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crybabybea's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I'm sad because I really wanted to love this but it just wasn't it for me.
This leans more toward the younger side of YA, which isn't bad but means the world and writing is quite simple, and the stakes don't feel as high as they could. The premise of the book is so interesting and unique - a main character who can't speak and uncovers a plot to take the throne. But, her not being able to speak doesn't actually matter at all, except that she can't tell anyone her true identity. People understand her perfectly, and the consequences for her being mute and cursed with an unremovable bowl on her head are nearly irrelevant.
I felt like this book tried to do too much at once. I found the weaving together of fairy tales (the main two being Hachikazuki and The Wild Swans) interesting and a unique take on a retelling. However, being YA, a lot of time was spent on the love story aspect which felt lackluster and caused the pacing to drag horribly in the middle of the book. The story was all over the place with fairytales, magic, love, battles, multiple antagonists, changing settings... it was just a lot and it caused the quality of the main plot to suffer.
The world didn't feel very clear to me, it was a pan-Asian fantasy setting that pulled from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean culture and didn't really have an identity of its own. The magic system still doesn't make all that much sense to me which really makes the last twist for our main character fall flat. It felt like the magic only existed as a plot device to invent either conflict or resolutions for Shiori. Her paper crane familiar, Kiki, is cute but was used to unnaturally move the plot forward. Same for Seryu, the dragon.
The characters were also quite flat and uninteresting. The whole emotional investment of the story comes from Shiori's desire to save her brothers, but we are never introduced to their personalities enough to care, the narrative just tells us who they are and how they act but they spend the entire story as cranes and we rarely interact with them. The main love interest is sweet but he very much falls into the Prince Charming role and doesn't have much complexity. The coolest character is a shapeshifting dragon but he disappears after we meet him and only shows up as a plot device once or twice in the story. I will say I did like our main character, Shiori, and her growth as a character felt satisfying and realistic.
As a fairytale retelling, this is fun and wholesome, and I especially enjoyed the weaving in of East Asian mythology/fairy tales as well as the way the author turned some of the tropes of the genre on its head. I did like the writing and the ideas of the author so I'm not completely turned off from trying something by Elizabeth Lim again though!
This leans more toward the younger side of YA, which isn't bad but means the world and writing is quite simple, and the stakes don't feel as high as they could. The premise of the book is so interesting and unique - a main character who can't speak and uncovers a plot to take the throne. But, her not being able to speak doesn't actually matter at all, except that she can't tell anyone her true identity. People understand her perfectly, and the consequences for her being mute and cursed with an unremovable bowl on her head are nearly irrelevant.
I felt like this book tried to do too much at once. I found the weaving together of fairy tales (the main two being Hachikazuki and The Wild Swans) interesting and a unique take on a retelling. However, being YA, a lot of time was spent on the love story aspect which felt lackluster and caused the pacing to drag horribly in the middle of the book. The story was all over the place with fairytales, magic, love, battles, multiple antagonists, changing settings... it was just a lot and it caused the quality of the main plot to suffer.
The world didn't feel very clear to me, it was a pan-Asian fantasy setting that pulled from Chinese, Japanese, and Korean culture and didn't really have an identity of its own. The magic system still doesn't make all that much sense to me which really makes the last twist for our main character fall flat. It felt like the magic only existed as a plot device to invent either conflict or resolutions for Shiori. Her paper crane familiar, Kiki, is cute but was used to unnaturally move the plot forward. Same for Seryu, the dragon.
The characters were also quite flat and uninteresting. The whole emotional investment of the story comes from Shiori's desire to save her brothers, but we are never introduced to their personalities enough to care, the narrative just tells us who they are and how they act but they spend the entire story as cranes and we rarely interact with them. The main love interest is sweet but he very much falls into the Prince Charming role and doesn't have much complexity. The coolest character is a shapeshifting dragon but he disappears after we meet him and only shows up as a plot device once or twice in the story. I will say I did like our main character, Shiori, and her growth as a character felt satisfying and realistic.
