2.6 stars. the first half was difficult to get through. to me, it was weirdly paced and there was no clear direction as to where the story was going. it seemed like the plot moved the story forward, rather than the main character's actions. there were many moments where shiori seemed more reactive than proactive and her character trait of impulsiveness was overutilized to the point where all her other traits were lost in comparison. if you liked the idea of dragons mentioned in book 1, then you might like the first half more than me. but it dragged on; the time spent during a certain location could've been more concise.

it was easier to get through the second half because i got to see familiar faces, like the brothers and takkan. however, since there were a lot of loose ends left to be tied in this book, the fast pace left no room for sincere moments between them and shiori, with an undertone of "we don't have long here" during rare scenes where they're standing still and talking. there were many new characters introduced here, but i only liked one because they were grumpy and had a stronger voice in the story than any other character combined.

overall, this second installment didn't meet my expectations, but i still appreciate the story it told.

The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth Lim 4 stars

In a thrilling conclusion to last years “Six Crimson Cranes” we find Princess Shiori trying to fulfill the promise she made to her stepmother as she was dying – To return a dragon pearl to its rightful owner. In order to accomplish this, Shiori will have to navigate the dangers of the Dragon Kingdom, deal with unrest and treachery in her own land of Kitara and rely on resources that she never knew she had. Will she get through her quest and have a HEA?

This book took me two evenings to finish and afterwards I had to think about what I finished. I thought it was a fun and enjoyable book. I think the only problem I had with it was that it felt a little too frantic for me, even when Shiori returned to Kitara, I didn’t feel that she had any time to breathe. The romance between Shiori and Takkan was terrific and if the author writes in this world again, I hope we get a cameo appearance from the pair.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Children’s (Knopf Books) for this ARC.

The Dragon's Promise is one of those books where I was delighted at the turn of events and twists. You know those books where you can't quite predict where a story will go? But you just become swept away in the adventure. Lim delivers a sequel that is action packed as Shiori tries to figure out what is right. With the odds against her, Shiori must fight for her future and the ones she loves. The Dragon's Promise is a story that - in a meta way - explores the consequences of a culture of fear.

Shiori managed to break the curse on her brothers, and free them from being cranes. However, in doing so she learned so much more about her stepmother than ever before. Before her stepmother died, she made Shiori promise that she would return the nearly-broken magical pearl to its true owner, who would be able to make it whole again. Shiori has just been reunited with her family, but she must keep her promise to the stepmother she loved. Her first stop is going to visit the dragon kingdom under the sea, to see if there she can find the one she searches for. She knows she must hurry, for the pearl is getting close to breaking. Not just that, but the demons are threatening to break through into Kiata, her home, and if they do, they’ll destroy everyone and everything she loves. And only Shiori can stop them.

I received an advanced reading copy of The Dragon’s Promise in exchange for an honest review.

The Dragon’s Promise is a young adult fantasy novel by Elizabeth Lim. It’s also the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes, which I read and absolutely loved last year. I’m just such a huge Elizabeth Lim fan at this point, and I’m eternally grateful that I’ve gotten lucky enough to get several of her books as ARCs. The Dragon’s Promise was no different than the others, and I read the whole thing in just two days, staying up late to do so. Did I regret it the day after, when I had to get up for work? Not really, because I just had to finish reading that book!

The Dragon’s Promise picks up right after Six Crimson Cranes ends, but it’s also the kind of sequel that you could, in theory, read separately from the first book. It had been a while since I’d read Six Crimson Cranes, but I quickly realized that Lim had woven enough details throughout, and that I remembered just enough of the first book, that I would be fine without re-reading it for this one. Also, as I mentioned, The Dragon’s Promise has a pretty self-contained plot, where some of the plot threads do follow from the first book, but a lot of it is contained to this one. I will say I was originally confused about the plot, since the first third of the book felt like a whole adventure on its own, but once the rest of the story got going, I was swept up and ready to find out more.

The book is hard to put down, especially as Shiori is tossed from one impossible circumstance into another. I often found myself wondering how she was going to get out of different messes she fell into, but Shiori consistently surprised me by coming up with such clever solutions to all her problems. Of course, she has plenty of help from Takkan (her beloved), her six brothers, Seryu (her dragon friend), and Kiki. Yes, Kiki is still a big character here, and the lovable paper crane that made her way into my heart continues to bless the narrative here!

