Six Crimson Cranes: The magical and spellbinding fantasy fairytale retelling

By Author / Illustrator

Elizabeth Lim

Genre

Fairy Tales & Folk Tales

Age range(s)

14+

Publisher

Hodder & Stoughton

ISBN

9781529356571

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

26-07-2022

Synopsis

A princess in exile. Six enchanted cranes. An unspeakable curse.... A beautiful and immersive YA fantasy retelling of the Grimm brothers' The Six Swans fairytale, set in an East-Asian inspired world, by the author of Spin the Dawn.

Shiori'anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs in her veins. And 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. A sorceress in her own right, Raikama 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 uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in a paper bird, a mercurial dragon, and 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.

See the sequel: The Dragon's Promise

Praise for Six Crimson Cranes: 'A dazzling fairy tale full of breathtaking storytelling' Stephanie Garber, Sunday Times bestselling author of Caraval. 'An unputdownable, sweeping fairytale that thrills as much as it delights' Kerri Maniscalco, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Kingdom of the Wicked. 'This book is magic!' Kristin Cashore, New York Times bestselling author of Graceling. 'A stunning remake of a fairytale' Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights. 'This is a gem for all lovers of whimsical fantasy!' Natasha Ngan, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Paper and Fire.

Reviews

Six Crimson Cranes is a magical story that will immerse you into the author's stunning world of beautiful, believable characters, enchanting places, traditions, mythology, dragons and magical objects.

Princess Shiori has a secret: forbidden magic is in her blood. On the morning that she is due to meet her betrothed, she loses control of this magic and her stepmother, Raikama, finds out. Instead of telling Shiori's father of this discovery, Raikama banishes her and transforms her six brothers into Cranes. She also adds a further burden onto Shior's shoulders: she is cursed not to speak as every word she utters will mean one of her brothers will die. How will Shiori find her brothers and inform the King of his wife's deception? How, without speaking, can she get help to destroy Raikama? Shiori finds herself struggling to survive, save her brothers and destroy her stepmother.

As her adventures progress, she meets all sorts of people, some kind, some cruel to a girl they think is weak. Six Crimson Cranes is not just a tale of magic and deception, it is also a journey of self-discovery as Shiori grows from a spoiled Princess to a resourceful, brave and caring girl. She is very relatable as she is not perfect, but when she make mistakes she owns them and learns from them. The story would also be great for book clubs as there are many opportunities for discussion and further reading.

The ending brings a shocking twist that I didn't see coming but which leads perfectly into the second book, The Dragons Promise ( loved the dragon in this book, so it's great there will be more of him) which I think will be set mainly in the Undersea world. I am looking forward to continuing this magical adventure.

480 pages / Reviewed by Linda Brown, school librarian