One of my most anticipated sequels of 2022 was Elizabeth Lim’s follow-up to Six Crimson Cranes, which was one of my favorite reads from last year. I appreciated everything that story did to reimagine the original tale, The Six Swans—with dragons, a wisecracking paper crane, actual cranes, and more—it was one of the best kinds of retellings out there, but it was also just a good story in its own right. And after the way it ended, I was more than looking forward to The Dragon’s Promise.

The Dragon’s Promise picked up where Six Crimson Cranes ended with Shiori undertaking a quest, to keep the promise she made to her late stepmother. I admired her determination to see it through to its end, despite the dangers it posed to her as well as everyone she loved and cared about.

I liked the story. Some parts lagged for me, or were a little repetitive in what happened. That being said, the main conflict of the story was really good. There were slight political and superstitious angles to it (partially fueled by fear) and, given the world building done prior in book one, it was understandable. It was far more pronounced here, and it added even more stakes to the story.

There weren’t too many new characters here, and they didn’t stick around long once their part of the story was over. While they were present, I liked them, even the ones that were on the more antagonistic side of things.

Shiori’s brothers were great as usual, and I liked them for the fun sibling dynamic they had going on, as well as how dependable and supportive they were.

Shiori’s tale has always been a highlight of these books for me. During the events of Six Crimson Cranes, I sympathized with her a lot of the time. She was still herself here but more confident, especially when it came to her love life (it was cute), and I appreciated the loyalty and devotion between Shiori and Takkan. It was also great to see her more assured in her duty as a princess. She had her mistakes, of course, but she also had her moments.

All-in-all, I liked The Dragon’s Promise. It tied up all the loose ends in a way that made sense and offered a satisfying payoff for everything that happened. And as a whole, I enjoyed the duology.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Knopf Books for Young Readers) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this Arc!

Loved this sequel! I loved stepping into this beautiful world again and experiencing Shiori's unique magic.

This was a great read that pulled me along effortlessly. There was so much adventure and action that I couldn't stop turning the pages. And throughout it all, there was an endless supply of love. It had me swooning at Shiori and Takkan's young love while in my feels at her connection to her brothers and paper bird, Kiki.

I highly recommend this series to fans of ya fantasy!

Out August 30, 2022!

Shiori made a promise to her late step-mother that she would return the dragon’s pearl to its rightful owner. She must weave through the dangers that other’s pose in the pursuit of taking the pearl’s dark power for themselves. All the while, demons are threatening to destroy the world of humans and magic is vying to return to the kingdom of Kiata.

Yep, my synopsis is truly only a few sentences. If it sounds bland, it’s pretty much on par with the story too. Being able to sum it up as such just goes to show how unfortunately un-layered this story really becomes, even while at the same time being so needlessly action-sequenced as to give you whiplash.

From one scene to the next in a matter of a few pages, it makes it difficult to truly connect with the overall theme.

I am SO incredibly grateful for the opportunity to read this book and review it! I absolutely LOVED the first book in this series.

☝️This is what I wrote in my notes when first given this book. I am saddened to say those same feelings didn’t remain by the end of reading it.

I didn’t love this one as much as the first book. And I really had to think on it for several days to sort out exactly why that happened.

In general, it just lacked the spark and magic of the first book that captivated me so well.

The first half is definitely better, it feels more real and the stakes feel higher, but then things start to dull for me.

The plot is wandering and overly-convenient. It lacked a flow, as we are taken from place to place. It felt almost like an outline sequence rather than one continuous blending of events.

The villain is… not very villainous. The consequences just aren’t represented strongly enough.

I think part of that has to do with the lack of connection to the characters in this sequel. I just didn’t love Shiori as much as I did before.

The characters and dialogue in general were bland. There really aren’t any arcs or further development.

The romantic aspects of this book also frustrated me. It felt so mild and childish, rather than growing through their experiences.

And I can’t even lie y’all, I’m still on team Seryu. 😢 I felt their connection in this book was much more heated than Shiori and Takkan.

