Riri
Lighthearted and cozy. The magical element is pretty light, but the small seaside town vibes are immaculate. Finding out who you are and where you belong is a major theme in this book, and Kiki is a lovable character who grew a lot through the story.
The series has six books that follow Kiki into adulthood until she eventually gets married, so it's a shame only the first book got translated.
Lighthearted and cozy. The magical element is pretty light, but the small seaside town vibes are immaculate. Finding out who you are and where you belong is a major theme in this book, and Kiki is a lovable character who grew a lot through the story.
The series has six books that follow Kiki into adulthood until she eventually gets married, so it's a shame only the first book got translated.
Added to listCrime And Mysterywith 141 books.
Added to listCrime And Mysterywith 140 books.
Added to listContemporarywith 73 books.
Nope.
Gothic romance? What gothic romance? This is supposed to be loosely based on Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, but it ends up being a mess that is neither gothic nor romantic. It reminds me a lot of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. The vibes are vibing but the bland, repetitive writing muted it, the main character is insufferable, and the pacing is awful. For like half of the book nothing is going on, then suddenly a whole chunk of worldbuilding comes out of nowhere and crammed into the last few chapters.
I never knew a story could suffer from too much worldbuilding, but now I do thanks to this book. Great concept, poor execution. It's so unfortunate because the cover is gorgeous, but the story inside just never really comes to life.
Nope.
Gothic romance? What gothic romance? This is supposed to be loosely based on Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca, but it ends up being a mess that is neither gothic nor romantic. It reminds me a lot of Daughter of the Moon Goddess. The vibes are vibing but the bland, repetitive writing muted it, the main character is insufferable, and the pacing is awful. For like half of the book nothing is going on, then suddenly a whole chunk of worldbuilding comes out of nowhere and crammed into the last few chapters.
I never knew a story could suffer from too much worldbuilding, but now I do thanks to this book. Great concept, poor execution. It's so unfortunate because the cover is gorgeous, but the story inside just never really comes to life.
Added to listFantasywith 374 books.
Added to listFantasywith 373 books.
Added to listJapanesewith 58 books.
Added to listCrime And Mysterywith 139 books.
Added to listMagical Realismwith 10 books.
This was short and cute. Now where's my magical girl awakening?
This was short and cute. Now where's my magical girl awakening?
The prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, telling the story of Channari's life before she moved to Kiata and became known as Raikama.
Never will I apologize for being the monster they made me.
I find this one a lot more engaging than The Dragon's Promise right from the start, mainly because Channari is such a strong and consistent character. She would do literally anything to protect the people she loves, and this personality trait stays exactly the same many years later. The difference is that in this book, she lives for her sister Vanna. It's an action-packed story about family, though it does have a little bit of romance which I honestly find unnecessary. A platonic friendship would've worked just as good, considering how fast it got dashed anyway. But Channi and Vanna's sisterhood? Channi's friendship with Ukar? Good stuff. 👌✨
What I did not like, though, is how Hokzuh's action was painted as a betrayal. He literally did not have control over himself. He didn't do what he did willingly. It's even made clear plenty of times what would happen if he lost his talisman, so it's not a betrayal no matter how you look at it and it bothers me a lot how the book and Channari insist that it is. If anyone or anything is to blame, then shouldn't it be the pearl instead of him? Speaking of which, it's also never explained how Vanna was born with the pearl either.
I was also under the idea that this book would show more of Channari's ties to Hanriyu, but it doesn't. This particular part was so rushed. Her reason for going to Kiata is crammed in at the last minute, and the selection where she chose him gets entirely skipped. I can't help but feel like some of the scenes in the middle, especially the parts where they hop from Shenlani to Yappang, could've been removed to give more spotlight on their friendship instead. Still, it's an easy book to read and it gives a lot more depth to Channari so it does make a nice addition to the series.
The prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, telling the story of Channari's life before she moved to Kiata and became known as Raikama.
Never will I apologize for being the monster they made me.
I find this one a lot more engaging than The Dragon's Promise right from the start, mainly because Channari is such a strong and consistent character. She would do literally anything to protect the people she loves, and this personality trait stays exactly the same many years later. The difference is that in this book, she lives for her sister Vanna. It's an action-packed story about family, though it does have a little bit of romance which I honestly find unnecessary. A platonic friendship would've worked just as good, considering how fast it got dashed anyway. But Channi and Vanna's sisterhood? Channi's friendship with Ukar? Good stuff. 👌✨
What I did not like, though, is how Hokzuh's action was painted as a betrayal. He literally did not have control over himself. He didn't do what he did willingly. It's even made clear plenty of times what would happen if he lost his talisman, so it's not a betrayal no matter how you look at it and it bothers me a lot how the book and Channari insist that it is. If anyone or anything is to blame, then shouldn't it be the pearl instead of him? Speaking of which, it's also never explained how Vanna was born with the pearl either.
I was also under the idea that this book would show more of Channari's ties to Hanriyu, but it doesn't. This particular part was so rushed. Her reason for going to Kiata is crammed in at the last minute, and the selection where she chose him gets entirely skipped. I can't help but feel like some of the scenes in the middle, especially the parts where they hop from Shenlani to Yappang, could've been removed to give more spotlight on their friendship instead. Still, it's an easy book to read and it gives a lot more depth to Channari so it does make a nice addition to the series.