This was a very beautiful retelling of The Wild Swans. Shiori was a very strong heroine. She went through a lot of obstacles but managed to overcome them. I did feel I could not tell any of her brothers apart. This made it difficult to have any emotions towards them or why she risked everything for them. I also didn’t like how it ended. It seemed perfect as one book and not two. Still this was a gorgeous retelling with lyrical prose and an exotic setting that gave a fresh spin on a classic fairytale!

“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”

Summary
Shiori is the youngest princess with six older Princes for brothers. She's hiding a secret - forbidden magic is running through her veins. On the day of her betrothal ceremony, to a lord she wants nothing to do with, Shiori exposes her magic. Thus she is cursed by her stepmother, who has a dark magic of her own. Shiori's brothers turned in to cranes, and for every word Shiori utters, one of them will die. Shiori is on a mission to reunite with her brothers, but when she uncovers a plot much deeper and darker than Raikama's curse, she must turn to the man she fought so hard against marrying.

Review
😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

I seriously loved this so much! Lim is able to create an atmosphere that is so dreamy and magical and really transports you to the kingdom of Kiata. The writing was spectacularly beautiful and immersed me in the story.

Shiori is a brash and brazen princess, and I loved seeing her character develop as she is cursed and sets out on her mission. The love between her and her brothers is adorable, and I loved seeing their sibling bickering. I also LOVED the dynamic between her and shy, gentle Takkan. They really balanced each other out, and I loved that Shiori was in denial of her feelings because she never wanted to be betrothed to him.

This story reads just like a fairytale and I honestly loved that vibe so much. It was fast paced and adventurous, but with emotions that really pulled at the heartstrings. I loved that everything was not quite as it seems with the curse, and Shiori coming to understand her family better. I honestly can't wait to see where Shiori goes on her adventures in the second installment! This was an instant favorite.

Rating: 4.5 stars

The Wild Swans is one of my favorite fairy tales, and I'm always thrilled to find a new retelling of this amazing story. I loved this version, and especially enjoyed all the unexpected places that Elizabeth Lim took it.

While this does have an element of romance to it, I feel like that's a bit of where it was lacking for me. There's also a potential love triangle, which I LOVE, and I'm hoping it comes into play more in the next book because I have MAJOR second lead syndrome for Seryu! You've got your straight-laced cinnamon roll, and your off-limits rapscallion... DELICIOUS.

Elizabeth Lim builds lush, imaginative worlds and describes them so vividly it feels like you're really there, tasting the glutinous rice cakes stuffed with apricots right along with Shiori. (Ok, yes, this book made me hungry!) The characters are so fully formed that even Kiki, the paper bird, has a personality that practically leaps off the page. I love the journey that Shiori goes through, seeing the world (and herself) through a new lens and coming to appreciate so much that she'd taken for granted while still remaining true to who she is at her core.

This is the first book in a duology. The main plotlines from this book are wrapped up and it can be read as a stand-alone novel, but it also adds additional layers to the story throughout this book that lay the groundwork for the next book, and it ends in a way that's clearly the beginning of the next book. So if you're someone who absolutely CAN'T do cliffhangers, maybe wait for the next book to release - but also this book is so great, don't wait on it, haha!

3.75/5 ⭐️

I struggled with what rating to give this book because, while I thought the story was beautiful and amazing, the pacing was too fast for me. I wanted more time to process and really FEEL the emotions in this book, as there were a LOT of them.

That being said, I really did enjoy this book! I’m not very familiar with Asian fairytales, so this story was new to me and I thought it was fascinating. Shiori was an adorable main character—I loved her resolve and her stubbornness to do what she promised, no matter the consequences. I loved all her brothers and honestly wanted even more of them, especially Hasho!

Seryu was my fave, though. I love that he just grabbed onto Shiori and decided he had to take care of her. And who doesn’t love Takkan? That boy could whisk me away any day. He’s so SOFT and pure and basically, I adore him.

As I said, I wish the book had taken a little more time for the big moments, but overall it was a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review!

