I loved this book and can't wait to get my hands on book two. I went into this after only seeing the cover and knowing it was a bit of 'swan princess' retelling with a twist.

If you like

-Fairytale vibes
- Arranged marriage trope
- Slow burn romance
- Strong family bonds
- Dragons & Magic
- Morally grey characters
Then you need to read Six Crimson Cranes.

I enjoyed the writing style and the character development throughout, it was great to see how much Shiori grows, I was rooting for her all the way through.

I did really enjoy this, I read the whole thing in one sitting, something I haven't done for a really long time so I must have been really invested.

It's the first I've read by Lim, I really enjoyed the storytelling and settings. Plus all the food, it made me so hungry reading this. The pacing of this was just right for me, straight into the story and no info dumps. It was easy to understand and a really enjoyable read.

Thanks so much to Hodder & Stoughton & Netgalley for an E-arc of this.

Last year I reread spin the dawn and unravel the dusk and they still belong to my all time favorite books. So when I heard Elizabeth was writing a new book I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Six Crimson Cranes is once again a fairytale retelling and this time it was a somewhat lesser known fairy tale namely six swans. The story of Six Crimson Cranes is set in an East – Asian inspired world and the UK cover is absolutely stunning and very fitting.

After a month coping with a big reading slump and not finding a book to get me out of it, I was beginning to lose hope. While waiting in the waiting room for my doctor’s appointment I decided to start reading Six Crimson Cranes, because I loved Elizabeth’s other two books so it would hopefully get me out of my reading slump. When the doctor called I was actually annoyed because I didn’t want to stop reading. Six Crimson Cranes immediately drew me in from the start and I couldn’t put the book down. I even finished it in under 24 hours and can’t wait for the second book in this new duology!

Elizabeth has a way of writing which is so easy and pleasantly to read. In my opinion it’s one of the best writing styles. If you enjoyed Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk, then Six Crimson Cranes should definitely be added to your TBR-pile.

Shiori is supposed to be this spoiled, immature and impulsive princess, but I couldn’t resist falling in love with her. And I enjoyed seeing her character develop throughout the story. She goes from being a princess to being called a demon(worshipper) and having to work hard to survive. In the beginning she is struggling against her arranged marriage, but before she can meet her betrothed she is cursed. Without her voice she can’t tell people who she really is and when a woman takes her in and calls her Lina it’s the name she will go by until she can break the curse. As Lina she meets her betrothed Takkan and slowly comes to the realization that her prejudices against her betrothed aren’t true.

What I love about Takken is that his outside appearance is written as his sexiest quality. Elizabeth focusses on Takkens personality. And I really enjoyed the moments between Shiori and Takken. The story also isn’t resolved around them finding love. Family and Family love plays the bigger role in this story. We can clearly see Shiori’s love for her brothers, as well as her complex relationship with her stepmother Raikamaa. Even though her stepmother cursed her, she still tries to see the good in her and that’s why I really loved the ending of the book. And I think it was also rather emotionel. One of my favorite characters inside the book was Kiki, which was a paper bird Shiori had folded. And her personality was great and since she came alive with Shiori’s magic they could talk mind to mind.

There are some minor details in the book which I would love to know more about on how Elizabeth visioned it. For example Shiori is cursed and wears a wooden bowl on her head. It is described in the book as covering her eyes, but thanks to her magic she can see through the bowl. But her magic is gone thanks to the curse and it also seems that anyone assumes that she can just see fine. They even tell her to cover up her bowl. As I said I would love to hear from Elizabeth how she visioned that part so I could understand it more.

But I don’t think it will surprise you when I tell you I rated this book ★★★★★ 5 stars!

This book is just amazing! Believe me! And I’m referring to everything. That stunning cover, the characters, the setting, the world building, these descriptions!

The book is a fairytale retelling about a princess that realises she has magic and find herself in position to leave for a quest to save her brothers. Through the unfolding of the story we see the main character grow and change. We see the family and siblings love and how strong the bond is. We follow the heroine in her quest and live her adventures.

I came across Lim’s books this year and have read so far The Blood of Stars books and this one. I love the way she writes! I’m always losing myself in her stories and love the characters. Her strong, independent female characters are always an inspiration!

Loved this! My favourite read of 2021 so far. From its gorgeous cover to its strong female protagonist, I enjoyed every bit of it. I can't wait for the second book!

This magical fairytale retelling captured me from the very first chapter. The East-Asian inspired historical setting is immensely fascinating. The Emperor's palace, the food, the dressing all are remarkably detailed.

I loved Shiori, the female protagonist. She is strong, bold, and witty. Her character development is very well done. She is my favourite character in the story. Another character I loved is Takkan. He is simply charming. Seryu is also an interesting character but I wanted to see more of him. His story is less explored. I hope to see more of him in the second book.

This book is a gem for fantasy lovers. Forbidden magic, dragons, paper birds, big plot twists, enchanters, this book has it all! And, of course, Six Crimson Cranes.

Highly recommended.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder Stoughton for the arc.

This book is a whirlwind of magic and mystery. Fans of stories with that fairytale feel will love it. Mythical creatures, evil enchanters, forbidden magic, quests and curses. What more could you want? Beautifully written with so much atmosphere. There is a lot of depth to this story I feel and this first book, whilst satisyfing, has only just scratched the surface.

Recommended for all fairytale fans.

Thank you netgallery and thr publisher for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I have read Elizabeth Lims previously works, spin the dawn and unravel the dust, which I throughly loved so I went into this book with high hopes. I wasn't disappointed, I didn't think Lim's writing could get better but while reading Six Crimson Cranes I knew she had upped her game.

I love the way Lim weaves in the fairytales and mythology into her story. The story building was fantastic and I love the pacing in the book. The ending is going to make me struggle waiting patiently for the sequel for this one. I personally would have liked a bit more romance between the mc but otherwise a brilliant read. 4.5 stars.

Six Crimson Cranes is my first Elizabeth Lim book, though she’s been recommended to me before. I really loved it. It’s a retelling of the fairy tale, The Wild Swans, and as retellings go, it’s absolutely wonderful. Elizabeth Lim has such a light touch with her storytelling, and this feels like a book that was a joy to write.
The plot is a relatively simple one, or rather, it appears simple on the surface. As you keep reading, there are more and more layers to what’s going on. At first it seemed like difficult but, ultimately, straightforward quest, and I was good with that because I was enjoying the way the story was told. But there’s a lovely twist, and I can’t honestly say that it came out of the blue, it was seeded throughout, but I kept on telling myself that I’d just be disappointed if I kep expecting it. And instead I was happily surprised! I’m also super excited for the sequel because, again, parts of it have clearly been seeded through this book, and Elizabeth Lim is clearly an enormously skilled plotter.
I also loved the characters. From the shadowy figure of the man Shiori is supposed to marry, through to the wicked stepmother whom she used to love, and to Shiori herself, they were interesting and fun. Shiori herself is delightful and has such excellent character development. She starts off as this very young, quite immature girl, and the curse her stepmother inflicts upon her forces her to grow and change. Also Takkan is a precious sweet boy and I love him.
Elizabeth Lim’s writing is just so… it’s hard to describe what I mean. There’s a sureness and confidence to it that makes you want to let go of wondering what’s about to happen and just read. And her imagery is wonderful! The image of Shiori wandering throughout the lands with this bowl on her head is is incredibly striking and memorable, and so is the way people treat her because of it. All the way through, I felt as though I could really feel what the places being described were like, and as a person with a very flimsy sense of place, this was so nice.
This was the kind of book I finished and thought, oh, that was really nice, but since finishing it a couple of weeks ago, it keeps sneaking back into my mind and all my thoughts associated with it are just really happy and positive. I’d recommend it to anyone who loves fairy tale retellings or just incredibly beautiful and easy to read magical stories.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

Elizabeth Lim’s writing had me completely vowed when I first read her previous duology, so I went into Six Crimson Cranes with a lot of expectations. And oh boy, this book met them all. I finished this book quite quickly too (started at midnight, stopped to sleep around 2AM and then finished it by 5PM). The story feels truly wonderful and enchanting. It feels like you’re taking a step into the world of a beautiful fairy tale.

The world building in this book is so gorgeous and the way things are described make you feel like you’re seeing things in front of you as they happen. This certainly helped me in reading through it quickly. The story might seem somewhat predictable, but Lim’s writing makes reading it so enjoyable.

Shiori, at the start of the book, is quite a reckless girl, but over the course of the story, we see her go through a lot and become a different person. Her character development is honestly so great and I can’t wait to see what happens to her in the next week. As for the love interest, Takkan has now become my newest fictional boyfriend. Shiori, having not met him, had described him as being a lord from the dark and barbaric north, and I honestly thought, like her, he would be some sort of gruff figure. But turns out that wasn’t the case. Takkan turned out to be a really nice guy and treated Shiori kindly even when he didn’t know who she was. At this point, after reading the book, I really love this guy.

I did feel like a love triangle was being hinted at, especially with how Shiori interacted with Seryu (the dragon prince who first appears when Shiori jumps into a lake to look for her special paper crane), but the climax and the end of the book took that thought away.

I 1000% recommend this book and if you haven’t pre ordered it, do it already because you’re gonna love it!

Six Crimson Cranes is an Asian inspired Fantasy based on one of my all-time favourite tales The Six Swans.

I first encountered The Six Swans when reading Grimm’s Fairytales a good few years ago and it’s been one of those stories that really stuck in my mind ever since. Because of that this book really stood out to me as soon as I heard about it. Spin the Dawn has been one of my most anticipated reads for a while, and I was lucky enough to receive an eARC of the new edition alongside this. But I couldn’t help but read this one first, I instantly felt really drawn to it.

I though Elizabeth Lim adapted Six Swans really well, you can see how it inspired her book, but she really took the story in her own direction, and completely transformed it into a fantasy unlike anything I have read before. If I tried to classify this book I would say it’s a ‘fairytale fantasy’, and it reminded me of what I used to love so much about those tales when I was growing up.

I loved that Elizabeth wove snippets of other tales throughout this book too, it was a fun experience to spot them all, they were like small easter eggs for fans of lesser known fairytales like myself. I was excited to spot a reference to The Princess Who Never Smiled at one point in the book, another one of my favourite tales (whether this was intended or not I don’t know though!)

The characters in Six Crimson Cranes are believable, I absolutely loved Shiori’s six brothers and Takkan, her betrothed. But most importantly I loved Shiori herself. She is a fantastic main character, she’s unbelievably strong, and cares a lot about those she loves. She’s a role-model in the most perfect sense, because she makes mistakes, and doesn’t try to avoid them or ignore them. Instead she faces them head-on and uses them to make herself a better person. This is a journey of self-discovery as much as it’s a tale of magic and betrayal.

But it wasn’t just the characters that made this story, it was the plot too. The twists were shocking and the stakes were high. I was thrown completely off-guard with the direction the story took in the second half of the book, which I loved. Elizabeth Lim’s world is beautiful too, I loved all the references to Asian food and culture and her writing is just impeccable. I could smell, taste and feel everything through her writing, which did make me very hungry when it came to the food.

And sorry… can we just talk about that cover? If I wasn’t drawn in by the synopsis I’d have probably be guilty of wanting to read this book for that cover alone!! IT’S STUNNING.

SUMMARY

This is an incredible book and one of my favourite reads this year! It’s a tale of magic and curses, family and kindness, relationships and mistakes. It’s nail biting stuff, with high stakes, and shocking twists, but there’s some really heartfelt and tender moments too.

The sequel is going straight in my basket as soon as it’s available for pre-order!

CAWPILE: 10

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Confession: when I started reading this, I had completely forgotten the synopsis! My first impression was definitely that it reads like a fairytale, which makes sense since it is a retelling, and I really liked this. It reminded me of the stories and fairytales I used to read with my Mum when I was younger.

I loved Shiori's character development. Initially, as a princess she wants to do her own thing and resents having to do her lessons or any other tasks she is given as part of her duty but when she is exiled, she doesn't hesitate to do hard labour and instead views it as a way to fix the curse and get her brothers back. I loved that her motivation was always this and never that she missed being a princess or wanted to stop working. The emphasis in this book is on family, with romance taking a back seat. I liked all the side characters too, especially Takkan *swoon* A man who is kind, writes stories and sings? Yes please.

