Unfortunately I am dnf-ing this book at 12% in. I understand this is still very early on but I am finding it a chore to read this book. I loved the first one so much and I am so disappointed in this sequel’s beginning. Shiori has become an uninteresting, repetitive, blatantly immature and wilfully ignorant character whose “spirit” comes across as petulance. As a result I care very little for the plot, which whilst it makes sense, feels unnecessary. The actual workings of the world below the sea aren’t explained in a way that makes much sense and I’m relying on the vague assumption that magic just does the job more often than I should. Six Crimson Cranes could have been a standalone. On the bright side, the writing was beautiful, the imagery absolutely incandescent.

2.75 stars

The Dragon's Promise is the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes, and as a huge fan of six crimson cranes I had high expectations for this book and was unfortunately left a little disappointed. I don't think it's a bad book by any means it just doesn't quite live up to it's predecessor.

We continue to follow Shiori on her adventures - the first 1/3 takes us to the underwater dragon kingdom where she travels with her dragon friend Seryu and there she encounters the ruthless politics of the dragon court and is trying to restore her broken pearl to it's original owner. She is also trying to prevent the evil demon Bandur from escaping his mountain prison and must pull together all her magic, family and lessons learnt to defeat him.

I think this book fell a little flat for me because it felt very generic in plot (especially if you have read the authors other series), compared to scc which I think benefited from its retelling aspect and hence had a stronger narrative voice.

I still really like Shiori as a main character, she is very sweet yet determined and slightly dorky but I did feel like her characterisation didn't feel as strong in this instalment. The same thing with Shiori and Takkan's relationship - I still like them and there was nothing wrong per se I just feel like we didn't get the chance to really explore or expand on their relationship that much.

One character I did really enjoy the edition of was Gen - I always love the cheeky little kid character and he was probably one of my favourite parts of the story (also I'm not sure but I wonder if he is the love interest in the spin the dawn duology?).

I have been quite harsh so far so I do want to say I did still enjoy the book and I did like how everything wrapped up, especially the way Shiori and Rakkami's (I did also miss my fave milf :'() family histories tie into the story and shape current events. I also really enjoy the setting and magic of the world and I liked exploring how magic which is seen as bad and Shiori is ostracised for having it may not be as evil as everyone thinks it is and Shiori's desire to prove that.

Overall I would still recommend this duology, book 1 especially is fantastic but I think maybe lower your expectations for the sequel.

After Six Crimson Cranes ends, I know I have to pick the sequel as I was expecting more adventures and thrills before this story came to a conclusion. While I was so grateful for the ARC, I was surprised to see how the sequel felt a bit underwhelming compared to the first one.

Here's what I thought on the premises of the book:

Settings : Not gonna lie, I love the whole scenery, the places they went... It was described beautifully that I wish I could be there to experience living in Kiata (excluded the dangerous place, I mean 😅). The foods mentioned and described in this book are a hungry-trip, so make sure you eat plenty before reading this 😂

Plot and pacing: Ok, here me out. Do not be surprised by the paces of the book cause it's a bit confusing (?) and unfortunately I read this when I'm in the middle of a reading slump so somehow it affects my moods and reading experience with this book. The beginning of The Dragon's Promise is quite fast-paced, I liked it! But then it slowed down abruptly only to spike again in the middle of the plot. And it goes up and down, up and down. Yeah, emotional damage. But I liked the idea of the plot. I like the challenges, the tricks, the twists and turns; they made the story lively despite a few shortcomings. The ending kinda a 50-50 for me, I like it, it touches my heart, but it was also a bit too... comfy? But im not complaining though. This book still rocks, but I wish it surpass the good vibes I got from reading the first book.

Characters: This section gets a bit tricky. It could be a hit-or-miss to some readers, so brace yourself if you have expectation for this book. If you want a love triangle, please remove that notion away; you wont get it. This is where it truly demolished my mood. I like the characters; including Shiori. I know a lot of readers kinda 'dislike' her for some reason, but I grew to like her for who she is. Yes, she's stubborn and made a lot of clumsy and dumb mistakes, but that's human, which I relate so much to her. Seryu is one of my favourite characters in this book, and I must say it was kinda disheartening to see less of him. I wish the author writes another story solely on Seryu cause that dragon deserves his own story 😂. Then we have Takkan; ever the romantic and loyal Takkan. I got no complain about him, whoever trash-talk him will be facing my gun soon (jkjk). If you love Takkan, you will fall harder for him in this book, trust me.

Overall ratings: 3.5/5

After reading the first volume, I couldn’t wait to read the second part. The cover was again absolutely gorgeous and it fits the plot perfectly too. Now that I’ve finished the book, I have to say that it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I had to fight my way through part of the book. I felt like the book was split into several parts. The first 30 percent of the book was incredibly exciting and action-packed. I just flew through the pages and couldn’t put the book down. But as soon as Shiori came back from Ailong it got kind of boring and it took me a lot longer to read.

Shiori didn’t go through much development for me. In the middle I felt a bit like she was going backwards. I would have liked to read a little more about her brothers and Takkan.

The story got really exciting towards the end and I devoured the last chapters again.

The book wasn’t bad, but unfortunately it doesn’t live up to the first part of the series at all. I think that’s a bit of a shame, because Elizabeth Lim has a wonderful writing style that can really captivate you.

I only have a small reading recommendation.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-arc for an honest opinion.

This serie was so incredible, I loved it! It was fast pacing, and really easy to understand. I loved how we got to learn more about everything.

The characters were great as well! Seryu is my favorite, do hope we will get to learn more of him. I'm hoping we get to see more of shori x seyru. I know people don't want love triangles but I genuinely enjoyed their relationship and I did not nearly get swept away as much with Takkan. He is a sweet guy though, I just prefer Seyru.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was rooting for you, Elizabeth Lim, we were all rooting for you! Sadly, Six Crimson Cranes would have been better off as a standalone.

The book started off right where the last book ended with Shiori and Seryu traveling to the underwater kingdom of dragons. This was the most interesting part of the book to me, although the story could have been a standalone book by itself. After that, the plot became messy as Shiori tried to return her stepmother's pearl and fight the growing thread of demons. The entire first part of the book also didn't connect to the rest of the story at all, making it pointless. For a book called The Dragon's Promise, the dragon had very little impact. He was basically just there for a half-assed love triangle.

The inclusion of demons felt off to me while reading the first book and the feeling persisted in this volume. As I read on, I found myself caring less and less about Shiori's mission as the plot meandered on and on and on. Moreover, the strong relationship between Shiori and her brothers, which was the highlight of the first book for me, took as backburner here. Instead, this focused more on Shiori and Takkan's romance which I already wasn't a fan of in Six Crimson Cranes.

I was also missing the fairytale vibes and whimsicalness of Six Crimson Cranes. In my opinion, it would have been a good idea to base this on another fairytale maybe. It would have given the plot more structure and tied the first book and this one together. All in all, I don't think Elizabeth Lim had enough for a sequel here. The first book was a great story for sure and could have been left as a standalone with a few tweaks.

Lim's prose was still really stunning and her descriptions remain really vivid - I just wish she had spent more time plotting. The ending especially frustrated me because it had a deus ex machina, completely out of left field. Fans of Shiori and Takkan will adore this, however, I'm not one of those sadly. Rating: 2.5/5 stars.

4⭐️

This was good but for some reason I didn’t enjoy it as much as book one. I felt it was a little long in places and I didn’t like that Seryu only played a small part in the book as a whole. There were quite a few typos, but this was an ARC so I’m assuming it hasn’t been proofread yet – it also seemed like a big inconsistency at the end when she was told she needed to heal but then immediately left (being vague because spoilers).

The writing was lovely, as always, and I’m wondering how this series connects with the Blood of Stars series by Lim, as I noticed similar names/tales that seemed to crossover.

Overall, I enjoyed this a fair amount but felt like it was a little long in places as if the pace was off a little.

The Dragon‘s Promise by Elizabeth Lim is the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes and starts immediately after the first book.

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favorite books from last year and this sequel could keep up with it and I equally loved it.

Shiori continues to be amazing and during the journey of this book she grows so much of a person and her character develops beautifully. The other characters like her brothers were amazing as well and I loved to see more of Takkan and her romance.

The plot of this book was so compelling and captivating and I couldn’t put it down. You also get to see more of the world and especially the underwater dragon kingdom was so fascinating. The demon plot line was unpredictable and I could share in the excitement and tension of this.

Overall, The Dragon’s Promise was the perfect sequel and this duet is now officially one of my all time favorites. 5 stars.

(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I had such high hopes for this book, and was not disappointed! It starts off where six crimson cranes left off (I gave six crimson cranes 5⭐️) The book was fast paced and engaging and incredibly hard to put down. I much preferred this book to the first as we learn so much more about the characters in it. I love how well developed they are. Overall, I’d give it 5⭐️As I absolutely loved it. I would definitely read this again, buy it and recommend it

‘Your heart is my own, and where you are is my home. Whatever we face, we face together’

The love I have for Six Crimson Cranes is huge so I had such high hopes going into this book. And I was not disappointed.

