(Thank you to Knopf Books for providing me with an eARC to review.)

The story had potential, but it got bogged down by the writing. There were unnecessary statements that didn't need to be there. A lot of the comments Channari makes or thinks about are redundant, like when she mentions her head is still hurting from a fight from the scene right before (in case the reader already forgot). Also, there were too many sentence fragments for emphasis; it felt like nearly every other paragraph ended with one.

The characters didn't stand out to me, which, along with the writing, made this a slow read for me. Channari showed some emotion without expressly stating what she was feeling, but most of the time it felt like she told things in a bland, matter-of-fact voice (which is also what I didn't like about Shiori in Six Crimson Cranes). Near the end, Channari blames everything that happens on the pearl and doesn't take responsibility for using the pearl's powers despite being told how it manipulates the holder's intents/wishes, which she somehow forgets when she uses it (even though she was warned not that long beforehand...?).

Sacrificed to the Demon Queen as a child, Chianni is forever cursed with the face of a serpent. She’s a stark contrast to her sister Vanna, born with such beauty and a light that pours off of her. Chianni would do anything for her sister. When an attempt is made to marry Vanna off in an antiquated contest, only Chianni can defend her sister, leading to an epic quest to save her sisters’ life. Elizabeth Lim creates another masterpiece in this prequel to her stunning novel Six Crimson Cranes. Embracing asian folklore with modern and classic fairytales, we explore Chianni’s (Raikama’s) life before Kiata. Her Radiant Curse is a brilliant exploration of sisterhood and the reality of beauty.

I went into this book without knowing it was a prequel to me beloved Six Crimson Cranes duology. I barely read the synopsis, just knowing I needed to devour another Elizabeth Lim book. But I’m sure happy I ended up here.

The plot itself was well thought out, well paced and perfectly highlights the sacrifices of sisterhood and young adulthood. There is adventure, heartbreak, and an endless amount of love. This novel perfectly sets up Chianni’s role and characterization in Six Crimson Cranes and was absolutely the prequel I didn’t know I needed. Despite knowing how the book would end, I never foresaw the series of events that would get us there. This book was an endearing ending for a much loved and misunderstood character from Lim's Six Crimson Cranes duology.

I loved our staring character, Chianni. Written with such gumption and spirit, I found myself cheering her on the entire novel. The novel highlights how hard her childhood was, so seeing her ability to rise above all that and excel was refreshing and exciting. In contrast, we get Vanna. On the surface, Vanna had an easy childhood. But Lim has this ability to scratch that surface and show how her beauty and this light she pours out has given her great difficulty instead. These two characters have such unique voices and perspectives that perfectly represent how they were raised differently. Our side characters are refreshing and add so much to the story without taking away from this central theme of sisterhood.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s a must read.

Beautiful, heart wrenching, and powerful.

This book absolutely blew me away. Her Radient Curse follows the cursed life of Channi a young woman cursed to look like a snake by the demon witch Angma. When Channi’s younger powerful sister,Vanna, comes of age Angma returns to collect what she feel is hers, Vanna’s life and power. Channi must team up with others in order to protect her sister.

I loved the concept that beauty is 100% in the eye of the beholder. Many see her as a monster but the only opinions that matter are from those who will be there for you through anything. I also liked the idea that it is what we have on the inside that matters and our strengths.

The book has action, some gore , teenage style romance , and life lessons.

The ending was definitely somewhat what I expected but I will say I was totally caught off guard by what happens to Channi and the decisions she makes afterwards. Not all stories have happy endings but I wouldn’t count this one as happy or sad. Just somewhere in the middle.

If you loved Elizabeth Lim’s other books then you will definitely want to check this one out! It was an amazing journey.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC

WHAT I JUST READ WAS WOAH.

