Six Crimson Cranes
Ratings147
Average rating4.2
Hi! I have a Booktube channel! Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/c/FunFantasyBooks
4 ⭐️
Six Crimson Cranes has a place within the finalists of the Goodreads Choice Awards for a reason.. and that reason is its beautiful setting, the sweet story, and the overall coziness that the story projects. I think it's a perfect book to read when you're feeling a bit down.
The story is very compelling: we will see a curse fallen upon our main girl, turning her brothers into cranes and forcing her to remain silent as for every word spoken, one of her brothers will die.
However ☝️I found the pacing of the book to be a bit weird- packed at the beginning and the end and really, really slow at the middle - bigger- chunk. And also... the characters were a bit plain for me, I wasn't really moved by their story... compelled and thrilled by the ambiance? YES. Suffering for our main girl and her brothers? No really, no.
I'm still very interested in book 2 as it promises to spend even more time with one of my fave characters, the dragon! Let's see!
A great fantasy that felt both like a fairy tale (it's not a strict retelling of any one fairy tale but it just has like, vibes) but also fresh and new?? Witchcraft???
I almost DNF this book at first, but I'm glad I didn't. It was so good. More thoughts to come
Who can I bribe for the sequel?? I love Lim's classic fairy tale writing style and how intricate and exciting her plots are. Her protagonists never get anything easy, that's for sure! A page-turning magical adventure exactly as advertised. 4 stars because some of the scene changes felt abrupt and some of the communication was unclear, but it was still a highly enjoyable action-packed fairy tale that I would definitely recommend.
“Find the light that makes your lantern shine. Hold on to it, even when the dark surrounds you. Not even the strongest wind will blow out the flame.”
W. O. W. WOW. This book was so beautiful. I have been waiting for so long to read it and it was one of my most expected reads from 2021. It did not disappoint and it certainly lived up to the hype around it. Also, I'm glad I read Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk before reading this book, because I already felt like I knew this world and the legends, I knew so many things that might be confusing for others. So I recommend reading The Blood of Stars duology first, even though it's not necessary in order to understand Six Crimson Cranes, but it's just nice to know some things. And if you already read Spin the Dawn, the ending of this book will hit you like a speeding truck. It's amazing and totally unexpected!
This is a story about the power of family bonds, about prejudice, about overcoming your fears and survival. It follows Princess Shiori and her six brothers that are turned into six cranes, cursed by their stepmother. Shiori isn't allowed to utter a word, or for every sound that she makes, one of her brothers will die. Separated, they try to find their way back to each other. Unable to speak, it's hard for Shiori to find her brothers. The six brothers only turn into cranes at dawn, so they spend each night in their human forms. Day and night, all they want to do is find their lost sister.
It's a very heart-warming book that made me both happy and sad and I gotta say: Elizabeth's writing style is so beautiful and lyrical and it makes you feel like you're part of a fairytale. This was even better than Spin the Dawn and I LOVED that one so much!
I was very intrigued as soon as I first heard the title of this book and saw the US cover, but it was the gorgeous and stunning UK cover which made this a highly anticipated release for me, and I flew through it in just a matter of hours.
When I picked this up today, I had a feeling I could finish it in a single sitting and I'm glad my expectation wasn't misplaced. The writing is easy to follow while also being lush and vivid, especially the descriptions of locations and atmosphere making me want to teleport to that place, and the finger licking descriptions of food making me so hungry that I needed something to munch on while reading. The pacing is also pretty fast, which makes for an exciting read, but sometimes it also felt like we breezed through certain important plotlines or didn't get enough time to process the monumental revelations. But the overall imagery that the author weaves through this fairytale kind of story is very vivid and memorable and it'll remain in any reader's head for a while. The magic for the most part is simple and uncomplicated but as the story goes on, we get to learn more about the lore of this world in bits and pieces, but this book still is more of a setup in that aspect and I fell we'll get more of the magic, gods, dragons and demons in the sequel.
Shiori didn't endear me immediately as a character. I used to love YA fantasy a lot but I've also grown older now and having ventured more into the adult fantasy genre, I'm feeling more and more unattached to younger protagonists. In this one too, Shiori is reckless and impulsive initially and I had to remind myself that she is young and just needed to grow and learn restraint. But she is also resilient and curious and while this does land her in trouble, she is also strong enough to handle the hardships and the ordeals she goes through just makes her more inclined to fight for herself and her family.
Her relationship with her six brothers is sweet and their bickering only makes you feel more close to them. Her best friend is an absolute delight and what she might lack in empathy, she makes up for with her wittiness and also just being there as Shiori when she really needs someone. And while I was glad that romance wasn't necessarily a focus of this story, I thought the slow burn was beautifully written and it's development truly fits the “fated ones” vibe of the story.
To conclude, this was such a fun and adventurous ride. I don't know much about the original fairytale “The Six Swans”, so I couldn't tell you how close this retelling follows the storytelling. But it's a lovely amalgamation of western and eastern fairytales and folklore, which will mesmerize you with its stunning imagery and the endearing family bonds. And the reluctant arranged marriage trope is always fun to explore and I can't wait to see where this story goes next.
I loved the setting, the world-building, and the culture. I felt the romance had too much emphasis and it took over the story that could have been an excellent adventure.
Following a strong character that Lim has obviously crafted with much care, Six Crimson Cranes follows Princess Shiori: a princess, the youngest out of her and her 6 brothers who does not want to marry and let go from the pleasures of royal life. Having been promised to a Prince from another kingdom, Shiori wants nothing to do with him. After a chance encounter with a dragon draws the unwanted attention of her stepmother. After being cursed to not speak or else her brothers will die and her brothers being turned into cranes during the day to then turning back to humans after sunset, Shiori makes a surprising alliance with the one person she hates, finds out the truth about her stepmother and the truth about her blood, this blend of The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen and East Asian folklore makes for a stunning first book in a new series. Highly recommend for those that want a refreshing re-telling of The Wild Swans with hints of East Asian folklore featuring a strong main character who would do anything to break the curse on her and her brothers and protect her family.
Thank you to the author and publisher for sending an e-ARC