I can proudly declare I’ve found one of my favourite reads of 2021, if not my absolute favourite! I adored this book and cannot sing its praises highly enough.

Six Crimson Cranes is a full bodied tale with an enchanting mystery, lovable characters, multiple antagonists and truly wonderful world building. I was completely swept up and away until the very end, and even then, the temptation to start all over again was remarkable.

The world building was flawless and incredibly immersive. From dragons and demons, to curses and sorcery, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to discover more and seize the feeling of magic-made-real that this tale evoked. Lim weaves everything in such vivid and lyrical yet comforting prose, which I found similar to Laini Taylor’s style. I truly felt like I journeyed across the land of Kiata to each provenance ventured. It was such a joy to envision wintry landscapes, beautiful gardens, and the lively celebrations and finery worn, then a furious dragon giving chase across the sea. All of this coupled with the burning questions of how Shiori and her brothers were going to break their curses, and what their stepmother was up to, made this unputdownable.

The characters were fun and so easy to love, and equally so, teeth grindingly loathsome where appropriate. We essentially follow Shiori’s fall from grace, where she’s the only girl of her siblings, and subsequently the only princess, and as a result, had a privileged and beloved upbringing. This turns on its head when people no longer know who she is and she has to survive like anyone else. It was rough to see her brought so low, at times it felt too much by how grim it all felt, but Lim pulled it back before it became too off putting. I loved that Shiori never entirely surrendered her gentle nature and kindness in spite of everything she faced.

Alongside Shiori, we have her sidekick, Kiki, an enchanted paperbird, who was supportive, humorous and courageous. Gosh how I loved Kiki.
Then there’s Seryu, a charmingly cheeky water dragon. His character so reminded me of Drax from Guardians of the Galaxy but more energetic. I was actually a little disappointed by how small of an appearance he made as he was so interesting, but it’s clear he’s going to play a larger role in future sequels. On the point of little appearance, this was the same for Shiori’s brothers, as they spend the majority of the book separated from Shiori as cranes.

The romance! Six Crimson Cranes has a friends to budding romance set up, that was so sweet and pure, I’ll be distraught if Shiori and Takkan aren’t together and married by the sequel’s end.

Oh my gosh how badly do I want the sequel now! The book ends with enough questions answered to leave you satisfied, all the while laying the foundation of the next chapter in this world. In other words, there aren’t any large unresolved questions, but there’s enough crumbs to make you curious for more.

All in all Six Crimson Cranes was charming and unadulterated escapism that provided much appreciated respite from the wider world, partly from the wondrous world illustrated and partly from how delightful Lim’s writing was. It’s took a piece of my heart as one of the best YA fantasies of its kind. I’ll happily reread this again and genuinely can’t wait for others to experience this beauty of a book. I have a feeling people who enjoyed Raya and the Last Dragon will enjoy this too. I’ve preordered my signed copy!

Thank you kindly to Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard amazing things about Lim's writing, despite never having never read any of Lim's work before, I was so excited to sink my teeth into Six Crimson Crane. And I can tell you now, I for sure wasn't disappointed! I'm still reeling from this book, so this review may be slightly incoherent.

Spoilt Princess Shiori'anma has magic, but she's always been told that magic is dangerous. When Shiori discovers her stepmother dark secret, her stepmother curses her to never speak again, for every sound that Shiori makes one of her six brothers will die. Oh, and the cherry on top? Her brothers also got cursed and were turned into cranes. Shiori, now cursed and magicless, is forced to find a way to break her and her brother's curse.

Six Crimson Cranes is a stunning East-Asian inspired fairytale, and it sure does feel like Lim has woven magic into each sentence, pulling the reader into this beautiful, whimsical world. The story is well-paced with fantastic twists and turns, and all the characters are so wonderfully woven into the story. The character development of Shiori'anma is *chefs kiss* and the slow-burn romance between her and our cinnamon roll love interest 😭😭😭 Takkan has my heart, truly.

