Like most people, I didn't catch that this was a prequel until a fair bit into the book. But man is this the prequel that we deserved! And even better, I think it totally works as a standalone in this universe. I loved watching Channi grow as she tries to save her sister from a loveless marriage and a prophecy that stands to doom them all. We get a bit more information as to the significance of a dragon's pearl and more insight into the land's lore. Channi is so fierce throughout the book, fighting witches and demons left and right. But ultimately this is a story of sisterly love and how beauty is only skin deep. There's so much trauma wrapped up in these 432 pages, both familial and self hatred, but it ends with me longing to reread Six Crimson Cranes and I'm perfectly satisfied.

*Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours, Knopf Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for an ARC and to PRH Audio for the gifted ALC*

I loved six crimson cranes, and it was fun getting to see the history behind the book, but this book didn't do it for me, which I was disappointed by.

**Thank you, Netgalley and publisher, for giving me an electronic ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

A wonderful prequel to Six Crimson Cranes, I loved ever second if Her Radiant Curse. A tale of two sisters bound together by a curse and a promise. Filled with cute romance and descriptive fight scenes, it is a must read if your interested in Channari's story that was hinted at in Six Crimson Cranes.

Two sisters: one blessed with the light of the gods, one cursed with a monstrous face.

In an attempt to save the life of his wife as she brings their second daughter into the world, Channi’s father tries to sacrifice her to the Demon Witch. Channi is instead cursed with a serpent’s face, forever marking her as her beautiful sister Vanna’s polar opposite. Although Vanna is blessed with an otherworldly beauty, she has also been marked as the Demon Witch’s future victim - and Channi will stop at nothing to protect her little sister.

Let me start off by saying that although this is a prequel, it really can stand up on its own apart from the Six Crimson Cranes duology, which is a good quality. I thought the sister dynamic and the powerful bond between them was so beautiful and sad. I found it to have a generally fast-moving plot, which is a feature I have come to expect from YA Fantasy (although the way the action sequences were written didn’t always ‘wow’ me!) I also love a villain who is not just one-note with their evilness, but instead has complex layers.

I think the story element that was most difficult for me was the protagonist, Channi. There were many times that I thought “am I supposed to love her or hate her?” There’s moral gray-ness and then there’s a ruthlessness and a single-mindedness that just doesn’t feel as realistic, and I think Channi wobbles a bit on that line.

Thank you, Netgalley, for providing this e-ARC in exchange for my review.

I liked this. but some things were nagging at my mind co I couldn't give this 5 stars.

1. I'm just so tired of how the author torturing her MC without mercy YET AGAIN, where they're almost completely helpless and just followed the drastic plot. Let's focus on Channari this time because this is her story. For example: She was ambushed! sure she attempted to break free! But then something distracted her so the evil guy got her anyway!!
2. the annoying, arrogant entitled men who create the conflicts OMG and this book not only has 1 but THREE OF THEM.
3. the demons superstitions nonsense my God pls give it a rest.

But sure, the connections to Six Crimson Cranes duology were pleasant. The Epilogue made me weep a bit but that's that.

Even if you haven't read the Six Crimson Cranes duology, this book is a win!
Lim's story telling is so beautiful, she really develops her characters will. Although I knew how this story would go overall I still really enjoyed myself and the characters as well. Definitely worth picking up.
Also, this cover is so beautiful!

3.0
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*Received an eARC from netgalley for an honest review. Thank you!

Okay, admittedly, I did not read Six Crimson Cranes or A Dragon's Promise yet, so I feel like I may be missing some crucial worldbuilding. Take this into account when reading my review. Be it as it may, it still reads as a standalone in my opinion.

This book has an interesting premise, no doubt about that. I was hooked into the idea of two sisters fighting for each other, against all odds and enemies. It's one I was hoping to find endearing and most likely bittersweet, given that the quote "One must fall for the other to rise" hint at a rather foreboding prophecy.,,, and damn, I was excited to know their story.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book much. While the author creates beautifully woven tales of the supernatural intertwined with mortal lives, I felt the magical aspect of that is stripped away by the main character I ended up despising. She is headstrong and stubborn, so much so it becomes her demise most of the time. She reads very immature and I kept finding myself frustrated with her lack of learning. The amount of times she rushes enemies, only to be beaten immediately is more than I can count on my fingers. Her choice to not head any warnings from her friends and mentors multiplied that frustration. I wish I could relate with the main character more, but she makes so many questionable decisions, not only on her own behalf, but also on the behalf of others that I did not enjoy reading in her perspective.

In truth, I found myself not caring much for any of the other characters. They were either very selfish to the end, or made just as questionable decisions as the main character.

Additionally, I think I might just not be a fan of the writing style. It felt very redundant at times, which I think is part of the reason why the main character reads very juvenile. The worldbuilding was kind of lackluster, but again, that may be my fault for not reading the duology first. But even with that said, the world wasn't very memorable.

Since I have the duology, I may need to read those and revisit this book a second time to get a better feel of its setting. While it was captivating at times, I was not very enthralled by the story or writing.

I LOVED Six Crimson Cranes, but wasn't wild about the sequel so I was a little unsure about this at first. It was so nice to be back in the world of SCC though, and I do love a villain origin story.

It was very engrossing, and I felt like I read it at a very fast clip. Ultimately though, I didn't connect quite as deeply with the characters as I did in SCC. It was better than the sequel though, and I understand it's hard to live up to the perfection that is SCC.

Before I begin my ramblings I want to thank Netgalley, Knopf Books, and Elizabeth Lim for the honor to read this masterpiece in exchange for an honest review.

“One sister must fall so the other can rise”
Channi was once a moon-faced girl with hopes and dreams who was betrayed by her father and dropped in front of the Demon Witch, Angma, in order to save her mother. Channi was bitten by the Serpent King in order to save her life and protect her new baby sister, Anna’s. As punishment, Channi is cursed by the Demon Witch with a serpents face to match her poisoned blood. As the Demon Witch walks away she warns Channi that she will come back for Vanna when she turns 17 and will take one sister no matter what. Channi’s mother’s dying wish is that Channi will protect Vanna no matter what.

Seventeen years later when Vanna’s seventeen birthday is at their doorstep Channi fights to protect her sister whether it is from being forced to marry a king or from Angma. This leads Channi down a path of self-discovery she did not see possible for herself and unbearably hard choices for herself and her beloved sister.

This novel is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes series, it can most definitely be read before or after you have read the series. This book had me in tears, especially the last 150 pages. From the SCC series I already knew what happens at the end but it did not make it hurt any less. This book has everything:
-FMC who can talk to snakes
-dragons
-asian mythology
-enemies to reluctant friends to lovers
-found family
-curses

I loved Channi in SCC but to see her own story told pulled at my heart strings. It really gave her character life as in SCC she was more a figure of the story and less of a main character. She is forever my Serpent Queen and I loved loved this book.

This is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology. This story explains how cursed Channi becomes Raikama, Shiori’s stepmother in Six Crimson Cranes. Channari (Channi) spends most of the novel trying to save her beautiful sister Vanna from being killed by a demon witch , as it was prophesied that one sister would have to die for the other to survive.

Thanks to Netgalley for this amazing ARC. This book follows Channi who was cursed with a snake's face, battles to save her sister. I love how all of Elizabeth Lim's books connects and how we get to learn about the step-mothers story from Six- Crimson Cranes. I love the main character Channi who is a strong female character. The plot is fast paced and filled with magic.

I was originally going to give this around 4 stars. But in the end I am rounding it up to 4.5 stars. I have wanted to read Elizabeth Lim’s other books for a while now. I even own physical copies but I decided to start with Her Radiant Cur.se. Her Raidan Curse is a book that has dragons, witches, demons, curses, and above all the love of two sisters who would do anything for each other.

Upon her sisters birth Channi was taken to the jungle for the tiger. It was not her that was meant to be sacrificed but her father refused to give up his newborn daughter. When given the wrong daughter the tiger placed a curse on Channi and now her face is not what it once was. The only thing to correct the curse is to give the tiger her sister upon her 17th birthday.
I absolutely loved the devotion the sisters had for one another. Channi would give up anything for her sister. She promised her mother that she would protect her. Her sister was born glowing she is special and will be a great beauty that everyone will come from far and wide to see.
Channi’s unwavering devotion to protect her sister and make sure that she is happy is all that Channi could ask for. Their father doesn’t have much to do with Channi once she comes back from the jungle the next day after he left her out there upon her sisters birth. I would say if there was one character I really didn’t care for and really could easily forget it was his.
A lot of YA books you will have a romantic type of relationship still in this book but this one really is just centered around the importance of the two sisters relationship. It was a refreshing change and I can’t wait to dive into Lim’s backlist!