Like I said, I raced through this book, and by the time the end came around, I was blinking actual tears away. I laughed at myself a little bit, since I felt I was being ridiculous, but yeah, there were real tears in my eyes. I won’t say why these tears came about, but know that I did cry at the end, and I thought the end really suited the rest of this story.

I continue being a big fan of Lim’s, and can’t wait to see what she’ll be writing next! I’d recommend this duology to any fantasy fans, and especially those who love fantasies where the main character has such a strong bond to her family.

The Dragon’s Promise will be released on August 30. You can preorder your copy from Knopf Books for Young Readers here.

Despite not rereading Six Crimson Cranes before starting The Dragon's Promise, TDP does a good job of summarizing/ reminding the reader of what happens in SCC. TDP picks up right where SCC ended—with Shiori and Seryu going to the dragon realm. The first section of the book focused on Shiori's journey in the dragon realm. The dragon court was interesting to explore and we get to see Edan when he was young. After leaving the dragon realm, it is sort of abandoned and we follow Shiori and Takkan in Kiata, a conflict between humans and demons brewing. Through the second section of the book was also compelling, I wish the dragon realm was explored further. Some things I liked about SCC is that it still has that whimsical fantasy feeling and the scenes with Shiori and Takkan were really cute. We also got to explore Raikama's past more, unveling her mysterious character. Overall, the only complaint I really have of TDP is that the dragon realm was not explored further. Maybe there could be a spin off or companion novel further exploring it! I definitely liked SCC more, but TDP was an enjoyable sequel!

After breaking her curse and learning the truth about her stepmother, Shiori must journey beneath the sea to face the Dragon King and return the Wraith’s pearl to its rightful owner, even as dragons and demons all seek to use the pearl’s power for themselves.

As always, Lim’s world is full of lush magic and beautiful atmosphere, and I especially enjoyed the dragon kingdom. This book does a lot to flesh out a lot of the weaker points of the first book, particularly in regards to Raikama, even if I still wasn’t wholly won over by the main romance. Seryu supremacy in this house!

It’s also very nice to see a “familiar” face here, and this book tied into Spin the Dawn quite nicely.

A nice conclusion to this little duology, packed with magic and adventure. I’d love to return to this world again sometime.

A Dragon’s Promise continues Shiori’s journey of self discovery and growth with the story taking readers all over the continent, expanding this world. Readers will learn more about Raikama’s mysterious back story, Shiori’s relationship with her and how Shiori deals with her grief. Shiori continues to be the strong, independent character but she has learned from her past mistakes and over the course of the novel, she continues to mature and learn what it means to be a leader while leaning in those you love in times of need.

I really enjoyed this book. I really loved the characters in Six Crimson Cranes and it was amazing to see their stories continued. Shiori sets upon a task that was given to her at the end of the previous novel and has growth and struggles along the way. I appreciate Elizabeth Kim’s world building and lore in Kiata and the realms beyond and we got to see a lot more of this in book 2. If you love fantasy with magic and dragons and family, this book is for you.

I want to preface this review by saying that, as I've gotten older and responsibilities have stacked, I've begun to appreciate duologies and stand-alone novels more than ever because longer series are a commitment best reserved for the summer months. I really enjoyed Lim's previous series and was so happy with Six Crimson Cranes (that cliffhanger, though!), but The Dragon's Promise did not have the same impact on me. Honestly, in hindsight, I think that Six Crimson Cranes would have been better as a stand-alone novel than as part of a duology because I found myself not falling out of love with some of the characters. Unfortunately, I have to say that I found this book painfully average but made worse because it followed after such a great read.

I loved Six Crimson Cranes and was excited to jump back into this world. While this is exquisitely written and I love the world, I was a little underwhelmed by the conclusion to this duology.

The Dragon’s Promise was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I was so excited to jump right back into Shiori’s world. From the very beginning of the story, I was fully drawn into the story and thrown right into the action. There was not a boring moment in this book! It was well balanced between action and breathing moments. The story flowed brilliantly, allowing the reader to get a really good glimpse of the world while still showing Shiori’s growth.

As it was with the first book, I adored all the characters. Shiori was amazingly lovable and was the perfect YA heroine. Takkan was every bit as sweet as he was in the first book and I simply wanted to see more of him. That actually leads me to my only complaint about the book. I wanted more. There are so many amazing characters in this book and I didn’t feel like I got enough time with any of them. Takkan, Seryu, and all of Shiori’s brothers were all present, but they didn’t get the chance to really hold their own.

Now, that is a very small complaint because I understand why it wouldn’t be possible to get what I wanted. There are so many plot points in this book, that if each of these characters got the attention they deserved, the book would be massive.

One of the things that I loved most about this book is that the actual plot left me feeling satisfied. Everything seemed to fit well into my expectations about the world and Shiori’s place within that world.

Now, I need to go and binge read everything Elizabeth Lim has ever written because finishing this book left an empty place in my heart that only her amazing writing can fill.

Thank you to netgalley and Random House Children's for the advanced copy of this e-book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!

The Dragon's Promise sets the story on how Shiori travels to Ai'long, realm of the Dragons, in order to fulfill her promise to her stepmother in giving the pearl to its rightful owner. However, perils surface along the way. Not only must she survive the intricate world of the dragons, but she must also fight the unpredictable power the pearl gives off. Doing so might mean saving everyone she loves and Kiata, or perish in the hands of the pearl or the newly born Bandur.

I was so excited to read this. Six Crimson Cranes was a story I devoured in days and loved. Knowing this book featured Seryu, my favorite character, and that Shiori would have more interactions with him in Ai'long was something I was highly looking forward to. The whole part in which Shiori was in Ai'long, surviving, using her wits against the wise dragons, struggling with the unexpected situations that occur were ones I took pleasure in reading. We heard of Ai'long in SCC and to finally read about it and visualize it was fantastic. It brought a different sort of color and magic to the story and it brought forth a Shiori I found particularly interested in knowing more about. Especially regarding her relationship and chemistry with Seryu.

However, this was short lived. This whole part of the story was about 20% of the book. Once Ai'long's apparent purpose was fulfilled, it didn't just go to a secondary plane. It was discarded entirely. Seryu, a character we were introduced in SCC, that was made to be an intricate part of Shiori's life and heart, who had a protagonist role, was not just discarded but forgotten. We never see Seryu again in the story, save for exactly four times Shiori passingly mentions him as id he'd been a mere side character. And I honestly cannot conceive I read something like this in a book.

What was the purpose of Ai'long even being a part of the plot? Everything that happened after could've existed without Ai'long, Seryu, and the dragons even being brought to existence. What's more, whatever happened after could've not existed should the story had taken place solely with the dragon realm. Both parts were sorely unconnected save for a few details that could've existed in other ways. It was almost as if the author was going in one direction for her plot and then mid-way had second thoughts and decided to scrape that entirely as if it never happened, and make some other plot. It was extremely disappointing to leave an intriguing part of the story and return to one that became too dull to even care about. In fact, the title is very misleading as it is the cover considering we only see a dragon in the first 12 chapters and then again by the ending.

The characters felt one-dimensional, Shiori lacked what different spark I saw before, and the romance with Takkan was as basic as it was dull. It felt like the author wanted to make sure Takkan and Shiori as a couple happened so she ended up discarding Seryu all together. Bandur as a villain felt cartoony and silly. I understood his purpose but when we compare it to Raikama as a villain and Lord Yuji as an antagonist, Bandur was just lacking.

It honestly saddens me as I really wanted to love this. But I felt this book was a huge disservice to what SCC brought to the table and setup. This is the second time a sequel of hers ends up being disappointing. SCC would've worked perfectly as a standalone. The Dragon's Promise had the only purpose to explain two things to us: where Edan came from, and why Bandur was in Lapzur. Things that could've been explained in other ways. Everything else was unnecessary and poorly written. After two lackluster sequels, I can only hope that third time's the charm or we stick to standalones now. But I'm not holding my breath.