If you like;
- East Asian inspired settings
- Fairytale Magic ✨
- Cinnamon Roll love interest 🥺
- Slow burn romance 🔥
- A Sassy paper crane sidekick
- Fun family relationships!
- DRAGONS!!!
- Food descriptions that'll leave you yearning for a recipe book
- A cliffhanger of an ending
this will be the perfect read for you.

5/5 Stars for this gorgeous book

P.S. I would like the second book now pretty please 💖
Update: P.P.S. I saw another review saying that this would be good for fans of Disney and Ghibli, like yeah 100% hard agree on that one.

TL;DR Recommendation:

Favourite. This book has worked its way up onto one of my favourites of the year. A mind-blowing fairytale that will swoop you into its magical world on origami wings.

THIS IS A GOOD FUCKING BOOK AND YOU SHOULD READ IT.
I’ve sat here for about an hour trying to figure out how to put my love for this book into words and I think that smashes it tbh. It’s rare that I devour such a long book in a few days and if you chose to dip your toes into this magical world, this is what you’re in for:

✨ A re-telling of a Grimms fairy tale
✨ One princess hell-bent on avoiding being married off to some brute in the north
✨ One corrupt stepmother (obvs) that banishes her and her six brothers away from their home
✨ One exquisite story about them finding each other again

Shiori is 16 and much like any 16-year-olds who happen to be the youngest of 7 siblings, she’s a fan of breaking the rules and causing chaos – princess or not. We’d absolutely be pals.

Shiori also happens to be the only daughter of the Emperor of Kiata and is very much used as a bargaining chip to build alliances with other cities. We swoop into her world on the day of her betrothal ceremony and between the option of her entire kingdom finding out she can wield magic via a fluttering origami bird (heeeyy Kiki, you cutie) or running, Shiori chooses to jump into the lake. Perfectly natural reaction if you ask me.

After being rescued from drowning by a dragon called Seryu, she’s in the dog house with her dad. Relationships are ruined, alliances are in tatters and reputations have been shat on. The punishment? Embroider a giant-ass tapestry by hand under the watchful eye of her stepmother who catches every little mishap.

Not content with learning her lesson, Shiori’s curiosity gets her in trouble again except this time it’s a little more serious and in the form of a corrupt, dark magic-wielding stepmother. Scrambling to tell her brothers, Evil Stepmother quickly throws two pretty mean curses across all seven of them. For her beloved brothers, they’re turned in cranes. For Shiori, she cast away from her home, with a warning to never utter a word to anyone – every time she speaks, one of her much loved brothers will die.

Exiled from her home, without a coin to her name and an origami bird as her only pal, Shiori needs to find her way home and break the curse that looms over them.

This is a fast book. Everything comes at you within the first 100 pages and it can absolutely be overwhelming BUT holy shit am I here for that. Throw everything you can at me, keep me wanting more and I’ll absolutely be your biggest advocate.

The world-building is captivating, the characters will warm you to the core (even the shite ones) and I’m so unbelievably excited to see what happens to this magical little nugget. Honestly do yourself a favour and read it. My ramblings do not do it justice.

Shiori is becoming the princess she was raised to be. She detests her lessons, the mindless activities she is set, and the distance forming between herself and her brothers, as they grow up and venture off into the world. Everything about her life, both the good and the bad, is soon put at peril when she unwittingly makes a discovery. It puts her entire family's lives at risk and sees her banished from her palace home and forced to live as a nameless, faceless, and voiceless outcast, instead of the adored princess she once was.

The actual events and characters that featured throughout this book remained of interest but something about them both still kept me at a distance. I can't accurately describe just what it was about this book that halted me from ever becoming fully invested or intrigued. I remained interested enough to continue, but never eager to pick the book back up again each time I set it aside. Perhaps it was knowledge of the original tale or perhaps that it was a case of bad timing, as I read this in-between adult high fantasy books and this read like it was aimed towards the younger end of the YA audience. Neither of these is, of course, the book's fault and I'm sure it will have a vast number of happy readers, if the rest of the early reviews are anything to go by.

Six Crimson Cranes was another series by Elizabeth Lim who wrote the Spin of the Dawn duology. I really like Lim's writing style but Unravel the Dusk left me unsatisfied but picking up Six Crimson Cranes gave me hope to give another try for Elizabeth Lim's stories.