The writing was engaging and easy to read and pulled me in from the first page. I ended up reading it quickly as I wanted to see how it would all play out. Every time you felt like Shiori was making progress, something would go wrong and I wanted to see how she would fix it each time. Lim definitely builds intrigue through the curse and there is a good pace throughout. The plot works well and even though the end is clearly setting it up for a sequel, I felt that it all came together at the end and you could potentially read this as a standalone if you so wished.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice easy read with a great focus on family, magic and love. Definitely recommend if you're looking for a book with fairytale vibes and a strong female protagonist.

Firstly a huge, huge thank you to both NetGalley and Hodder Books for providing me with the e-ARC of Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim in exchange for my honest and unbiased reviews. I had heard so many good things about Elizabeth Lim’s work that I did go into this read with high expectations and I wasn’t disappointed, Six Crimson Cranes takes the original fairytale and totally pushes the boundaries to create a beautiful, lyrical and totally engaging adventure!

Shiori, the main protagonist is the youngest and only daughter of seven royal siblings, she is very much her father’s favourite but, must hide her deepest secret from him and all in the royal kingdom, because she can do magic, which is totally forbidden.

Shiori and her brothers live what appears to be an idyllic, but traditional royal life, the only sadness in their lives to date is the loss of their mother, and their father’s remarriage to their step-mother Raikama. However, this idyllic life is disrupted on the day of Shiori’s betrothal when Shiori meets a dragon. From this point onwards Shiori’s life will never be the same and soon after Shiori and her brothers are cursed by her step-mother; Shiori’s curse prevents her from speaking, if she does she will kill one of her brothers, leaving her unable to tell people who she is or what has happened and her brothers are turned into cranes!

Shiori finds herself with no choice but to journey to find her brothers and discover a cure for their step-mother’s curse. This journey takes Shiori far beyond her previous physical limitations of the palace and introduces her to a world, people (friends and foe,) and experiences that she’d never previously imagined.

I would love to talk more about the content and the story, but this would only ruin it for anyone who has not been lucky enough to read this beautiful story yet. Lim delivers a beautifully structured world that initially focuses on introducing Shiori, Shiori’s world and magic and events that lead up to the moment her world changes, which provides a clear foundation for the tumultuous events that follow on from there. The world of Six Crimson Cranes is beautiful, but you can feel the shadows at the edges and I absolutely loved how this book weaved mythology, fairy-tales and folklore into the story and the world itself.
Whilst my review concentrates on the characterisation of Shiori, there are other key characters in the story, Lim doesn’t skimp or fail these characters, they are written beautifully and I could see them in my head as I read the book. In fact this book delivers on description, worldbuilding, pace, quality and emotion and I for one absolutely loved the reveals as the book progressed. Trust me, you will be surprised by the ending, but you won’t feel that anything has been included for pure shock factor, and I am definitely hooked and already excited for the next book!

And I hardly mentioned DRAGONS!!! Seriously, there are DRAGONS!

Six Crimson Crane is a retelling of the Grimm's fairytale The Six Swans. It was okay but too YA for my liking. I felt the characters too young and I couldn't relate to them. Consequently, I didn't enoy the story as much as I hoped. But maybe the problem it's me, not the book. Maybe I've outgrown this genre.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review

Wow. This was absolutely stunning. A gorgeous prose writing style, incredible world building and an overall really enchanting and captivating book. Addictive to read and a real page turner. I absolutely adored the characters too!

I will definitely be purchasing a physical copy and telling everyone I know to do the same!

A retelling of the fairytale of Six Swans. However, this verison is set in China. Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but it soon catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Penniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry.

This is a beautifully written retelling. Shiori comes on such a journey, from being a spoiled princess, to being a resourceful, independent and courageous young woman.

I loved the setting of this story, Lim paints a beautiful picture in the readers mind of the landscape and surroundings. Sprinkled woth some chinese culture too. Just so lovely! Can't wait to read the next one to find out what happens next!

This was a beautifully written book that was poetic and enchanting. I loved how this narrative can be seen as a prequel legend to Spin the Dawn as it features characters from that book and engages with the myths and legends told to Maia.

I loved the character development and the relationships that were built. Nothing was rushed or forced and there was a harmony amongst all of the relationships whether family, friendship, enemy or love.

