Reviews

This book has sat on my shelves for the longest time and I genuinely regret not starting it sooner. I didn’t think I’d love it as much as I did but I’ve already bought the sequel and am excited to dive straight into it.

Shiori is a princess and the only daughter of the Emperor which comes with its own duties. Among these, is an unwanted betrothal that she desperately wants out of. On the day of her betrothal ceremony, she gets caught by her stepmother, Raikama, in possession of forbidden magic. What follows is the banishment of Shiori and the transformation of her brothers into cranes but most importantly, for every word she utters, one of her brothers will die. Desperate to undo the curse, she instead stumbles across a conspiracy against the throne and now must focus on saving her kingdom, with the help of a paper bird.

Shiori is complicated but I love how close to real it comes across. To her, it feels like overnight, her life has changed and she doesn’t want to accept it. She doesn’t want to get married but would rather spend more time with her six brothers. I love that each brother was given their own distinct personality and by the end of the book, I was able to differentiate between the brothers and what Shiori needs from them.

I also adored the relationship between Raikama and Shiori. It was nothing short of complicated but family relations usually are. I felt like this particular storyline was resolved perfectly and at the right pace - it felt true to how it could happen outside of a book.

Lim’s writing is compelling and I couldn’t stop myself from flying through this. At every given opportunity, I would read a few chapters and then I knew I had to finish it today. It’s incredibly easy to read and follow but it has a way of luring you in. One chapter slowly becomes so much more. I think it’s partly due to the very lifelike characters that jump off the page and how they each come to their own.

iri00's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

cerro7's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

sarahboudereads's review against another edition

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5.0

Way too good for my heart! This exactly what I needed in an Asian inspired retelling of this tale. Great character dynamic, soft™ love interest! I'm hooooked. Can't wait to read the second book.

*Thank you to the publisher for the review copy*

waterbarbs's review against another edition

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5.0

4,50 stars :)
it is so beautifully written

jgalewska's review against another edition

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3.0

Jakoś nie mogłam wciągnąć się w tę książkę i rozważałam czy sobie jej nie odpuścić. Finalnie akcja się rozkręciła a bohaterka zrobiła się mniej irytująca, ale niestety całość nie wzbudziła we mnie większych emocji. Ciekawe jest połączenie retellingu baśni z mitologią oraz to, że historia toczy się w tym samym świecie, który pojawił się w poprzedniej dylogii autorki, ale reszta wydała mi się dość mdła. Zakończenie trochę rozbudziło moją ciekawość, więc pewnie sięgnę po kolejny tom żeby ją zaspokoić.

finch_26's review against another edition

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4.0

3.5
Good concept
Got lost a lot so I recommend reading it without reading other books or writing between sittings, if you don’t do that it will be more confusing (I learned the hard way since I had a writing session between sittings of this book) but the story is very intriguing especially closer to middle and end

I Will definitely be rereading when I am less busy and can fully enjoy it

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