The book continues right where Crimson Cranes left off. Which I was so happy about because I hate when books skip ahead! Princess Shiori now has the dragon pearl that was given to her by stepmother, Raikama. We follow Shiori as she keeps her promise to her stepmother, that she will return the pearl to its rightful owner.

There was always something happening in this book that made the whole thing fast-paced and exciting. Even in the quieter parts, you knew something was going to kick-off! The world that is being described by Elizabeth Lim is just beautiful. The underwater realm of the dragons.. I want to live there. It sounds so beautiful and colorful, I just need to see it. We got to learn a little more about Seryu, his family, and where he comes from but my one complaint is that I wanted him to be in it more! I feel like we didn’t get much of him in the first book and I wanted much more of him in this one.

We get to learn so much more about the characters we love. You can really feel Shiori’s relationship get stronger with her family and a certain someone.. I’m not going to say who but they literally are couple goals. I couldn’t get enough of them. Her brothers are the cutest boys. There is nothing they wouldn’t do for their little sister and it just warms my heart.

The ending literally had me sobbing. I stayed up till very late just so I could finish it so I was an emotional mess. But I also didn’t want it to end.

When The Dragons Promise comes out in August, I 100% recommend it. Or please read Six Crimson Cranes now if you haven’t already!

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for this eARC of A Dragon's Promise

I absolutely loved Six Crimson Cranes and couldn't wait to read A Dragon's Promise.

This story follows on from where Six Crimson Cranes left off... Shiori leaving with Seryu the dragon to see the Dragon King.
I absolutely loved this story as much as the first. It was filled with adventure, unexpected outcomes, just like SCC I fell into Shiori's world and enjoyed every minute of it.
The world building and the descriptiveness of the writing knew how to pull you in. Elizabeth Limm certainly knows how to tell a story and it's just fantastic.

Thanks to NetGalley and Publisher for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Plot:
The story picks up immediately from where it left off in the first book. To keep her promise to her stepmother, Shiroi ventures on a journey to the dragon Kingdom to return the pearl to it's rightful owner. The dark power of the pearl makes her quest dangerous not only for her but also for the pearl and what would happen if it falls into wrong hands. She goes above and beyond to right the wrongs done by her ancestors.
Thoughts:
The story and writing was as good as the first book but at times it felt like the story was dragging a little. Relationships between all the characters were handled perfectly. The ending was quite just making it not too cheesy or not to hard, a perfect compromise considering the situation.
Overall this was a good story that neatly wrapped up all the loose ends.

"A journey to the kingdom of dragons, a star-crossed love, and a cursed pearl with the power to mend the world or break it." After six crimson cranes I was so excited for this book! So happy to get to read it, it was amazing

This sequel was beautifully written and just as adventurous as the first book! It was fast paced and kept me guessing! The world building was magical and intriguing! I really enjoyed Shiori’s relationship with Tekkan and also her brothers! The ending was satisfying and quite surprising!

Firstly such a beautiful cover! We pick up where Six Crimson Cranes left off….Princess Shiori has to return the dragons pearl to it’s rightful owner but has to go on an epic journey to do it!

We follow her down to the kingdom of dragons where she has to try and foil the dragon emperor himself! I enjoyed this part as there we so many twists that I didn’t see coming and it kept me reading on the edge of my seat!

I loved this book so much! It's incredibly atmospheric and intriguing, and a delight for the senses too. The author writes so elegantly and evocatively. The characters are amazing and the setting is one of the most beautiful and interesting fictional realms I've ever entered. It fulfilled all the promise of the first book and was even more magical. Although I had read Six Crimson Cranes (and loved it too), I think this could still be enjoyed as a stand-alone title. The story doesn't end on a cliffhanger but I would definitely read subsequent books in the series if they became available. I didn't want to say goodbye to the characters or their fascinating world.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an early arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Dragon's Promise starts off where The Six Crimson Cranes ends. It had all the fairytale vibes and simple writing that I fell in love with earlier. I was immersed in the story and loved reentering this world. Despite its promising writing, the plot often felt messy and disconnected with little to no character development except for Shiori. I understand that she is the main character but the remaining characters fell flat especially Takkan whose sole purpose was to be the love interest. The beginning felt very drawn out and chaotic but the story picked up paced afterwards. I grew increasingly curious about Raikama and would love to know more about her past. Some new characters were introduced but I felt like they didn't serve any big purpose and felt redundant to the story. The whole plotline felt rushed and I wished it could have been fleshed out better. Despite the story being weaker than the first one, I still enjoyed every second of it and would definitely recommend this duology.

