Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by patriciascozyreads
Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim
4.0
That was beautifully tragic. Is this a love story? No. It is a TRAGEDY. Did I finish this book? Also no. It finished ME.
I am definitely in the minority when I say I did not like Six Crimson Cranes as much as everyone did. However, a big stand out for me was the storytelling and plot twist involving Raikama, or Channi, which changed my entire perception of her and instantly made her a favorite character of mine. Until this day Channi is still a book character that has left a lasting impact on me, someone so misunderstood and deserved the world when it wronged her from the start. I read the Dragon’s Promise after that and only became more intrigued by the woman Channi used to be, which leads us to Her Radiant Curse.
This was a great prequel to SCC and I highly recommend readers to read this after Six Crimson Cranes but BEFORE the Dragon’s Promise. The Dragon’s Promise gets hated on a lot, which is a shame because I’m part of the minority that enjoyed it more than SCC. I think readers would appreciate the Dragon’s Promise a lot more after Her Radiant Curse for it gives the book more weight and significance.
Channi will forever be a standout in not just her prequel, but the entirety of the Legends of Lor’yan series. She radiates so much girl boss energy. This was the first time I’ve genuinely had a girl crush on a FMC and I would date her in real life, I’m so serious. The world has been unkind to her from the beginning, cursing her with a shitty dad and other terrible people who shun her for her snake face. I loved everything about Channi, her fierce loyalty and devotion to her sister, her fierceness as a warrior but also the way she’s also so human and vulnerable at the same time. All she wants is love and acceptance, but just goes through hell each time. She’s such a tragic character your heart breaks for the poor girl. What did the poor girl do in her past life to deserve this.
Ukar was a great talking snake companion to Channi. I love how it’s become a signature Elizabeth Lim trademark to have a talking animal companion in her novels. I loved Kiki from SCC and Ukar is also so funny in his own way. I’ve always appreciated all the thought Elizabeth puts into her worldbuilding because even the snakes have their own lore, same for the dragons and demons. I’ll eat the lore up any day and it’s honestly why I’ve grown to love the Legend of Lor’yan books so much. Elizabeth is always so creative I really don’t know how she does it and it makes me really excited to learn more about the dragon realm in her next book!
“Shared misery is better than misery alone.”
Channi and Hokzuh. My babies. My star-crossed lovers. I knew Hokzuh from the Dragon’s Promise and I was intrigued by his past with Channi and their love story was beautifully tragic. Part of me died with their relationship. Nothing is better than two people bonding over shared misery and I really believed they were soulmates, being cut from the same cloth as monsters even if they did not choose to be one. Both just wanted peace, but the world had other plans for them. They really made the novel for me, seeing them find solace in the other and growing to care for each other. I really loved the dynamic between them because Hokzuh is established as untrustworthy as a dragon, so it kept me on my toes whether Hokzuh would betray Channi in the end. Every time they interacted I was giggling like a schoolgirl yet screaming internally knowing how their story ends. I seriously need an AU where they are happy and sailing the world.
I think the sisterhood between Channi and Vanna worked well. I felt the care both sisters have for each other and there were moments for both characters to show it in the novel. Though I definitely think it was a missed opportunity not to have Vanna play a bigger role since she disappears early on and only returns towards the end. I get that this is Channi’s story, but a little more scenes to further illustrate their sisterhood would have left a bigger impact.
I think the villain was a bit of a let down. There were attempts made to sympathise for her character, but she ultimately felt like a villain for the sake of being a villain. However, her last words to Channi were brutal and haunting and the effects long-lasting and impactful.
Overall, seeing Channi’s story come together was very satisfying. I loved all the little easter eggs to SCC. Go read SCC if you haven’t and check out the other Legend of Lor’yan books too! They all have amazing world building and are all unique in their own way.
I am definitely in the minority when I say I did not like Six Crimson Cranes as much as everyone did. However, a big stand out for me was the storytelling and plot twist involving Raikama, or Channi, which changed my entire perception of her and instantly made her a favorite character of mine. Until this day Channi is still a book character that has left a lasting impact on me, someone so misunderstood and deserved the world when it wronged her from the start. I read the Dragon’s Promise after that and only became more intrigued by the woman Channi used to be, which leads us to Her Radiant Curse.
This was a great prequel to SCC and I highly recommend readers to read this after Six Crimson Cranes but BEFORE the Dragon’s Promise. The Dragon’s Promise gets hated on a lot, which is a shame because I’m part of the minority that enjoyed it more than SCC. I think readers would appreciate the Dragon’s Promise a lot more after Her Radiant Curse for it gives the book more weight and significance.
Channi will forever be a standout in not just her prequel, but the entirety of the Legends of Lor’yan series. She radiates so much girl boss energy. This was the first time I’ve genuinely had a girl crush on a FMC and I would date her in real life, I’m so serious. The world has been unkind to her from the beginning, cursing her with a shitty dad and other terrible people who shun her for her snake face. I loved everything about Channi, her fierce loyalty and devotion to her sister, her fierceness as a warrior but also the way she’s also so human and vulnerable at the same time. All she wants is love and acceptance, but just goes through hell each time. She’s such a tragic character your heart breaks for the poor girl. What did the poor girl do in her past life to deserve this.
Ukar was a great talking snake companion to Channi. I love how it’s become a signature Elizabeth Lim trademark to have a talking animal companion in her novels. I loved Kiki from SCC and Ukar is also so funny in his own way. I’ve always appreciated all the thought Elizabeth puts into her worldbuilding because even the snakes have their own lore, same for the dragons and demons. I’ll eat the lore up any day and it’s honestly why I’ve grown to love the Legend of Lor’yan books so much. Elizabeth is always so creative I really don’t know how she does it and it makes me really excited to learn more about the dragon realm in her next book!
“Shared misery is better than misery alone.”
Channi and Hokzuh. My babies. My star-crossed lovers. I knew Hokzuh from the Dragon’s Promise and I was intrigued by his past with Channi and their love story was beautifully tragic. Part of me died with their relationship. Nothing is better than two people bonding over shared misery and I really believed they were soulmates, being cut from the same cloth as monsters even if they did not choose to be one. Both just wanted peace, but the world had other plans for them. They really made the novel for me, seeing them find solace in the other and growing to care for each other. I really loved the dynamic between them because Hokzuh is established as untrustworthy as a dragon, so it kept me on my toes whether Hokzuh would betray Channi in the end. Every time they interacted I was giggling like a schoolgirl yet screaming internally knowing how their story ends. I seriously need an AU where they are happy and sailing the world.
I think the sisterhood between Channi and Vanna worked well. I felt the care both sisters have for each other and there were moments for both characters to show it in the novel. Though I definitely think it was a missed opportunity not to have Vanna play a bigger role since she disappears early on and only returns towards the end. I get that this is Channi’s story, but a little more scenes to further illustrate their sisterhood would have left a bigger impact.
I think the villain was a bit of a let down. There were attempts made to sympathise for her character, but she ultimately felt like a villain for the sake of being a villain. However, her last words to Channi were brutal and haunting and the effects long-lasting and impactful.
Overall, seeing Channi’s story come together was very satisfying. I loved all the little easter eggs to SCC. Go read SCC if you haven’t and check out the other Legend of Lor’yan books too! They all have amazing world building and are all unique in their own way.