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renpuspita's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The strength of Six Crimson Cranes is in the heroine character's development. Shiori'anma or Shiori, the only daughter of Emperor Hanrinyu of Kiata Kingdom, first come of as a spoiled brat (or princess). She detest her betrothal to Lord Busian's son and prefer to be together with her six brothers. But, when her stepmother, Raikama, detect her magic and since magic is forbidden in Kiata, Raikama curse Shiori's six brothers into cranes while Shiori herself find her head covered by bowl and can't talk. One word escaped from Shiori's lip and one of her brother will die. Shiori's journey in order to save her brothers and expel Raikama's curse is the the highlight of this book, because Shiori changed from a spoiled princess to a girl with strength and determination forged by difficulties and obstacle that she face during her journey.
The story itself pretty much YA and straightforward, simple to follow but still enjoyable to read. I can't help to feel annoyed reading part when Shiori being bullied by Zairena. As for Shiori's spoiled attitude at first, I didn't mind it because well, Shiori act her age and Lim also write that Shiori kinda regret her past actions especially when she finally meet Takkan, Lord Bushian's son that she supposed to marry. The world building is also like the story, pretty simple and straightforward but still interesting to read. There are some twist near the end and the story also end in a cliffhanger that will continue in book 2, The Dragon Promise.
As for the romance, it's not a main focus but there's hint of romance, especially between Shiori and Takkan. I know that there's also possibilities of love triangle because Shiori also get close with Seryu, the grandson of Dragon King (so, he's also dragon), but although I can see that Seryu is infatuated with Shiori I feel that theirs relationship more like friends. I prefer Shiori with Takkan, lol, maybe because I like Takkan's soft boy personalities and I enjoy her interaction with Shiori. Not only romance, but the love between Shiori and her six brothers also a delight to read, and how complicated Shiori and Raikama's relationship was.
For a YA fantasy with Asian mythology at its core while also a retelling of The Six Swans fairy tale, Six Crimson Crane is a must read.
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: War and Murder
stephanielee's review
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Bullying
fragrant_stars's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
One of the things I loved best was how much agency was given to Shiori as a character. The blurb on the back of the book suggested to me that she would be getting a lot more help from Seryu, but as I read the book
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Bullying, Animal death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Murder, War, Misogyny, Violence, Classism, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
meecespieces's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
kiwij96's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Classism, Blood, and Bullying
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death of parent, Violence, Torture, and War
squisheebee_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying and Classism
Moderate: Medical content and Grief
Minor: Physical abuse, Violence, Murder, Blood, and War
cecinamo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Blood, Abandonment, Grief, Misogyny, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Minor: War
lotoblanco's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Slavery, and Gaslighting
Minor: War
eetishmeh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
I absolutely loved this book.
The worldbuilding was vast and beautiful, and showed me that an intricate fantasy world could be crafted without having to be rooted in Western tradition.
Shiori was an incredibly strong main character, and I enjoyed reading her journey immensely.
To be honest, when I first started reading, I was worried that the middle would drag, since I've seen a few reviews say so. Thankfully, I didn't get that sense! Yes, it was harder to get through than the rest of the book, but only marginally. Definitely not as bad as what I'd anticipated.
Another thing I was worried about was the sadness levels. Now, I haven't read Elizabeth Lim's other novels, but my friend has read both books in her previous series and told me that the first book was depressing to the point of being dull. I was concerned going in because I don't like stories that are too sad, but it turns out that this is more like... hurt-comfort, I suppose? Shiori hurts for a while, then later some turn of events makes the tone less sad so we don't dwell on her suffering for too long. (Sorry, Shiori!)
I thoroughly enjoyed the way Elizabeth Lim writes hints at future subplots. They weren't too predictable, yet it was amazing how I could look back at the clues that were there all along!
As for the retelling aspect, it kept close to the original folktale (or the Hans Christian Anderson version, I suppose) while also adding a lot of its own spectacular elements.
Also, I've seen some people mention it already, but in terms of swear words and explicit scenes, this book is entirely clean!
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to those who love East Asian fantasy and retellings of classic fairytales! As someone who falls into both categories, I know I loved it a lot.
Moderate: Bullying, Ableism, and Murder
Minor: Death and Death of parent
I may have missed some warnings, so please look them yo if you're concerned! Stay safe out there :Dcamiclarkbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Minor: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse