To be published August 30th 2022…
SPOILER ALERT: THIS REVIEW REFERS TO THE OUTCOMES OF BOOK ONE (SIX CRIMSON CRANES). IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT, I SUGGEST YOU TRY THIS REVIEW INSTEAD: ‘Six Crimson Cranes’ by Elizabeth Lim
Having survived as an outcast, saved her brothers from their feathery fate, and learnt the truth about her step-mother, Shiori now has a new challenge: return Raikama’s dragon pearl to its rightful owner. With Seryu willing to take her to the dragon realm, it seems simple enough. But nothing about the dragon realm is simple and returning the pearl may be only the beginning. Her magic is no longer a secret and many in the kingdom blame her for the restless demons in the mountain. Fortunately she has Takkan to help her, not to mention six very grateful brothers.
This book was even better than the last, in part because all the world building had already been done. Instead of easing us in to the plot, this time we were thrown straight into the dragon realm and all the mystical mysteries and politics that come with it.
Shiori was alone or unknown for much of the first book, which didn’t leave much room for exploring her relationship with other characters. So it was nice to see that her relationship with Takkan has had a chance to progress and it is surprisingly empowering to see how confident Shiori is about her love now. Her relationship with her father also adds an endearing touch to the narrative. He had quite an air of patriarchal power in the first book, whereas in this one his strength is shown more through his love of his children and his openness to accept them for who they are. Another shift from the first book is seeing Shiori’s brothers treat her as a leader rather than someone who needs to be protected. This shift is reflected in the increased opportunities that Shiori has in making her own decisions and using her own power. Something that, once again, is empowering to see.
In my last review, I commented that the previous book had more of a rushed ending than I would have liked and, whilst things did move quickly, this book made much more of a point to wrap things up neatly and lead us to a satisfying ending.
Escape to the Bookshelf 