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the_books_music_life's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.0
Now I have some spoiler questions I need answers to at the very bottom of my review.
I really enjoyed this book though, not as much as the first. I love all the characters, places, and don't get me started on the food description 🤤.
If I wasn't so in love with Shirori and Takkan's relationship I wouldn't have minded if the relationship between Shirori and Seryu happened. I adore Seryu, he is one of my favorite characters and I wish we got to see more of him in the latter half of the book
While I enjoyed Shiori’s reunion with her brothers I thought it felt a little lack luster, though a lot has obviously happened in the months she’s been gone and she showed up with not so great timing. Shirori's reunion with her father however angered me. I have very mixed feelings for her father's character. You would think he'd be happy to see his ONLY daughter after so long and after her being lost with her brothers but instead he berates her....Wth?
I adore Shirori and Takkan's relationship. It is equal parts sweet and romantic while also being passionate and shows how much they deeply care for each other. Also How many times can two people be almost married?!
I adored Qinnia. Even though we don't see her very much or learn much about her, what we do see and what we got made me love her. It didn't feel like she was added just to be added, she had a place in the book and it wasn't forced.
Now onto my dislikes.
I didn't enjoy how long and dragged out the trip to the Dragon's kingdom was. While I enjoy Seryu I thought the whole thing could have been shorter and it would have gotten the same point across about her misadventures and adventures there.
(This is going to be so hard to explain my feelings without spoilers)
While I enjoyed the ending I was worried about certain things happening and my fears were partially true. I didn't really care for the solution that ended up taking place, but I rather that than the worse thing I thought was going to happen. I do like how the author incorporates Seryu into the ending and the solution that is figured out for Shirori.
I felt like the ended was a little rushed and I wanted to see more from the epilogue.
For some reason I cried like a little baby at the end of this book and I have no clue why. Yes some things that happened were sad but jeez I didn't think it was all that sad.
My spoilerly questions
Who tricked the guardian demon/dragon (I can't remember his name) into killing Vanna?
And why does Hasho still have a bird arm and can talk to birds. Is it because he was cursed by Bandur? But if that's so wouldn't it heave been fixed when the demon/dragon changed her brothers back into humans?
I really enjoyed this book though, not as much as the first. I love all the characters, places, and don't get me started on the food description 🤤.
If I wasn't so in love with Shirori and Takkan's relationship I wouldn't have minded if the relationship between Shirori and Seryu happened. I adore Seryu, he is one of my favorite characters and I wish we got to see more of him in the latter half of the book
While I enjoyed Shiori’s reunion with her brothers I thought it felt a little lack luster, though a lot has obviously happened in the months she’s been gone and she showed up with not so great timing. Shirori's reunion with her father however angered me. I have very mixed feelings for her father's character. You would think he'd be happy to see his ONLY daughter after so long and after her being lost with her brothers but instead he berates her....Wth?
I adore Shirori and Takkan's relationship. It is equal parts sweet and romantic while also being passionate and shows how much they deeply care for each other. Also How many times can two people be almost married?!
I adored Qinnia. Even though we don't see her very much or learn much about her, what we do see and what we got made me love her. It didn't feel like she was added just to be added, she had a place in the book and it wasn't forced.
Now onto my dislikes.
I didn't enjoy how long and dragged out the trip to the Dragon's kingdom was. While I enjoy Seryu I thought the whole thing could have been shorter and it would have gotten the same point across about her misadventures and adventures there.
(This is going to be so hard to explain my feelings without spoilers)
While I enjoyed the ending I was worried about certain things happening and my fears were partially true. I didn't really care for the solution that ended up taking place, but I rather that than the worse thing I thought was going to happen. I do like how the author incorporates Seryu into the ending and the solution that is figured out for Shirori.
I felt like the ended was a little rushed and I wanted to see more from the epilogue.
For some reason I cried like a little baby at the end of this book and I have no clue why. Yes some things that happened were sad but jeez I didn't think it was all that sad.
My spoilerly questions
And why does Hasho still have a bird arm and can talk to birds. Is it because he was cursed by Bandur? But if that's so wouldn't it heave been fixed when the demon/dragon changed her brothers back into humans?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent
lanid's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Body horror, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
pastelmeganes's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
I think the magic of the first book didn’t transition well into the sequel. I think the whole plot of her navigating this world unable to communicate enticed me to pick up the series in the first place. Without that there anymore, a little of the magic was faded.
The first third of the book was a little odd for me personally. We spent so much time in the dragon realm and i just didn’t feel connected with anybody but Seryu (whom is by far my favorite character).
The book definitely picked up my interest again in the middle when were back in the human realm. Learning about Raikama’s past was my favorite part of the story by far.
My least favorite character of the main cast was Takkan. He just didn’t add anything in for me and was pretty boring, in a way he made Shiori a lot more boring in my opinion. I found myself rolling my eyes a few times at their interactions. I mean it’s cute but lacked elements that made me want to ve interested in their relationship.
If i were to do anything to make the book better for me personally, id change out the Dragon realm arc for something different, make Raikama’s home a bigger portion of the book, have shiori learn more magic and abilities, keep Gen more in the story, and have Seryu end up with Shiori instead of Takkan.
I will say Shiori choosing to free the demons was an interesting choice which i appreciated. It was some nice growth.
The first third of the book was a little odd for me personally. We spent so much time in the dragon realm and i just didn’t feel connected with anybody but Seryu (whom is by far my favorite character).
