I’ll be perfectly honest…Six Crimson Cranes would have been fine as a stand alone book without the pearl as a story device to write a second book. This book was completely different than the first (not necessarily in a bad way). Truthfully, it felt unnecessary. Most of what I loved about the first book was absent in the second regarding Shiori herself.

That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, as I did give it 4 stars.

The setting and world building was the best aspect of this book. Lim’s writing is lush and decadent. Her world descriptions of both the dragon’s kingdom and Shiori’s kingdom were stunning. I love her food descriptions (they always make me hungry). Her writing alone is the kind of gorgeous prose that speaks to my heart. Overall, that made for a transportive read.

This was, at heart, an adventure story. It was a mash up of segments presenting challenges to Shiori. From traveling to the dragon kingdom, to facing evil forces within her own palace, to visiting the island of the demons where the dragon Wrath lives, there’s danger everywhere she turns. Each destination poses its own obstacles, forcing Shiori to press for victory.

However, there was one important aspect missing. What I loved about the first book was the character development and internal conflict with Shiori’s character. TDP didn’t feel internally focused. It felt 100% plot based. The goal was obvious—return the pearl to its owner. Sure, fine. But I like a character with an obvious flaw who must grow and change. That’s what a story is, at heart, isn’t it? Growth and change?? But Shiori herself wasn’t struggling with anything personal beyond her grief, and that simply didn’t offer the internal conflict I yearned for.

Whomp, whomp…

Overall, though, I did enjoy this. The writing swept me away, despite the lack of conflict within Shiori form the onset. Elizabeth Lim is an auto-buy author for me. I love all her work. I guess I just felt that SCC could have been a stand alone, with all the lose ends neatly tied up at the end, OR, some kind of obvious internal conflict with Shiori from the outset, to make this book necessary to her character.

I loved this book. I love everything Elizabeth Lim writes and I really just love this world. This book made me feel all the feelings and I already need spin off books for several of the characters. The way Elizabeth weaves her stories together is unparalleled and I desperately hope she continues to write stories in this world.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I loved loved loved book 2! Not as much as book 1 because I felt that the relationships were so strained and that makes me uncomfortable as a reader. So for a personal preference. It felt rushed in some areas and in others it was kinda lost. I had to reread and reorient myself a few times. However, the characters are phenomenal, the plot moves well and isn’t predictable, there is character growth and lots of heartache in this one as well! Elizabeth had me stressing and now I just need more. So thanks for the arc! I can’t wait to do a reread with the audible version before book 3!

This was a decent sequel. Not as interesting as the first, but I still enjoyed the worldbuilding. Overall, this was a good series that I have enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

"She brings trouble wherever she goes."

And where the brazen, mischievous Shiori goes next is Ai'long, the underwater realm of dragons. Her companions, Kiki the paper bird and Seryu the dragon prince, wish she would take a different path. But Shiori has a promise to keep, and she is determined to see it through, not only as a matter of duty but also to heal from past wrongs both received and inflicted. In addition to this quest, the first part of the book is beset by an unfortunate love triangle, but at least it's put to rest quickly and in the direction I wanted. This first leg of the story introduces interesting new characters and lore that give me hope for a dragon spin-off to this series. I would rather it be its own thing instead of commandeering this story for itself, however. The first third of the story spent in the dragon realm feels largely disconnected from the rest of the duology's larger plot, which was my first frustration with this book.

I was relieved when Shiori leaves the sea behind, as there's more connection to the first book in both characters and plot from that point on. It's also a decisive end to the love triangle. The depth and texture of Shiori's relationships and experiences are more engaging after this shift in locale and purpose. This part of Shiori's journey also sheds more light on her stepmother's history, explaining her actions and perspective more clearly. My only issue here was the unexpected mirroring of plot elements from Lim's other duology set in the same world. When a sense of deja vu started to hit, I had to look up details of Unravel the Dusk as a refresher, and I was surprised to realize that major battles in both books feature the same villains at the same locations. It was a weird, unnecessary overlap.

My favorite part of the book was the mother/daughter story. In general, this duology does a great job portraying the joyful light of family love, even when it's messy or suffers misunderstandings. It needn't be bound by biology, only loyalty and unconditional support. That's also true of the central romance, which is delightfully even-tempered and tender for a genre that favors angst and drama in its love stories.

While it didn't blow me away like Six Crimson Cranes, I was still happy to see Shiori's story through. There are strong emotional beats and sweeping magic to savor with a showstopper ending. Thanks to Knopf for my copy to read and review!

