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deluna'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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Outing
pastelmeganes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
When i read Six Crimson Cranes i remember saying “i need a full story in just channari” and boy was i excited when she announced this prequel. I preordered IMMEDIATELY and it did not disappoint. This story was a tale of Channari and her struggles with her sister’s(Vanna) fate as well as her own. It was beautifully written and Lim’s world building is so seamless and extravagant. coming from a brother whom was envious of his younger brother for similar things as these two really tugged at my heartstrings and struck a major cord with me. Although she was envious she adored Vanna and tried to defy her sister’s destiny as well as her own. The perspective of both gave a sense of “the grass isnt greener on the other side” which was executed flawlessly. Hokzuh’s part in the story didnt feel forced which was nice and his chemistry with Channa felt natural which was one of my critiques with Six Crimson Cranes. Although a dragon, Hokzuh had a lot of depth for the role he played. Lim has won me over again after her fumble with “The Dragons Promise” imo. I need her next work already!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Self harm, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Body horror
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
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
chaptersofmads's review against another edition
5.0
“Never will I apologize for being the monster they made me.”
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: blood, body horror, bullying, death, death of a loved one, pregnancy, self-harm (it's not for the intent of self-punishment, but it is quite detailed and a large part of the story), slavery, torture, violence.
First things first: Elizabeth Lim supremacy. I've said it a thousand times and I'll continue to say it. No one does it like her.
This might actually be my favorite book she's ever written, which is insane to me because the Blood of Stars has been my favorite duology since I read it. But this book was just on another level. It was everything I wanted and more.
Her Radiant Curse was everything a prequel should be. It was a fantastic, heart-breaking story in its own right but with the context of Six Crimson Cranes? Devastatingly glorious. Not only did I not want to put this book down, it made me want to immediately reread SCC. Every reference was so well-done and never made me feel like they had been included solely for the purpose of being a reference, if that makes sense.
This book is perfect for anyone that loves whimsically dark stories with a thread of mythology that runs throughout, a story that - at its heart - is ultimately about the power of familial love and the strength that it can give us, whether by blood or not. It's the kind of story that transports you, that leaves you disoriented when you're pulled out because you were that engrossed.
I don't rave about books often, but this deserved it.
I am a mess of a emotions that is heartbroken this is over and still so shocked and grateful that I received an arc for it. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. No contest.
ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
TW: blood, body horror, bullying, death, death of a loved one, pregnancy, self-harm (it's not for the intent of self-punishment, but it is quite detailed and a large part of the story), slavery, torture, violence.
First things first: Elizabeth Lim supremacy. I've said it a thousand times and I'll continue to say it. No one does it like her.
This might actually be my favorite book she's ever written, which is insane to me because the Blood of Stars has been my favorite duology since I read it. But this book was just on another level. It was everything I wanted and more.
Her Radiant Curse was everything a prequel should be. It was a fantastic, heart-breaking story in its own right but with the context of Six Crimson Cranes? Devastatingly glorious. Not only did I not want to put this book down, it made me want to immediately reread SCC. Every reference was so well-done and never made me feel like they had been included solely for the purpose of being a reference, if that makes sense.
This book is perfect for anyone that loves whimsically dark stories with a thread of mythology that runs throughout, a story that - at its heart - is ultimately about the power of familial love and the strength that it can give us, whether by blood or not. It's the kind of story that transports you, that leaves you disoriented when you're pulled out because you were that engrossed.
I don't rave about books often, but this deserved it.
I am a mess of a emotions that is heartbroken this is over and still so shocked and grateful that I received an arc for it. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. No contest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Slavery