The book definitely picked up my interest again in the middle when were back in the human realm. Learning about Raikama’s past was my favorite part of the story by far.
My least favorite character of the main cast was Takkan. He just didn’t add anything in for me and was pretty boring, in a way he made Shiori a lot more boring in my opinion. I found myself rolling my eyes a few times at their interactions. I mean it’s cute but lacked elements that made me want to ve interested in their relationship.
If i were to do anything to make the book better for me personally, id change out the Dragon realm arc for something different, make Raikama’s home a bigger portion of the book, have shiori learn more magic and abilities, keep Gen more in the story, and have Seryu end up with Shiori instead of Takkan.
I will say Shiori choosing to free the demons was an interesting choice which i appreciated. It was some nice growth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Grief, and War
Moderate: Body horror and Torture
Minor: Physical abuse
shannasbooksnhooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
"Twilight crept over the Holy Mountains. The Moon was a crown faint against the coal-black sky, but the breach glowed a deep, visceral red."
This was an amazing follow-up to Six Crimson Cranes, and I was absolutely in love. I couldn't set this book down for long - I kept picking it up to read another chapter or two. Seeing how much the characters grew - both in Six Crimson Cranes to The Dragons Promise and in The Dragons Promise on its own - was so endearing to read. Everything about this book was pure magic, and I definitely recommend it if you've read Six Crimson Cranes.
This was an amazing follow-up to Six Crimson Cranes, and I was absolutely in love. I couldn't set this book down for long - I kept picking it up to read another chapter or two. Seeing how much the characters grew - both in Six Crimson Cranes to The Dragons Promise and in The Dragons Promise on its own - was so endearing to read. Everything about this book was pure magic, and I definitely recommend it if you've read Six Crimson Cranes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Torture, and Death of parent
ezwolf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.0
After finishing Six Crimson Cranes I was so excited to read the sequel! I love Shiori and her character arc and the relationship she has with her brothers and Kiki. Their curse and subsequent reveal with their stepmother is fantastic!
That being said I was a bit disappointed with the sequel and I know this is going to sound like a pretty negative review but, I still enjoyed it a lot and would recommend the series. I just think Six Crimson Cranes on its own was a far more interesting story and there were a lot of characters from the first book (like Takkan's sister) I would have loved to have seen more of.
In this one I liked that the focus was on Shiori fulfilling the promise she made to her stepmother and getting to essentially take control of her own destiny as the bloodsake of her generation. Shiori's stubbornness and unwillingness to listen to anyone who tries to control her was great and I liked that even though she was surrounded by male characters, she didn't really take orders from any of them in any situation.
But one of my biggest annoyances was a stylistic choice and not a story choice and it's a scene I won't go into the specifics of since it happens about 70% of the way through the book, but it is the only chapter (I'm pretty sure, I did not double check this) that happens in third person POV. After that we're back into first person. It really threw me off to have the POV change abruptly. I wound up flipping back and forth because I thought I'd forgotten how the book was written between setting it down and picking it back up.
***SPOILER BELOW***
Not a big one, but I realize there was the hint of a love triangle going on with Shiori, Seryu, and Takkan, and it was obvious who Shiori was going to end up with, but I still wasn't a huge fan of how Shiori and Seryu said goodbye and how it happened quite early on in the book. On the whole I really liked Seryu's character and thought he deserved a better send off or at least more time with Shiori. I thought he was going to make a a full appearance one more time at the end when they had found the Wraith, but the last we get of him is when Shiori is leaving the moon to see Takkan and her family.
Again, I know this sounds like a negative review, but these are the things that stood out to me in reading The Dragon's Promise and even though I enjoyed it, I think they're things worth bringing up.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
That being said I was a bit disappointed with the sequel and I know this is going to sound like a pretty negative review but, I still enjoyed it a lot and would recommend the series. I just think Six Crimson Cranes on its own was a far more interesting story and there were a lot of characters from the first book (like Takkan's sister) I would have loved to have seen more of.
In this one I liked that the focus was on Shiori fulfilling the promise she made to her stepmother and getting to essentially take control of her own destiny as the bloodsake of her generation. Shiori's stubbornness and unwillingness to listen to anyone who tries to control her was great and I liked that even though she was surrounded by male characters, she didn't really take orders from any of them in any situation.
But one of my biggest annoyances was a stylistic choice and not a story choice and it's a scene I won't go into the specifics of since it happens about 70% of the way through the book, but it is the only chapter (I'm pretty sure, I did not double check this) that happens in third person POV. After that we're back into first person. It really threw me off to have the POV change abruptly. I wound up flipping back and forth because I thought I'd forgotten how the book was written between setting it down and picking it back up.
***SPOILER BELOW***
Not a big one, but I realize there was the hint of a love triangle going on with Shiori, Seryu, and Takkan, and it was obvious who Shiori was going to end up with, but I still wasn't a huge fan of how Shiori and Seryu said goodbye and how it happened quite early on in the book. On the whole I really liked Seryu's character and thought he deserved a better send off or at least more time with Shiori. I thought he was going to make a a full appearance one more time at the end when they had found the Wraith, but the last we get of him is when Shiori is leaving the moon to see Takkan and her family.
Again, I know this sounds like a negative review, but these are the things that stood out to me in reading The Dragon's Promise and even though I enjoyed it, I think they're things worth bringing up.
Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Death, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism