Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Six Crimson Cranes

Beautiful, lyrical storytelling that absolutely lends itself to re-telling of Asian folklore. Honestly, I would say the audiobook is the way to go because it's mesmerizing. I had a hard time stopping when I was done driving. Lim definitely knows how to craft worlds, create beautiful characters, and keep you on the edge of your seat.

Content Warnings

missindyrose's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Content Warnings

alboreader's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book was fucking immaculate. Wow. There was literally not a moment of boredom. It wasn’t as if too much was happening unnecessarily, it all made sense and I loved it.

I normally don’t like fantasy written in first person but Elizabeth Lim’s writing is so beautiful and the way she writes her books is amazing. Normally I won’t see much characterization through first person, the same goes for world building, but Elizabeth Lim writes in a way that you can see each characters individuality through the main character. I felt so connected to each side side character. Kiki is my favvv 😌 so much character and sass for a paper bird haha.

I loved finding the little Easter eggs that’s linked to ‘spin the dawn’, I didn’t realize it was in the same world. I also knew nothing about ‘the six swans’ which was the fairytale that’s this books was inspired by so I went into this book knowing nothing and I loved every second of it. It was a journey.

I CANNOT wait for the second book😭

I can’t wait to see what the second book will hold omg I’m so excited.

Content Warnings

hanarama's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous hopeful lighthearted 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

3.5

The Good:

Clear fairytale inspiration
Easy and relaxing prose
Resourceful and determined main character.

The Bad:

The brothers are not distinct.
Some side character were annoying.

You Might Like this if You Like:

Fairytales retold
Disney films, particularly The Little Mermaid.

Coming into this after Unravel the Dusk, I am so pleased. I hated UtD and liked Spin the Dawn. Six Crimson Cranes nails the fairytale aesthetic much more and over all feels like a better crafted story. Lim hits some major fairytale tropes and though the story is primarily inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's The Wild Swans, Lim throws references to many other fairytales.

Because of this though, the story can feel a bit predictable at times. Overall, I don't think this is a bad thing for the story. The main character, Shiori is clever and determined, and it's enjoyable to see her succeed in her goals.

My least favorite part of this book was the dragon prince, who came off very annoying and patronizing overall.

It also feels as though he is going to be a love interest, which thankfully he wasn't.

He had very little to offer to the story.

This story does take place in the same universe as StD and UtD, though in a different nation. As such, it's interesting to see the world expanded further. And there is some overlap with the previous duology. This does make me anxious about the sequel though. I don't know if Lim is really skilled in writing sequels, as the fairytale/mythology feel kind of fell apart in UtD. I might act as though this is a stand alone book until I can learn more about future installments of the series.

Content Warnings

More...