A review by hopeanvalkea
Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The fairy tale of the princess and her brothers cursed to change into birds is one of my favourites, so I was interested to begin this book. However, the overall story and its various twists are too contrived. It's also way too rushed. The style of the author does not differ from the thousand other similar books and I felt like the text should have been polished and edited much more before publishing. The story is also lacking in world-building and character work, although there are some compelling instances among them. I do have to give the author two stars simply for subverting the evil stepmother trope, though. 

I think I'm too old and jaded for this type of book. While childishness and impulsivity may be realistic traits in a protagonist so young, I'm finding it increasingly frustrating to read about - which probably means I ought to move on and find different books.