Six Crimson Cranes

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Shiori’s brothers - there isn’t much to say about them, because they weren’t very major to me and I lowkey don’t remember their names. But they were good characters and I liked reading their relationship with Shiori. nothing has enchanted me more than asian mythology, and once I saw a book with a pretty Asian girl on the cover and heard that it was based on ancient china and japan, you knew I was in. This book did not disappoint. I devoured it within days, and it made me forget I was reading. Shiori'anma is our main character. And even though I don't always love young adult main characters, I truly fell in love with Shiori. She is feisty, mischievous, smart, and completely human. She has her faults and she isn't completely flawless like most YA MCs. She could be spoiled and want things to be her way but the character development is absolutely amazing. I read how Shiori'anma grew from a spoiled princess to a wonderful person. I enjoyed her voice so much and I loved that it was from her POV even though I don't normally like first person pov.

A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.Even so, I feared that the contents of this book would not match its stunning cover, but all it took was the first sentence to relieve my concerns. The enchantingly vivid writing that follows this sentence swiftly earned my rapt attention. Its smooth, simple flow wrapped itself around me like a snug blanket, lulling me straight into the world that Elizabeth Lim skilfully constructs. Beautifully written in a way that feels just challenging enough/ 'on grade level' for young adult readers (which in my experience is around 8-13 i.e. -- My Harry Potter years.) but still enjoyable for any new adult/adult readers.

My dumbass didn’t realize that this book is an Asian retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Wild Swans.” I definitely should have known from the synopsis, or even from the fact that Elizabeth Lim’s entire repertoire consists of Asian fairytale retellings. But no. My brain cell doesn’t operate on logic.

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As soon as one kind and charming soldier arrives to the inn to borrow her money and his dagger, her fate will change and she will get a chance to find her brothers and break the curse her stepmother put on them. I also really enjoyed the characters- our mc Shiori went through a ton of development and i really grew attached to her. Poor girl went through sm but she kept going and we love to see it 👑👑 Alsoooo, if I were Shiori once i told the world who i was and that i was alive i would see everyone that was rude to me and say OFF WITH THEIR HEADS But I loved the whole aesthetic of the world. I love the whole feel that Asian-inspired books have. Maybe it’s because I’m Asian, so I can connect to it more (although anyone who knows me can confirm that I have an unhealthy obsession with Greek mythology). Raikama casts a curse, turning Shiori’s brothers into cranes and banishing her from home, unrecognizable to anyone and unable to speak because for every sound that passes her lips, one of her brothers will die. Forced to work with the boy she didn't want to marry and a rebellious dragon she’s been taught not to trust, Shiori searches for a way to lift the curse from her brothers and herself.

Seryu was a bit annoying and I wasn’t sure how to feel about him. I liked his beginning appearance, but I think he’s being built up to be something of an antagonist, or at least an antihero, in the next book. I found him too possessive and brash for me to really like him. Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to contain – no matter what it costs. Wow, Lim had a chance to build such a wonderful world and she took it. I love worlds that involve Asian mythology so I'm a little biased on this part. But wow, just wow. I'm not just talking about the monarchal regime, but THE CULTURE. I can never highlight how important culture is in a book's setting. You can't be lazy with it, because readers will know. But my oh my, did Lim outdo herself. There were so many traditions, clothes, manners. There were even activities that represent apologies. It was so amazing because in every different location the cultures and beliefs shifted. Not to mention religion was also mentioned. I loved learning about offerings and the relationships between dragons gods, priestesses, and demons. Each race had specific cultures and events that played a big part in their evolution. Lim obviously took a long time to trace the cultures and weave the strings. And learning little tidbits of culture and information on the world made the book ten times more enchanting. Shiori is the youngest sibling of seven and the only princess of Kiata. Unbeknownst to the rest of her family, forbidden magic runs through her veins. On the day of her betrothal ceremony, she loses control and catches the attention of her stepmother, Raikama, who has dark magic of her own. Shiori finds herself exiled to farther village and the bowl is not the only curse she has to deal. Raikama also forbids her to talk or write anything about her situation: if she opens her mouth to form a word her brothers will start to die one by one. She also turns her brother into six cranes and cursed their own father not to remember his own children.

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The world-building is comprised of a gradual release of details across the book. This does mean that very little information is revealed at the start, which can put off some readers. However, Elizabeth soon establishes a detailed and creative world that even includes a few unique elements. talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.