tl;dr beautiful story with beautiful writing, complete with Chinese folklore and magical creatures
Premise
Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also 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—a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama's betrayal. 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. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain—no matter what it costs her.
Rating
4.5/5 stars
Review
I had very high expectations for Six Crimson Cranes and those were all blown out of the water. Absolutely stunning read.
Six Crimson Cranes is a reimagining of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Wild Swans” that incorporates Chinese folklore. The book follows Shiori, the princess of Kiata, who hides the fact that she has forbidden magic. After losing control of her magic on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, she catches the attention of her stepmother, Raikama, who has dark magic of her own. Raikama banishes Shirori, 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. Lost without her voice, Shiori searches for her brothers and along the way, discovers a new threat to the throne that only she can save the kingdom from. But to do so, she has to place her trust in her ex-betrothed and embrace the forbidden magic she tried so long to contain.
I found the plot of this book to be so intriguing. The premise of the book, from the curses to the dark magic to the magical creatures, is so fascinating. There were so many plot twists that I was never able to predict and shocked me every time. AND THE CLIFFHANGER OH MY GOD I had an entire crisis over the last line in that book. Sequel immediately please.
Shiori was a lovely main character to follow. She's courageous, curious, and strong-willed, and I just love her so much. I also loved the side characters, and it was super interesting to see their development. They definitely shocked me a bit.
I hate to make comparisons, but I found the romance in this book much more interesting than that in Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim. There's also not a...500 year age difference. The romance is a spin on the arranged marriage trope, and it's essentially a super slowburn strangers to friends to lovers. Takkan is the golden-hearted cinnamon bun boy of my dreams I love that man so much. I want to give him a hug HE'S JUST TOO GOOD. I kind of sense a love triangle coming in the sequel, but I'm going to pretend that possibly doesn't exist.
Above all, this book focuses on family. I loved seeing Shiori's bond with her brothers as well as her other family members. The story really emphasizes how deeply Shiori cares for her family and the lengths they would go for each other. It was also interesting to see the family dynamics of other families featured in the story.
As always, Elizabeth Lim's writing absolutely sucked me in from the first page. Her writing is so lyrical and absolutely beautiful. The worldbuilding was captivating, and the food descriptions definitely made me very hungry. I also need a moment to admire the cover. PLEASE it's so beautiful.
For those of you that are fans of Spin the Dawn, then you'll be happy to hear that Six Crimson Cranes is set in the same universe! There are some mentions of A'landi, as Kiata is a neighboring kingdom, and the magic system works pretty similarly.
My only critique is pacing. This is also something that I noticed with Spin the Dawn, but the story starts out super fast-paced and I couldn't put the book down. Then, the pacing slows down until finally picking up for the last 25%. I was hooked in the beginning in the end, but I did lost interest a bit in the middle.
Go pick up this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Other Info
First in a series (sequel not out yet)
13+
Rep: Black sapphic MC, Black gay MC, bisexual side character
CW: death, violence, slight gore
Buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Six-Crimson-Cranes-Elizabeth-Lim/dp/0593300912
Would I Recommend?
Absolutely.
Similar Books
Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim
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