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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
EL never fails at worldbuilding and the seryu cameo was everything!! As always, the magic of EL books is in her enchanting prose.
I continue to enjoy Elizabeth Lim's books. In this narrative, the main character feels responsible for caring for her family due to the disappearance and presumed death of her father as well as her mother's gambling addiction based on her supposed ability to predict the future. When the debt becomes so much that the local crime lord threatens to take the main character's sisters as payment, the main character tries to use her painting ability, an ability which - unlike her mother - means that she can actually paint the future. This lands her in the garden of the supposed demon lord - actually a half dragon - and into a marriage bargain for which he will pay off her mother's debt in exchange for her painting something that will help him. While reading, I did not realize that this was partly a Beauty and the Beast retelling - something I saw later in the synopsis - but upon reflection I see those plot beats clearly. Since I tend to enjoy these types of retellings, this definitely helped my reading experience. I will continue to read whatever Lim produces.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
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:
No
This was so, so good. I loved Elang and Tru so much. They were funny together and positively perfect. This story was compared to Beauty and the Beast and sometimes when stories do that, the man is never really a monster but in this one, he was! I really enjoyed all the talk about painting too. Tru being able to trap a dragon in a scroll is legendary. I'm also wondering if the Lim is going to write a story about the Eight Immortals one day. All of her stories have been linked in some small way thus far and what the Queen of the merfolk said made it seem like there was going to be another story there but who knows!! Overall a truly fantastic read and I can't wait for her next one!
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It started off strong in Gansun, but when they went underwater, it felt so slow all of a sudden. A bit predictable, but I felt kinda teary at the end with the yearning. Tru, I could not be as patient as you. It was cute that Elang had met Tru years earlier in different disguises, but their romance should've been written out more bc it felt lacking.
Maybe I'll feel inclined to read six crimson cranes to see more of the world?
Maybe I'll feel inclined to read six crimson cranes to see more of the world?
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes