sly references to the stereotyped Asians of previous children's and young adult books like Tikki Tikki Tembo, which only enhanced my joy in reading a book about fantasy Asian characters written by an Asian author.