Although this plot is common in fairy tales, I'm not sure why Elizabeth Lim seems to have put all of her emotions and thoughts into this one. The tale of Vanna and Channi has left me shattered. I'd say this is the tale of two siblings, Channi & Vanna (who you might have met briefly when reading duology scc). So, in this book, I got more details about two of them, from when they were born, got cursed, and why does Channi get Vanna's face as being told in The dragon's promise. And of course I just unlocked new character to-be-hated in this book, Adah.

I don't hesitate to suggest this light reading to my booktwt buddies either. IF you need some lightning-fast reading over fantasy books, please! Although short and simple the romance is heartwarming.The worldbuilding is also simple to picture.

NOW PLEASE GIMME SERYU'S BOOK

Such a fantastic book! Elizabeth Lim has again created a beautiful world full of magic and strong family bonds. The relationship between Vanna and Channi is like no other. This is a strong back story for Channi's character, and breaths so much life into her. The story draws you in and keeps you wanting more with each page you read. This is the perfect companion book to Lim's Six Crimson Cranes duology. I highly recommend this book.

Channi is cursed with the face of a snake because her father doesn’t sacrifice her newborn sister to the demon of the forest, to save his wife’s life. Channi goes from being loved to be despised, both by her father, and by his new wife when her mother dies.

Only his sister, Vanna, who is gifted with the light of the sun in her heart, still loves her, and listens to her.

Thus begins the story which although starts in her childhood, ended up being over three days, as Vanna reaches her 16th birthday when the full curse takes effect. “One sister must fall for the other to rise.” Channi will do anything to make sure that doesn’t happen. But how to you fight demons that aren’t there.

I did like this story. Fast paced, and faster still as we got closer to the demon. The plot twists around, as though it is going to take us away from the curse, at one point, and that perhaps all will be well. I do all the twists and turns, but was sad for Channi.

My only annoyance is with the cover. Channi does not look like she had no nose, or the face of a snake. Not sure why the cover does not show her ugliness.
Lovely cover though.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is coming out the 29th of August, 2023.

Overview:

🤩 Sibling story
🤩 Adventure story
😍 Romance lite
👏 Chinese mythology
👏 Gorgeous prose
😍Slow burn romance
😍 Monster'fucking' (kissing)

Her Radiant Curse is my first Elizabeth Lim series and will certainly not be my last- as I understand this is a bit of a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes but can be read as a stand-alone.

The story follows Channi, who is sacrificed to a demon by her father to save her sister and mother. Rather than die, she is saved by the serpent king and is transformed into a 'monster' with toxic blood and scales: the serpent queen. Years later, she sets out to save her radiant golden sister Vanna from the same demon coming to collect her heart as was supposed to happen all those years ago.

Elizabeth Lim's storytelling is unparalleled in YA, I ate this book up. I joked in my updates that I had a concussion while reading my ARC on my e-reader and literally suffered to finish it.

The characters...oh wow. Her Radiant Curse is a character's first story. It is not a romance story- and so the cast of characters has a lot of room to breathe and each one gets a considerable amount of attention. You adore the heroes and despise the villains (of which there are many, yep).

Channi and Vanna are amazing, but every character has such light. The siblings have a beautiful, complex relationship twisted up in dedication, jealously, and codependency. Channi is a deeply fleshed-out and interesting protagonist- one of my new all time favorites. Her sister is demure by comparison but you often find yourself curious to know more about who she is and what her motivations are.

Then you have everyone else. The tragic half-dragon Hokzuh who is desperately seeking the pearl that he feels will complete him. The sly and charming snake Ukar, prince of serpents. The monstrous king Meguh and the other villains who color the story in dread. These characters are all brought to life by Lim as larger-than-life fairy tale characters- yet they are all so deeply, painfully human at their core.

There is a romance in this story, but it is quiet and overshadowed by the relationship between the two sisters. Ultimately, the real romance of the story is how these two girls are willing to give anything for each other and how their differences have shaped their relationship for better and worse.

That said, the romance also bangs. Its beautiful and tragic, with a dash of enemies AND lovers. Both characters are monsters with visible "ugliness" aka they aren't just hot people with ears. Channi is a serpent girl and Hokzuh is a literal dragon with some humanoid features. There isn't a lot of blushing and swooning about how "actually you are really hot"- the two characters connect due to a mutual loneliness and experience being an outsider with power far beyond most. If you are a fan of Reylo or other 'soul bond' romances, this one will be really attractive to you.

Her Radiant Curse is for everybody really. I can't think of a single demo that this won't appeal to- especially if you like unique spins on classic 'fairy tales'. I wasn't even bored for a paragraph.

If you haven't read Six Crimson Cranes yet, let this be a sign to do that! In Her Radiant Curse, Lim crafts a gripping story of sisterhood, friendship, loyalty, and loss.

Like Shiori's bond with Kiki, Channi's friendship with Ukar was a delight to read about. But, by far, Channi and Vanna's relationship was the sole focus of this book. Their sisterhood was pure unconditional love, fierce devotion, and loyalty. They had a bond so strong that they would do anything for each other, and it was truly touching. All of this made the ending much more tragic, even though I already knew it in advance. I'm sad this is a stand-alone, but I'm glad it gave deeper insight into Channi's backstory, even if it was a heartbreaking one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for sharing with me an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

EMOTIONAL DAMAGE 💔

I adored the Six Crimson Cranes duology and so I was ecstatic that we were going to be getting a spin-off prequel following Channi's story. I was not ready for the amount of pain this book was going to cause me.

Since we get the overview of Channi's origin in the original duology we did know that her story, before Shiori's story begins, is filled with tragedy. We knew that Vanna was not going to survive this story. It's like picking up a book titled "They Both Die in the End" and so you know they don't survive the story beforehand. What you don't expect is for that ending to still ABSOLUTELY destroy you.

I cried through through the last couple chapters and the epilogue. Elizabeth Lim did a fantastic job of giving us this very emotional end to a character we knew wasn't going to make it out, but the part that really hurt me was Channi in the aftermath of this loss.

This is probably the ultimate tale of sisters who would give everything for each other (RIP Elsa and Anna). They meant everything to each other so when Channi lost Vanna I am so glad we got such emotions from Channi. Even with having feelings for Hokzuh, Channi didn't easily forgive him for what he did. I loved (but cried during) that moment when Channi, essentially, banishes him until she passes because of what he did to Vanna.

In general, this addition to the world felt a good amount darker than the previous entries. We get this amazing story of a girl whose life has been nothing but challenges, but still Channi pushes one for the one person she truly loves and the only person who truly loves her. We knew that Channi was such an intricate and badass character in the duology, so it was amazing seeing her that way in this story. Between fighting dragons, killing kings, and taking on a demon witch and her army this story was amazing top to bottom!

I will always hope for more entries into this world but this definitely one of my new favorite books. I cannot wait to tell all my friends, followers, and anyone who will listen to read this story.

OK. LET'S GO I've been obsessed with Elizabeth Lim's books for a while, I think she's a WONDERFUL author and I love all of her work. It was no different with "Her Radiant Curse". In this book, we have a protagonist that I would call an antihero (you might think otherwise). And I just LOVED her, I loved understanding why she made each of her decisions, I loved being able to curse her at times and I loved ROWING for her. Elizabeth Lim always works very well in creating the world of her books and that's what she did here again. I expected no less from her. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE, it's just amazing.

Her Radiant Curse was absolutely fun! Elizabeth Lim wrote yet another fantastic story that was so well written I found myself flying through the pages, unable to put the book down, pondering what would happen next. My favorite piece of this entire story was how believable the characters were.

The writing is clear and clean, and very immersive. The book hums along at a good clip, but the pacing makes sure we're given time to breathe between plot-intensifying moments. The story was absolutely engaging and the work that went into the settings was noticeable and superb. I felt absolutely transported and I'm so incredibly glad I was able to read an arc of this story.

