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A review by justgeekingby
Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Before I get to the review proper, I want to note that Her Radiant Curse is a standalone novel. I’ve seen some reviews mentioning that they didn’t realise that it is part of a series, especially when they picked it up on NetGalley, and that’s because it can be read on its own. It’s set in the same universe as the Six Crimson Cranes duology and reading the duology will give you some extra information. However, the duology is not required reading to enjoy this book. Personally I would read the Six Crimson Cranes duology first as I think reading Her Radiant Curse will give away part of that story, but that’s up to you.
I wasn’t sure about reading Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim because I didn’t know if there was much of a story to be told. Lim told us Channi’s story in the Six Crimson Cranes duology, and sometimes prequels just repeat a story that we already know just with more detail. I didn’t need to worry. Her Radiant Curse is as rich and fulfilling as the original duology. I personally loved this book more than the previous two books and found it much more compelling.
What Lim had told us about Channi’s story was just a tiny portion of this woman’s story, and the rest is told with raw power and brutal honesty. I’ve seen people refer to this as the villain’s story, and I dislike that description. Channi is very much an unwilling victim whose life is turned upside down when her father drags her into the jungle and leaves her at the mercy of a witch, attempting to exchange her life for her mothers. When he fails, his wife dying after giving birth to a second daughter, he takes it out on his eldest daughter especially when she returns with a face of a snake, a constant reminder of what he did.
I was in awe at Channi’s strength and tenacity, as Lim’s wonderful storytelling built up a little girl and older sister to the stepmother that carefully watched over Shiori in Six Crimson Cranes. I loved the way that Lim showed Channi’s love for the Emperor’s children even before she met them, confirming that she was never a villain and everything she did was for love. She used her experiences to protect her new family to the best of her ability.
I don’t know if Elizabeth Lim will return to this universe again, but she has definitely found a place as one of my go-to authors after this book.
I wasn’t sure about reading Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim because I didn’t know if there was much of a story to be told. Lim told us Channi’s story in the Six Crimson Cranes duology, and sometimes prequels just repeat a story that we already know just with more detail. I didn’t need to worry. Her Radiant Curse is as rich and fulfilling as the original duology. I personally loved this book more than the previous two books and found it much more compelling.
What Lim had told us about Channi’s story was just a tiny portion of this woman’s story, and the rest is told with raw power and brutal honesty. I’ve seen people refer to this as the villain’s story, and I dislike that description. Channi is very much an unwilling victim whose life is turned upside down when her father drags her into the jungle and leaves her at the mercy of a witch, attempting to exchange her life for her mothers. When he fails, his wife dying after giving birth to a second daughter, he takes it out on his eldest daughter especially when she returns with a face of a snake, a constant reminder of what he did.
I was in awe at Channi’s strength and tenacity, as Lim’s wonderful storytelling built up a little girl and older sister to the stepmother that carefully watched over Shiori in Six Crimson Cranes. I loved the way that Lim showed Channi’s love for the Emperor’s children even before she met them, confirming that she was never a villain and everything she did was for love. She used her experiences to protect her new family to the best of her ability.
I don’t know if Elizabeth Lim will return to this universe again, but she has definitely found a place as one of my go-to authors after this book.
Content Warnings