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tarfishy's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Body shaming, Bullying, and Grief
Minor: Blood and Animal death
annaptobias's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Fulfilled all of my expectations and then some. Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favorite reads from 2023, and this novel filled in a lot of the gaps and made Channi the most complex character in this entire series. It genuinely made me want to re-read Six Crimson Cranes all over again, knowing what this character went through before becoming Raikama.
Elizabeth Lim writes such a good balance of intriguing plot and complex character development. I've come to realize that I enjoy novels where stuff is actually happening, and not so much when the characters are doing a lot of navel-gazing. Her action scenes are so well-written and exciting and keep moving the book forward, thus making it really tough to put down at times.
Elizabeth Lim writes such a good balance of intriguing plot and complex character development. I've come to realize that I enjoy novels where stuff is actually happening, and not so much when the characters are doing a lot of navel-gazing. Her action scenes are so well-written and exciting and keep moving the book forward, thus making it really tough to put down at times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
fragrant_stars's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
relaxing
tense
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? Yes
4.5
Of all the books in the Six Crimson Crane series, this one has my heart. I loved SCC but this book? I adore this book. I feel like Elizabeth Lim was able to show off a bit more of her creativity for storytelling in this book compared to SCC and she really really did not disappoint. I will be thinking about this story universe for days.
I initially picked up SCC because I'm always eager for a good East Asian fantasy- and I was very much delighted by the world Lim described in books one and two. My heart skipped a beat in book two when I realised that Raikama's-- Channari's-- home was inspired by Southeast Asian culture, and now there's a whole book's worth of story about it? I could have jumped for joy. As a Chinese-Indonesian, I'm so happy to see snippets of both my cultures in this story.
Don't get me wrong, Shiori is a plenty loveable character in her own right, but my favourite has always Raikama, so learning more about her in this book was basically everything I wanted. I can't help but feel that Channari was the real protagonist all along, over these last three books. I love her so damn much.
I initially picked up SCC because I'm always eager for a good East Asian fantasy- and I was very much delighted by the world Lim described in books one and two. My heart skipped a beat in book two when I realised that Raikama's-- Channari's-- home was inspired by Southeast Asian culture, and now there's a whole book's worth of story about it? I could have jumped for joy. As a Chinese-Indonesian, I'm so happy to see snippets of both my cultures in this story.
Don't get me wrong, Shiori is a plenty loveable character in her own right, but my favourite has always Raikama, so learning more about her in this book was basically everything I wanted. I can't help but feel that Channari was the real protagonist all along, over these last three books. I love her so damn much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Self harm, Death, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Sexual harassment, and Slavery
Minor: Alcohol
leaflit's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Bullying, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Physical abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Child death, and Torture
currant7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I almost forgot how engaging and compelling a storyteller the author is.
Coming into the book as a fan of the series, I wanted to hate Channari (being a fan of the Six of Cranes series - where she is written as one of the morally grey characters that cursed the protagonist), BUT my love for grey/flawed characters won over. This book is "her hero/villain story that gave me a better understanding of why Channari did what she did and made me appreciate this prequel much more than I expected.
Character development was spot-on for Channari. The author fully articulated the difficulty of Channari's life and the choices she faced in trying to save her family, especially her sister. It was impossible not to love Channari in this book! I am ashamed of my previous reaction to reading the sequel since learning Channari's life story, who won me over with her perseverance and resolve to protect those she loves and holds dear. She also empathizes with many other characters in the story, and ultimately, it broke my heart to see how much she had to give up to be where she was in the succeeding books. Channari had to do what she did with the life that was "fated" to her. It was not an easy path, but she dealt it all with grace, dignity, and bravery beyond any characters I encountered. Her determination to rise at impossible moments is beyond comprehension - an admirable trait that would determine her and her sister's lives.
The story's vivid imagery and exciting characters enhanced my reading experience. Every leaf and dragon scale described was I was holding on to that leaf or touching those scales that I could not help but relate to them. The plot to rescue Channari's sister and her family is captivating because these "predicaments" never seem to end! Just when I thought things were looking up, something grave happened, so I stayed put.
Overall, Her Radiant Curse is a fantastic journey with Channari and the wonder of magic. The author's world-building was beautiful and written in great detail, with so much love and emotion that it felt like the author lived through these lands. The story had many spine-tingling twists and non-stop suspense, and the "new developments" made the book an unputdownable page-turner from start to finish. If this doesn't convince you to read this book, let the heart-warming theme of sisterly love bring you to pick up this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Misogyny, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Body shaming
bellebookcorner's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
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? Yes
5.0
“All the riches and power in the world cannot buy someone who loves you truly. That’s the greatest treasure.”
If you love YA fantasy with Asian mythology vibes, a strong sister bond and a sprinkle of romance then I recommend picking up this book!
I absolutely love following Channari’s story, her story got me hooked right from the beginning making it almost impossible to put down. Plus it comes with an dazzling world building and loveable characters.
I love and admire Channari’s character. She may not be the ‘golden one’ but she definitely has a heart of gold. It was shown with how much she loves her sister and how far she’s willing to fight for her.
My heart breaks reading how the people treated her because of her appearance, even her parents. Fortunately, she has the snakes as her family and best friends to get her through all the judgement and resentment she got.
(special thanks to Ukar who always bicker with Channari and liven up the story!)
“In spite of my snake face, my heart is human.”
Overall, this is a well written prequel. It was heart-warming and also heart-breaking at the same time, I got teared up near the ending.
I highly recommend reading this one and I’m really looking forward to read what the author’s has in store next!
Her Radiant Curse is a standalone and a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes duology.
In my opinion, you can read it just fine without reading Six Crimson Cranes first. But if you’ve read it, this book is a story of Raikama – Shiori’s stepmother.
“Find the light that makes your lantern shine. Hold on to it, even when the dark surrounds you. Not even the strongest wind will blow out the flame.”
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tour, Netgalley, author and publisher for giving me an e-ARC of the book and for having me on this book tour. I’m leaving this review voluntarily!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Blood
adancewithbooks's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
2.0
Thank you to Hodderscape and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
As the cover might suggest, Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology. A duology that I quite enjoyed. This prequel however did not live up to that duology.
Her Radiant Curse focuses on Channi, the stepmother of Shiori in her younger years. Which means that if you have read The Six Crimson Cranes duology you will know the basics of this story already as it is told in there. It is something that Shiori discovers. This can be a good thing as the interest of fans is already risen. But knowing what is going to happen meant that the book needed strong story telling and compelling characters. Unfortunately I felt we got neither.
The way the story was told in some places didn't always make sense. Some parts that werent that important dragged on for a while. While there were other parts where we were run through. It didn't make for a very pleasant reading.
Channi also didn't seem to match up with the woman we got to know through stories in the duology. And of course Channi is younger and things change but it was hard to see that they were the same person. I didn't care about her character. I didn't really care about her sister and even our dragon didn't quite come out well. The best bit was Ukar, the snake companion to Channi. He called her out on her bad decisions. Not that she ever listened.
I also had problems with the ending of this book. The reasoning behind Channari's anger and punishment towards the other were weak. And she even seems to know it but she still pushes through. And quite frankly it was a bed of her own making.
This book is also meant to stand alone. For readers that haven't read the duology. I hesitate to say that this is possible. I banked a lot on already knowing the world building from the duology and didn't get it enough from the actual book.
As the cover might suggest, Her Radiant Curse is a prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology. A duology that I quite enjoyed. This prequel however did not live up to that duology.
Her Radiant Curse focuses on Channi, the stepmother of Shiori in her younger years. Which means that if you have read The Six Crimson Cranes duology you will know the basics of this story already as it is told in there. It is something that Shiori discovers. This can be a good thing as the interest of fans is already risen. But knowing what is going to happen meant that the book needed strong story telling and compelling characters. Unfortunately I felt we got neither.
