hailey_baughman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.0
clairesbookspace's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
alliej's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
andromeda's review against another edition
long awaited arc... i don't know whether i should rate it or not
aashna's review against another edition
3.0
thank you to netgalley to providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!
a good conclusion to the duology! i love shiori in this book just as much (if not more) as i did in book one. the romance between takkan and shiori is also really well written and i loved seeing both of them develop together and individually. elizabeth lim's writing lends itself beautifully to the story, as i really do feel like i'm in a fairytale. i will say that i liked book 1 more because it felt more cohesive and like a single story. the underwater dragon kingdom plot felt detached from the plot as a whole and it made me forget what the whole story was supposed to be about. the book wrapped up a bit too quickly for my liking- there was a lot of buildup for a final showdown that ultimately didn't quite live up to my expectations. i also wish we would have gotten to know more about the side characters (especially seryu and shiori's brothers) just because they seemed a bit one-dimensional in book one and this would have been a great opportunity to give them a more major role in the plot. though a sequel to six crimson cranes wasn't necessary, this was a fast-paced, fantastical read that really did feel like a fairytale.
a good conclusion to the duology! i love shiori in this book just as much (if not more) as i did in book one. the romance between takkan and shiori is also really well written and i loved seeing both of them develop together and individually. elizabeth lim's writing lends itself beautifully to the story, as i really do feel like i'm in a fairytale. i will say that i liked book 1 more because it felt more cohesive and like a single story. the underwater dragon kingdom plot felt detached from the plot as a whole and it made me forget what the whole story was supposed to be about. the book wrapped up a bit too quickly for my liking- there was a lot of buildup for a final showdown that ultimately didn't quite live up to my expectations. i also wish we would have gotten to know more about the side characters (especially seryu and shiori's brothers) just because they seemed a bit one-dimensional in book one and this would have been a great opportunity to give them a more major role in the plot. though a sequel to six crimson cranes wasn't necessary, this was a fast-paced, fantastical read that really did feel like a fairytale.
enomisnekal's review against another edition
5.0
I am so glad that I judged based off of the cover that this was going to be amazing and that I needed to read it and book one.
The Dragon's Promise was truly amazing. I loved it. I am glad Shiori chose who she did. The Dragon's Promise was just beautiful. Read it, please.
The Dragon's Promise was truly amazing. I loved it. I am glad Shiori chose who she did. The Dragon's Promise was just beautiful. Read it, please.
alex346's review against another edition
4.0
really enjoyed this throughout and loved the beautifully bittersweet ending
eahoffm2's review
4.0
As with many sequels, this one struggles to find its footing. For a time, the book feels like it’s trying in the side where it’s going to be set. Thankfully, this doesn’t last too long. I found most of this very enjoyable. The love between Shiori and Takkan is beautiful and not overdone. Themes of loyalty weigh very heavy in this book and deliver without being forced. If you enjoyed Six Crimson Cranes, while this story is not quite the same it is enjoyable.
paula_s's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review
From a spoiled princess to an incredibly brave and resourceful woman. Shiori’s journey in “The Dragon’s Promise” picks up immediately after the events in the first book. It’s not much I can tell without spoiling that wonderful book (which you should read) so let’s say that because of what happened our heroine Shiori and her paper crane companion Kiki follow their friend Syriu, the young water dragon, to the Dragon King’s realm deep under the sea. The must find the ‘Wraith’, and return its heart-pearl. I can’t tell you how that precious yet dark pearl happens to be in Shiori’s hand but it belongs to the dragon and she was told to give it back, leaving her six brothers and Takkan back home in Kiata. She must be quick because time runs differently in the deep blue sea, much slower than in the human realm.
In this book Shiori will meet new friends and foes and she will have to be brave and smarter than the Dragon King Nazayun and his court of marine fauna. There’s magic in her but that doesn’t guarantee that she will succeed in her mission and there is still darkness under the mountains back home which may or may not be restrained.
This book is darker than the previous one, for the perils Shiori and Kiki find along their journey are difficult and quite dangerous. The tension is almost overwhelming for them and the reader can feel themself more and more engaged in the story. Shiori can trust no one in the dragon realm with the exception of her loyal companion; the dragons and the demons are wondrous creatures but they are also twisted and untruthful and terrifying. Once again Elizabeth Lim delivers an utterly compelling story, masterfully crafted and mesmerizing. She’s like one of the storytellers of old and I need to read everything she’s written in the past and whatever she writes from now on.
Magic, myths, legends and untrustworthy creatures. All set in a fantasy world with a beauty that comes from the east and Studio Ghibli, sometimes. I couldn’t put his book down until I finished it. It is the second and final book of a bilogy, one in which Shiori, Takkan, and her brothers grow, mature, and become a true family with unbreakable bonds and faithful loyalty that will resist and vanquish everything, even death.
From a spoiled princess to an incredibly brave and resourceful woman. Shiori’s journey in “The Dragon’s Promise” picks up immediately after the events in the first book. It’s not much I can tell without spoiling that wonderful book (which you should read) so let’s say that because of what happened our heroine Shiori and her paper crane companion Kiki follow their friend Syriu, the young water dragon, to the Dragon King’s realm deep under the sea. The must find the ‘Wraith’, and return its heart-pearl. I can’t tell you how that precious yet dark pearl happens to be in Shiori’s hand but it belongs to the dragon and she was told to give it back, leaving her six brothers and Takkan back home in Kiata. She must be quick because time runs differently in the deep blue sea, much slower than in the human realm.
In this book Shiori will meet new friends and foes and she will have to be brave and smarter than the Dragon King Nazayun and his court of marine fauna. There’s magic in her but that doesn’t guarantee that she will succeed in her mission and there is still darkness under the mountains back home which may or may not be restrained.
This book is darker than the previous one, for the perils Shiori and Kiki find along their journey are difficult and quite dangerous. The tension is almost overwhelming for them and the reader can feel themself more and more engaged in the story. Shiori can trust no one in the dragon realm with the exception of her loyal companion; the dragons and the demons are wondrous creatures but they are also twisted and untruthful and terrifying. Once again Elizabeth Lim delivers an utterly compelling story, masterfully crafted and mesmerizing. She’s like one of the storytellers of old and I need to read everything she’s written in the past and whatever she writes from now on.
Magic, myths, legends and untrustworthy creatures. All set in a fantasy world with a beauty that comes from the east and Studio Ghibli, sometimes. I couldn’t put his book down until I finished it. It is the second and final book of a bilogy, one in which Shiori, Takkan, and her brothers grow, mature, and become a true family with unbreakable bonds and faithful loyalty that will resist and vanquish everything, even death.