Elizabeth Lim has an extraordinary capability of transporting readers to luscious and sometimes brutal worlds, and Her Radiant Curse is no exception. Similar to her other two series, The Blood of Stars, and Six Crimson Cranes, Her Radiant Curse is a unique tale with various elements of Asian folklore, high fantasy, and adventure. The unique interpretation of demons and dragons, as well as some other creatures in the story specifically, is a breath of fresh air to the fantasy genre.

The book begins by providing a rich backstory to Channi and her sister Vanna, while simultaneously showing the divide between legend and fact in their world. Born with an internal light and goodness, Vanna is the yin to Channi’s cursed yang. Their independent journeys centre around them constantly fighting for each other while learning how to fight for themselves.

As the story progresses, Lim weaves a diverse world with varied landscapes richly detailed with their own cultures. While the pace of the book was fast to keep the story progressing, I found I wanted to stay just a little longer in these different locations to explore them a little more. Each setting had its own unique personality with different wildlife and customs which were only just touched on before moving the characters along.

The way Lim built Channi and Vanna’s characters was at times predictable, but overall smooth and comprehensive. The way she wrote their relationship provided great backstory, along with the story and character development. You can’t help but love them both and for the duration of the book, you’ll find yourself rooting for them to succeed and find their happiness while being heartbroken whenever they experience setbacks.

Most of the side characters also had a surprising amount of depth; the exception being Channi and Vanna’s father and step-mother, who seemed really two-dimensional to fill the hole of a secondary adversary.
A personal favourite was Ukar the snake, who is also Channi’s best friend—his snide comments and unwavering support made him immediately endearing. His sass and disdain when it came to certain love interests was amusing while simultaneously not what you want to read if you’re a romantic at heart.

While nowhere near a romance novel, Lim explores young love from a couple of angles including a burgeoning romance that is forbidden, and the tried-and-true enemies to lovers trope. Whilst somewhat predictable, you can’t help wanting it to happen all the same.

As a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes, you may feel like it’s necessary to read those prior to enjoying Her Radiant Curse, but that’s not the case (although you might get some more references). In fact, I hadn’t read Six Crimson Cranes before reading this, and I think I enjoyed it more, as I didn’t know exactly where the characters were going to end up.

It might be worth mentioning though, like with her other books, the worldbuilding isn’t as obvious and laid out as some other fantasy novels. The beginning sets the scene for most of the mechanics of the world, as it progresses, some new details emerge, leading you to sometimes alter your perception of how things work. This can be at times frustrating for some, as it leads to wanting a little more detail about how the world works. Luckily you can continue to experience the world and find out more in Six Crimson Cranes.

That being said, it was a really enjoyable, easy to read, YA fantasy novel. It was interesting, compelling, and written in a way that didn’t underestimate the reader. Her Radiant Curse is a masterclass of heartbreak and longing, exploring sisterly love, and complicated family dynamics.

She’s done it again. Another favorite book. When I was finishing The Dragons Promise I was so intrigued by the possibility of this being a story and was so happy. I loved this character, seeing how flawed she was and how hard she loved. Really amazing seeing how everything started.

We accompany Channi on her journey, where an unfortunate curse transforms her visage into that of a serpent, all due to a sacrificial offering made to the Witch in a desperate attempt to rescue her mother.

Elizabeth Lim can do no wrong, I love this characters and I love this world. I loved Six Crimson Crane so much so it was fun to find out more about the world before that story. This was so fun, well written and beautiful, I loved it so much. Thank you Netgalley for this advanced eARC.

Elizabeth Lim is turning into a auto-buy author for me. Her writing style is vivid and imaginative, and reading Her Radiant Curse felt like reading a fairy tale, or a legend. It is bittersweet, mostly bitter; the ending is heartbreaking. As ever, her characters are real and multifaceted, and beautifully portrayed. I very much enjoyed the story crafted here.

️*Title: Her Radiant Curse- I read it as a standalone but it's in the world of the Six Crimson Cranes series.