“Her Radiant Curse” follows Channari on a quest to save her sister from the demon who promised to kill her when she came of age while also coming to terms with her own curse.

There is just something about Elizabeth Lim’s writing style that I love. I loved Six Crimson Cranes, and I loved this too. Her characters are well written and not two dimensional. I also love that she does not shy away from sadness and poor outcomes in general. It makes it difficult to tell where the story will go because you aren’t guaranteed everything will wrap up in a happy little bow at the end. 5/5 stars.

Her Radiant Curse
by Elizabeth Lim
Prequel
Fantasy YA
NetGalley ARC
12+

Channi, a young child, swears to her dying mother, that she'll protect her newly born sister, Vanna, the most beautiful child ever born, with a light that glows from within her heart, but her father tries to sacrifice Channi to the Demon Witch save her mother, instead, she is set free but is cursed with a serpent's face by the Demon Witch.

Years later, with greed her their father's eye, spurred on by their villagers' leaders, at the age of seventeen, Vanna is to be sold to the highest bidder, and not all the suitors have Vanna's best interest in mind, and Channi knows the cruelest king is the richest and will win the bidding unless she can do something about it. But saving her sister condemns herself.


This is one of those books that is really good, it took me just over a day to read, but it's easily forgettable. I just finished it yesterday and I'm struggling to remember enough to review. The characters were great, though they could have used more descriptions, especially Channi. She was the MC but it felt as if her 'curse' wasn't brought to the forefront as much as her sister's beauty.
Most of the other characters also lacked details that would make them stand out from each other, but there were a few whose personalities were developed enough to make me detest them. There is one character who was a MC, but I didn't like how their part of the story ended. It could have been worse, but it still felt off.

Even though this is a prequel to a series, (that I have yet to read), which was not included in the blurb, and I didn't find that out until I finished the book, I didn't have any issues with the storyline or the characters, (feeling as if I was missing something), so it can be read at any time.

It was a quick read and a good story, but there wasn't enough to make a deep connection with the characters or the world.

3 Stars

I adored this book. This is a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes but I think it can be read and enjoyed on its own (although I’d recommend SCC because the writing and world are beautiful). I love everything Elizabeth Lim writes and this was no exception. I was hooked from the first paged and read this book in one sitting.

I read this in a day,. completely enchanted. When I realized I had Six Crimson Cranes waiting to be ready in my Kindle, I decided to read that before leaving this review. To see if you need to read both to get the magic.

You don't.

Her Radiant Curse is lovely as a prequel but it also stands on its own. Actually having read it, I was confused about the first had of SCC. But those who reqd SCC first, will see it continues the story and comes full circle.

If it's your entry into that world, you won't be lost. And if it's the last part of your journey, you'll feel comforted.

I do wish these books came with complimentary cake or two, and I love how much food binds them together. If theres more books in this series (outside of the duology) I'd welcome them! Highly recommend.

Her Radiant Curse is a standalone novel that ties in with the Six Crimson Crane duology world set in the wider Blood of Stars universe. This story acts as a prequel to the duology, but I think a reader could read this as a standalone or read it before or after the duology. For me, I read this after greatly enjoying the duology and could not wait to dive back into this world. I feel this order is the best and would recommend others to do the same. Readers follow Raikama back when she was Channari (Channi), cursed with a serpent’s face. She is the opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna, who Channi protects. The novel goes through her life all before the events in Six Crimson Cranes and the emotional journey involved.

As Angma, the Demonic Witch, initiated the curse, she plays a large role in the story. There is also Hokzuh, the half-dragon, who plays another role. All the characters do get their own backstories and journeys. Some of the developments were more in-depth than others, but as this read like a prequel, the reader knows there is a little more to come. Since readers know generally the next steps with Channi, there is not a lot of unknown. As a prequel, readers know how this story more or less will end, but it is still a fantastic journey to see how everything happens. Channi is a great main character that was not perfect but was still intriguing.

