Scan barcode
fatherprozac's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I think I was so entranced by the gorgeous cover art that I set my expectations too high. The writing in this book has a huge problem with telling rather than showing, which robbed all the key moments of their tension and emotional impact. Shiori never really develops as a character, either. We are told that she is stronger, smarter, tougher but that is never shown to be true. In fact, she constantly sees a bad choice, recognizes it as a bad choice, and chooses it anyway literally just because and then acts surprised that it turned out poorly. Rinse and repeat for the entire book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
fandomsandfiction's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
"I sometimes wonder if you’re one of them, Lina. A daughter of the moon. I’ve decided that must be why you don’t want anyone to see your eyes. They’ll blind us all with their brightness."
I absolutely adore this book to the moon goddess and back! It's been said before and I'll say it again: this book has everything you could want from a fantasy novel (and more!!!) 😍 The magic, lore and world-building is spectacular! The plot is exciting and well-paced! The characters are so well-written you COMPLETELY FORGET THAT THEY ARE NOT REAL! Everything about this book is just so so good and I completely devoured it in any minute of spare time I could find ... The author's ability to weave so many beloved fairytales, legends and mythology into one story, while adding her own individualistic touch, can only be described as PURE MAGIC ✨
I want to climb onto the roof and SCREAM about how amazing this book is !!!! About how much I love the characters and themes and tropes and romance and- *starts screaming and crying uncontrollably because words cannot express how much I enjoyed this book and I've been so absorbed in this fantasy world the past few days that I have no idea what to do with myself now that I've completed reading it*
All these characters have stolen bits of my heart and I've left pieces of me scattered among the pages. Shiori, Raikama, Seryu, Takkan, Megari, Hasho, Andahai, Benkai, Reiji, Wandei, Yotan and even dear little Kiki (especially dear little Kiki❤): you were more than just fictional characters to me. For one glorious, magical week, you were so so real.
I absolutely adore this book to the moon goddess and back! It's been said before and I'll say it again: this book has everything you could want from a fantasy novel (and more!!!) 😍 The magic, lore and world-building is spectacular! The plot is exciting and well-paced! The characters are so well-written you COMPLETELY FORGET THAT THEY ARE NOT REAL! Everything about this book is just so so good and I completely devoured it in any minute of spare time I could find ... The author's ability to weave so many beloved fairytales, legends and mythology into one story, while adding her own individualistic touch, can only be described as PURE MAGIC ✨
I want to climb onto the roof and SCREAM about how amazing this book is !!!! About how much I love the characters and themes and tropes and romance and- *starts screaming and crying uncontrollably because words cannot express how much I enjoyed this book and I've been so absorbed in this fantasy world the past few days that I have no idea what to do with myself now that I've completed reading it*
All these characters have stolen bits of my heart and I've left pieces of me scattered among the pages. Shiori, Raikama, Seryu, Takkan, Megari, Hasho, Andahai, Benkai, Reiji, Wandei, Yotan and even dear little Kiki (especially dear little Kiki❤): you were more than just fictional characters to me. For one glorious, magical week, you were so so real.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, and War
rensreading's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
when people said it gave them studio ghibli vibes, they really weren’t kidding! still, i had my doubts so it kind of caught me off guard how right these people were about it.
it took me a hot sec to figure out which area of asia this story was drawing inspiration from though. i think i may have just been confused by the studio ghibli comments but idk. the elements of chinese folklore became more clear only once someone pointed them out to me so im probably just slow. the red string of fate was a dead giveaway for sure though.
the plot was okay. it took a little too long to start in my opinion and certain details were brought up in the very end to try and link them as an explanation for why the beginning was so long but it still felt clunky. it seemed like lim had a plan™️ for her ending but didn’t execute it smoothly enough to make sense. there was just a lot of rushing at the end, which i get because its the end but the change of pace was weird and kind of unnecessary too. slow and steady wins the race after all.
i didn’t really care for our mc or how she seemed to enrapture two boys. the romance was just meh to me. it felt like it was missing something but i honestly couldn’t tell you what it was. probably just plain old chemistry. either way, i thought there would be more emphasis on her brothers since they’re the whole reason she’s trying to break the curse anyway but, sadly, we get to learn very little about them. instead we get a good chunk of the book about someone else’s sibling instead :)) how fun :)))
all in all, this was an okay read. there definitely were some overdone cliches and hiccups in the plot but it wasn’t enough to make me dislike this book either.i didn’t care for the random power-ups or how quickly the stepmother was forgiven though. all of that should have been expanded on for sure.
because of all of the above, i give this 4 stars
it took me a hot sec to figure out which area of asia this story was drawing inspiration from though. i think i may have just been confused by the studio ghibli comments but idk. the elements of chinese folklore became more clear only once someone pointed them out to me so im probably just slow. the red string of fate was a dead giveaway for sure though.
the plot was okay. it took a little too long to start in my opinion and certain details were brought up in the very end to try and link them as an explanation for why the beginning was so long but it still felt clunky. it seemed like lim had a plan™️ for her ending but didn’t execute it smoothly enough to make sense. there was just a lot of rushing at the end, which i get because its the end but the change of pace was weird and kind of unnecessary too. slow and steady wins the race after all.
i didn’t really care for our mc or how she seemed to enrapture two boys. the romance was just meh to me. it felt like it was missing something but i honestly couldn’t tell you what it was. probably just plain old chemistry. either way, i thought there would be more emphasis on her brothers since they’re the whole reason she’s trying to break the curse anyway but, sadly, we get to learn very little about them. instead we get a good chunk of the book about someone else’s sibling instead :)) how fun :)))
all in all, this was an okay read. there definitely were some overdone cliches and hiccups in the plot but it wasn’t enough to make me dislike this book either.
because of all of the above, i give this 4 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: War
woolgathering_jane's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
“I would tell you stories from dawn to dusk if it meant filling your eyes with happiness.”
This was such a magical, beautiful read! I fell in love with the writing and the world instantly. Although the way Shiori, the protagonist, was written, she seemed to me like she was twelve, not sixteen. But when I aged all of the main characters down in my mind, the story felt even more magical, so I'm not complaining haha
The plot was a little predictable, but I didn't mind, I loved it anyway.
The plot was a little predictable, but I didn't mind, I loved it anyway.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, and Blood
Minor: Animal cruelty, Torture, and Death of parent
lmaloney's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
An adventure.
.
It was so fun! I really enjoyed the pace and the twist at every turn !
Liked: magic, cultural landscape, the map, hidden indentity trope, stacrossed lovers, humour, revelations!
Disliked: pace, why was Shiori seemingly competing with every girl she met besides her sister in law and a paperbird, very boy centric, very cishet…
4 stars xxxx
.
It was so fun! I really enjoyed the pace and the twist at every turn !
Liked: magic, cultural landscape, the map, hidden indentity trope, stacrossed lovers, humour, revelations!
Disliked: pace, why was Shiori seemingly competing with every girl she met besides her sister in law and a paperbird, very boy centric, very cishet…
4 stars xxxx
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Slavery, Blood, Trafficking, and Sexual harassment
maple_dusk's review against another edition
adventurous
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? No
4.25
Six Crimson Cranes (Six Crimson Cranes #1) by Elizabeth Lim is a fantasy romance retelling of (I'm guessing) Cinderella. The main character and protagonist is Shiori'anma, first daughter of Emperor Hanriyu and most favored Princess of Kiata--Kingdom of the Nine Eternal Courts and the Holy Mountains of Fortitude. Stuff happens, and Shiori and her six brothers get cursed by their stepmother, Raikama. Her brothers are now cranes, and if Shiori speaks a single word, one of them will die.
Disclaimer: Before I get to what I liked and I didn't like, I am aware that my opinions and tastes do not dictate how authors write their books.
I Liked
Disclaimer: Before I get to what I liked and I didn't like, I am aware that my opinions and tastes do not dictate how authors write their books.
I Liked
The anonymity the bowl on Shiori's head gave her (It gives me inspiration) - The idea of having a paper crane as a tiny buddy! (A.K.A. Kiki!) :D
I Didn't Like
- The simplicity of some of the major antagonists as villains
The real story behind why Shiori's stepmother cursed her and her brothers. It felt too convenient for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Sexual content
katievh's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, and War
mrsschreave's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
this book got me out of a month long reading slump and is the second book to get a 5 star rating from me if that says anything
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Death, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and War
soundlysmitten's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.0
Six Crimson Cranes is a balance of adventure, whimsy, and heart. From the intricate customs and traditions of Kiata to the snowy landscape of Iro, the world building is dreamy in its depth. The pacing is quick and mostly consistent, but even when the action lags, there are slower moments of quiet emotion to appreciate. And the cast of characters is endearing, to say the least 💞
Determined princess Shiori narrates the story. She’s a spaz with a kind heart who is just as curious and impulsive as she is compassionate. It’s hard to imagine such a vibrant soul being silenced and sent out into the world alone, but the whole ordeal ends up growing Shiori in some essential ways. Trial after trial, she refuses to be cowed, and each experience helps her learn better what to value and how to discern. The trials do not leave Shiori without scars, but she emerges with a new air of wisdom and agency, assured of both her place and her strength.
While only a small fraction of the content centers on Shiori’s brothers, it’s clear that she has a unique relationship with each of them. Her connection with Hako is especially heartwarming. But odd as it may sound, I found Shiori’s bond with her cheeky little paper crane even more adorable. Their dynamic reminded me a bit of Kiki & Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service. And Shiori & Seryu reminded me a bit of Chihiro & Haku from Spirited Away. It’s possible I’m just too preoccupied with Studio Ghibli, though 😹 The only critical thing I have to say in this area is that while I came to care for all the characters, I didn’t truly connect with any of them. But I can’t put my finger on why, so it might just be a me issue.
As for the romance, I’d call it slow and sweet. Not a whole lot comes of it, but I’m actually glad the book doesn’t make romance the ‘be all, end all’.Did anyone else feel some love triangle vibes/jealousy from Seryu over Shiori & Takkan, though?? Or am I just a freak?
Overall, I really enjoyed the combination of elements in this retelling. Despite drawing inspiration from a number of old fairytales, Six Crimson Cranes maintains a uniquely magical premise, further enriched by a fusion of East Asian cultures and fares. I’d like to say all good things, but there is one kind of major piece I don't quite understand… so if you’ve read the book, let me know what you think, please!Were the brothers really cursed to die if Shiori spoke? Seems to be some contradiction regarding that, especially considering they didn’t… And if Raikama cared for Shiori all along, why couldn’t she just tell her what was up?
Determined princess Shiori narrates the story. She’s a spaz with a kind heart who is just as curious and impulsive as she is compassionate. It’s hard to imagine such a vibrant soul being silenced and sent out into the world alone, but the whole ordeal ends up growing Shiori in some essential ways. Trial after trial, she refuses to be cowed, and each experience helps her learn better what to value and how to discern. The trials do not leave Shiori without scars, but she emerges with a new air of wisdom and agency, assured of both her place and her strength.
While only a small fraction of the content centers on Shiori’s brothers, it’s clear that she has a unique relationship with each of them. Her connection with Hako is especially heartwarming. But odd as it may sound, I found Shiori’s bond with her cheeky little paper crane even more adorable. Their dynamic reminded me a bit of Kiki & Jiji from Kiki’s Delivery Service. And Shiori & Seryu reminded me a bit of Chihiro & Haku from Spirited Away. It’s possible I’m just too preoccupied with Studio Ghibli, though 😹 The only critical thing I have to say in this area is that while I came to care for all the characters, I didn’t truly connect with any of them. But I can’t put my finger on why, so it might just be a me issue.
As for the romance, I’d call it slow and sweet. Not a whole lot comes of it, but I’m actually glad the book doesn’t make romance the ‘be all, end all’.
Overall, I really enjoyed the combination of elements in this retelling. Despite drawing inspiration from a number of old fairytales, Six Crimson Cranes maintains a uniquely magical premise, further enriched by a fusion of East Asian cultures and fares. I’d like to say all good things, but there is one kind of major piece I don't quite understand… so if you’ve read the book, let me know what you think, please!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Confinement, Physical abuse, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Torture, Blood, Death of parent, and War
faitherslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Blood, and Murder