I do love this author and her stories. I still recommend reading this sequel if you loved the first one but just be prepared to not be as fulfilled by the end of it.

It's still an okay read. Even though my review seems largely negative, it is only due to the disappointment in comparison with how much I loved the first book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review

i don’t get what the first quarter of the book was for tbh.. i don’t think it really contributes a whole lot to the plot but i wish the author had done more with the dragon stuff bc it was really cool. i wanted to really like this book but six crimson cranes could have done without a sequel. all in all, this was still a pretty fast paced, quick read which i still enjoyed!!

"The Dragon's Promise" was one of my most anticipated reads this year as the sequel to "Six Crimson Cranes" but unfortunately I did not enjoy it. "Six Crimson Cranes" should've been left as a standalone and the themes/lands/plot explored should've been a completely different and unrelated story.

"The Dragon's Promise" felt very disjointed from the world and characters from "Six Crimson Cranes" and frankly the plot was strung together very loosely and felt unnecessary. While giving us the promise of an underwater dragon world (which we see very briefly and its cool) most of the plot takes place above water focusing on demons. Our leading dragon really isn't seen except in the few pages at the start and end of the story. What we see of the dragon world was great and I think it should've been explored further. Once on land it feels like the characters are spinning in circles for no good reason.

This follow up leaned heavily into the YA tropes. The characters were underdeveloped and less mature. Overall, very meh but gorgeous cover art.

This is the sequel to the recent Six Crimson Cranes.

It's interesting that, if you look through the Goodreads reviews from people who haven't yet read the book, about half of them are begging for a love triangle and half of them are begging for there not to be a love triangle.

That's interesting for two reasons:

1) It shows that these books don't really know what they want to be (or if they do, they haven't communicated it to the audience well). The love plot does indeed feel very Young Adult, balancing right on the edge of a love triangle. There's some chaste kissing and marriage politics.

However, the wiring style feels too juvenile to be YA. The book is always telling us what is happening without much detail or emotion. I think the audience that would like this book is much younger than YA. The book is fast paced and has interesting (if confusing and lacking detail) worldbuilding.

So what is this book? I think it's closer to middle grade, even with the romance bits, and it's a disservice to the book to market it otherwise.

2) This book doesn't seem to have good enough characters to pull off a love triangle, anyway. I was consistently bored with the characters and feeling out of touch with what was transpiring on the page.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.

3.75 stars rounded up

Let me start by saying that I absolutely loved the first book and that I read this book from start to finish with a short break to sleep. So I clearly felt invested in Shiori and her family and wanted to know how it would all end. However, I don't think this book was nearly as strong as the first book; it certainly wasn't as uniformly strong. The first third of the book felt like a separate short story/adventure as Shiori ventures into the realm of the dragons for a reason that didn't seem entirely necessary, although I did find the realm to be interesting and it served to introduce a character that would briefly play a role later. But seeing how this character wasn't directly involved with the plot, this whole thing could have been left out and the story probably would have been more focused. I feel like this first adventure really could have been released as a separate novella. I guess it could have been used as a way to resolve the potential love triangle. But the end of the first book seemed to indicate there would be no conflict, at least not on Shiori's part.

I think one of the things the author wanted to do was incorporate as many Asian folktales as she could and I was able to pick out several of them, including the moon lady, so perhaps that was another reason why she included this first adventure. That aside, I thought the rest of the plot flowed pretty well as she and her brothers went from one thing to another. I loved everything about her stepmother's part of the story and the connection between the Wraith and what it had to do with Bandur. The author did an amazing job with that part of the story and I loved all the things having to do with threads of her soul. The author's writing is very beautiful and visual, which says something since I've always had trouble with visualization. There was much I loved about this book and as I said, I pretty much read it in one go, as long as it was. Overall, I would say that although it wasn't as strong as the first book, it was still a worthy sequel and conclusion to the story. If you really enjoyed the first book, I would say to give this book a chance. It's still a good story, and I feel like the ending was worth it.

I received an advance review copy for free from Netgalley and the publishers, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. This book is being published on August 30.

A huge thank you to Netgalley for the early review copy. All thoughts are my own.

If you enjoyed the previous book I really think that you'll enjoy this one.
Lim's atmosphere and lyrical writing continue to shine in this book. I really loved seeing Shiori and Takkan's relationship grow and evolve. They're very sweet and well-balanced as a pair. I'm happy we didn't fall into a severe love triangle with Seryu.

However, as much as I enjoyed spending the first third of the book in Ai'long, it felt a little bit disjointed to me. As if Lim would've enjoyed spending a second book in Ai'long, and then a third closing out what the rest of this book did. It seemed to lull a bit in the middle before finding it's footing and moving the plot along.

I continued to love these characters, but really just wish we had gotten more time with Seryu overall, or that we had gotten a trilogy to help flesh out the different sections of the story. I flew through this book and had a great time reading it!

I continued to love the fairytale vibes, the atmosphere, and Lim's writing. I'm excited to see what she will write next!

After reading Six Crimson Cranes (which is still my favorite read of the year so far), I was so excited to read about Shiori's journey into the dragon realm but more importantly, I was really looking forward to spending more time with Seryu.

The Dragon's Promise starts right where we left off. The first 30% of the book is spent in Ai'long, the realm of the dragons, before the author seemed to take a different direction and focus on something entirely different. I was completely disappointed by how short we spent in the dragon realm and I'm even more upset about the lack of Seryu's character. There was so much potential to introduce key elements (even with the new characters) but it was like a whole other story once we got out of the dragon realm.

After we get out of the dragon realm, the plot felt very random and personally, I felt like it almost lost the magical aspect and language that I fell in love with in the first book. I do enjoy the author's writing style and the book was still fast-paced but I just could not get over the disappointment of abandoning the dragon concept and instead, veering towards a demon plotline. The first 30% of the book was so interesting but everything else fell flat in comparison. There was lots of potential to build the story into one that surpasses even the first book, but these ideas weren't explored nearly enough. I'm mostly sad we didn't get to see more of the new characters and of Seryu. I actually liked Takkan a lot more in this book than the first one but as a whole, the book (and characters, including the villain) felt underwhelming. I think some parts just felt very rushed and there was a lot of buildup for the dragon realm in the first book only for it to fall short in this book. While this book didn't go in the direction I was hoping for, I did like the bittersweet ending and I very much enjoyed the journey through this series.

I'd give nearly 5 stars to the first third of this book, but then after that, the plot gets really wild and the pacing gets bizarre. The storyline went in like 4 different directions and we were introduced to a lot of new antagonists in this book and addressing them all made the pacing REALLY fast. Too fast, I'd say. I liked all the ideas of the antagonists, but did we have to get them all in one book? I think there were like 5 antagonists in this book total, all causing their own issues in Shiori's life. I also wish we had more Seryu and I wished his character arc would've been handled better. I adored him even more in this book and I just felt like we didn't get enough. The first third of this book when we got to see so much of his world was so fascinating to me and I wished it would've lasted longer. I think this book series needed to be a trilogy rather than a duology. Overall, not a bad sequel, but it didn't give what I hoped it would.

*3.5 STARS*

This is the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes and although I did enjoy this conclusion, there were a few things that didn’t work for me, but still lots of other things I did love – let’s take a look:

+ We get to spend time in the dragon’s realm and learn more about Seryu! I really did enjoy Shiori’s time with the dragons. It felt like a very fantastical and unique place, but quite scary for Shiori because there was a lot of deception going on and she didn’t know who to trust! There is a lot of action in the book because Shiori is moving from one place to another. That girl never has a repreve!

+ My beloved Kiki is back, she is the best paper bird ever. I love her! Other characters like Shiori’s brothers are back as well and once again they do their best to help Shiori in her quest.

+ Shiori and Takkan’s love story is a beautiful thing to see grow and develop. They are always thinking of the other, and wanting the best for one another. Yes they do have challenges because Shiori is always getting into a mess, but Takkan is the perfect balance for her – he is steady, he is constant and he loves Shiori no matter what. They were my favorite part of the book I think.

+ I love how we learn about Raikama’s past and it always pinched at my heart how Shiori missed her and how there were regrets about their relationship. I can at least say there was peace for Raikama in this book. But many parts of this book, especially at the end, were quite emotional.

~ The pacing is off in this book and I didn’t feel like the first part of the book, when Shiori was in Ai’long, connected to the rest of the book. We meet new characters in Ai’long and some loose ends that didn’t have closure for me there. Then there is a lull when Shiori is back in Kiata with her family because she’s pretending she there and back to normal but she’s planning on following through with finding the Wraith, to give the pearl to him. There might have been too much going on at once. Because she also had to deal with the demon, Bandur!

~ Speaking of Bandur, he’s always in the back of Shiori’s mind, obviously but I think when it came time to really put him away, if felt sort of anti-climactic because of the Wraith and his anger and issues…there are a lot of angry demons and dragons in this book. I get that Bandur is the biggest villain, but once again, I felt like the story got disconnected in some places or it felt like 3 stories in one book.


Tropes: special one, opposites attract (Shiori the princess/Takkan who doesn’t fit in at court), puppy love

Why you should read it:
*creative world building, we get to travel with Shiori to Ai’long ,the Realm of Dragons
*lovable characters like Seryu, Kiki, Takkan and Shiori’s brothers
*emotional story when it comes to Shiori and her brothers and memories about Raikama
*the sweet love story between Shiori and Takkan

Why you might not want to read it:
*feels like too much going on, as if 2-3 stories are shoved into one, feels disjointed

My Thoughts:

I think this is a solid ending to an imaginative and fun duology but it did fall flat of my expectations mostly because of how disjointed the story felt at times. But I love Shiori and Takkan’s love story and I adore all the characters that I came to care for in this story like Kiki and Seryu. I wonder if the dragons will get their own book? There is a lot of story to tell there and I feel like Elang didn’t get any closure. Overall I found the themes of family and love in the story to be heartwarming. I’m glad I got to finish this duology and I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of the book for my honest review!

This book picks up right where the first book ended. Shiori travels with Seryu to the dragon kingdom with the pearl to return it to its rightful owner. She finds the identity of the dragon the pearl belongs to and thus starts her adventure. Along the way she finds that the demon, Bandur, is wreaking havoc in Kiata. Shiori makes it her mission to banish Bandur for good and return the pearl.

I don't think I can be unbiased when it comes to Elizabeth Lim and her books. While I don't normally adore YA novels, I loved Six Crimson Cranes. I feel the same sentiment for this sequel as well. Objectively, it might've been a little repetitive and the first bit with the dragons seemed a little disconnected with the rest of the plot, and it definitely could've used some lgbtq characters. I still loved the setting, the magic, the characters, the cameo of Gen, how well it ties in with the Blood of Stars duology, the love story, the fairytales/folklore this books magical entities are based off of, and I loved the ending.

I really think this could be made into a cute Disney movie. I recommend this book to anyone--especially those looking to read more Asian stories and authors.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the digital ARC of 'The Dragon's Promise' by Elizabeth Lim.

The first book 'Six Crimson Cranes' I absolutely loved, and have been anticipating a sequel ever since I finished it. I unfortunately did not love 'The Dragon's Promise' the way I loved 'Six Crimson Cranes'. I enjoyed the first half of the story when she was in the dragon kingdom, but overall I felt a little bit let down by the outcome of the story.

Shiori's outcome was very much like that of my least favourite Greek tale, and her hasty decisions throughout the entire book seem to be the reason she's in that position in the first place. Sure, you've restored magic to your kingdom - but now you're not living what some might consider a fulfilling life.

In the first book I was rooting for her and Takkan, but quickly in book #2 that started to vanish. They were both so impulsive, which most of the time led them into bad situations.

The only characters I had any real sympathy for this entire book were Seryu, and Elang. I wanted all the happiness in the world for them, but by the end both their stories felt very unfinished. Anytime they were mentioned after Shiori left the kingdom it felt like it was just an afterthought.

