This was disappointing. the first book was so good and this was so mediocre in comparison! Elizabeth Lim can do so much better! Even now her writing style is pretty! Things are very quotable. But so much of the book is rushed, characters are introduced and then left behind, her brothers are so bland and it felt like she just had to be rescued.

I did like what we learned about the step mother and I think Seryu (MY BABY) is an example for all men on how to handle rejection because at least he left her alone.

I really liked the book, although the first one was better. Still was glad I read the sequel. We already have the first one in our store and I will be happy to sell the sequel to our customers.

The Dragon's Promise is the sequel to last year's Six Crimson Cranes, a book I absolutely adored and wholeheartedly recommend to all my followers. I was so excited to be granted an ARC of this book but I kept putting off reading it because I was so nervous my expectations were too high! And unfortunately, they were...

Now, don't get my wrong, this wasn't a bad book. The book picks right up where the first left off, with Shiori about to descend into the Dragon Kingdom to find the true owner of the broken dragon pearl, keeping her promise to Raikama. This part ended up being my favourite, I really enjoyed the first part in the Dragon Kingdom, even if there was a painful love triangle shoved in (seriously though, why couldn't they just stay friends 😭) but it was interesting and beautiful and I loved discovering all the Dragon politics and such, but then the setting changed and my interest just sort of...waned? The villain was blah, the characters weren't as lovable as they were in book 1, heck even Shiori started to annoy me after a while 😅 every chapter ends with Shiori in some kind of danger and it just got old after a while. I wanted to shake her and just yell at her to think 🤣for a change. And the brothers who were such an important part of book 1 kind of faded into the background in this one.

So overall this was a bit of a disappointing sequel for me. I will always recommend Six Crimson Cranes, it was a lovable fairytale with a gorgeous setting and characters, but this one just didn't live up to it unfortunately.

Received an arc from Netgalley to review.

The dragons promise is culmination of Shiori journey that started in Six crimson cranes.

This had everything I loved in the first book, the incredible world building, fleshed out characters and the amazing writing style.

Overall, this was a fitting end to a beautiful story and I’m sad to say goodbye to this world

“Your fate is bound to mine now… Your heart is my own, and where you are is my home. Whatever we face, we face it together.”

In the sequel to the beautiful ‘Six Crimson Cranes’ by Elizabeth Lim, the heroine, Shiori has been taken to the underwater realm of the dragons. She is meant to hand over the broken pearl (a dragon’s heart) her late stepmother gave her, to the king of the dragons.

But her stepmother had asked her to give it only to the one to whom it belongs. And so begins her next quest. If Shiori wants to protect her kingdom, her family, and her betrothed, she’ll have to face many new dangers.

I just love Shiori. She’s smart, feisty, and won’t be told what to do. She’ll follow her heart and won’t shy away from challenges. I enjoyed ‘The Dragon’s Promise’ immensely. Like its predecessor, it’s a beautifully written and gentle read.

This was one of the sequels I was most looking forward to and I must say that I am not overall disappointed! This volume is even more immersive than the previous one, action packed and full of twists!

I got many answers to the questions I had while reading the first volume. I really like the unconventional paths that Emizabeth Lim has chosen to take, going where we didn't expect her to go and sweeping away my fears easily!

The evolution of the characters is relevant and interesting! Honestly, I didn't expect anything from some of the characters and once again Elizabeth Lim has convinced me.

There is only one thing I regret: I am not completely satisfied with the exploitation of magic and two universes on some points. I would have liked it to be more developed, it was even one of my expectations, especially when it comes to the world of dragons, their powers etc.

This ending... It is so original and pleases two aspects of my personality which are totally opposite, I won't say more to avoid spoiling but... Well done!

I really preferred this second volume to the first one (although I really loved the first one too) and I can only recommend it!

The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim is a sequel to the best selling Six Crimson Cranes, and I would highly recommend that readers start with that book before picking up this one which picks up right where its predecessor left off. It is difficult to provide a summary without spoilers for book one but suffice it to there are dragons and demons, magic and mystery and even a hint of romance. Those readers who enjoyed the first book will certainly enjoy seeing how Shiori's story pans out. The reader sees how she grows stronger as a character both physically and emotionally as she is pushed to her limits and beyond. There are strong themes of family that also appealed to me and I appreciated the author's writing style which was almost poetic at times.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

What does it feel like when one of the most anticipated books of the year becomes the biggest disappointment of the year?
I'm talking about The Dragon's Promise, Six Crimson Cranes book 2.

2.75 stars

The storyline felt really repetitive and unnecessary and after reading this sequel I would have preferred Six Crimson Cranes to remain a gorgeous standalone.

In The Dragon's Promise I never found the vibes I loved so much about Six Crimson Cranes and even the descriptions of this fabulous and wonderful world in this sequel got a bit lost.
Even the love triangle is a half disappointment ... I admit I'm not a fan of love triangles but if done right I appreciate them and they entertain me, but here the romance part did not thrill me at all.

The thing I appreciated the most was finding all the beautiful characters that I missed so much, especially Kiki and Seryu ... I love them too much and I would read a book dedicated only to them!

In a nutshell, this sequel certainly made me return to the wonderful world created by Elizabeth Lim and made me find some characters that I had missed so much but it didn’t satisfy me and to be honest it also bored me a little.

Six Crimson Cranes certainly remains a beautiful book with a much more compelling storyline.
If you want to read my opinion on Six Crimson Cranes, here is the link to the Goodreads review: Six Crimson Cranes Review

Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Elizabeth Lim for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Dragons promise is the highly anticipated sequel to Six Crimson Cranes. It dives straight into how the first book in the duology ended with Shiori entering the realm of the dragons.

Shiori has to keep her promise to return the pearl to its rightful owner. With her dragon companion, Seryu she needs to take on the crafty dragons and return to Takkan so that she can finally defeat the demons in the mountain. The first third of this novel, set in the world of the dragons was a wonderful, exciting start to the book, the middle felt like it dragged on a bit but, it did really pick up towards the end. That said, I still devoured this book as though my life depended on it.

I truly love the characters that Lim has created, although I found Shiori's rash and headstrong decisions to be rather irritating at times. I adored the bonds between the siblings. The best aspect of this novel is the rich depictions of mythology and legend. I'm not sure it lived up to its predecessor, but TDP was a satisfying and exciting conclusion to this duology.

Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for an arc of this wonderful novel.

I loved the first installment of the duology, so I was very excited to read this. Although it was very interesting and well written, it felt a little rushed. In my opinion, the story would have worked better, either as a trilogy, or as one book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

A BIG thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this arc.

This review is spoiler free.

I literally read The Dragon’s Promise straight after finishing Six Crimson Cranes and I was looking forward to being able to continue Shiori’s story without endless waiting for a publication date. SCC was action packed and TDP doesn’t disappoint on the action front. A LOT is packed into the 456 pages and I mostly enjoyed it.

The plus points: Takkan, the journey to Ai’long and everything that happened during Shiori’s stay, Kiki, a nice little plot twist and finally learning more about Raikama and her early life. On the downside: we are introduced to a host of new characters who are barely developed leaving you wanting more, Shiori appears to have learned next to nothing from her adventures in SCC and is still behaving recklessly at every opportunity, blink and you miss Seryu who deserves more plot and, the biggest bugbear of all, the convenient wrapping up of every plotline in a nice neat bundle to complete the duology. I feel like there was enough material here for a trilogy. If all the new characters and locations had been developed further, we could have had the 'Empire Strikes Back' novel that most trilogies are given, ending with a mind blowing cliffhanger before sending the heroes off to conquer the bad guys forever in book three. On the other hand, SCC could also have easily been a standalone novel with a few adjustments. I feel that either option would’ve worked in the author’s favour over this effort to tie up the story in duology format. 3.5/5 stars

This is the second and final instalment to the ‘Six Crimson Cranes’ duology and unfortunately, I think Kim should have just left it with the first one! The premise of this novel is really engaging but entirely misleading. It starts with the protagonist’s adventure in the Dragon Kingdom, which I found really interesting and connected to a lot. But unfortunately, unlike the synopsis suggests this exploration of a new land last about 100 pages which are then followed by a series of random adventures for the rest of the 300 pages. It just didn’t flow well for me.

Also, I just didn’t connect with the characters or their romance. It seemed as if the love interest followed the protagonist blindly even though there was a lack of romantic connection - half of the time Shiori was pining for a dragon which she suddenly lost interest in after five minutes back in her homeland. Saying this, I did enjoy Shiori’s connection with Kiki as well as the writing style of the novel which is what ultimately connected me to the story. Sadly though, I don’t think I’d recommend this one as it just wasn’t for me!

TW: demons, violence, fire, death of a parent (mentioned), torture

Six Crimson Cranes was such a wonderful read and so naturally my expectations were high for this book and I got to say I was not disappointed! I definitely need to get physical copies of these two books 🪷💕

The Chinese mythology found in these novels are just so intriguing and beautiful. The author took these Chinese mythology elements and added her own fantasy elements, this was done well.

I enjoyed this duology and can definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for some magical young adult fantasy filled with some romance and adventure! 🪷🐉💖

Thank you @netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton publishers for sending me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. Okay

4/5 🌟

Thank you so much to @hodderscape for sending me an eARC.

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favourite books of 2021 so I was really looking forward to The Dragon’s Promise!

This book continues on from the adventure of Six Crimson Cranes. Princess Shiori made a promise but it’s no easy thing to fulfil and she’s being pulled in more than one direction. This book was full of adventure, political intrigue, magic, and of course dragons. I enjoyed the journey Shiori went on even though I did find her impulsive nature frustrating at times.

There was a lot packed into this one and a few interesting new characters were introduced. Sometimes things felt rushed to me but I do still think this was a great follow-up to Six Crimson Cranes. There was also still a heavy romance element like in book one. As someone who rarely reads books without any romance involved somewhere I enjoyed this.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to seeing what Elizabeth Lim writes next!

Rating: 4/5🌟
#TheDragonsPromise #NetGalley

I was so excited to get an Arc of this , this is a wonderful sequel, so magical and such a beautiful story. I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as Six Crimson Cranes, but it was still a fantastic read. I just find Elizabeth Lim’s writing so beautiful, almost lyrical and it’s just so easy to get swept away.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

I was so delighted & excited to be #gifted this e-Advanced Reader Copy of The Dragon's Promise by @elimpix thanks to @hodderbooks & @netgalley

I devoured this one in a few days & it's every bit as fabulous as it's predecessor!

"Find the light that makes your lantern shine"

Brief synopsis ~
Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon's pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever anticipated.

She must venture to the kingdom of the dragons, navigate the political landscape in both the land of the dragons & humans alike while fending off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves. All while cultivating the appearance of a picture perfect princess to dissuade those who would see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood.

The pearl is no ordinary cargo; it thrums with malevolent power, jumping to Shiori's aid one minute & betraying her the next...

It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster to defend the life and the love she's fought so hard to win.

What I loved 😍
1️⃣ Kiki! She is just so precious & joyous to read!
2️⃣ Shiori - she is just an incredible heroine who I feel most people can relate to as she strives to protect those she loves ❤️
3️⃣ The Plot - so intricately woven! Just such a joy to read! Almost every twist & turn surprised me & left me wondering what would happen next - leaving me desperate to keep reading!
4️⃣ Seryu - I adored him even more in this book! I desperately want a spin off focusing on him & his adventures - I'd buy it immediately 🧡
5️⃣ Shiori's brothers - I loved learning more about them but again I would be so interested in spin offs about them - they're so interesting & wonderful 🧡
6️⃣ Takkan - just an utter delight to read! He's my new dream crush in a book 😍
7️⃣ Elang was so interesting!
8️⃣ The ending- just sublime!

A little fantasy checklist to encourage my fellow fantasy lovers to give it a go ✨️
✨️ magic ✔️
🌍 world building ✔️
💕 romance ✔️
🧡 family & found family love ✔️
⚔️ enthralling battles ✔️
🗡 strong lead character ✔️
🧡 cultural representation ✔️
🔮 mythical creatures ✔️

#TheDragonsPromise #NetGalley

"𝑰𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒗𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒄, 𝒊𝒕 𝒏𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒔.."

After that cliffganger in Six Crimson Cranes, I was eagerly waiting for the second book in the duology 'The Dragon's Promise.' And boy!! It definitely did live up to the magic of it's predecessor.

Just like the first book, this is a truly lyrical fantasy world full of magic, amazing characters, dragons and demon gods. The writing is descriptive and eloquent. The first part of the story was interesting mainly focusing on Shiori, Kiki and Seryu, the dragon prince travelling to the Dragon Realm to return the broken pearl to the Dragon King. The plot was action packed, however, it lulled a bit in the second half and given the title, I really wanted to see more of Seryu in the book.

There were a couple of surprises here and there and the ending was bittersweet and was wrapped up in a neat way. Overall a great way to finish this duology.

The Dragon´s Promise was one of my most anticipated sequels of 2022 and overall, it did not fully disappoint me. While it felt (at least for me) quite different from the first book and I have some mixed feelings about certain things and the ending, I truly enjoyed diving back into Shiori´s world.

"A promise is not a kiss in the wind, to be thrown about without a care.”

The story picks up right where we left off… Shiori, accompanied by her devoted paper crane Kiki, going to the dragon realm with our shapeshifting boy dragon Seryu. The first approx 30% of the story which we spent in the underwater dragon kingdom felt a bit different and kind of disconnected from the rest of the book. And while I enjoyed the rest too and missed Takkan at the beginning, I think I prefer it. The dragon´s realm called Ai'long is magical and very dangerous at the same it. It´s full of ruthless dragons, giant turtles, and shark and jellyfish patrols. I loved seeing Shiori, Kiki, and Seryu navigate this sea world and the unexpected problems that came their way. It managed to enchant me and keep me on my toes. Overall, the first half of the book was incredibly enjoyable.

"Be it bright or dark, you are the light that makes my lantern shine."

The rest which could be described as the demon plot was still entertaining. I loved that we got to know more about Shiori´s stepmother, see more of the brothers, and reunite Shiori with Takkan but at the same time I missed Seryu and the underwater realm. On top of it, I missed Takkan´s sister who was an absolute delight in the first book. She is only mentioned there a few times and makes one brief appearance.

Nevertheless, thinking about the last ⅔ of the book, it felt a bit… underwhelming. I just think the first part of the story flew more naturally than the second where it started to be really complicated, yet kind of convenient, despite a certain level of recklessness of the characters. I still enjoyed it, it was not boring but I cannot overlook how convenient and kind of all over the place it felt. Shiori, Takkan, Kiki, and Shiori´s brothers are on the move most of the time, meandering from one place to the next. The stakes are HIGH and while the characters travel the realm to fulfill the quest and save Kiata from Bandur and his demons, they encounter many problems which take their toll, but in the end, it somehow feels a bit random and a bit much. While the plot was fine this time around -like I said, I enjoyed the book - it wasn't as great as I expected it to be.

In addition, let me say that Shiori is still an amazing main character, though still making a bit reckless choices, and I still love my precious lord Takkan. I felt their love and kept rooting for them but… yes, here comes the but… I think their romance was, kind of naturally, more intriguing in the first book. They are the sweetest but this time I missed more… spark. Speaking of romance, I was a bit concerned about the possibility of a love triangle and now I can assure those curious about it that it is not there.

While I cannot tell you much about the ending because of spoilers, I can safely say I feel VERY conflicted about it and it feels kind of bittersweet to me.

It was a pretty good enjoyable book but not as amazing as the first one - while I enjoyed it my heart was not in it AS FULLY AS it once has been, therefore I give it 4 stars instead of 5. My advice is… don't go into this with huge expectations, so you won't get disappointed.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I've really enjoyed this book, almost as much as the first one. A lot of second books in a series have middling syndrome, and I don't feel like this one did. It was a great book in and of itself.

We follow Shiori on a new adventure to keep a promise that she made to a loved on on their deathbed. She will do anything it takes to keep that promise and also to save her homeland from the demons threatening to invade. The question is, can she accomplish all of the dangerous tasks? With the help of her brothers and her betrothed, she might have a chance.

The twists and turns in this book were not massively surprising but still very good to follow. Though I was expecting the first part of the story to be a little more prolonged and for a certain dragon to take up a bit more of the story, I'm happy with how the story went and ended up.

I very much recommend, it's been a great journey to follow.

I was so excited to read The Dragon’s Promise, because I loved Six Crimson Cranes so much, and was chomping at the bit to read the sequel. I tried not to have too many expectations for this book, but, even so, it was a huge disappointment.

The Dragon’s Promise starts off slow, and doesn’t really pick up. For me, it felt like so much of the magic present in Six Crimson Cranes just didn’t make it into the sequel. The characters felt one-dimensional - these couldn’t be the same characters I’d loved in the previous book, could they? They felt so different. Shiori felt like she’d gone backwards in her character development, almost like the events of Six Crimson Cranes had never happened. Her relationship with Seryu felt off-kilter, at odds with the friendship they’d previously developed. Her romance was Takken was flat and dull.

The plot scattered across lots of conflicting storylines, and I was bored by all of them. There was no tension, no high-stakes action — every time Shiori got into trouble, things got resolved in bland and unbelievable ways. Even the magic system seemed watered-down and sparse. And I was disheartened by the dragons, which were so paper-thin and not as majestic, magical, or mythical as I’d hoped.

Between reading Six Crimson Cranes and this, I’d caught up on Lim’s other duology (Spin the Dawn/Unravel the Dusk), and whilst it was nice to see some solid connections between the two duologies, even these felt forced. The world-building, also, was lacklustre and I found myself consistently wanting more. I noticed that there was a pattern here — Unravel the Dusk had me feeling in a similar way, though not as extreme as this.

Overall, this book was disappointing — to the point where I cancelled my pre-order of the hardback edition, and I don’t think I’ll pick up another by this author.

I received an e-ARC from the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.