This sequel begins right where Six Crimson Cranes leaves off, with Shiori on her way to the Dragon’s realm with Seryu. I'd recommend readers either rereading SCC or looking up a detailed summary before hand to get themselves back into the context of what happened previously. The plot moves at a decent pace so that the book never feels like it drags and is similar to Six Crimson Cranes in that we have multiple locations where major plot points happen. I will say, this is part of what takes my rating down slightly. Sometimes it feels disjointed and I wonder how it connects. We had a lot of excitement happen at the beginning with Sheryu and his grandfather, the Dragon King, but then we don’t really have mention of them the rest of the book. It felt a bit like we had the story in the kingdom of dragons, then the story of Shiori trying to return the dragon pearl to the Wraith. Don’t get me wrong, I loved both settings and found the imagery in both amazing, it just felt a bit like I was reading two different stories and parts were a bit rushed in the beginning. I wish it was either written into a trilogy, with the part in the dragon kingdom being a whole book on it’s own, or somehow had them connecting a little better. I absolutely adored getting to know her step mother’s history and getting her full story. That was a great element of closure and healing for that relationship and thought that was well done.

I really enjoyed getting to know the characters more in this book, especially getting the beginning with Seryu. I do wish there was more time with him, as I found him one of the most interesting parts of the series. I would love a spin off of the series that focuses solely on the dragons! And maybe Gen too. I enjoyed continuing to get to know her brothers in this book as well, and love her relationship with them. And of course, I loved Takkan and getting to see them finally uniting! One small thing that bothered me with the characters, was how we kept having hints that there might be a love triangle with Shiori, Seryu, and Takkan. I feel this was unnecessary drama as it never really escalated to a love triangle, but was still substantial. Again, I wish it was either given more detail, or taken out altogether.

The writing, as always, is so vivid and beautiful. Lim paints such a beautiful setting for this story, both in the Dragon’s kingdom and in her own land. I would love to see this go to film or tv series, as I think it makes such a beautiful landscape!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I had a few issues with pacing and some characterization, but nothing that took away too much from the story. It was beautifully written, and I look forward to reading more from this author!

I will post a review to the linked instagram in the week leading up to release.

Elizabeth Lim's second and final installment of this duology does not disappoint. Picking up almost immediately where the first book ended, it jumps right into the action and it is a whirlwind of events from first page to last. The sister-brothers relationship is as strong as ever. Takken is also allowed to really shine in this story, proving that he can keep up with the impulsive and strong-willed Shiori. Shiori continues to be a headstrong character who sometimes feels more like a bull in a china shop than a princess with magic running through her veins. Deliciously, even when it seems as if the story has concluded, there is another twist in the narrative to create a climax beyond the climax. This is a must read for lovers of fairytales, but be sure to start with the first book, Six Crimson Cranes so that you won't be lost and you won't miss out on the relationship building.

I want to start by saying I buddy read this with Dini @ Dinipandareads. We were both excited for this one since we loved Six Crimson Cranes! It’s also going to be tough to talk about this without some spoilers for Six Crimson Cranes. If you have not read that one then please do not read this review *yet.*

Dragon’s Promise starts off right where Six Crimson Cranes ends. Shiori and Seryu are going to the kingdom of Dragons to give the King the pearl. Of course, things never go according to plan and everyone has their agendas. The thing with this whole part of the book is that it’s completely rushed over. I felt like it was unnecessary and disconnected from the story. It pains me to say this because I loved the actual aspect of the world below and all the dragons. I just felt more confused than anything. It causes some drama that wasn’t needed and didn’t quite make sense.

My biggest issue with this book the whole thing has terrible pacing. The beginning is pretty amazing, even if it feels like a different story. After we leave the dragon world it lags and lulls a lot. There’s a huge middle chunk of this book that slowed things down for me and pulled me out of the story. Then we hit the last 35% of the book and BAM everything is happening. There’s another issue that I had here. There are so many things going on and so many different storylines that it was hard to follow. Once we get to a point, I thought it was over. Nope, there was even more and it felt disconnected from the previous storyline.

I loved Shiori’s relationship with her brothers. I loved seeing how far they have come from the beginning of Six Crimson Cranes. They had a lot of touching moments and I loved that. I was a little annoyed by the fact that Shiori is still treating her dad like crap. Now hear me out… He’s been through a lot and he’s feared for all his kids’ lives throughout two books. The thing is, Shiori has no respect for that. She is constantly lying and scheming and then just saying, “I’m sorry.” As a parent, this drove me insane!

The romance was something else that I enjoyed in this book. I still love Takkan so much and his dedication to Shiori. I thought some of their moments were sweet and touching. Seriously, Takkan is just my favorite character in this series, okay?! With that being said, there were all kinds of signs pointing to a love triangle in this book. From the first book and a good chunk in this one, it kind of felt that way. I don’t know if she intended it to be that way or not. The fact that there are even hints to one kind of annoyed me. I hate love triangles so much and it just adds unnecessary drama.

Even though it kind of broke up the pacing for me, I loved the history we get about Raikama. I think it gave a lot of closure to many characters. It was a nice glimpse into the past to learn what made her act the way she did!

Overall, I did like this read but it was a bit of a let down. Honestly, with another chunk of chapters to the first book, it could have been a great standalone. There were so many elements that didn’t flow together with stagnant pacing. Sometimes it felt like I was reading a completely different storyline. I loved the romance between Shiori and Takkan! The relationship between her and her brothers were also touching. If you read SCC and loved it then I think you will still like this. It’s just not on the same level but it was still enjoyable.

Many Thanks to Knopf Books for Young Readers and Netgalley for providing an e-arc for review.

I really enjoyed this book. I, unfortunately, can't say that I enjoyed it as much as I did the first. SCC, even upon re-read, is just simply captivating and so well done. A Dragon's Promise has similar elements to SCC and did make me tear up a couple of times, but overall fell a little short to the bar that SCC set.

I think the main problem is that the author tried to fit SO much into this book. There are two big adventures and there was enough potential world building and character/story arcs that I think a trilogy would've been more appropriate.

Overall I still loved it. I loved Shiori and Takkan and the way their relationship continues to develop. I loved how the author was able to expand upon Shiori's and Raikama's relationship even after Raikama's death... it was the most moving part of the book for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim is the superb follow up to Six Crimson Cranes. This richly woven fairy tale is a can't miss if you loved Shadow & Bone. I couldn't stop reading and I'm ready for more from Lim.

Thank you to net galley for an advanced digital copy for review.

Rounded to 3.5 stars.

CONTENT WARNING: imprisonment, violence, blood, mention of death, grief, bullying, mention of self-harm

I seriously loved Six Crimson Cranes and rated it five stars, so I was absolutely thrilled to get my hands on this sequel. However, it didn’t quite live up to the extraordinarily high standards I had left over from book 1. It kind of felt like three separate books mashed into one, and the characters just didn’t quite hit the same emotional notes for me as they did in the first book, with a few exceptions. I have to admit that the cover is gorgeous, along with the UK cover, which is equally beautiful.

The book starts with Shiori about the head into Ai’long, the dragon realm, so that she can return the dragon’s pearl to who it belongs to. Naturally, this is more dangerous than she expects, and thrusts her directly into the dragon court, where there are political maneuverings that she knows nothing about, and teases at a potential love triangle that isn’t quite realized. It also places her goal directly at odds with that of all the dragons, and introduces us to a new character, but unfortunately, he only shows up at convenient times and we never really get to know him well.

Once Shiori escapes back into Kiata, it almost feels like a completely different story begins. Although the book isn’t broken into parts, it almost feels like it should have been, in the interest of continuity, since keeping it all as one section makes everything feel more disjointed. The connection between Shiori and her brothers, as well as Shiori and Takkan were definitely my favorite aspects of the story, since they’re sweet and realistic, and despite the fact that she has 6 brothers, each of them have distinct personalities and serve their own unique role in the family dynamic.

There’s hints of a religious-ish cult within Kiata, and I honestly would have loved for Lim to delve more deeply into this. It felt like a missed opportunity to further develop the world, although the world-building in this story was really great. I loved the Chinese influence, using the diverse natural environments, customs, dress, religious aspects, superstitions, foods, belief systems, myths, stories, and practices to create a believable world that I had no problem losing myself in.

The last part of the story takes us to a different area of the world and gives us insight into the background of a character from the first book that we knew very little about. I loved learning more about this character and what made them who they were and the way that they were, and how they connected to the present story.

Overall, the pace was fast and it was an interesting read. Everything was tied up a bit too neatly for my liking, with certain conflicts resolving magically rather than through realistic solutions, and a lot of the story felt like Shiori didn’t necessarily learn or change much, although she did grow and begin to appreciate more of what she had through her experiences in the first and second books. It carried a bit of a Disneyfied feel to the story, coming across as a bit more on the young side of YA, but as far as fairy tale retellings go, this one was relatively interesting and a feel-good read.

I read this book as part of the blog tour hosted by TBR & Beyond Tours. Special thanks to the publisher for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 enchanting stars rounded up!

**The story picks up immediately from where SCC ends so there are minor spoilers ahead for book one if you haven’t read it yet!**

Lim’s writing is just as wonderful to read as in previous books. It’s poetic without being overly descriptive but it has a whimsy to it that makes reading them so enchanting. While Kiata and Iro were well established in the first book, in the sequel we explore several new places including Ai'long, the enchanting underwater dragon kingdom, the villages of Tambu, and the Forgotten Isles Lapzur. If you’ve read her Blood and Stars series then I think you’ll find that certain characters and locations ring a bell and I thought that was a nice little Easter egg moment for readers!

This sequel is a little darker as it deals more with demons and it’s full of action as Shiori travels from location to location trying to fulfil her final promise to her stepmum. Shiori has definitely grown a lot since the first book but she remains true to her headstrong and occasionally impulsive nature. Accompanying her everywhere is of course, Kiki, and she's just as hilarious and this time, she's also a bit more 'lifelike' than in the first book. There was so much I enjoyed about Shiori's journey; from the places we visit, the magic we experience, the history we learn about, and my personal favourite aspects of Lim’s books: the familial and romantic relationships. It was so great being reunited with Shiori’s brothers and I loved that they continued to play a big role in her story. I liked that we also get to see more moments between Shiori and her father, the emperor, and we learned more about his relationship with Raikama. When book one ended, I was disappointed we didn't learn more about Raikama but we finally get her history prior to becoming Shiori's stepmum. It was heartbreaking but it continued to prove the strength of her character and how she has truly always been a badass. Then we have sweet and pure-hearted Takkan. Having read Lim’s first series, I have to say that she’s a master at writing these super soft, romantic and wholly devoted love interests and Takkan was all of that. I adored him and Shiori together! They both do some growing together as they learn what it means to trust and be open with each other while dealing with situations that put their relationship to the test. They balance and complement each other so perfectly and there were lots of heartwarming, swoony moments between them that made my heart flutter with happiness.

That said, there were pacing and inconsistency issues that did affect the overall reading experience. While the pacing for the most part was okay there were moments that simply felt off. For how jam-packed the last 20% was, the middle, which dragged on and was mostly filler, could've been shortened considerably without affecting the overall story. There were also two critical moments in particular when the momentum picked up only for the pace to abruptly come to a stop either because the storyline would change or the pace would slow down for more character development moments. I love character development but the switch was so abrupt it was honestly quite jarring! I also questioned Lim's decision to introduce so many new characters who I initially felt were given more weight/importance than they actually had because it quickly became clear that they existed simply to further Shiori's arc. I'm not gonna lie, the fact that their roles in the story were not only short-lived but also ended so quickly was underwhelming.

The ending was also surprising and not where I thought the story would go. I didn’t hate it does hit a satisfying note in that all the loose ends are more or less wrapped up neatly. My heart warmed at the sweetness of the love between Shiori and Takkan, which really satisfied me the most overall. Ultimately, this might not have been the second book I was expecting but it was a good ending to the duology. I can’t wait to see what Lim writes next cos I’ll definitely be reading it!

😭😭

This book was so cool, and fun, and exciting, and beautiful.

Somehow this was even better than the first book and such a magnificent end to Shiori’s story. I loved it. We got to peel back the layers of mystery on her step-mother’s origin. We get to travel to the dragon realm under the sea. We get to see Takkan again and swooooon at the sweetness that is their love. I just loved the heck outta this beautiful story. So many things happen, it kept me on my toes the entire time. And I loved the way it resolved. Little bit of sacrifice. Little bit of happy ending. So good.