As a fairytale retelling, this is fun and wholesome, and I especially enjoyed the weaving in of East Asian mythology/fairy tales as well as the way the author turned some of the tropes of the genre on its head. I did like the writing and the ideas of the author so I'm not completely turned off from trying something by Elizabeth Lim again though!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
_persephone's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
if there's a love triangle in the sequel, i will cry. :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Murder
lewbug's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
5.0
This book is incredible. The folklore and fantasy elements are fantastic. I love the way the magic works. I love all the characters and their interactions with each other. I can’t say enough positive things about this book. It made me cry. It made me kick my feet and squeal with glee. I can’t wait to read the next book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror and Death
modernhobbitvibes's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Body horror, Death of parent, and Confinement
claudan's review against another edition
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? N/A
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Violence, War, Blood, Emotional abuse, Torture, Body horror, Confinement, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder and Grief
lauramcc7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Body horror
monniebiloney's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book really reminded me of the movie BRAVE (Disney)
It's definitely its own thing, but it is weirdly similar on the bases of it's exciting insidient.
If you liked Brave, you will LOVE Six Chrimson Crains.
I love that I didn't read the back of the book, cuz some of my favorite plot points that grabbed me by surprise were greatly spoiled on the back of the book.
So please, just read the first page to see if you'd like the book
It's definitely its own thing, but it is weirdly similar on the bases of it's exciting insidient.
If you liked Brave, you will LOVE Six Chrimson Crains.
I love that I didn't read the back of the book, cuz some of my favorite plot points that grabbed me by surprise were greatly spoiled on the back of the book.
So please, just read the first page to see if you'd like the book
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Classism, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Murder, Abandonment, Slavery, War, Grief, and Emotional abuse
the_books_music_life's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? No
5.0
I was very wary and had low expectations going into this book and honestly, I don’t really know why. It could have been because of how big the book is, the words and names I knew I was going to mispronounce, or because it is a retelling I’m not at all familiar with. Whatever my reasons were for being weary this book OBLITERATED them.
I ADORE this book so very much. The writing was lyrical and descriptive, the characters are so well developed and their flaws and the struggles they faced helped the characters grow in a way that was slow but felt real. The magic system was honestly amazing. Not once was I confused about the magic system, everything is explained in a way that makes it easy for the reader to grasp. This book and its magic system is probably one of my favorite magic systems.
Don’t even get me started on the world building. I want to visit this world, I want to eat the food that is mentioned and I want to meet a dragon!
I loved watching Shiori grow from a pampered princess to the woman she is at the end of the story. The things she faced and went through changed her, but changed her for the better. They didn’t deter her and she never complained, she took lessons from everything she was faced with and it made her stronger.
The relationship between Shiori and her brothers was incredibly sweet and felt real. I know as the youngest I have my ‘favorite sister’ just like Shiori had a favorite brother. I think it’s something every sibling does/haves.
Elizabeth Lim has a way with writing that just grabs you and sucks you into the world and the story.
I was SHOCKED at the big twist. I can’t say too much about it because of spoilers but you know what villain twist I mean if you’ve read it.
I love me some morally grey characters.
The romance wasn’t so front and center, all in your face. It was a nice slow build that made me fall in love with Shiroi and Takan.
I would definitely recommend going the audiobook route if you’re worried about mispronouncing things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death of parent, Violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, and Bullying
Minor: Animal death and Body horror
saintyeehaw's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I think I was so entranced by the gorgeous cover art that I set my expectations too high. The writing in this book has a huge problem with telling rather than showing, which robbed all the key moments of their tension and emotional impact. Shiori never really develops as a character, either. We are told that she is stronger, smarter, tougher but that is never shown to be true. In fact, she constantly sees a bad choice, recognizes it as a bad choice, and chooses it anyway literally just because and then acts surprised that it turned out poorly. Rinse and repeat for the entire book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, and Torture
taryn_g's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, War, Body horror, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Vomit