*Release date: 8/29/23 read: 8/8/23

*Author: Elizabeth Lim, 1st time author for me

*Page Count: 432 ebook

*POV: h-Channi

*Setting: starts @ their homeland Sundau

*Genre: YA fantasy, romance, East Asian Lit

*Tropes:
✅Sisterhood
✅Arranged marriage/The Selection (Kiera Cass)
✅ Western fairytales-Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella retelling
✅ Dragons& other mythical creatures
✅ Demons/Witches
✅h's quest w/ companions
✅ Magic

Look out for:
⚠️ bullying, abuse. murder

*Synopsis: Two sisters, 1 beautiful and privileged, the other a monster and outcast, are set on their own destinies for love and to save each other.

*Characters

Channari/Channi-(19) Serpent Queen. She's cursed @2 yrs. old w/ face of a snake& poisonous blood because her father didn't want her mother to die after giving birth to Vanna. Sacrificed Channi for a favor from a witch, but her mother died the next day.

Vanna-(16) the most beautiful girl you've ever seen, has a light in her heart. Agrees to be married off in selection to the highest bidder.

Khuan/Adah-Channi and Vanna's father who abused Channi and only cared about riches he received because of Vanna's beauty.

Lintang-Their stepmother. Doted on Vanna/trained her to be a princess, indifferent to Channi.

Ukar-a snake, Channi's bff. Helped her train to kill Angma and protect Vanna.

Oshli-a young shaman in love w/ Vanna. He doesn't want her going thru w/ the selection ceremony.

Dakuok- High priest who joins w/Adah in selling Vanna and Channi off to Meguh, just to get money for his temple. Oshli's father

King Meguh of Shenlani-a cruel ruler who wants Vanna as concubine, collects rare creatures and keeps them prisoner.
.
Queen Ishirya- Meguh's wife, true ruler Shenlani

Prince Rongyo- 16, will be king of Tai'yannan . Wants Vanna as his wife, a suitor @ the selection.

Hokzuh-Dragon prince, half dragon, and prisoner of Angma because she has his black pearl.

Angma-The Demon Witch who mesmerizes people. She cursed Channi and wants Vanna's body to become immortal.

Nakri-the Nine Eyed Witch, agrees to help Channi but tells her the truth of the prophecy.

*Review: I've never read anything like this. I knew nothing about Asian Lit and legends of Lor' Yan. There are such fascinating stories with mythical creatures and their great powers.

*Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC🖤! I voluntarily give my honest review and all opinions are my own.

Her Radiant Curse

I love this “prequel” to Six Crimson Cranes. It gave some great backstory to a misunderstood character. It was enthralling to learn more about her and where she came from.

The writing is a fairytale’s dream with emotion and warmth and that spark of magic. Just what I’ve come to expect from Lim.

The plot kept me hooked even though I knew the ending. The magic was the how and why, which the story delivered spectacularly.


Content: death, violence, demons

When I saw the announcement for Her Radiant Curse, I squealed. One of the things I really wanted from The Dragon's Promise was more time spent in the different environments (here's hoping for a Seryu spin off now eheh). I was especially drawn to Raikama's story and wanted more. I am seriously so pleased that Elizabeth Lim delivered just that and this story has exceeded my expectations.

Her Radiant Curse is everything I love about Lim's writing. It's beautiful, emotional, and yet some how maintains that light fairytale like feel. Channi is hands down my favorite character from this world now. I loved how her story evolved. It felt really complex, more so than past Lim books. And despite knowing how everything would end, I still found myself so emotional and compelled.

4.5 stars.

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

I loved this so much. You think you know Channi's story because of The Dragon's Promise but it's so much more than that. I cried and I laughed and I truly rooted for every character.

Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, and it is just as beautifully written and exciting as its predecessor. Channi, the protagonist, is a young woman who is cursed with a serpent's face after being sacrificed to the Witch to try and save her mother. She spends the next years hiding in the jungle with the other snakes, her only friends. The only human who is nice to Channi is her sister, Vanna. Vanna is the most beautiful girl of the country and was born with a golden light shining from her.

The plot of Her Radiant Curse is well-crafted and engaging. Channi's journey is one of self-discovery and acceptance, and she is a relatable and sympathetic character. The supporting cast is also well-developed, and I especially enjoyed Vanna and the Witch. The world-building is rich and detailed, and the author does a great job of bringing Chinese mythology to life.