<b>What I liked:</b> I am a huge fan of the fairy tale this story was based on, the Wild Swans One of the challenges in adaptations of this tale that I have read is authors have a hard time making the brothers distinct. Lim does a great job giving them each their own voice and memorable role. Another challenge the story brings is having a mute female protagonist while still having agency. By giving Shiori a magical paper bird, the character can continue to have a voice even if the plot dictates that she not be able to speak.

<b>What I was meh on:</b> I was hoping this story was a stand alone! Readers should go in aware that the tale ends on a cliffhanger. I also wish the evil stepmother character, Raikama, was slightly more developed, although I did love how Lim unpeeled the many layers of her relationship with Shiori.

<b>How's the romance?</b> There is definitely some romance, which is written in a way that is sweet and well developed but with low heat level. I felt Shiori had more chemistry with the dragon guy, TBH.

<b>Okay, but are there PoC?</b> Yup. Everyone is fantasy Asian here.

<b>Bottom Line:</b> An excellent, Asian inspired adaptation of The Wild Swans that incorporates the magic and wit that made me fall in love with the original fairy tale to begin with.

Elizabeth Lim is an incredible world builder, and she did it again with Six Crimson Cranes. I loved this retelling of the Six Swans. Shiori is an excellent protagonist- plenty of room for growth without being insufferable. The romance part is sweet, although it's definitely more of a side note and not developed nearly as much as other aspects (which makes me more likely to recommend it to students, to be honest!). I had a hard time putting it down, and definitely recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy and/or fairy tale retellings.

Such a fun read! I love retellings and found this one magically captivating! I was excited to hear about this one, and was not disappointed!

This was simply fantastic. I accidentally stayed up till 2a to read it because I couldn’t put this down. This book follows shiori a young willful princess who gets cursed by her stepmother. Her brothers are turned into six cranes and she is rendered mute and outcast to a remote region of the kingdom with a wooden bowl on her forehead. This is an amazing new version of the Six Swans fairytale and I loved every bit of it. Can’t wait until the sequel. Thank you to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for my ARC.

Six Crimson Cranes follows Shiori as she and her brothers are cursed by their stepmother, and discover a plot to overthrow the throne and their father. Shiori has to figure out the conspiracy without speaking, or one of her brothers will die, and has to work with the boy she is betrothed to but doesn't want to marry.

This is a retelling of the fairy tale "The Wild Swans" but with some twists. The world feels so magical and lush, and I was really impressed with the world building. I loved the magic in the book and the quest that Shiori had to go on to save her brothers and kingdom. Shiori was a great main character, strong and fierce but also forgiving and kind. I loved the slow burn romance and I can't wait to see how it continues in the sequel. There was a certain scene near the end that made me cry, one that dealt with forgiveness and loss and hidden truths.

The book did a good job of keeping elements of the original fairy tale but being new and different and modern. I really liked some of the twists and did not expect them. I can't wait to read the sequel and see how everything plays out.

I had never read one of Elizabeth Lim’s books before so I wasn’t sure what to expect but let’s just say I was delightfully intrigued. It was vibrant and fully engaged all of the senses.
I’m just gonna start off and say that I am never the biggest fan of stories where the main character goes through a tough time and then just keeps going through it and everything is rough and difficult difficult lemon difficult and because this is one of those books where that happens, Six Crimson Cranes was a bit of a slow start for me and a slower read in general. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long before Lim was able to slide in with some twists to keep it from being a straight up miserable time and enough to make me eager for more.
I hate to be cliche but I think things definitely got better when we officially met the love interest and that portion of the story. The book was much harder for me to put down after that point. There were some things I still don’t fully understand and hope to see explained further in the next book.
THere was one character in particular that had a twist that was fascinating but because it’s spoilers, I'm not going to discuss it but I still wanna know more about her and her motivations. She just got more interesting as the book went on. Loved how that part of the story was woven.
There were other bits I hope we get more of in the next installment like the dragons because it was a smaller part of this book than I thought it would be but an interesting sliver to be sure. Lim has a gift for setting and folklore but I look forward to more details and things being fleshed out more next time. Thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers for granting me access to this book on Netgalley!

4.5 Stars

This was a great book. I really enjoyed it. I will say that the beginning was a little slow for my tastes but it really picked up once the main plot of the story kicked in. I am a little disappointed that the dragon wasn't in the book more based on the synopsis but otherwise it was such a fun adventure.