Six Crimson Cranes is an astounding and heart-warming story. The premise itself caught me and made me want more of the story. I can't say enough how good the book is.

You would want more of the characters especially Shiori and her brothers. What made this book so good was the unpredictable plot.

I can't wait for the next sequel!

Wow!
Where do I start?
Wow!

In a kingdom which has banned magic and banished all demons to the Holy Mountains, Princess Shiori must hide her magical blood from those around her, in particular her six brothers, her mysterious stepmother and her father, the Emperor.
However, when a combination of magic and stubbornness derails Shiori’s betrothal ceremony the princess discovers that she is not the only family member hiding their gift. After spying on her stepmother, Shiori is convinced that her father’s wife is a demon and turns to her brothers…with disastrous consequences.
With her six brothers transformed into cranes, Shiori is alone, cast far away from the palace and forced to remain mute: for every word she utters, one brother will die! She is also unrecognisable, her magic is locked and she cannot reveal her past to anyone. Powerless, abandoned and mute- can Shiori save her six older brothers and return home to defeat her stepmother?


Shiori herself is an amazing protagonist. She is young, impulsive, stubborn but also has the biggest heart. Her love for her brothers (and food) is integral to her personality and the comfort she takes in the memories of her mother is beautiful.
Initially, Shiori’s life may appear to be a fairytale with extravagant robes and magnificent palaces. Maybe that is why Lim creates a fairytale-worthy curse? With a lost voice, a lost pink slipper and a city put to sleep, Elizabeth Lim certainly showcases some of the magic we saw in her Disney Twisted Tale novels.
Shiori’s journey to save her brothers is one of tremendous bravery and courage and it is along this path that the princess truly discovers her inner strength. She also matures immensely (it’s probably inevitable when your stepmother curses you) but Shiori experiences the hardships of the world around her, learns who to trust and realises that sometimes poison (or a curse) can be a “medicine in disguise”.

The supporting cast within Six Crimson Cranes are also incredible. Seryu the dragon prince with his ruby eyes and green hair clearly cares for Shiori. Will he try to sway her affections in book two? He will have to compete with Takkan, the loyal, picture-perfect prince who protected Shiori when no-one else did, long before he knew her true identity.
Shiori’s stepmother, Raikama, was possibly the most complex character. Despite only being present at the beginning and end of the novel, she spends 90% of the book as a villain – and the reader is fully on board with this! However, Lim’s ingenious use of Shiori’s faint memories help her piece together an unfathomable puzzle: why would Raikama curse the siblings instead of killing them? Is this linked to her stepmother’s magic and her mysterious past?


The world building in Six Crimson Cranes is magical. Without breaking the flow of the novel Lim perfectly creates the kingdom of Kiata in our minds, from the manicured grounds of the palace during the Summer Festival, with kites bobbing against azure skies, to the bleak but beautiful Iro, overlooked by Rabbit mountain, glittering in the light of the silver moon. Elizabeth Lim truly transports her readers to these beautiful but dangerous landscapes.

Six Crimson Cranes is a book which surpassed all my expectations. The world building is as magical as its fairy-tale undertones and the characters already feel like old friends. I don’t think I can wait another year for the sequel!

Thank you so so much to Netgalley for providing this amazing opportunity! I received a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review…and now I’m off to pre-order the real thing!

I loved this book so much. I already knew I loved Elizabeth Lim's writing after reading spin the dawn (a personal favourite) I 100% recommend buying this book

I love a good fairy tale retelling. I think Shannon Hale was the first I read, but there have been plenty of others. It never ceases to amaze me, the depth and the different stories authors can dig out of a (fairly basic, let's be honest) fairy tale. This one sits beautifully in that group.

Shiori is the only daughter, youngest child, of the emperor of a vaguely Asian-ish country. As the daughter, and the youngest, she's been coddled and indulged for most of her life, but now her betrothal is upon her, and she's also trying to hide her forbidden magic. Princess or not, if her father finds out he will have no choice but to banish her. Attempting to hide it (and to avoid her betrothal, let's be honest) she finds herself abruptly in the company of a dragon. Although he does nothing but be vaguely condescending in her general direction, the interaction catches the attention of Shiori's nameless stepmother, and she casts her spells. Left with no one to rely on, voiceless and helpless, Shiori will have to learn to harness her own strength and magic to save herself, her brothers, and her realm from evil powers.


In case, like me, you didn't realise; this is the first of a series, at least two books. Don't expect things to wrap up at the end; one problem is solved, but there's plenty more to worry about.

Now, the real review.

I adore the tone of this book. Elizabeth has captured the *feel* of the very best fairytales while crafting something entirely new. Western audiences will probably be most familiar with the base story as The Raven Brothers, but there are variations all over the world, with the brothers variously numbering two, six or even twelve. (This is so that, with the princess, they are three, seven or thirteen, important and powerful numbers.) In this version, as you can guess from the title, they are six and turned into cranes. Six is a good number; they each have a little space to develop a personality, without being so many that they blur together. There are elements of other fairy tales in here too, all mixed together to create something wonderful.

The only (very slight) complaint I have is that the huge revelations near the end all came very quickly, crowded together, and I had trouble following them; I had to read back a couple of times to make sure I had everything right. I'm sure other readers will follow it without a problem, but for me it was a bit much all at once.

However, that was just one tiny thing that in no way detracted from my enjoyment of this beautiful, magical tale. I can't wait to read the next part (and maybe part three? I don't know how long this series is going to be.) I'm excited to see if Elizabeth is going to wind in even more fairytales - there's plenty of scope for more elements to show up!

A fantastic, beautiful read. If you enjoy fantasy or folktales, this is the book for you.

Oh how I loved this book - Six Crimson Cranes is an asian-inspired re-imagining of the Six Swans tale. And it WILL surprise you ! This is my first book by Elizabeth Lim (her first series is now very high on my TBR), and I was impressed by her storytelling: two chapters in, and I was already emotionally invested in the story. Not only because of the world building (which was incredible), but also because of the characters: profound and multidimensional, with interesting arcs - I couldn't help but love them all. Not to mention, the plot twists that made me gasp out loud… 
I definitely recommend this one if you're looking for a gripping, enchanting fantasy to read. A 2021 favorite for me !

There are some books that you know are going to be a 5 star read from the moment you read the title. Six Crimson Cranes was one of those books.

I wasn’t wrong.

I was already familiar with Elizabeth Lim since I read and adored her The Blood of Stars duology (Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk), so obviously when she announced she was going to publish a new book, I was very excited. My curiosity only grew the more she posted things about it, especially the beautiful artworks that are currently up as a preorder prize. I’m so happy that the book lived up to my expectations—if not surpassed them even. It was simply perfect, perhaps even more so than Spin the Dawn.

My favorite aspect of the story was the sibling bond between Shiori and her brothers. There’s something in the way Elizabeth Lim writes these sort of relationships that warms my heart. The love Shiori and her brothers feel for one another is beautiful and unconditional. I can’t help but compare it to the bond between my siblings and me. For some reason I can count on one hand the sibling relationships I truly love in YA, and Elizabeth Lim now counts two series in that list.

Another element I loved was the romance. Arranged marriage? Yes, please! What made this special was the way Takkan and Shiori grew closer without him truly knowing who she was. They became friends, and that friendship bloomed into something more. Although I must say that the ending does leave me wondering…I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil anyone.

Speaking of the ending, I was truly surprised by how things wrapped up and I’m excited for the sequel! I also recognized a name from Spin the Dawn, which has me wondering if in the next book we’ll see another name pop up. [smirks] By all means, this doesn’t mean you have to have read the other series in order to read this one. Besides being set in the same universe, the two stories are distinct from one another.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read an eARC! Opinions are my own.

First of all, the cover is beautiful and is the reason that I requested this book. I have just read the Spin the Dawn duology by the same author which I found okay but not totally to my taste. I must say I enjoyed this story more, at least I noticed some character development with Shiori. However it bothered me that she sounds much younger than she's supposed to be.
The world still feels underdeveloped to me and I'd like to learn more about it in the second book. The ending was a bit confusing, suddenly a lot happened at once, some things got solved, others didn't. I think I'll still read the second book for closure :-)
3.5 stars.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having read the Blood of Stars duology by Elizabeth Lim, I knew that I was going to enjoy the writing style. The concept of the story really pulled me in, and I was thrilled when I recieved an ARC of this book!

A retelling of a classic fairytale by the Brothers Grimm, Lim really made this her own - rich in its own lore and with just interesting characters. I absolutely loved Shiori's character development, going from a spoilt princess to something much more. I've definitely come to expect wonderful things from Lim, and this book solidified why she is an auto buy author for me. Cannot wait to read more of Shiori's story in the next book!

Elizabeth Lim’s writing is lyrically beautiful and the world within these pages is nothing but magic. I easily fell in love with the world and our main character Shiori from the very first page.

If you love fairytales, magical quests and strong family connection then you’ll no doubt fall in love with Six Crimson Cranes.

I am in love with this world and this book.

If you want:
- fairytale vibes
- arranged marriage trope
- family and siblings who would do anything for each other
- dragons, curses, quests, and talking paper cranes

then you need to read Six Crimson Cranes!!

2021 truly has been the year of me falling in love with the writing of Elizabeth Lim.

This is my second book from this author and not a single moment in her works ever disappoint, Six Crimson Cranes being my latest escape into her work. Based on The Wild Swans fairytale, Lim breathes new life into the story with wonderfully written characters, touching scenes and the crafting of beautiful scenery that brings every moment of this story to life.

Shiori is a wonderful character, resilient, tough but also human, she's so well written and constructed throughout this story and her relationships with the other characters are done so well, [particularly with Takken and their blooming relationship throughout the book.] I really appreciate how many characters there are but none of them feel like they are the same people, and that makes for excellent reading.

The plot is brilliant, I'm sat here writing this review while the story is fresh at 2:30 in the morning as I couldn't control my reading habit when it comes to this book. Twisting and turning until the end of the story, I loved it and each plot point is well wrapped up in this book and leaves you wanting to know what happens next in this series - I can't wait to know where this story is going, I am long haul for these books.

As I said beautiful scenery crafted beautifully (I really want to see the Rabbit Ear Mountains!) and fantastic writing that creates a whole new world to fall head first into, I loved this book and I can't wait for more people to read this, I need to discuss this series at length with someone as soon as possible.

I love stories set in East Asia and Ireland, so when a book combines the two - it will be an instant win. It did not disappoint! I've loved every word of this beautiful tale inspired by an old Irish legend set in a fantastical East Asian land. I felt transported into the story and really didn't want it to finish. Beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy!

This was a beautiful read, full of wonderful characters and a compelling story.

I absolutely loved this book - it was fast paced, the characters grabbed my attention and the world building was perfection.

I am always a fan of fairytale and fable re-tellings, but this one has certainly taken it to another level. The wonderful Asian setting, Shiori and her magic, Kiki, it was all so amazing.

I have not read the Spin the Dawn series, but they are next on my TBR now.

Cannot wait to have a beautiful special edition of Six Crimson Cranes from Fairyloot in July!

I am going to start with the cover art, either the UK version (above) by Kelly @_afterblossom_ or the US cover by Tran Nguyen (@mynameistran) both of which are absolutely stunning and would make me buy the books even if I hadn't read them! Please make sure to look and wonder at both!

There is something about Elizabeth Lim's writing that just absolutely clicks with me and I get utterly engulfed in her stories.

Set in the same world as the 'Spin the Dawn' and 'Unravel the Dusk' books but a different land gives the story room to grow and also gives Lim a chance to do more world-building. When she writes I find I am able to see clearly in my imagination what it is she is describing which is very often not the case.

Shiori starts off as a spoilt princess, fighting her destiny and the arranged marriage trope only to meet a dragon, get cursed and start an entirely new path but one that was written long ago. I loved watching Shiori's character develop throughout the book, you could see how her motivations changed as well as a growing wisdom within her. Not to mention that she doesn't want the men to save her, she wants to sort everything out herself and that's a kind of stubborn I can agree with!