Six Crimson Cranes is one of my favourite books and I was very excited (and humbled!) for the chance to read an eARC of The Dragon’s Promise so early before its publishing date, thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton.

I do want to start off by saying though, that if you have not read the Spin the Dawn series before you read this book, then I would recommend you do so!* I didn’t realise how many threads are tied between the two series. I only read Spin The Dawn and Unravel the Dusk recently, but I was very glad that I had done so as it’s so much fun picking out all of the small (and slightly larger) Spin The Dawn references throughout this book. (*Disclaimer, it’s perfectly fine to read each series separately to, you won’t miss out on anything).

As with Six Crimson Cranes it’s the themes of family that really captured my heart in The Dragon’s Promise. It’s so wholesome and warming, this series feels like a warm hug when you read it. I absolutely love Shiori’s relationship with her brothers and in this book in particular, her relationship with her father as well.

But this book was also full of the thrilling action and high stakes that I love so much in YA Fantasy. There’s some tense moments, and heart-wrenching scenes and although there’s not as many earth shattering plot twists as there was in Six Crimson Cranes, it still kept me on my toes, and it was interesting to see how the massive revelations in the first book developed and took on deeper meanings too.

The romance in both Six Crimson Cranes and The Dragon’s Promise is built on real understanding and acceptance which is one of the things I adored about the Spin The Dawn series as well. And then there’s the friendships too, which again, just warm my heart to witness (I’m looking at you Kiki!)

I also want to touch upon Elizabeth’s writing style too. Her words are so vivid and descriptive. Her writing has so much soul, and she draws from fables and legends giving them a unique, yet authentic, twist. I feel like I can’t get enough of her writing and eagerly await any future releases she might come out with.

Although I didn’t feel this book quite met the mark of the first (but how could it anyway? that book is hard to top!) I really enjoyed seeing how this story developed, how the plot of the first book blossomed and gained more depth, and how all of the relationships in this book deepened. I feel like this was a fitting end to the duology.

Excuse me, where can I find a Takkan? I mentioned in my review of book 1 that he’s a gem of a book boyfriend. Scratch that, he’s the perfect book husband. Takkan is a KEEPER.

Picking up where we left off at “Six Crimson Cranes”, Shiori travels to the dragon’s kingdom to seek the rightful owner of the cursed pearl. While navigating politics among humans, dragons, and demons, she must also fend off those who desire the pearl for themselves. Once again, Shiori has to go through difficult trials to fulfill her promise to return the pearl to its owner, while fighting to keep her loved ones safe, and return peace and magic to her kingdom once more.

Book 2 of this duology is fast-paced and action-packed with danger that comes at Shiori and her loved ones at almost every turn. In the beginning, Shiori comes off as a little annoying, especially during her time in the dragon realm of Ai’long, where she behaved rather like an untrusting spoilt child when others were just trying their best to help her. She’s less annoying in the later half of the book, but still rather rash and impulsive.

I am not a fan of love triangles and my heart breaks for Seryu as much as it beats for Takkan.

Takkan. *dreamy sigh* One of the most perfect fictional specimens of mankind I’ve ever come across (IMHO). Patient, kind, understanding, loving, self-sacrificial, courageous, humble, honest, and I could go on and on. Everything he does and says just makes my heart melt into a puddle of goo.

I loved the insight we got into Raikama’s past and the mother-daughter bond that still remains between her and Shiori.

If you have read “Spin the Dawn” and “Unravel the Dawn”, it will definitely add to your appreciation of this book as we revisit old places and meet with a certain familiar person (I had to flip back to “Unravel the Dusk” to check LOL).

Elizabeth Lim’s writing does not disappoint. It is beautiful and poignant, deftly weaving in the Chinese legend of Chang’E. I had tears in my eyes when I finished the book. The ending is not perfect, but it is still a better alternative to what could have been.

Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the e-ARC.

I gave it 5 out of 5 stars. This story was an emotional roller coaster. I was happy, sad, angry, grieving, joyous, and bashful. It was an amazing adventure of emotions, love, familial bond, and friendship. Elizabeth Lim has done an amazing job with this duology which makes me want to pick up her first duology now. I look forward to being dazzled by her writing again.