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a_novi's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved this prequel. It does give a lot of interesting background information for the main series but there was a part that really disappointed me at the end. Of course if you read this book last in the series you know Oshli said in a dragons promise that he has “always wondered” if it was really Vanna that was buried in the jungle. But in the end of her radiant curse oshli SEES Channari and says he realized that it was her soon after the change. Then he asks her to permit him to speak Vanna’s name. So he KNEW that the nameless queen was Channari and she agreed not to take his memories. So that’s a pretty big continuity error that really killed it for me. I’m going to pretend not to know about it to make me feel better about it. Other than the continuity error it was a great book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
notapenguin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
it’s the second time i cried.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Physical abuse, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
fragrant_stars's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Of all the books in the Six Crimson Crane series, this one has my heart. I loved SCC but this book? I adore this book. I feel like Elizabeth Lim was able to show off a bit more of her creativity for storytelling in this book compared to SCC and she really really did not disappoint. I will be thinking about this story universe for days.
I initially picked up SCC because I'm always eager for a good East Asian fantasy- and I was very much delighted by the world Lim described in books one and two. My heart skipped a beat in book two when I realised that Raikama's-- Channari's-- home was inspired by Southeast Asian culture, and now there's a whole book's worth of story about it? I could have jumped for joy. As a Chinese-Indonesian, I'm so happy to see snippets of both my cultures in this story.
Don't get me wrong, Shiori is a plenty loveable character in her own right, but my favourite has always Raikama, so learning more about her in this book was basically everything I wanted. I can't help but feel that Channari was the real protagonist all along, over these last three books. I love her so damn much.
I initially picked up SCC because I'm always eager for a good East Asian fantasy- and I was very much delighted by the world Lim described in books one and two. My heart skipped a beat in book two when I realised that Raikama's-- Channari's-- home was inspired by Southeast Asian culture, and now there's a whole book's worth of story about it? I could have jumped for joy. As a Chinese-Indonesian, I'm so happy to see snippets of both my cultures in this story.
Don't get me wrong, Shiori is a plenty loveable character in her own right, but my favourite has always Raikama, so learning more about her in this book was basically everything I wanted. I can't help but feel that Channari was the real protagonist all along, over these last three books. I love her so damn much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Slavery, Kidnapping, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Alcohol
queen_melliott's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Even though I didn’t love Six Crimson Cranes and therefore never picked up The Dragon’s Promise, I knew I had to read this because I really liked Reikama in SCC.
Channi experienced so much character development. From a happy toddler to a frightened yet inherently fierce girl , to a badass warrior and kingslayer to a grieving elegant lady one would never suspect to have such a past. Throughout the stages of her development she always combines opposites; a fierce heart and fears, a deep love for her sister and a profound loneliness. She is such a tragic but strong character, losing her mother, her father’s love, her face and thus the chance at a normal life, her sister and her potential lover and lastly, her old life and best friend. I adore her and am tempted to reread SCC to analyze her character there and see what clues I missed.
I may even have warmed up to snakes and was incredibly sad when Ukar and Channi had to part.
Channi experienced so much character development. From a happy toddler to a frightened yet inherently fierce girl , to a badass warrior and kingslayer to a grieving elegant lady one would never suspect to have such a past. Throughout the stages of her development she always combines opposites; a fierce heart and fears, a deep love for her sister and a profound loneliness. She is such a tragic but strong character, losing her mother, her father’s love, her face and thus the chance at a normal life, her sister and her potential lover and lastly, her old life and best friend. I adore her and am tempted to reread SCC to analyze her character there and see what clues I missed.
I may even have warmed up to snakes and was incredibly sad when Ukar and Channi had to part.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Death of parent
gossameralbum's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement
leaflit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
currant7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I almost forgot how engaging and compelling a storyteller the author is.
Coming into the book as a fan of the series, I wanted to hate Channari (being a fan of the Six of Cranes series - where she is written as one of the morally grey characters that cursed the protagonist), BUT my love for grey/flawed characters won over. This book is "her hero/villain story that gave me a better understanding of why Channari did what she did and made me appreciate this prequel much more than I expected.
Character development was spot-on for Channari. The author fully articulated the difficulty of Channari's life and the choices she faced in trying to save her family, especially her sister. It was impossible not to love Channari in this book! I am ashamed of my previous reaction to reading the sequel since learning Channari's life story, who won me over with her perseverance and resolve to protect those she loves and holds dear. She also empathizes with many other characters in the story, and ultimately, it broke my heart to see how much she had to give up to be where she was in the succeeding books. Channari had to do what she did with the life that was "fated" to her. It was not an easy path, but she dealt it all with grace, dignity, and bravery beyond any characters I encountered. Her determination to rise at impossible moments is beyond comprehension - an admirable trait that would determine her and her sister's lives.
The story's vivid imagery and exciting characters enhanced my reading experience. Every leaf and dragon scale described was I was holding on to that leaf or touching those scales that I could not help but relate to them. The plot to rescue Channari's sister and her family is captivating because these "predicaments" never seem to end! Just when I thought things were looking up, something grave happened, so I stayed put.
Overall, Her Radiant Curse is a fantastic journey with Channari and the wonder of magic. The author's world-building was beautiful and written in great detail, with so much love and emotion that it felt like the author lived through these lands. The story had many spine-tingling twists and non-stop suspense, and the "new developments" made the book an unputdownable page-turner from start to finish. If this doesn't convince you to read this book, let the heart-warming theme of sisterly love bring you to pick up this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
“All the riches and power in the world cannot buy someone who loves you truly. That’s the greatest treasure.”
If you love YA fantasy with Asian mythology vibes, a strong sister bond and a sprinkle of romance then I recommend picking up this book!
I absolutely love following Channari’s story, her story got me hooked right from the beginning making it almost impossible to put down. Plus it comes with an dazzling world building and loveable characters.
I love and admire Channari’s character. She may not be the ‘golden one’ but she definitely has a heart of gold. It was shown with how much she loves her sister and how far she’s willing to fight for her.
My heart breaks reading how the people treated her because of her appearance, even her parents. Fortunately, she has the snakes as her family and best friends to get her through all the judgement and resentment she got.
(special thanks to Ukar who always bicker with Channari and liven up the story!)
“In spite of my snake face, my heart is human.”
Overall, this is a well written prequel. It was heart-warming and also heart-breaking at the same time, I got teared up near the ending.
I highly recommend reading this one and I’m really looking forward to read what the author’s has in store next!
Her Radiant Curse is a standalone and a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes duology.
In my opinion, you can read it just fine without reading Six Crimson Cranes first. But if you’ve read it, this book is a story of Raikama – Shiori’s stepmother.
“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.”
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Blood
adancewithbooks's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
2.0
Thank you to Hodderscape and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
As the cover might suggest, Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology. A duology that I quite enjoyed. This prequel however did not live up to that duology.
Her Radiant Curse focuses on Channi, the stepmother of Shiori in her younger years. Which means that if you have read The Six Crimson Cranes duology you will know the basics of this story already as it is told in there. It is something that Shiori discovers. This can be a good thing as the interest of fans is already risen. But knowing what is going to happen meant that the book needed strong story telling and compelling characters. Unfortunately I felt we got neither.
The way the story was told in some places didn't always make sense. Some parts that werent that important dragged on for a while. While there were other parts where we were run through. It didn't make for a very pleasant reading.
Channi also didn't seem to match up with the woman we got to know through stories in the duology. And of course Channi is younger and things change but it was hard to see that they were the same person. I didn't care about her character. I didn't really care about her sister and even our dragon didn't quite come out well. The best bit was Ukar, the snake companion to Channi. He called her out on her bad decisions. Not that she ever listened.
I also had problems with the ending of this book. The reasoning behind Channari's anger and punishment towards the other were weak. And she even seems to know it but she still pushes through. And quite frankly it was a bed of her own making.
This book is also meant to stand alone. For readers that haven't read the duology. I hesitate to say that this is possible. I banked a lot on already knowing the world building from the duology and didn't get it enough from the actual book.
As the cover might suggest, Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology. A duology that I quite enjoyed. This prequel however did not live up to that duology.
Her Radiant Curse focuses on Channi, the stepmother of Shiori in her younger years. Which means that if you have read The Six Crimson Cranes duology you will know the basics of this story already as it is told in there. It is something that Shiori discovers. This can be a good thing as the interest of fans is already risen. But knowing what is going to happen meant that the book needed strong story telling and compelling characters. Unfortunately I felt we got neither.
The way the story was told in some places didn't always make sense. Some parts that werent that important dragged on for a while. While there were other parts where we were run through. It didn't make for a very pleasant reading.
Channi also didn't seem to match up with the woman we got to know through stories in the duology. And of course Channi is younger and things change but it was hard to see that they were the same person. I didn't care about her character. I didn't really care about her sister and even our dragon didn't quite come out well. The best bit was Ukar, the snake companion to Channi. He called her out on her bad decisions. Not that she ever listened.
I also had problems with the ending of this book. The reasoning behind Channari's anger and punishment towards the other were weak. And she even seems to know it but she still pushes through. And quite frankly it was a bed of her own making.
This book is also meant to stand alone. For readers that haven't read the duology. I hesitate to say that this is possible. I banked a lot on already knowing the world building from the duology and didn't get it enough from the actual book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Physical abuse
mentioned child sacrificejazzyjbox's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A heart-wrenching tale of a cursed older sister who will do anything to protect her younger sister.
When Channi was little, her sister was born with a bright light inside her. But their mother was dying. Their father was to sacrifice the baby for his wife but took the older daughter instead. Angma, the Demon Witch cursed Channi with a snake face and promised to come back for her sister. Seventeen years later, and with the help of her snake best friend, Channi will still do whatever it takes to keep her sister safe, even ally with a half-dragon.
I am not a fan of snakes by any means. So I had to think about it too hard while reading but otherwise this is a beautiful and haunting story about Channi's love for her sister while shrouded in the world's mythology. The world building is incredible, and Channi makes for an excellent anti-hero.
When Channi was little, her sister was born with a bright light inside her. But their mother was dying. Their father was to sacrifice the baby for his wife but took the older daughter instead. Angma, the Demon Witch cursed Channi with a snake face and promised to come back for her sister. Seventeen years later, and with the help of her snake best friend, Channi will still do whatever it takes to keep her sister safe, even ally with a half-dragon.
I am not a fan of snakes by any means. So I had to think about it too hard while reading but otherwise this is a beautiful and haunting story about Channi's love for her sister while shrouded in the world's mythology. The world building is incredible, and Channi makes for an excellent anti-hero.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Physical abuse
Minor: Death of parent