I received an e-ARC via Netgalley and the publisher; all opinions are my own.

Wow this book! I adore the way Elizabeth Lim weaves her stories and this book is no exception. Six Crimson Cranes is emotional, adventurous, and feels like an old-fashioned fairytale. This story itself takes from fairytales and folk lore, and the writing feels very much like an old tale being retold; a story that has been passed down through generations that we're getting through the princess Shirori's eyes. You can't help but feel for her, root for her, feel her frustrations at being voiceless and alone, and yet be so proud at how she overcomes these burdens. It's a fantastic story and definitely recommend it!

An incredible story filled with love, magic, mythology, beauty, and emotion. Each page brings new magic and wonderment. Six Crimson Cranes is one of the best books I've read in 2021.

Just received our copy for my local library. I enjoyed this ARC and couldn't resist the urge to place a copy at my library.

I really wanted to love this book, but sadly it didn’t meet my expectations. After Spin the Dawn I was crazy excited to read the next series from Ms Lim, so I didn’t read the synopsis. I assumed I would like it. I was expecting magic and a possible sweet romance.

Instead I got a bowl.

Talk about distracting.

And seeing that I didn’t read the synopsis, I don’t know what tale this is based on, therefore I’m in the dark here. Is there a bowl? Does it symbolize something else? I was skimming a lot and that darn bowl was drawing way more attention than necessary.

While many will like this, it was slow to grab me. And any book that takes 50% to grab me are not books that I’m going to recommend. I’m crushed. I really wanted to love this.

I’ll still read the next one. I ain’t no quitter! ;)

I really enjoyed this East Asian fantasy. The world building and character development was amazing. I didn't know it was a duology until the end! I am looking forward to the next book! I love that the main character loves to eat and doesn't hide that fact!

Beautiful and well written, another wonderful story by Elizabeth Lim. This is story weaves together many fairy tales and is written in a way you quickly get lost in the world she creates for the reader. The magical elements and the theme of love of family and trusting in your own strength are strong. I feel like Lim has again raised the bar for herself with this novel. I have been thrilled with all three of her books that I have read and I look forward to reading the sequel to this book! Thank you so much netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion..

Honestly I was a little disappointed with Spin the Dawn so I was hesitant about this book but I was seriously hooked by this synopsis AND THE BOOK DELIVERED! The worldbuilding, magic dynamics, and writing was just outstanding. The characters are wonderfully complex and well thought out. Plus this book had an arranged marriage which is one of my favorite things in books. Overall I would highly recommend it.

It’s been a while since a fantasy book enchanted me the way this one did. I felt so transported by all the tales the author wove into this story. The writing was beautiful and enthralling from the very beginning. (Seriously! That opening paragraph!!) I loved getting to see how the author incorporated Asian folklore and stories into Shiori’s journey.

I read some reviews that found our main character too childish but I actually LOVED her naive nature, especially as it made it all the more inspiring to watch her grow and mature into such a strong, determined lead. I think so many YA books forget what actual 15-16 year olds act like. Shiori’s mischievous personality captured her ignorance to her royal privilege, especially as that was taken from her by the harsh reality of her curse.

I really just adored the world and it’s lore, from the dragons and demons, to the sorcerers and gods. I liked seeing the author begin to build the political dynamic too. I especially enjoyed the time in Iro, and I would die for Megari!!!! Kiki was also one of my favorite characters. But I know I won’t be alone in how invested I was in Takkan and his relationship with Shiori. I’m obsessed with them! I loved our dragon prince, Seyru, (I wish he was a more prominent character after the beginning!!) and getting to know all of Shiori’s brothers.

It’s so hard to include everything in one review without writing a whole other novel! There is so much packed into this story, I was so emotional, especially at the end. This book is rich with culture and fairytales, an amazing adventure plot, including an evil stepmother and lots of twists! I highly recommend it to everyone!

This was such a beautiful and entertaining work! The writing style was perfect and I loved the setting so much! There were a few cliche moments that felt a little too "tropey" but they're easily forgivable considering the story as a whole. I've never read Spin the Dawn but now I can't wait to!