What a beautiful story! Two sisters, one with a heart that glows, literally, and the other cursed with the face of a snake.
The sisters are very devoted to each other. However, this is not the case with their father . He is very devoted to his beautiful daughter, Vanna, and he can barely tolerate his other daughter, Channari. She is forced to wear a mask and is ridiculed by everyone. She finds friendship with the snakes, especially Ukar. The curse was placed on Channari by a witch and she has stated that she will come for Vanna on her seventeenth birthday. Channari will do everything in her power to protect her sister.
I really enjoyed this story! There’s adventure, friendship a bit of romance as well. Happy reading!

Once again, I requested a book in a series without realizing it. NetGalley, do better. I'm certainly not going to.

Obviously not having read Six Crimson Cranes, I wasn't sure how this was connected. I don't care about spoilers, so I looked up exactly how this was connected, and it didn't really surprise me. I've always preferred the villain in the story anyway.

I, too, would die (and maybe kill) for my siblings, so I understand Channi's devotion to Vanna. Their dad is an asshole, but who here is shocked? I was tired of hearing about Vanna's beauty. I get it, she glows. Boo fucking hoo. Who cares?

The ending is connected to the title, but I suppose everyone that read this in the correct order would know that. I'm funny, as always.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

After being cursed as a child, Channi wants nothing more than to track down the one who cursed her and save her sister Vanna. Through a series of misadventures and close calls, Channi might just find a place to belong.

This was a great villain backstory companion to Six Crimson Cranes. Being able to understand the where's and the why's of Channi's history really brought her character full circle and added another layer to this world.

Recommended for any fans of retold tales, previous fans of Six Crimson Cranes, and anyone who loves a good retold fairytale.

Oh my goodness, where do I begin? First and foremost, Elizabeth Lim never misses! I've been a fan of her Six Crimson Cranes/Dragon's promise books for a while and I was so hype to see this as an ARC! I absolutely loved it, the plot was amazing, the characters were compelling and I simply got lost in the book just as I did with SCC/DP! ♡ I cannot wait until this hits the shelves because I def will be buying it asap! (Thank you to NetGalley for letting me have early access to this book!) #HerRadiantCurse #NetGalley

This was good. It kept my interest and was very entertaining. I loved the storyline and the characters were great. Great YA fantasy from a great author.
I just reviewed Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim. #HerRadiantCurse #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

4.5/5 stars!!

If you loved Six Crimson Cranes then you will love Her Radiant Curse! It was so great being able to learn more about Channi! She was such a complex character in Six Crimson Cranes and I wanted to learn about her so badly. I’m glad Lim decided to write this prequel. It’s so beautifully written. Channi is such a strong character. There is so much adventure and action. This is such a quick and easy read. Highly recommend!!

As soon I opened this book and read the first chapter my interest was piqued. I could tell that right away that little things the author was writing about would be important to the plot later on. And I was right in the end everything came together beautifully.

The world building was impressive and well thought out. Everything just gets built upon and the book just flies by. It feels much shorter than it is because of how enjoyable it is. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

Oh poor Channi. I can’t decide if it was better or worse knowing how it ended. This positively lovely prequel to Six Crimson Cranes follows the early life of Shiori’s stepmother. Channi is offered up to a demon in exchange for his wife’s life after giving birth to their second child Vanna. Instead the demon curses Channi, a small child, with the face of a snake, a dead mother, and a promise to return for her sister in 17 years. What follows in Channi’s sad journey that we already know the end to having read Six Crimson Cranes. I cried even more for Channi, knowing what she went through and would continue to go through. This is a must read if you enjoyed Six Crimson Cranes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this great book.

I just love Elizabeth Lim's writing and books. Her Radiant Book is yet another book of hers I will be recommending far and wide. I love books that focus on sisters and I was absolutely enthralled by the relationship between Channi and Vanna. This is such a heart wrenching, beautiful read and I couldn't put it down. Also, can we get a little commotion for the cover? Gorgeous as always.