Six Crimson Cranes
Six Crimson Cranes, book 1
by Elizabeth Lim
Shiori’s brothers are transformed into cranes while she is banished and unable to speak, for every sound she makes will kill one of her brothers. Alone, Shiori must silently find a way to break the curse.
Based on the fairy tale The Six Swans, this book follows all the same basic points, but with plenty of twists and extra bits thrown in to keep it interesting. I enjoyed the story as a whole and seeing Shiori cleverly solve a rather large problem that keeps growing without being able to explain her situation to anyone.
I enjoyed watching Shiori develop various relationships with the other characters as she learns who they are. I would have liked to see her relationship with her brothers more. I didn’t think we saw too much of her bond with them, which is a bit odd since the whole book is about saving them. There is hinting at a love triangle, but fortunately that never seems to pick up steam.
I had a fun time reading this, it was an interesting story with a good mix of new and familiar story elements. I liked Shiori as a main character as well as the companions she makes along the way. There are a few things that happen that felt abrupt or out of place within the whole fairy tale tone of the story. Nothing major that really pulled me out of it, but some actions and explanations seemed more unbelievable than others.
I wish Seryu had more of a presence in the story. He seemed like he’d have a larger role than he ended up with, but I imagine that will change with the recently released sequel The Dragon’s Promise. I’ll likely pick that up at some point, and recommend this if you want a faster paced fairy tale.
<3D
LessthanThreeD 