It is a YA Fantasy so it is fairly light/cute reading as opposed to some popular Fantasy series but sometimes you need something ..more innocent in your life!

Lets put it this way, Elizabeth Lim is now an auto-read for me and I will be buying these books when I have the chance!

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder Stoughton for a complimentary ARC of this book.

Six Crimson Cranes is Elizabeth Lim’s latest novel and the first book in a new duology that’s set in the same world as her The Blood of Stars duology. Again, the author manages to pull her readers in easily, with characters that are easy to root for, and a story that incorporates just enough elements of the fairy tale it was originally based on—The Wild Swans—to feel familiar, while simultaneously creating an entirely new and enchanting world.

From the very first paragraph, I was captivated by Elizabeth Lim’s newest story, by the world she created, with its magic, dragons, princes and princesses, and so much political intrigue! I also really enjoyed Shiori as a protagonist. She makes rash decisions at times, which get her in tricky situations, but throughout the course of the novel she really finds herself. The way she fought to break not only her own curse, but especially the one put on her brothers—which made them turn into six crimson cranes—really made me feel for her. And especially considering she was so intent on ridding herself of her duty as princess, it was interesting to follow her on this journey that made her realise her true place in the world—and her father’s, the emperor’s, kingdom.

Also: there’s the arranged marriage trope—but with a twist! And the whole journey / quest aspect made for an incredibly immersive reading experience, too. Generally, Elizabeth Lim possesses a talent for borrowing well-known tropes and completely turning them on their heads. That’s what makes a fairy tale retelling shine, for me: when those familiar elements are combined and woven into something new, something unexpected, that still feels entirely true to the essence of the story!

Shiori’s relationship with her brothers was also something I enjoyed, as well as the focus on family—also in regards to Shiori’s stepmother, Raikama, who put the curse on her and her brothers in the first place. And still there was a part in Shiori that remembered her fondly; her confusion and anger and fear mixed with a still lingering fondness made for an intense reading experience, in which nothing was as it seemed at first.
I also loved Shiori’s relationship with her own magic—in a land in which magic is forbidden and dangerous—and how she learned to accept her powers and find comfort in them. Especially in the magical paper bird Kiki, who became her dearest friend throughout the course of the story.

Overall, Six Crimson Cranes was an incredible fairy tale retelling, that pulled the reader in through the use of familiar tropes and elements, but turned the most well-known of them on their heads. Filled with magic, with fantastical creatures and curses, this was an utterly enchanting world; but what made me truly fall in love with Elizabeth Lim’s newest story were the bonds between the different characters, and Shiori’s determination to save the people she cared about most. I cannot wait for the sequel to be released!

I was absolutely drawn in by the stunning cover and the authors name as I have read Spin the Dawn and completely adored it. A solid 4 stars with lots of curses, dragons and cranes. A heroine you can't help but adore and sympathize with and a beautiful tale of love and loyalty.

We follow the only daughter of Emperor Hanario, Shiori. Her 6 brothers are turned into cranes and then Shiori herself is then cursed by her step mother Raikama so that if she ever speaks a word: one of her brothers will die. Her step mother has dark magic but Shiori now has magic of her own and Raikama does not like that. There is so much more to the tale than those brief sentences but I am trying to keep this as spoiler free as possible. I was honestly in awe of Shiori reading this book, the silent strength and resilience of this young girl is something to be admired. She went through so much in this tale of magic and demons. She held her own and didn't give in to anyone/anything. We essentially follow a quest with Shiori. A tale of loyalty, love, magic, adventure and a lovely hint of a romance (though it went in a different direction than I thought). The last few chapters were so investing that I couldn't help but stop a few time's when reading because it was just so good. It didn't end in the way I thought it would (Limm did an incredible thing here where she took the ending and made it into something we never could have predicted when reading the summary). I was so close to tears a good few times. The ending of this book was the best bit and left so much for Limm to discover in a sequel.