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adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child abuse, Self harm, Abandonment
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
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
A beautiful novel about the love of two sisters.
Elizabeth Lim has a way with words and is incredible at storytelling. Her Radiant Curse will always be one of my all time favorites.
Elizabeth Lim has a way with words and is incredible at storytelling. Her Radiant Curse will always be one of my all time favorites.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Kidnapping
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
a romance that was as fulfilling as it was heartbreaking & a sisterly bond that helped put those pieces back together
channi and vanna possess a special kind of connection, and their shared empathy makes them a fun pairing to read about. no matter how far her quest takes her, no matter if she found a piece of her heart in someone else, channi proves, time and time again, that her sister comes first. it's a selfless act that lost her the one person, besides vanna, who understood and accepted her as she was, in all her flaws and all her wrongs, but it's a necessary sacrifice. it's expected yet refreshing, and though the fate of her lover was not a happy one, it paved the way for the hope and the life yet to come.
i bear no shame in admitting that Elizabeth Lim has always had me in a bit of a chokehold and that i am, therefore, incredibly biased. still, this is, by far, her best work.
quotes that made me want to gouge my eyes out
channi and vanna possess a special kind of connection, and their shared empathy makes them a fun pairing to read about. no matter how far her quest takes her, no matter if she found a piece of her heart in someone else, channi proves, time and time again, that her sister comes first. it's a selfless act that lost her the one person, besides vanna, who understood and accepted her as she was, in all her flaws and all her wrongs, but it's a necessary sacrifice. it's expected yet refreshing, and though the fate of her lover was not a happy one, it paved the way for the hope and the life yet to come.
i bear no shame in admitting that Elizabeth Lim has always had me in a bit of a chokehold and that i am, therefore, incredibly biased. still, this is, by far, her best work.
quotes that made me want to gouge my eyes out
Is it the cage that makes them admire him and revile me? Would I be an attraction like the dragon if I were chained and imprisoned?
"Are we enemies then?"
A muscle ticks in his jaw. "Enemies want to hurt each other. I don't want to hurt you."
Never will I apologize for being the monster they made me.
"Butterflies celebrate all love, Channi, because every love is precious. And mine for you, above all. That love is forever."
"She didn't love me until the end. She loved you from the beginning."
The snakes will be your family no matter where you go. From this life to the next, they will remember you. Ukar dips his head. Lady White Snake.
quotes that made me kick my feet
We're a breath apart, and it's an odd sort of intimacy: how well I know the chart of his veins, the throbbing pulse points across his body, the lean muscles cording his arms. How much I want to best him in a fight.
"Finally, you admit you like me."
"I didn't say I liked—"
"You're going to be the doom of me, aren't you?"
"What?"
He winks. "It's those snake eyes. I can't resist them."
"Why did you come back?" I ask.
Another bite. He takes a sudden interest in his plate and I almost think he won't answer. Then he says: "Isn't it obvious?"
I hold my breath as our fingers uncurl at the same time, palms flat against each other. It's as intimate as a kiss, standing like this, locked by our hands.
"Did I ever tell you that green is my favorite color?"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Child death, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
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:
Complicated
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: Emotional abuse, Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Death of parent
Minor: Body shaming