I would definitely recommend Her Radiant Curse to fans of Six Crimson Cranes, as well as to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels with strong female characters and lush settings. It is a beautifully written and exciting story that I couldn't put down.

Here are some specific things that I enjoyed about the book:

The characters are well-developed and relatable. Channi is a strong and determined young woman who is easy to root for. Vanna is her beautiful and kind-hearted sister, and the Witch is a complex and intriguing villain.
The plot is well-paced and engaging. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put the book down.
The world-building is rich and detailed. The author does a great job of bringing Chinese mythology to life.
The writing is beautiful and lyrical. The author has a gift for creating vivid imagery and transporting the reader to another world.
Overall, Her Radiant Curse is a beautifully written and exciting fantasy novel that I highly recommend. It is a must-read for fans of Six Crimson Cranes, as well as to anyone who enjoys fantasy novels with strong female characters and lush settings.

Channi and Vanna are sisters, one with cursed with the face of a snake and one with an ethereal glow. Channi, the snake faced one, sets out to protect her sister from the demon Angma.

I didn't realize this was a prequel until near the end of the book. I haven't read Six Crimson Cranes. I do think it works as a standalone. This was an enjoyable read but there wasn't anything about it that felt particularly unique or distinct. It's a well written fantasy novel. However, the characters felt a one dimensional to me. The plot was also pretty standard and nothing about it particularly stood out to me.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc!


This was so fantastic. I could not put this down. A fast paced fantasy that enchanted me until the last page.

Any book that makes me cry at the end is a 5/5 story, I don't make the rules! A beautiful and tragic story about sisters and sisterhood and how the sisterly bond fairs when met with curses, loneliness, and heartbreak.
Having read six crimson cranes and the dragons promise I knew that this story wouldn't necessarily have a happy ending as this is the prequel story to the plots in the original duology. Seeing Channis background and how she became the woman Shiorio knows just hurt and was so beautiful to read about. The last 10 pages were just filled with hurt and loss but also contained the necessary points to have a new start.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

In this prequel to her Six Crimson Cranes duology, Elizabeth Lim tells the story of Channari, cursed with the face of a snake, and her sister Vanna whose heart radiates gold.

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favorite duologies of the last few years, so I was beyond thrilled when I realized that this book would be Channari's story. It certainly did not disappoint! I loved getting to know Channi through her narration, and to see everything she went through leading up to her role in Six Crimson Cranes. Despite knowing the outcome of their story, I still found myself hoping that things really would turn out well for Channi and Vanna, that there would still somehow be a mysterious resolution that would end with both of them being alive and happy. I was still heartbroken when things turned out the way I knew they would. And in the end, I really really wanted to pick Six Crimson Cranes back up again!

I also thought it was incredibly interesting that this was the story Elizabeth Lim began before Six Crimson Cranes was even a thought. I feel like I have a whole new perspective on the duology now, not just because of knowing Channi's story, but also knowing how deeply the duology's plot really is rooted in her life. In all, I think fans of the Six Crimson Cranes duology will find a lot to love here, and hopefully it will also offer an intriguing new approach for readers who have yet to pick up Shiori's tale at all.

Her Radiant Curse was a brilliant standalone and an amazing prequel from Six Crimson Cranes.

You don’t necessarily have to read Six Crimson Cranes before going into this as I did, but I will say that the experience of reading a tragic story when you know how it ends is very interesting and quite sad.

The writing was so great that made me care a lot for these characters, despite knowing the fate that awaited them. There’s a big sense of foreboding throughout the book and the author knew how to do it well.

This wasn’t a flawless book but it’s overall a very well rounded story that I would recommend.

🦇 Her Radiant Curse Book Review 🦇

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

❝ "Find the light that makes your lantern shine," I say softly. "Hold onto it, even when the dark surrounds you. Not even the strongest wind will blow out the flame." ❞

❓ #QOTD What's your spirit animal? ❓

🦇 One sister must fall for the other to rise. When her father sacrifices her to the Demon Witch to save her mother and sister, Channi's life changes forever. She's cursed with a serpent's face, scales and all, while her sister Vanna is a radiant source of light. Her scales and slanted snake eyes convince the village she's a monster, but that doesn't keep Channi from keeping her promise to protect her sister, even from her radiant curse.

