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A review by nasab
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
I was in the mood for a Southeast Asian fantasy novel, and this one didn't disappoint. I felt like I had stepped into a magical Disney movie. It was fast-paced, extremely easy to read, and the character development was great.
To be honest, I never thought I would be so emotionally invested in the life of a tiny paper crane. When Raikama crumpled her, my heart broke a little. I was so happy when Shiori finally brought her back. I'm so jealous; I want my own Kiki!
I thought her brothers were too many for me to distinguish their personalities since there are six of them, but the author made it very easy. She only assigned one or two different characteristics to each brother, and the reader's imagination does the rest.
Seryu is quite attractive; his actions mostly speak for him. He's very forward and seems arrogant, but he actually cares deeply for Shiori. Maybe it's her magic or the fact that she jumped into a lake to save a paper crane (which I totally understand—precious little Kiki).
When I look at the map, I remember her adventure through Kiata. I've found that some novels don't really utilize the map to their advantage, and some things don't make sense travel-wise. But this book used it perfectly, and everything is there for a reason, not just to fill space.
Takkan's character is just so perfectly written and extremely unrealistic, but I don't care; I love him. He is the embodiment of a relaxing snowfall video. So serene and peaceful. When he is on the page, I feel like everything is going to be okay. It seems like I'm exaggerating, which I kind of am, but he deserves it. I can't tell you how happy I was when it turned out Hasege was the rude sentinel, not him, although I don't completely understand why he was posing as his cousin.
Raikama, also known as Chennari... She wasn't a crazy old witch after all đŸ˜ It really didn't make sense that she would curse them away instead of killing them right off, but I just wanted her to be the villain because she's the stepmother, and she has a snake garden. To realize that she was actually treating Shiori like a daughter but manipulating her memory to think it was with her true mother, not Raikama, đŸ¥¹ she just didn't want her to be in danger for asking questions she wasn't ready to hear the answer to. Still, her backstory is strange. She was always born with scales that mimicked snakes (who are the cousins of dragons), and her sister just happened to be born with a dragon's pearl? And at the same time, Shiori is now tasked with taking it back to its original owner! Are they the daughters of a dragon and a human? And their father gave her sister the pearl? But if that's the case, why not tell Shiori to look specifically for him? I hope it all makes sense in The Dragon's Promise.
Overall, a very enjoyable Southeast Asian fantasy novel.
I thought her brothers were too many for me to distinguish their personalities since there are six of them, but the author made it very easy. She only assigned one or two different characteristics to each brother, and the reader's imagination does the rest.
Seryu is quite attractive; his actions mostly speak for him. He's very forward and seems arrogant, but he actually cares deeply for Shiori. Maybe it's her magic or the fact that she jumped into a lake to save a paper crane (which I totally understand—precious little Kiki).
When I look at the map, I remember her adventure through Kiata. I've found that some novels don't really utilize the map to their advantage, and some things don't make sense travel-wise. But this book used it perfectly, and everything is there for a reason, not just to fill space.
Takkan's character is just so perfectly written and extremely unrealistic, but I don't care; I love him. He is the embodiment of a relaxing snowfall video. So serene and peaceful. When he is on the page, I feel like everything is going to be okay. It seems like I'm exaggerating, which I kind of am, but he deserves it. I can't tell you how happy I was when it turned out Hasege was the rude sentinel, not him, although I don't completely understand why he was posing as his cousin.
Raikama, also known as Chennari... She wasn't a crazy old witch after all đŸ˜ It really didn't make sense that she would curse them away instead of killing them right off, but I just wanted her to be the villain because she's the stepmother, and she has a snake garden. To realize that she was actually treating Shiori like a daughter but manipulating her memory to think it was with her true mother, not Raikama, đŸ¥¹ she just didn't want her to be in danger for asking questions she wasn't ready to hear the answer to. Still, her backstory is strange. She was always born with scales that mimicked snakes (who are the cousins of dragons), and her sister just happened to be born with a dragon's pearl? And at the same time, Shiori is now tasked with taking it back to its original owner! Are they the daughters of a dragon and a human? And their father gave her sister the pearl? But if that's the case, why not tell Shiori to look specifically for him? I hope it all makes sense in The Dragon's Promise.
Overall, a very enjoyable Southeast Asian fantasy novel.