I absolutely loved Six Crimson Cranes, and could not wait for the sequel. I definitely had a hard time getting into this one. I was so excited to dove into the underwater dragon kingdom. Honestly, the plot just felt like I was reading a completely new set of characters and everything. I am so disappointed in this sequel. While book one was fast-paced, this was just so slow. I felt like there was so much stuff that was unnecessary. I was hoping to see more of Seryu. Overall, not the best sequel or end to a series but I am still glad I read it.
*thank you to netgalley for an arc.

A tale of identity, family, and embracing your own power (whatever that may be), the story of Six Crimson Cranes concludes with The Dragon’s Promise, a sequel that takes our heroine from the realm of dragons to a forbidden land inhabited by hungry spirits. And along the way, Princess Shiori grows from an impulsive girl to a genuine leader, determined to do right by not just her deceased stepmother Raikama’s last wishes but for all the denizens of her kingdom, human and magical alike.

This book starts off right where the first one left off. You are immediately thrown into the action and it took me a minute to remember what was happening. I loved the first book in this duology; so much happened! This book is no different. It feels like a classic adventure story with back-to-back adventures with varying casts of characters. We travel to other places and experience different cultures. I loved so much of this book. The writing is beautiful and the story is so gripping; however, I feel that the end dragged so much it stole the effect of the ultimate end of the book. I loved how it ended, once I got there. It's such a beautiful ending, but the 100 pages working toward it felt a bit draggy.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Knopf, and Elizabeth Lim for an advanced copy of this book.
This is the sequel and conclusion of the Six Crimson Cranes duology and it felt like coming home in the best way. So full of warmth and magic, it made me feel like I used to as a child reading fairy tales for the first time. Chock full of the quintessential ingredients for a perfect fantasy; lush setting, beautiful magic, the perfect companion, family, love loss and hope. This book is a strong piece on its own but I couldn't be pulled away from the feeling of nostalgia it gave me. And I don't think that's bad!

Like the previous book this takes you on a nonstop adventure! From the underwater dragon kingdom to hidden islands and court politics. Shiori is a driving force that is centered in love and empathy. I really enjoyed seeing much more of her relationship with her brothers in this book, and while the romance is not given as much attention in this book the moments between them were very sweet. My favorite character is Kiki and she's just as amazing in this book as the previous. The moments of her stepmother's story in this book were one of my favorite parts, so much depth and sorrow, they were beautiful and helped add emotional weight. Overall this is an excellent sequel to Six Crimson Cranes that delivers a fulfilling ending while hinting that there may be more stories in this world.

This was an exciting conclusion to the duology, and I really enjoyed reading it. I'll definitely be recommending this to my teen readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Very enjoyable wrap up to the series. It felt very separate to start as so much of the story is told from a completely different location but you got to see and explore so much more of the world which has been so beautifully created.. The tie-ins from the author's first series were great easter eggs for anyone who's read the author before without being confusing or giving anything away to first time readers.

I was incredibly excited for The Dragon's Promise and now I wish Six Crimson Cranes had been left to stand alone. This underwhelming sequel tried to incorporate far too many underdeveloped plot threads. With so much going on, the story dragged and many of the subplots were either wrapped up too quickly or were left unresolved. The existing fairytale comparisons in the first book helped to provide structure to the weakest parts of the story. Without this scaffolding, The Dragon's Promise felt disjointed and dull.

The end of Six Crimson Cranes and even the title of this book promise a trip to the dragon realm. And though this happens, it felt like a relatively insignificant part of the story. The dragon realm was the most interesting part of the story but it is abandoned for a completely different—and considerably less interesting—plot line.

I loved the characters in the first book but I grew a bit bored with them in this sequel. Shiori seemed to regress as a character and too many of the conflicts came from her not telling other people important information. Seryu's character was also completely ruined which is a shame because he was such a nice point of levity in Six Crimson Cranes.

The Dragon's Promise feels like Elizabeth Lim forced herself to pull together the scraps from Six Crimson Cranes into an unnecessary sequel. Six Crimson Cranes is officially a standalone in my mind.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC!
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Unfortunately I DNFed this, it just didn’t catch my attention and maybe I’ll get into it again when I’m in the perfect headspace to give this another try! But I would buy and recommend this to others definitely!

The story didn't quite turn out the way I expected but it was a beautiful journey nonetheless. Returning to familiar characters, and the rich world building was so satisfying. I highly recommend it for anyone who loved the first book, or fans of Asian mythology.

4/5 stars

I received an ARC of this book, and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

*potential spoilers for Six Crimson Cranes ahead*

Six Crimson Cranes was the first book I read by Elizabeth Lim, and it instantly became one of my favorite books! I was a little worried about the sequel considering where Six Crimson Cranes left off, but luckily The Dragon's Promise continued in a different direction than I anticipated.

Things I liked:
*the world-building and mythological elements
*Shiori x Takkan
*the side characters (some of whom we barely see though)
*Ai'long
*Seryu!!

While I enjoyed this story and appreciated getting some closure, I felt like this book tried to accomplish too much. I think this series might have benefitted more from being a trilogy rather than a duology? The Ai'long portion of the story felt a little rushed, and it almost felt like I was reading a completely different book from that point on. Some interesting characters were introduced (particularly in Ai'long), and I wish we learned more about them. I also felt like the brothers and Seryu all could have been included more.

Despite all of that, I did like this book! I am thoroughly on team Shiori x Takkan, so I loved their scenes together. The world-building was excellent, and I'm grateful we're going to be getting a book about Raikama. The ending was fairly satisfying, but I wished it was longer!

I've seen some people say they wished they only read Six Crimson Cranes and stopped there, but I personally thought this sequel was worth the read. There were some things I didn't like, but they didn't keep me from enjoying the book overall. I'm glad to have closure on Shiori's story and am looking forward to any future books that take place in this world.

This series was so much fun. I loved that Kiki was back as well as the appearances of the brothers and all my other favorites from book 1. I craved a visit to the dragon world and this definitely delivered plus lots more fun. I hope we see more from this world 👀

While thoroughly enjoyable, The Dragon's Promise is the weakest entry in this duology. My chief complaint is that there was a moment where it felt as though two novellas were stitched together to create a larger story. Regardless, it was a pleasant and satisfying end to the duology, and Lim continues to be one of the best modern fairytale crafters.

"Princess Shiori’anma embarks on a journey to the underwater kingdom of Ai’long, risking her human life to return the pearl in her possession to its rightful dragon owner. As she navigates this delicate task, the pearl takes on a life of its own, sometimes helping Shiori and other times causing chaos. She must keep it contained by any means necessary, but her magic is still a secret, any use of power a danger to her and her loved ones. Her friend Seryu promises to try and keep her safe in his grandfather’s kingdom, but his personal feelings for the princess are clouding his judgement. When Shiori finds herself bound to the royal family, the circumstances feel insurmountable, and she fears she’ll never return to the surface. Will she be able to keep her promise and survive to tell the tale? Will she make it back to her family and finally marry Takkan? Perhaps forbidden magic and the fate of a kingdom is too great a burden for a teenage princess . . ."

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Knopf Books for Young Readers, imprint of Random House Children’s Books, through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

For the optimal reading experience, I reread “Six Crimson Cranes” as an appetizer to the entree of “The Dragon’s Promise,” the duology finale and my most anticipated book of 2022. Chapter one begins right where we left off, Shiori following Seryu to his grandfather’s ocean kingdom. I spent much of my childhood pretending to be a mermaid princess with a castle at the bottom of the swimming pool so the idea of spending some time underwater thrilled me, even as an adult reader. Out of nowhere, the dreaded reading slump got ahold of me, and my reading came to a complete halt. I pushed myself to read here and there but made very little progress, taking one whole month to finish a story I initially thought I would devour in one week at most. Yes, the slump did affect my reading experience, but I know for a fact it wasn’t the sole roadblock because I tried my luck with another book and flew through the chapters. Plain and simple, this sequel left me feeling disappointed and wishing the duology was, instead, a standalone book.

There was a lot of ground to cover in order to wrap up Shiori’s tale, and nothing flowed, instead feeling like three separate sections that happened one after the other. It read like “We’re in this place. Now we’re here. Lastly, we’re at this location.” The first book took me on an adventure that felt like a whirlwind, and the sequel took me on a guided tour that made me hyperaware of the seconds, minutes, and hours ticking by. I found Shiori incredibly annoying, even more so than before; I understand that her immature mistakes were meant to grow the character, but at some point she has to stop making those same mistakes to show growth, and I never felt that shift. I also didn’t like her use of the word “snitches”; maybe I’m being too picky, but it felt out of character and out of place in this particular fantasy.

I was rooting for Shiori and Takkan as a couple, but there were too many unnecessary twists and turns. One specific thing that transpired in the underwater kingdom didn’t need to happen, but I would’ve been fine with it had there been some sort of significance; it ended up affecting nothing and was, therefore, a waste of pages. Just when the romance seemed to be back on track, Shiori herself sabotaged the happy ending not once but twice. When I say I felt frustrated with her, I don’t mean the good feeling of frustration while reading that feels like part of the experience; I mean the bad kind of frustration that negatively affects your opinion of a story.

I’m struggling with the intensity of my disappointment, but I’m going to push through that wall and give you a positive: I love the moment when Takkan gifts Shiori with a simple wooden comb painted with memories they’ve shared. He parallels their quiet moment with the hunter who won the Lady of the Moon’s heart with a simple comb amongst suitors gifting her gold and jewels; he gave Imurinya a comb to put up her hair so he could see her eyes and light them with joy. Swoon! That moment gave me everything I was craving from their romance, not to mention their continuous quoting of these words inspired by Shiori’s stepmother: “You are the light that makes my lantern shine.”

I am very open to rereading “The Dragon’s Promise” after a period of time and giving it a second chance with a fresh mind. For now, I’m settling on a 3 star rating and walking away. If you’ve read the first book, please give the sequel a chance and read it for yourself. Just because I had a “meh” experience doesn’t mean you will; I’ve seen reviews from readers who enjoyed it so it does have an audience. I would also recommend you look into Elizabeth Lim’s “Spin the Dawn” duology because there are many connections to the “Six Crimson Cranes” duology, especially after the events of the second book. I’m considering a reread myself which is a relief because obviously my heart still loves this world Elizabeth’s created.

•

Content Breakdown: Abuse, Alcohol, Animal Harm, Blood, Bullying, Claustrophobia/Drowning/Seasickness, Death, Language (very minor), Loss, Magic, Prejudice, Religion, Romance, Self Harm, Sensual/Sexual Situations (very minor), Spirituality, Suicide, Superstition, & Violence

*Disclaimer: This section of my review expands on the content breakdown. It is thorough and might contain SPOILERS.

Abuse: One mention of a child whose father forced her to wear a mask to cover her “disfigured” face & beat her when she disobeyed.

Alcohol: Intoxication & Wine

Animal Harm: Many animal characters are involved in fighting, & some are harmed or killed.

Blood & Violence: Arson, Blood, Choking/Strangling, Death, Demon Attacks, Fights, & Possession, Fighting (one-on-one & large groups), Ghost Attacks & Fights, Mentions & descriptions of hypothetical death (ripped apart by demons, torn to ribbons by sharks, etc.), Mentions & descriptions of demons & ghosts, Mentions & descriptions of wounds, People turned to stone, Poison, Restraints, Self-Sacrifice, Stabbing, Threats of violence & death, Unconsciousness, Various weapons (arrows, beaks, claws, knives, lightning, magic, spears, stones, swords, etc.), & at least one appearance by Lord Sharima’en, the undertaker.

Bullying: A story is told about how Channari/Raikama was mistreated by other children; they threw turtle eggs & called her names like “Monster,” “Snake Demon,” & “Witch.”

Claustrophobia, Drowning, & Seasickness: Be aware that 14 chapters take place underwater! At various times, Shiori is tortured by the dragons, her ability to breathe taken away so that she drowns for as long as they want her to. There are mentions of seasickness & underwater attacks varying in intensity.

Death & Loss - BOOK ONE SPOILER - There are several mentions of Shiori’s stepmother who died in “Six Crimson Cranes.”

Language: D*mn & D*mned

Magic: Mentions of Amulets (the source of an enchanter’s magic), Dragons, Enchanters/Enchantresses, Inspiritation, Sorcerors/Sorceresses, Witches, & Wraiths

Shiori is told that the dragons poured a bitter tea called Sangi down her throat so she could breathe underwater.

While imprisoned, Shiori meets a young teenage boy who’s slowly turning to stone.

Bloodsakes are a major plot point carried over from book one, enchanters who possess the magic to free imprisoned demons from the Holy Mountains with the spilling of blood. There is a brief mention of past bloodsakes who were executed to keep magic out of Kiata; Emperor Hanriyu found the practice barbaric, & it ended with his reign.

Shiori is called a witch & sorceress with derogatory intent, the people of Kiata still believing that magic is evil.