The way the story was told in some places didn't always make sense. Some parts that werent that important dragged on for a while. While there were other parts where we were run through. It didn't make for a very pleasant reading.
Channi also didn't seem to match up with the woman we got to know through stories in the duology. And of course Channi is younger and things change but it was hard to see that they were the same person. I didn't care about her character. I didn't really care about her sister and even our dragon didn't quite come out well. The best bit was Ukar, the snake companion to Channi. He called her out on her bad decisions. Not that she ever listened.
I also had problems with the ending of this book. The reasoning behind Channari's anger and punishment towards the other were weak. And she even seems to know it but she still pushes through. And quite frankly it was a bed of her own making.
This book is also meant to stand alone. For readers that haven't read the duology. I hesitate to say that this is possible. I banked a lot on already knowing the world building from the duology and didn't get it enough from the actual book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Physical abuse
mentioned child sacrificecamiclarkbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
5.0
“Frozen” meets “Moana” in this stunning tale of sisterly love and adventure!
Channi was a normal, human girl until her father offered her as a sacrifice to the Demon Witch and she was cursed with the face of a snake. She became the polar opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna, regarded by all to be the kindest and most beautiful girl on their island and possibly the world.
Vanna is the only person who doesn’t see a monster when she looks at Channi’s face and for that, Channi loves and treasures her. That fierce love is what motivates Channi to defend her sister against the cruel suitors who bid for her hand. In doing so, Channi puts herself at risk, becoming the target of the cruelest suitor. She finds herself launched into a quest across land and sea and allying herself with enemies, all to protect protect her sister.
Elizabeth Lim’s prequel, “Her Radiant Curse” is an amazing adventure story sea that features a sisterly bond at its heart. The love that Channi and Vanna have for each other is equal heartwarming and heartbreaking.
This might be a hot take, but I enjoyed “Her Radiant Curse” more than “Six Crimson Cranes,” and I really enjoyed “Six Crimson Cranes.” Channi has so much depth right off the bat and we see her struggle to accept the curse put upon her by the Demon Witch but also continue to hope that her curse might someday be broken. I loved that Channi wasn’t fully committed to either outcome but instead vacillated between between hope for the positive and resignation for the negative.
All of Lim’s characters, not just Channi, are so vibrant and interesting in their own right. I saw somewhere that Lim has been working on “Her Radiant Curse” for years—before “Six Crimson Cranes” even came out and it really shows. The level of thought clans care put into each scene is evident and made it such a wonderful read.
I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
jazzyjbox's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A heart-wrenching tale of a cursed older sister who will do anything to protect her younger sister.
When Channi was little, her sister was born with a bright light inside her. But their mother was dying. Their father was to sacrifice the baby for his wife but took the older daughter instead. Angma, the Demon Witch cursed Channi with a snake face and promised to come back for her sister. Seventeen years later, and with the help of her snake best friend, Channi will still do whatever it takes to keep her sister safe, even ally with a half-dragon.
I am not a fan of snakes by any means. So I had to think about it too hard while reading but otherwise this is a beautiful and haunting story about Channi's love for her sister while shrouded in the world's mythology. The world building is incredible, and Channi makes for an excellent anti-hero.
When Channi was little, her sister was born with a bright light inside her. But their mother was dying. Their father was to sacrifice the baby for his wife but took the older daughter instead. Angma, the Demon Witch cursed Channi with a snake face and promised to come back for her sister. Seventeen years later, and with the help of her snake best friend, Channi will still do whatever it takes to keep her sister safe, even ally with a half-dragon.
I am not a fan of snakes by any means. So I had to think about it too hard while reading but otherwise this is a beautiful and haunting story about Channi's love for her sister while shrouded in the world's mythology. The world building is incredible, and Channi makes for an excellent anti-hero.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Death of parent
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