I cannot fault this book.

"Six Crimson Cranes" is just spectacular. I dived into this novel and didn't come up for air until I finished it. It's that good.
The writing is fantastic with gorgeous prose that enscares the reader from page 1.. Really, the only criticism I have at all is that there are a little too many exclamation points that interrupt the flow of the storytelling for me, but this is a really minor and very subjective issue. The world Lim paints with her words is lush and detailed, steeped in mythology and rich in fairytale-esque character. The plot is fast-paced and never boring yet still allows for quiet moments dedicated to the characters themselves. I read this novel in one day because I was so enchanted by it, so invested in everything that was happening.

Out protagonist, princess Shiori, is complex and flawed with a genuinely good heart. She is utterly loveable, and while she does fill the usual YA Chosen One trope quota for this new series, she does so in an intriguing and really interesting way. I adore her, and I adore her brothers. They don't get as much "screen time" as her, but Lim still manages to give them distinct personalities and make them come alive so much that you cannot but WANT Shiori to succeed in saving them. And the love interest? Absolutely dreamy. The romance is never at the forefront of the novel but I still felt it so deeply. Really, all the minor characters are fantastic - the only ones that I felt would have needed to be more fleshed out were the villains of the story, especially the main one. But hey, that's what sequels are for, right?

The ending sets up this sequel perfectly. I'm already aching to read on. A wonderful, stunningly written fairytale that I will definitely remember.

This book was absolutely stunning. I had high expectations as i loved Elizabeth Lim's spin the dawn duology. This book went far beyond what i expected and i enjoyed every page of it!

This book moved at a nice steady pace and i found myself hooked from the begining. The ending was just everything!!

The writing in this book was so magical. The way Lim manages to incorporate mythology and fairytales into her books is incredible. The magic of the world was easy to understand and i didnt feel like i was getting lots of info dumped on me.

Im looking forward to being able to dicuss this truely wonderful book with my friends once they read it.

Was this a total cover request? Yes. But when I heard fairyloot was doing Six Crimson Cranes as their monthly book I knew I had to read it!

Dragons and magic and demons - THE BEST.

Set against a backdrop of rich world building, a diverse cast led by a kickass female heroine and, did I mention, DRAGONS, Six Crimson Cranes was just what I needed.

The next YA fantasy fix you need - 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Such an imaginative and compelling story! Six Crimson Cranes is a retelling of the Grimm Brothers' The Six Swans, but with an East Asian spin.

I really love fairytale retellings, and I grew up around Asian folklore, so this hit the spot for me. The universe that Lim creates – full of magic and mystique and beautifully abstract elements like blood of stars – is something that I fell for in her other fairytale retellings, Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk, and I'm honestly so glad to be back.

Characters wise, I love Shiori. She's smart and sassy and she's not perfect, and she actually grows as a character. I love that everyone is a little more complex than they seem, from the evil-stepmother Raikama to her bethrothed, Takkan.

I will say that sometimes the world gets a bit ahead of itself, with more detail than is strictly necessary in an almost info-dump way that makes it hard to read at times. And honestly, the dragon part of it, which seemed so promising at first, becomes almost an afterthought (although maybe this will be elaborated on later?).

I'm still definitely keeping an eye out for the sequel, though!

I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Netgalley.

Throughout this novel, Lim expertly takes her readers on a fairytale-esque adventure, following the spoilt princess Shiori as she struggles to free herself and her brothers from a curse placed by her stepmother.

i'd give this book a solid 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. i really loved the character development that is explored, it was so refreshing for me to have a character that i genuinely didn't like at the start but experiencing Shiori's development was enjoyable, and it made me want her to beat the curse even more.

furthermore, i'm a sucker for a good romance, and Lim's depiction of the slowburn throughout was excellent. from the moment we met Takkan you could tell he was exactly what Shiori needed in the long term and the interactions between the two were so endearing, yet the plot of the book never solely focused on it. the true love story was between Shiori and her family. coming from a big family with 4 brothers (just under Shiori's 6) myself, i sympathised with her attempt to do what she had to to protect them.

i thought the world building was interesting, i just wished there was a bit more explanation for some stuff, and i really enjoyed how fast paced it was in the second half of the book, i just wished the first half was faster.