A review by hanarama
Six Crimson Cranes, by Elizabeth Lim

adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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? No

3.5

The Good: 
  • Clear fairytale inspiration
  • Easy and relaxing prose 
  • Resourceful and determined main character. 

The Bad:
  • The brothers are not distinct. 
  • Some side character were annoying. 

You Might Like this if You Like: 
  • Fairytales retold
  • Disney films, particularly The Little Mermaid. 

Coming into this after Unravel the Dusk, I am so pleased. I hated UtD and liked Spin the Dawn. Six Crimson Cranes nails the fairytale aesthetic much more and over all feels like a better crafted story. Lim hits some major fairytale tropes and though the story is primarily inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans, Lim throws references to many other fairytales. 

Because of this though, the story can feel a bit predictable at times. Overall, I don't think this is a bad thing for the story. The main character, Shiori is clever and determined, and it's enjoyable to see her succeed in her goals. 

My least favorite part of this book was the dragon prince, who came off very annoying and patronizing overall.
Spoiler It also feels as though he is going to be a love interest, which thankfully he wasn't.
He had very little to offer to the story. 

This story does take place in the same universe as StD and UtD, though in a different nation. As such, it's interesting to see the world expanded further. And there is some overlap with the previous duology. This does make me anxious about the sequel though. I don't know if Lim is really skilled in writing sequels, as the fairytale/mythology feel kind of fell apart in UtD. I might act as though this is a stand alone book until I can learn more about future installments of the series. 
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