The characters in this story were well-written and enjoyable. There was a lot going on, so I still think there is a lot that could still be explored. Since I am so used to Lim’s duologies, I am surprised this was a standalone. There are not a huge number of plot points, but there were enough to keep me interested. If this is read without any prior knowledge of the universe, I think the world-building could have been used for a little more exploration. As-is, I read the other novels, so I had a great foundation to use this novel to expand my imagination. I think the connection to this novel will depend on which of Lim’s novels the reader has read. For me, it deepened my connection, and I absolutely enjoyed this novel; however, for others where this is their first, they may not connect to it as much. This is one primary reason why I think this should be marketed as part of the series with a clear synopsis. Overall, I continue to love Lim’s work and cannot wait to read more in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this entertaining novel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

A solid 4.5 story!

I really enjoyed the relationship that Channi had with Vanna even though it wasn't perfect. What I liked more than anything was her and Mr. Dragon Boy, gave major Haku vibes from spirited away. While this was a prequel, I don't actually remember anything from Six Crimson Cranes to connect it(I really need a reread) but I think that's a testament to how strong the story was by itself. This may be the best writing I've read from Elizabeth Lim yet.

Thank you so much NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The characters, the world building, and the magic in this book are all stunning. This is a captivating book about the love that binds two sisters and the burden each must bear. I was surprised by the ending to be honest, but it didn’t feel entirely wrong. I do wish the relationship between certain characters were explored more. I want to go more into my impression and thoughts, but I worry that I will spoil the book as I have a lot of thoughts. I would love to do a more thorough review once this book is released.

This is a beautifully written prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, that will capture your heart with its tale of love and loss. If you are familiar with the duology than you already know the characters and their stories will be heartbreaking. If you have not read the books, don’t despair. This is a book that can be read as a stand alone, but once you are done you will want to read the other two.

The narrator of this story is Channi and this is her story. It is all about how she became Raikama, the stepmother in the duology. It is a very sad and heartbreaking story, but it is also full of love and bravery. Channi is cursed by a demon witch at an early age, to have a face like a snake. She is forever perceived as a monster by both her father and the villagers. She learns to hide her face or herself when others are around. But her sister Vanna is the only one who sees her for who she is, brave, courageous and strong. Channi’s journey in this story helps her to see these qualities in her self and by the end she is able to shed her mask and stand up to those who have bullied her. Both sisters will do anything to help and save each other and the love they share is certainly evident in every interaction.

Vanna was also a well written character, although we do not see as much growth in her as in Channi. She at times appears weak, as she goes along with whatever her father demands of her, but many of her decisions go back to her desire to protect Channi, even if they are a little misguided and not what she really wants. She does eventually realize her mistakes and tries to right them, but by then it is too late.

This is also a little bit of the story of Hokzuh and Channari. Hokzuh is a dragon that we meet in the second book, A Dragon’s Promise, and I just adored him in this book. He is broody, and sarcastic and there were times when I thought he would kill Channi just out of sheer frustration with her, but he doesn’t. They are very much alike, in that they have both been unloved and unwanted for most of their lives. Hokzuh has also been tortured and forced to do things he didn’t want to. They start off as enemies, but end up with an unlikely alliance and as something more than friends. It was very hard to watch Channi betray him at the end because of their bond. Even though I was excited to see more of Hokzuh in this story, it still left me wanting to know more about him and his journey, both before and after this book.

I have to give a little shout out to Ukar, Channi’s best friend and companion. He is a snake, but he is so much more. He stays with Channi through thick and thin and protects her with such ferocity for a snake. There were times I forgot he was a snake because he has such a great personality.

This story is well thought out with some good twists throughout. It is wonderfully written and the main characters are well fleshed out. I love the setting and the world that is built here. It is well paced with lots of action and sweet moments between all of the characters.

This book is such a great prequel with themes of love and sacrifice, grief, and learning that you are so much more than what people see. It is a wonderful standalone as well and even though it doesn’t end happily, it is the beginning of another story that does.