The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim

Title: The Dragon's Promise

Series: Six Crimson Cranes #2
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Source/Format: NetGalley; eARC
More Details: Young Adult Fantasy
Publisher/Publication Date: Knopf Books for Young Readers; August 30, 2022

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

From the New York Times Bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes comes a thrilling new adventure! A journey to the kingdom of dragons, a star-crossed love, and a cursed pearl with the power to mend the world or break it... Fans of Shadow and Bone will devour this soaring fantasy. 

Princess Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon's pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever imagined. She must journey to the kingdom of dragons, navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alike, fend off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves and will go to any lengths to get it, all while cultivating the appearance of a perfect princess to dissuade those who would see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood. The pearl itself is no ordinary cargo; it thrums with malevolent power, jumping to Shiori's aid one minute, and betraying her the next—threatening to shatter her family and sever the thread of fate that binds her to her true love, Takkan. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster to defend the life and the love she's fought so hard to win.

One of my most anticipated sequels of 2022 was Elizabeth Lim’s follow-up to Six Crimson Cranes, which was one of my favorite reads from last year. I appreciated everything that story did to reimagine the original tale, The Six Swans—with dragons, a wisecracking paper crane, actual cranes, and more—it was one of the best kinds of retellings out there, but it was also just a good story in its own right. And after the way it ended, I was more than looking forward to The Dragon’s Promise.

The Dragon’s Promise picked up where Six Crimson Cranes ended with Shiori undertaking a quest, to keep the promise she made to her late stepmother. I admired her determination to see it through to its end, despite the dangers it posed to her as well as everyone she loved and cared about.

I liked the story. Some parts lagged for me, or were a little repetitive in what happened. That being said, the main conflict of the story was really good. There were slight political and superstitious angles to it (partially fueled by fear) and, given the world building done prior in book one, it was understandable. It was far more pronounced here, and it added even more stakes to the story.

There weren’t too many new characters here, and they didn’t stick around long once their part of the story was over. While they were present, I liked them, even the ones that were on the more antagonistic side of things.

Shiori’s brothers were great as usual, and I liked them for the fun sibling dynamic they had going on, as well as how dependable and supportive they were.

Shiori’s tale has always been a highlight of these books for me. During the events of Six Crimson Cranes, I sympathized with her a lot of the time. She was still herself here but more confident, especially when it came to her love life (it was cute), and I appreciated the loyalty and devotion between Shiori and Takkan. It was also great to see her more assured in her duty as a princess. She had her mistakes, of course, but she also had her moments.

All-in-all, I liked The Dragon’s Promise. It tied up all the loose ends in a way that made sense and offered a satisfying payoff for everything that happened. And as a whole, I enjoyed the duology.

 

About the author....

Elizabeth Lim grew up on a hearty staple of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Her passion for storytelling began around age 10, when she started writing fanfics for Sailor Moon, Sweet Valley, and Star Wars, and posted them online to discover, "Wow, people actually read my stuff. And that's kinda cool!" But after one of her teachers told her she had "too much voice" in her essays, Elizabeth took a break from creative writing to focus on not flunking English. Over the years, Elizabeth became a film and video game composer, and even went so far as to get a doctorate in music composition. But she always missed writing, and turned to penning stories when she needed a breather from grad school. One day, she decided to write and finish a novel -- for kicks, at first, then things became serious -- and she hasn't looked back since. Elizabeth loves classic film scores, books with a good romance, food (she currently has a soft spot for arepas and Ethiopian food), the color turquoise, overcast skies, English muffins, cycling, and baking. She lives in New York City with her husband.

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Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Knopf Books for Young Readers) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you! 

The Friday 56 (204) & Book Beginnings: Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

The Friday 56 is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice where every Friday you pick a book and turn to page 56 or 56%, and select a sentence or a few, as long as it's not a spoiler. For the full rules, visit the the page HERE

Book Beginnings is a weekly meme hosted by Rose City Reader that asks you to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you're reading.

Synopsis from Goodreads...

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. Penniless, 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.

Beginning: "The bottom of the lake tasted like mud, salt, and regret."

56: "Nervously, I placed the scraps of paper on my lap, four in total." 

Comments: Last month, I read and reviewed Elizabeth Lim's Six Crimson Cranes. So far, it's one of my favorite reads of 2021. While I originally planned to do a 56 for it in July, my preorder from Mysterious Galaxy didn't arrive until recently. The wait was worth it, because the preorder goodies are really gorgeous (the picture is on my Instagram page HERE). What are you reading this week? 

ARC Review: Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim

Title: Six Crimson Cranes
Series: Sic Crimson Cranes #1
Author: Elizabeth Lim
Source/Format: Netgalley; eARC 
More Details: Fantasy; Young Adult; Retelling
Publisher/Publication Date: Knopf; July 6, 2021

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Synopsis from Goodreads...

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. Penniless, 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.

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my most anticipated releases of 2021, because it’s a retelling of one of my favorite fairy tales: The Six Swans. And wow, this was a fantastic story. It had all the hallmarks of a fairy tale complete with a richly realized world, endearing characters, and a story that was engrossing from the first page to the last.

Six Crimson Cranes was the kind of story that gradually eases the reader into the world. It spent a good enough amount of time on the characters and the world before the bulk of the story began. At times tragic, yet always hopeful, Six Crimson Cranes took the essence of The Six Swans. But it gave the story unique spin set against the backdrop of a detailed historical setting. I loved all the little nuances with the food, manner of dress, traditions, magic, and the architectural keywords that made the setting come alive.

The characters were another high point of the story. Lim did an excellent job on them, and I liked all the individual arcs that each one went through.

Shiori was, by far, one of my favorites. She had the most character growth among all of them. Toward the beginning, she was reluctant to fulfill her role as a princess. However, I felt like that had more to do with the changes coming to her life—getting married, moving away, and feeling like she was growing apart from her older brothers as they settled into their respective royal roles. The fear of the unknown was an early source of tension. She felt unheard, but it wasn’t until she couldn’t tell anyone anything—not even to ask for help—that she began to face the truths about her own secrets, and the truth about people she thought she knew all her life.

Six Crimson Cranes was an excellent story. It was a highly enjoyable read, and I was a big fan of the way the mystery played out. And in some ways the conclusion was satisfying for part of the story. Yet, there were also several outstanding questions that will likely be answered in the sequel.

If you like retellings, then I can’t recommend this one enough.

 

About the author.....

Elizabeth Lim is the author of the critically-acclaimed and bestselling The Blood of Stars duology (Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk), the New York Times bestseller So This is Love, and the USA Today bestseller Reflection. Forthcoming books include the Six Crimson Cranes duology, expected summer 2021 and summer 2022, respectively. Elizabeth graduated from Harvard College with an A.B. in music and a secondary in East Asian Studies, and she completed her graduate degrees (MM, DMA) at The Juilliard School. She grew up in Northern California and Tokyo, Japan, and now resides in New York with her husband and two daughters....​

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Disclaimer: This copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Knopf) via Netgalley for this review, thank you!