💜 Elizabeth Lim weaves together pieces of Asian folklore, Beauty and the Beast, and Ember in the Ashes in this stunning prequel to her Six Crimson Cranes duology. Despite a curse that would leave most with self-esteem issues and self-doubts, Channi's love for her sister becomes a far more powerful force. As the older sister to three younger ones, I understand that ferocity. Even a curse can't sever the powerful, unrelenting bond between them. I'm grateful that this was a story of two sisters. Even when they're apart, even with the conflicts—internal and external—Channi is forced to face, that never wavers. Lim also touches on important themes: that we put too much weight on someone's outward appearance, and that beauty is its own curse in disguise.

🦇 Given that this is a prequel to the events in Six Crimson Cranes, I understand the ending. However, it's difficult to continue empathizing with Channi when—blinded by rage and grief—she allows history to repeat itself. The ending has to happen the way it happens, I know, but that doesn't make it easier to swallow. The poignancy is almost there, but as someone who can bawl at a well-written cartoon, I'm disappointed to say I didn't have as much as a glisten in my eye at the end—Channi's cold rage eclipses her grief, weakening the ending.

🦇 Recommended to fans of all Beauty and the Beast retellings, Six Crimson Cranes (of course), Ember in the Ashes, and The Selection.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🐍 Cursed MC
🐍 Asian Folklore
🐍 Found Family
🐍 Animal Sidekicks
🐍 Fantasy YA

🦇 Major thanks to the author @elimpix and publisher @randomhousekids for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #HerRadiantCurse #SixCrimsonCranes #ElizabethLim

Elizabeth Lim's Six Crimson Cranes has been on my TBR list for a while and was excited to see this standalone book by the same author only to find out that it is a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes. The good thing is that this prequel stands alone pretty well. I enjoyed the character development and the build-up of the plot. The author takes the time to get the reader familiar with the characters and their circumstances, slowly developing the story. This is definitely not a fast-paced action-pact story from the start but gets you invested by the time the narrative reached the apex. The book is well written, easy to read and keep reading all the way to the end. I enjoyed the tale thoroughly and am now invested enough to go pick up Six Crimson Cranes. I might even want to reread this story once I finish SCC (and The Dragon's Promise).
If you are already a fan of Elizabeth Lim's this is probably on your TBR but for anyone else looking for a nice fantasy-myth that tells a good tale where the greatest love story is that of a sister (not much romance), I would highly recommend this book.

I received advanced digital access to this book thru NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

✨ Her Radiant Curse ✨

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publishing August 29, 2023

Wow. This story was incredible. The twists and turns found throughout kept me guessing until the very end.

Her Radiant Curse follows Channi while she fights to save her younger sister, Vanna, from a demon witch. The same demon witch that her father tried to sacrifice her to in order to save his wife. However, the demon witch didn’t want Channi, she wanted her sister. Channi is curse with the face of a snake, and the only way to break the curse is the bring the witch her sister before she turns 17.

The bond that Channi and Vanna have is beautiful. Channi battles against her own trauma, and some horrible creatures for her sister.

This story is heartbreaking and beautiful. It’s fast paced, and never has a boring moment.

I don’t want to go into too many details, because I think it is best to be surprised and go into this story without knowing much.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves fantasy and Asian folklore.

I didn't really think this book was as strong as her other books.
But Elizabeth is one of the authors that I always have to read

Loved this story. I suggest reading the Six Crimson Cranes duology first to truly appreciate the full impact of this book, as it discusses the back story of one of its characters. Lim writes with such lyrical prose, and your heart really goes out to the sisters and their love for each other. Definitely happy to have this in our collection.

Elizabeth Lim never disappoints with their storytelling! As usual, the world building felt realistic and vibrant, and the characters were all engrossing. Some of it seemed so dark for YA, such as any of the King Meguh scenes. I didn’t actually know Her Radiant Curse was a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes going in, but once I realized, I spent the rest of the time just waiting for certain events to occur. I think that’s often a difficulty prequels have, when the whole book feels like a build up to an event. But the story is still so enjoyable! If you enjoyed SCC, I would definitely recommend this spinoff.