Overall a 3/5.

Thank you to Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the ARC! Once again Elizabeth Lim makes you feel like you’re in a fairytale with her writing. I didn’t quite remember everything from Six Crimson Cranes, but it was easy enough to reacquaint myself with the world and there were reminders sprinkled in. While I liked the book, I thought it was kind of like multiple stories in one. The first part of the book focuses on Shiori’s time in the dragon kingdom with Sheryu, but then she leaves and we don’t really see Sheryu again. I really liked him in the first book so I was hoping for a bit more.

I enjoyed Shiori’s relationships with her family, Takkan, and of course Kiki, and also seeing how deeply she still cares for Raikama. I liked that we got a little more of Raikama’s history as well. I thought the ending was sweet but I felt like there were multiple places where it was about to end and it just kept going. Overall I thought this was a good conclusion to the duology.

A wonderful sequel to Six Crimson Cranes. Everything we loved from the first book makes an appearance. While the first part of the book heavily featured the Dragon Kingdom, we still get to explore the rest of the world.

It is hard to say what relationship is my favorite. I am not afraid to say that I cried several times. There were bittersweet/sweet moments with Shiori and her brothers, her father, her stepmother, and Takkan. Really, everyone.

I do not want to give away too many spoilers for this book or the first, but it will remain a favorite duology for me!

I've been a fan of Elizabeth Lim's work since I read Spin the Dawn, and as a sequel to Six Crimson Cranes, The Dragon's Promise did not disappoint. It has action, adventure, vivid world building, and the strong family ties readers first saw in book one when Shiori committed herself to saving her brothers from a life as cranes.

I admit my memory of Six Crimson Cranes is a bit hazy, and it took me a while to remember all the events that had occurred previously that were relevant to this story. The Dragon's Promise is not one of those books that effortlessly reminds readers of the plot of the books that came before, so do be aware of that. However, once I got my bearings, I was once again swept into the world Lim has created and eager to see how protagonist Shiori would fulfill her last promise to her stepmother, all while keeping herself and her entire world safe.

The pacing is a bit wild, which is something I've noticed about Lim's work in general. The first third of the book probably could have been expanded into its own book, and event after evert keeps coming at Shiori and the reader. It's certainly a roller coaster. Perhaps this is even something a lot of readers will love -- unending action and twists and something always happening with hardly a break in between. I personally would have liked the pacing to be a bit more even, but it's not a deal breaker for me, and it certainly keeps things interesting if nothing else.

I most loved the relationships Shiori has with her friends and family, and all the characters readers could have fallen in love with in Six Crimson Cranes get plenty of page time in The Dragon's Promise. We get to see all six brothers, of course, as well as the love interest, and even Shiori's father, who is clearly struggling with his duties as a emperor seeming to conflict with his priorities as a parent. We even learn more about Shiori's stepmother's past and get some insight into the decisions she made in book one. Character development is more than fulfilled, and I don't know if Lim could have done a better job with any of the fairly large cast she has created.

Lim's books are always a delight to read, and The Dragon's Promise is no exception. Definitely pick it up if you enjoyed any of her other books.

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favorite reads last year, but upon finishing The Dragon’s Promise, I’m saddened to say that I wish it had been a standalone. But firstly, what I liked about this book: Lim’s writing is gorgeous, she always describes scenery so well, and Shiori and Takkan are so sweet, I love their relationship. I also think Shiori’s relationship with her brothers is so heartwarming, and I did very much enjoy reading the last quarter or so of The Dragon’s Promsie. However, I found myself pretty bored most of the time because the plot was disjointed and not particularly compelling; I couldn’t bring myself to care about what was happening. Six Crimson Cranes’s plot was much more cohesive and interesting. I actually had the same exact thoughts about Unravel the Dusk, the sequel to Lim’s other book, Spin the Dawn—a strong first book then a second that fell flat. I feel that sequels are a weaker spot for Lim.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Summary: Shiori is headed to Ai’long the Dragon Kingdom with Seryu to return the Dragon Pearl to its rightful owner but the Dragon King wants the pearl and so Seryu and Shiori have to ally with a dragon outcast to learn the location of the pearl’s owner. However, the Dragon King isn't the only one that wants the pearl Bandur, a demon in Shiori’s home kingdom of Kiata also wants the pearl and has escaped the sacred mountain to find Shiori and the pearl.

