I really enjoyed reading about Channi's bittersweet backstory. I do wish it focused more on her relationship with Shiori's father. However, it does not compare to Six Crimson Cranes, which in my opinion, is the best of Lim's works, but it was an improvement from its sequel. Overall, it was very enjoyable but not a top favorite.

375 stars rounded to 4

This is my first Elizabeth Lim book and I really loved it. It felt like I was stepping into a fable and I’m really excited to read the author’s previous works now. My understanding is that Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, which I was not aware of going into the book, but I don’t feel like I missed out on anything in this story; if anything, it just adds to my eagerness to start Six Crimson Cranes. So to anyone who’s intrigued by the synopsis of Her Radiant Curse, don’t worry about it being a prequel, don’t worry about feeling like you’re missing vital information, you’re going to get an amazing, fleshed-out story. I loved Channi, she was an incredibly strong main character, driven equally by love and a very justifiable sense of rage.

Firstly, this is a great prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes books (ones I really loved) so I really enjoyed this look into the backstory of Channari and Vanna. I also love a tale about sisters. Elizabeth Lim’s storytelling is so beautiful. The lush Asian mythology/folklore woven through this book makes the world, the characters and the writing come to life.

How cool that we get a prequel book for Six Crimson Cranes! This book was fascinating for that reason—to see Channi's journey and how she ends up as queen in Six Crimson Cranes. For the most part, I enjoy Elizabeth Lim's writing and her ability to write unique and interesting fairytale stories. And I was drawn into this story right away with the first chapter.

However, I felt the tension dissipate as Channi's journey went on. The plot felt oversimplified to me with rescuing her sister. And I'm not sure how I feel about the hint of a romance between a human and a dragon. There were some cool action fights though, and I love Channi's strength and confidence in her serpent face.

Overall, I think I expected more from this prequel, especially her relationship with Shiori's father prior to Six Crimson Cranes. But it still provided excellent backstory to Channi's curse and the lore of the world.

Writing Aesthetic/Style: 4
Plot/Movement: 3
Character Development: 3
Overall: 3

Thank you, Knopf Books for Young Readers and NetGalley, for the arc!

Trigger/Content Warnings: poisoning, snake bites, child abuse, monster/fighting violence and death

This book isn’t just the tale of two cursed women. It’s a story about sisterhood. One sister was cursed to be adored, while the other sister was cursed to be a monster. On the surface you could say that this story is about breaking a curse, but it’s so much more than that.

Vanna and Channi are opposite sides of the same coin. Vanna, “the golden one” is adored by all who look at her. Channi, “lady green snake” is hated for all the reasons her sister is adored. The only thing they have in common is their love for each other.

This book is a stand alone prequel to “Six Crimson Cranes”, a book I have not read before. I was going into this book completely blind and it did not disappoint. Completely engaging from the very first word to the last possible moment.

Not all fantasy books are created equal, but this one rises above the rest. The highlights for me in this book include the characters, specifically their interactions with each other. Standout characters include Channi’s best friend Ukar, and our main antagonist Angma.

I can’t wait to continue with the series and read Six Crimson Cranes. Thank you so much to net galley and Random House for allowing me to read an eARC of this book!

Thank you Random House & NetGalley for the ARC of one of my most anticipated reads of 2023!

I will read anything by Elizabeth Lim. Everything I've read of hers has been original, unique, and so deeply connected to Asian folklore that makes it so bingeable. The same goes for this story, a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes. While this wasn't my favorite of hers, I still found the story compelling and I can't wait to read the conclusion to this series!

Her Radiant Curse hits shelves August 29!

So good! It gave me Jungle Book vibes.
However, I will say that I'm not sure I'd call it a standalone. This is the first EL I ever read and then went immediately into Six Crimson Cranes. I don't want to spoil anything, but I'd consider this more of a prequel. Sure, you can read it without SCC, but it definitely adds some context to that story.

Elizabeth Lim's newest prequel novel, Her Radiant Curse, was a bittersweet, sad tale of a girl who desperately loves her little sister.

The night Channeri's little sister, Vanna, was born was also the night her mother died. Knowing his wife will not survive long, Channeri's father takes her to the jungle and offers to sacrifice her to the Demon Angma in exchange for his wife. Angma curses the little girl with the scales of a snake and Channeri spends the next 17 years of her life in her beautiful sister's shadow, knowing that one day the demon plans to return and kill her sister.

Nothing can stop Channeri's love for her little sister and she deals with a shocking amount of hate from her friends and family. She is sold to a wicked king and queen, and then her friend and possibly love turn against her.

In all, the novel was beautifully written. A piece of Asian folklore with no true happy ending.

I have had Lim's Six Crimson Cranes on my TBR for months now, so when I saw this prequel, I immediately snatched it up, not knowing much about the world it's set in. And I don't feel disappointed in what I got.

Channi, cursed with a snake‘s face, only wants to protect her sister, Vanna, from both the demon witch that first cursed her & a contest auctioning Vanna off to a suitor. These two threats converge into a battle that threatens everything.

This was quite the interesting story! As in Lim's Spin the Dusk book, the world building was truly great. It felt large and expansive, beyond the pages we see. Lim's scene setting is also just wonderful to read. It was easy to picture the lush forests that were Channi's safe space. The magic was intricate and wild.

At first, I wasn't a huge fan of Channi's as most of her personality seemed to be protective of her sister. But once the action started and she began to open up, I found myself rooting more and more for Channi. And I did love the sisters‘ relationship. Even though we don't see much of Vanna's side of the story, the love between the two of them is easy to see.

The pacing felt a bit off, where things slowed down too much for me, until everything was rushed at the end. And I felt that the romance was unnecessary and forced.

But this was a fun read that definitely bumped Six Crimson Cranes up my TBR!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for this ARC.

thank you netgalley for the arc !

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ 4/5 stars *ੈ✩‧₊˚

ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ a prequel to the six crimson cranes duology, her radiant curse winds through the dreamy passages of a magical world steeped in southeast asian culture. it is at its heart a love story - that of sisters and the worlds we’d burn for them. utterly ensnaring, elizabeth lim’s newest work is so evocative in its description, the afterimages will play behind your eyelids long after you close them. it warmed and broke my heart at once, engraving itself indelibly and i wouldn’t have it any other way.

kindly note; further review to come as i was initially unconscious to the fact that this is in fact a spin-off. i’d like to defer a more detailed reaction till i’ve read the original series. this also may have been a five-star read.

Why did it take me 4 chapters to realize it was a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes? Am I that dumb?

Raikama was the best part about the first book for me (and since I didn't like the second one, I guess the best part overall), so I mostly enjoyed this book. I think the pacing fell prey to the same general issues I had with Dragon's Promise, but I liked this better than that. Did we NEED this story? Probably not, I would have liked to see something totally new from Lim, but I still had fun.

I received a copy through NetGalley for review.

Her Radiant Curse is really about the love of two sisters. And the heartbreaking curse and prophecy that lies between them.
Channari is offered up to Angma a demon witch who sustains herself off the flesh and life force of others. Instead of consuming her, Angma is slighted because her father didn’t offer her newborn sister who is lovelier than spring and glows with the radiance of magic, Vanna.
Channari is cursed to live with the face of a snake, in a attempt to save her life, the king of serpents bites her to poison her blood to make her dangerous to Angma.
Angma tells Channari of a prophecy that she will come for her sister’s life before she turns 17. And that one of them must fall for the other to rise.

Channari spends the next seventeen years guarding and protecting her luminous sister, watching out for Angma and those who would harm her for her power. Her family and village shuns her, Vanna is the only one who loves her sister unconditionally. They would do anything to protect each other.

We know that Channari comes to wear her beloved sisters face, and obtains great magic. But reading how and understanding the trials they endured together, broke my heart. It was a really beautiful, sad story.

Lim strikes once again! I cannot put down just how much I loved reading the story of Lady Green Snake or should I say Channi or maybe Vanna?
Vanna is born with a radiant light shining from within that her father immediately sees as an oppertunity but during Vanna's birth tragedy falls upon her family. Vanna's father rushes his other daughtter to the woods as a sacrifice to the demon witch to save his wife. However Channi is not the child the demon witch has been waiting for and in return for this slight she chooses not to save Channi and Vanna's mother. Before Channi is killed the snake king bites her and bestows a gift upon her to save her life from the demon witch and as punishment from the witch Channi is cursed.

Channi must live her life in shadow because no one but her sister wants to look upon her face, she is considered a monster to all who see her. There is an opppertunity for Channi to shed her curse but only if she sacrifices her sister. Will Channi make the sacrifice so she can have a normal life again or will she choose the love of her sister instead? For a young woman who wants nothing more than to be loved and accepted will the chance at that be enough to set aside familial ties and give up her sister or will she choose the hard path and fight instead?

I want to thank #Netgalley for the oppertunity to read #HerRadientCurse by ElizabethLim in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The writing was really gripping, I finished the book in like.. half a day? The adventures, the emotions, the fights, everything was written so well!

I particularly loved all the interactions between the MC Channi and her best friend (the snake) Ukra <3 I think I've highlighted every single one of their coversations, I would legit read a book with just them adventuring.

The ending did shatter my hear though, I had no idea that this was a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes.. I was genuinely expecting a hea for everyone :'(

-- ty to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy!

What makes Her Radiant Shine is its lyrical story about the bond between sisters. As a child Channi was betrayed by her father, who took her to the forest and offered her as a sacrifice to the demon witch for her mother’s life. But the demon witch didn’t want her, she wanted her sister and so Channi’s curse came to be. All who looked upon her sister saw a beautiful golden light and all who looked upon Channi were fear struck and called her a demon. But she made a promise to her mother to protect her sister and so she will. As she grows older she works hard to fight for her sister, the only person who has shown her kindness and love. This was when I was struggling to understand Channi a little because her identity revolved so much around protecting her sister I wanted to know who she truly was and what she could do. I truly loved the introduction of Hokzuh because he not only was a much needed ally to Channi but he also tought her to let go of the word of other and just be herself. So much of this book shined and I really want to read six crimson cranes now.

4.5/5 stars rounded down.

My relationship with Lim's books has been confusing, to say the least. I absolutely adored Six Crimson Cranes but despised her Blood of Stars duology. It's because of my experience with Lim's first two books that I have yet to read SCC's sequel. But then I snagged this book's ARC and didn't know how to define my expectations when I started reading.

I'm glad to say this was a really good one.

I really adore Channi's strength and devotion to her sister, the lengths and feats she would go through in order to protect her sister. I love that's ultimately what's at the core of this book: Sisterhood. Yes, there is a brief romance, but it's really the relationship between Channi and Vanna that shines inside this book's heart.

The side characters got a lot of attention, too. I particularly loved Ukar, a snake and Channi's most loyal, and sarcastic, companion. Even the villain, the witch who cursed Channi, is explored in depth and is made to be sympathetic; luckily she isn't redeemed and is allowed to be bad until the very end.

The writing is very gorgeous, with lush descriptions and great dialogue between characters. The only gripe I had was that it stretched out a bit too long at some points, making the plot drag a bit, but it didn't deter my enjoyment too much, otherwise.

Overall, this is a great book. I think this would need to be read after SCC, otherwise some major plot points will fly over your head.

This book was such a great read! I loved the Southeast Asian setting and the storyline about two sisters and sacrifice and what one would do for family. I loved the character of Channi especially, who showed a different side of herself at home and out in the jungle and the tension between those two parts of herself. Highly recommended for teens and adults alike.

This was incredible. "Her Radiant Curse" was fast-paced and utterly compelling. There's a lot to love - and hate - about Channi; she's loving, loyal, clever, and strong. Frustratingly, she's also spiteful, stubborn, impulsive - and intensely relatable. I loved being in this world.

Though enjoyable as a standalone, I wish I had known this was a prequel to "Six Crimson Cranes."

ARC Review

Story: 4.5/5 ⭐

---
The prequel to Six Crimson Cranes follows the story of Channari who has been cursed with a serpent's face and poisoned blood. Forever shadowed by her beautiful younger sister Vanna, Channari must fight to protect Vanna from the hands of the one that cursed her.

I loved this book by Elizabeth Lim much more than the Six Crimson Cranes duology. While a prequel, it is not necessary to have read the duology before Her Radiant Curse as it follows another character's timeline. Channari's character is unwaivering and strong. Despite her serpentine face she shares an unbreakable bond between her and her younger sister. Their relationship is so heartfelt and endearing. This narrative of this story was so smooth and well written compared to Six Crimson Cranes. The story is well developed and picked up at just the right points. At first I was a tad worried that this would end in a cliffhanger despite having read the duology, but Lim does a fantastic job of wrapping up Channari's story so that it times perfectly with the start of Six Crimson Cranes. The ending, while not a super happy ending, fit the story of Channari and Vanna. It left me a little sad that it was over but content.

***I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to the author/publishing company and netgalley for this opportunity!

Thank you to NerGalley and Random House Children’s for this opportunity to read,rate and review this arc which will be available August 29,2023.

This is my personal opinion.

It is a tale of 2 sisters, Channi who is cursed with a serpent’s face due to her father offering her as a sacrifice to Demon witch and the beautiful canna who is the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster.

Oh my god y’all. This is a story of sisterly love in its purest form. I was invested, consumed and left sobbing. I will definitely be buying this book. Channi is my favorite of the sisters. I empathized with her so much.