Prejudice: There are quite a few discussions about how the dragons look down on humans & any dragon who is half-human. They call them krill, a derogatory name referring to food for shrimp & whales. Elang is half-dragon, half-human & struggles to find his place, not feeling like he fully belongs to one world or the other; he despises humans, probably as a way to find favor with the dragons, but still they look down on him, believing he doesn’t deserve his title “High Lord of the Westerly Seas.”

Takkan implies that Kiatan nobility is quick to judge outsider & refer to them as “barbarians.”

Religion, Spirituality, & Superstition: Mentions of Altars, Demons, Demon possession, Heaven/Heaven(s), Fate, Food offerings, Ghosts, Gods/Goddesses, Hell/Nine Hells, Incense, Luck, Prayers, Priests/Priestesses, Resurrection, Shamans, Shrines, Superstitions (i.e. avoiding the number 4), Telekinesis, Temples, & Trinkets to ward off demons (i.e. a bracelet)

Mention of the number 9 as the number of eternity

There are constant mentions of “strands,” as in people’s fate/path. For example, “may our strands cross again.”

Shiori uses the magic of the Tears of Emuri’en, water that reveals fate’s possibilities.

There’s a description of a bedroom with mourning sheets in the windows & prayer plaques & scrolls around the bed, wishes for safe passage into the afterlife. Later on, there’s a description of a shrine with ivory banners also representing a wish for safe passage into the afterlife; there are also food offerings on an altar & a wooden statue of the deceased.

Bandur is described as an especially dangerous demon who can command other demons, possess one’s mind & thoughts, & steal a soul with one touch.

The Forgotten Isles of Lapzur are inhabited by demons & ghosts. The ghosts can turn you into one of them with a single touch, & the demons prey on fear, distorting one’s memories until you’re disoriented enough to kill without fighting back.

Gods & Goddesses Mentioned:
-Ashmiyu’en, goddess of life
-Emuri’en, the goddess of fate & love, who becomes Imurinya, Lady of the Moon
-Nazayun, god of Dragons
-Sharima’en, god of death & the Undertaker

Phrases used as curses & exclamations:
-Bane of Sharima’en!
-Blazing Eternal Courts!
-Bubbling, blazing demons of Tambu!
-By the Eternal Courts!
-By the miracle of the gods . . .
-By the sages!
-By the strands!
-Curse the sages!
-Demons of Tambu!
-Demons take me!
-Emuri’en’s Strands!
-Glorious gods!
-Gods!
-Gods knew . . .
-Gods spare me!
-Great gods!
-I hope you rot in the Nine Hells!
-May the luck of the dragons be with you!
-Miracles of Ashmiyu’en!
-Nine blazing hells!
-Nine hells!
-Nine hells of Sharima’en!
-Oh gods!
-Praise the great gods!
-Praise the sages!
-Sons of the wind!
-Strands of Emuri’en!
-Thank Emuri’en!
-Thank the Eternal Courts!
-Thank the great gods!
-Thank the strands!

Romance: A handful of times Shiori blushes while admiring Takkan’s build & muscles.

A handful of moments when a couple is alone but do nothing beyond hugging; they sleep in each other’s arms one time but are traveling in a group.

At least one cheek kiss, One nose kiss, One almost-kiss, & 4 kisses

Sensual/Sexual: Shiori asks how it’s possible for a human companion to have a child with a dragon, & Lady Solzaya explains that after a binding ceremony, the human companion is immortal & no longer human, implying there’s some kind of change that makes mating with a dragon possible.

Self Harm: It’s revealed that a character’s facial scar was self-inflicted, a punishment of sorts because she hated looking in the mirror & seeing a beautiful face instead of her own “disfigured” face. She also tried to cut off the disfigurement, but despite her effort to fight through such a painful procedure, it always came back.

Suicide: Under the control of a demon, nine priestesses killed themselves: four by dagger, three by fire, & two by drowning. This is only mentioned, not described as it’s happening.

An imprisoned priestess pulls out one of her rotting teeth, crushes it into a powder, & throws it in the air, freezing her guards before uttering a few words & dropping dead.

Are you interested in: a continuation of an enchanting tale of magic, royal politics, and dragons?
Love a headstrong protagonist whose perception of their own power is valid and well-utilized?

A sequel book that contains nearly another book's worth of action and adventure, The Dragon's Promise is a novel that lives up the to wonder of Six Crimson Cranes while also leaving a feeling of needing a bit more time to hear the full story.