Thoughts: I love this duology it's super cute! Shiori is super precious and I love her dedication to keeping her promise to her stepmother. It was a lot of fun exploring more of this world and the dragon kingdom. I wish we spent more time in the Ai’long and with the dragons, Seryu is far and away my favorite character he is also one of the more complex characters, he needs his own book and he deserves a happy ending he comes in completely clutch for Shiori and Takkan. I also liked Elang and wish we saw more of him, he was self-serving and sketchy but he was also fun and travels with turtles. Gen was also a fun new character and I love the enchanters it made me want to go back and reread Spin the Dawn. However, Shiori’s one true love remains as Takkan and I can see why. Takkan is super precious and just a very good guy with a precious relationship with his sister and Shiori’s brothers. Takkan just gets a 10/10 I adore that he is always down to help Shiori and just accepting of anything that happens he is a gem and deserves the world. I also love that Seryu is the one to give both Shiori and Takkan a happily ever after. Seryu ends up being a very good dragon and friend to Shiroi and Takkan. I also loved seeing more of Raikama’s past and backstory I didn't expect her backstory to plan such a big part but I loved it and her relationship with Wraith and her sister. And as always I loved seeing Shiori’s brothers and like Shiro Benkai and Hasho remains my favorite but the others especially Reiji grew on me in this book. All six of her brothers are very precious and their relationship with Shiori is even more so. Overall I loved this book and would recommend but I am equally sad that the story is over so I guess I’ll go rereading Six Crimson Cranes.

The second book in the Six Crimson Cranes series, the Dragon's Promise picks up where the first book ends with Shiori setting out on another magical quest. Shiori is a strong heroine, stubborn, funny and secretly soft-hearted. Her romance with Takkan is so sweet it makes my teeth hurt and her relationship with her brothers (and Kiki) is very cute. Unfortunately that's where my praise stops.

The Dragon's Promise is not a bad book just a little disjointed and has some weird pacing. Shiori is on a quest to return her now deceased stepmother's pearl back to its rightful owner. To do that Shiori must team up with her dragon friend (maybe more?) Seryu and journey to the home of the dragons. This could have been the entire plot of the book but instead it and Shiori's relationship with Seryu wraps up in a few chapters and Shiori is returned home to Kiata and Takkan. The middle of the book is okay with some sweet moments between Takkan and Shiori but mostly planning for the epic battle to come. Except the battle happens about a hundred pages too early and is also resolved pretty neatly. The ending of the book was unexpected which I liked but otherwise it felt like a couple different stories shoved into one book. I loved Six Crimson Cranes and honestly this book could have been an epilogue or novella.

Overall I would recommend this book if you loved Shiori and Takkan or were left wanting to know more about the Dragon kingdom.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

I believe this is a duology and I thought it was a good ending for the series.

This is a book two, so there are spoilers for book one below.

Shiori has the dragon's pearl and she's determined to return it to the owner. She goes into the dragon kingdom with her dragon friend, but she isn't really welcome. Things get pretty dangerous, but she does meet a young boy that uses magic. She helps free him and he ends up liking her. Shiori is only gone for a small amount of time in the kingdom, but at home, it's been six months. They were worried she wouldn't return at all. The crack in the mountain is getting worse and the demons are close to getting out. Takkan waited for Shiori and plans on helping her get the pearl to the owner and stop the demons from escaping. Shiori also gets help with Kiki and her brothers. There are multiple adventures to different dangerous places. Shiori starts to wonder if getting rid of magic at home was the right thing or not.

I don't want to give up too much from the book. The relationship with Shiori and Takkan was the standout. The plot was decent paced, but I did like the first book more. I wish the brothers would have had a bigger part.

I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.