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A review by starstrays
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
FINAL RATING: 3.5 STARS
NOT SPOILER FREE
I think it's been said repeatedly but God I really just have to say how stunning this book's cover is. It jarred me once I got to the portion of the book where her brothers were turned into cranes because I went to reexamine the cover after, and the cranes made such human expressions! Kudos to the artist for that.
I needed a good fantasy book to read. And while Six Crimson Cranes didn't quite fulfill the itch of other fantasy books of the same genre I've read (e.g. The Jasmine Throne), I was definitely glad for this to have preoccupied my time. I probably won't jump into it immediately, but I do plan on reading the sequel.
A lot of the good points I liked in the book mingle a little with the points I think are flawed, so I'll start with the good and slowly get to the parts that I think were so-so:
I love Shiori. She was a breath of fresh air from all the badass, girlboss fem protagonists I've normally encountered in books like these. I could <i>feel</i> her struggle with all the misfortune and adversities she went through, and I adored that she persevered through all of it. The book stays true to her sheltered princess background, and I admire her all the more for tackling all her problems in resourceful, determined, oftentimes sloppy ways. There's no moment of her being Kiata's bloodsake that saves her and makes her like a 'chosen one' trope. She's just human, and I love that for her!
I also really liked the build up of Takkan and Shiori's relationship. The whole 'you don't know it but you're my betrothed' on Shiori's end, and yet Takkan grows to organically love 'Lina' and unquestionably still does when it is revealed she's Shiori - even figuring out that she <i>is</i> Shiori! I know a number of books that would have gone the direction of Takkan feeling """""betrayed""""" that Shiori had hidden his identity, and I braced for it, but it never happens. Above communicating to each other without words, they have such an understanding for each other and it makes my heart ache for how healthy this slow burn relationship was. It looks like I won't be seeing Takkan again for the sequel (Lim please prove me wrong!), but I hope these two stay despite the distance.
I love books based on culture from the east, as an Asian myself! Though I'm from a different region in Asia whereas SCC is East Asian, so I can't say much about the specific mythologies Lim took inspiration from. Nonetheless I still am able to take comfort in a world built on an Eastern countries. The thing that upsets me with it though is how small the world feels, and that's mostly because Shiori was usually bound to the places she strays to. Her time in Tianyi village as a cook, and her time in Iro as a servant as well, normally meant that she isn't able to explore much. There isn't much of an opportunity to describe how large the world is meant to be.
This is where I go into the book's flaws: SCC feels <i>too</i> character-driven. I cared so little for the Lord Yuji, Wolf, and the oncoming war conflict because the focus was on Shiori's priority to free her brothers from the curse. The war tensions don't feel real and grave because it is barely discussed. The only thing I found myself caring about was Shiori and her brother's curse, and the built up to the confrontation with Raikama. It's an insignificant sub-plot that the story could have done without, and feels like it was placed there in an attempt to make the world feel bigger.
There isn't much I can say about the brothers for the same reason, especially because the weeks where she's able to bond with her brothers after years of being busy with royal obligation are entirely skipped for the sake of the plot. I love them through Shiori's devotion to save her brothers, but as characters, I don't really... care for the brothers? And I feel like that's a huge flaw for a book that predominantly advertises the six crimson cranes as the title. There also isn't much I can say about Kiki too really.
My final peeve with the book is how answers are spoonfed to you in the last possible minute. So much of the book was slow-paced, and all questions are only answered because a character is able to conveniently have all of it. Guiya literally explains why this and that happen, things I wish Shiori could have organically solved or guessed on for the course of a slow-paced story. Raikama in her death has to do the same. The ending leaves me wanting to read the sequel definitely, but I did not like how the book handled the last loose ends of the plot.
A lot of this was the result of bounding Shiori to a servant role and her focus to weave the starstroke. So I guess inevitably this boils down to wishing that Shiori had been given more opportunities to explore the world around her, taking us readers with her, as she discovers the secrets of in Iro. The Raikama mysteries, I could forgive because Shiori is able to deduce that there is something wrong with her curse, and that definitely had to be answered by Raikama. But Guiya literally has to spend an entire chapter to admitting crimes she committed, something that I believe Shiori could have sleuthed on a little more considering the significant amount of time she spends in Guiya's room.
My overall opinion of this is that I still consider it a good book, and I will be checking out the sequel soon. With Shiori no longer cursed by a bowl and pretending to be mute, I'm hoping the underwater kingdom that Shiori will be venturing into is a world she, along with us readers, are able to better immerse ourselves in. I'm looking forward to seeing how 'dangerous' her magic can become!
NOT SPOILER FREE
I think it's been said repeatedly but God I really just have to say how stunning this book's cover is. It jarred me once I got to the portion of the book where her brothers were turned into cranes because I went to reexamine the cover after, and the cranes made such human expressions! Kudos to the artist for that.
I needed a good fantasy book to read. And while Six Crimson Cranes didn't quite fulfill the itch of other fantasy books of the same genre I've read (e.g. The Jasmine Throne), I was definitely glad for this to have preoccupied my time. I probably won't jump into it immediately, but I do plan on reading the sequel.
A lot of the good points I liked in the book mingle a little with the points I think are flawed, so I'll start with the good and slowly get to the parts that I think were so-so:
I love Shiori. She was a breath of fresh air from all the badass, girlboss fem protagonists I've normally encountered in books like these. I could <i>feel</i> her struggle with all the misfortune and adversities she went through, and I adored that she persevered through all of it. The book stays true to her sheltered princess background, and I admire her all the more for tackling all her problems in resourceful, determined, oftentimes sloppy ways. There's no moment of her being Kiata's bloodsake that saves her and makes her like a 'chosen one' trope. She's just human, and I love that for her!
I also really liked the build up of Takkan and Shiori's relationship. The whole 'you don't know it but you're my betrothed' on Shiori's end, and yet Takkan grows to organically love 'Lina' and unquestionably still does when it is revealed she's Shiori - even figuring out that she <i>is</i> Shiori! I know a number of books that would have gone the direction of Takkan feeling """""betrayed""""" that Shiori had hidden his identity, and I braced for it, but it never happens. Above communicating to each other without words, they have such an understanding for each other and it makes my heart ache for how healthy this slow burn relationship was. It looks like I won't be seeing Takkan again for the sequel (Lim please prove me wrong!), but I hope these two stay despite the distance.
I love books based on culture from the east, as an Asian myself! Though I'm from a different region in Asia whereas SCC is East Asian, so I can't say much about the specific mythologies Lim took inspiration from. Nonetheless I still am able to take comfort in a world built on an Eastern countries. The thing that upsets me with it though is how small the world feels, and that's mostly because Shiori was usually bound to the places she strays to. Her time in Tianyi village as a cook, and her time in Iro as a servant as well, normally meant that she isn't able to explore much. There isn't much of an opportunity to describe how large the world is meant to be.
This is where I go into the book's flaws: SCC feels <i>too</i> character-driven. I cared so little for the Lord Yuji, Wolf, and the oncoming war conflict because the focus was on Shiori's priority to free her brothers from the curse. The war tensions don't feel real and grave because it is barely discussed. The only thing I found myself caring about was Shiori and her brother's curse, and the built up to the confrontation with Raikama. It's an insignificant sub-plot that the story could have done without, and feels like it was placed there in an attempt to make the world feel bigger.
There isn't much I can say about the brothers for the same reason, especially because the weeks where she's able to bond with her brothers after years of being busy with royal obligation are entirely skipped for the sake of the plot. I love them through Shiori's devotion to save her brothers, but as characters, I don't really... care for the brothers? And I feel like that's a huge flaw for a book that predominantly advertises the six crimson cranes as the title. There also isn't much I can say about Kiki too really.
My final peeve with the book is how answers are spoonfed to you in the last possible minute. So much of the book was slow-paced, and all questions are only answered because a character is able to conveniently have all of it. Guiya literally explains why this and that happen, things I wish Shiori could have organically solved or guessed on for the course of a slow-paced story. Raikama in her death has to do the same. The ending leaves me wanting to read the sequel definitely, but I did not like how the book handled the last loose ends of the plot.
A lot of this was the result of bounding Shiori to a servant role and her focus to weave the starstroke. So I guess inevitably this boils down to wishing that Shiori had been given more opportunities to explore the world around her, taking us readers with her, as she discovers the secrets of in Iro. The Raikama mysteries, I could forgive because Shiori is able to deduce that there is something wrong with her curse, and that definitely had to be answered by Raikama. But Guiya literally has to spend an entire chapter to admitting crimes she committed, something that I believe Shiori could have sleuthed on a little more considering the significant amount of time she spends in Guiya's room.
My overall opinion of this is that I still consider it a good book, and I will be checking out the sequel soon. With Shiori no longer cursed by a bowl and pretending to be mute, I'm hoping the underwater kingdom that Shiori will be venturing into is a world she, along with us readers, are able to better immerse ourselves in. I'm looking forward to seeing how 'dangerous' her magic can become!