Week 37 Review: Six Crimson Cranes

From Goodreads:

A princess in exile, the boy she left at the altar, six enchanted cranes, and a dragon from the deepest sea.

Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.

Peniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne--a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama's betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she's been taught all her life to contain--no matter what it costs her.

From the author of Spin the Dawn comes a breathtakingly original fantasy inspired by East Asian folklore and perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo or Tomi Adeyemi.

My Review:
This was such a great read! I loved the Spin the Dawn duology, and it mentioned a fairy tale about a princess and her brothers, and I was pretty sure that her story was told in this series. So I was so excited to read this book, and it didn't disappoint!

I'm not quite sure if this is the story that was told in Spin the Dawn, because it's been a minute since I read those, but it does mention that Shiori and her brothers were named after a constellation, which might be where that story came from, so it was one of the two! 

Shiori was a bit of a brat. She's a princess, the only one with 6 brothers, and her mother died when she was young. I really enjoyed this journey that she went on, it really humbled her, and that process was so great to read, to become a great character to root for! 

I really was obsessed with this story, because while I loved that she was on this journey, the fact that she was being treated so poorly, I wanted to be like, hey, this is the princess. But then she's being treated much better by a random person. And I loved the fact of who that random person was. 

Seeing reviews of this book that talk about what Raikama did, well, I can understand why they feel that way. But I do feel like the story explained it, so I understand why her actions turned out the way they did. And it makes me sad, I know we're going to get her story, but it's going to be sad, knowing what's going to happen, and what has now occurred. But I'm glad that we got her story and I can't wait to read it! 

Absolutely loved reading this book and I can't wait to read the sequel, and then the prequel(s?)! 

Author: Elizabeth Lim
Series: Six Crimson Cranes #1
Read: September 10th, 2023
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded fantastic, and it's a 2023 Retelling Reading Challenge Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2023 Book and WTC Book!
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Published: July 6th 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars