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Six Crimson Cranes
Cover of Six Crimson Cranes
Six Crimson Cranes
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse... Drawing from fairy tales and East Asian folklore, this original fantasy from the author of Spin the Dawn is perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone.
"A dazzling fairytale full of breathtaking storytelling." —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
Shiori'anma, 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.
A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns 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 forswear—no matter what the cost.
 
Weaving together elements of The Wild Swans, Cinderella, the legend of Chang E, and the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Elizabeth Lim has crafted a fantasy like no other, and one that will stay with readers long after they've turned the last page.
 
"A stunning remake of a fairytale. Six Crimson Cranes is the perfect blend of whimsy and ferociousness, with twists and turns that will tug at your heartstrings." —Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights
 
"Fast-paced excitement is balanced with a satisfyingly intricate plot that weaves in elements from Western fairy tales and East Asian folklore." —SLJ, starred review
“A richly imagined landscape . . . vibrant, fast-paced.
Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A princess in exile, a shapeshifting dragon, six enchanted cranes, and an unspeakable curse... Drawing from fairy tales and East Asian folklore, this original fantasy from the author of Spin the Dawn is perfect for fans of Shadow and Bone.
"A dazzling fairytale full of breathtaking storytelling." —Stephanie Garber, New York Times bestselling author of Caraval
Shiori'anma, 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.
A sorceress in her own right, Raikama banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes. She warns 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 forswear—no matter what the cost.
 
Weaving together elements of The Wild Swans, Cinderella, the legend of Chang E, and the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Elizabeth Lim has crafted a fantasy like no other, and one that will stay with readers long after they've turned the last page.
 
"A stunning remake of a fairytale. Six Crimson Cranes is the perfect blend of whimsy and ferociousness, with twists and turns that will tug at your heartstrings." —Chloe Gong, New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights
 
"Fast-paced excitement is balanced with a satisfyingly intricate plot that weaves in elements from Western fairy tales and East Asian folklore." —SLJ, starred review
“A richly imagined landscape . . . vibrant, fast-paced.
Publishers Weekly, starred review
 
Available formats-
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB eBook
Languages:-
Copies-
  • Available:
    0
  • Library copies:
    0
Levels-
  • ATOS:
    5.2
  • Lexile:
    710
  • Interest Level:
    UG
  • Text Difficulty:
    3 - 4


Excerpts-
  • From the book

    Chapter One 

    The bottom of the lake tasted like mud, salt, and regret. The water was so thick it was agony keeping my eyes open, but thank the great gods I did. Otherwise, I would have missed the dragon.

    He was smaller than I’d imagined one to be. About the size of a rowboat, with glittering ruby eyes and scales green as the purest jade. Not at all like the village-sized beasts the legends claimed dragons to be, large enough to swallow entire warships.

    He swam nearer until his round red eyes were so close they reflected my own.

    He was watching me drown.

    Help, I pleaded. I was out of air, and I had barely a second of life left before my world folded into itself.

    The dragon regarded me, lifting a feathery eyebrow. For an instant, I dared hope he might help. But his tail wrapped around my neck, squeezing out the last of my breath.

    And all went dark.

    In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have told my maids I was going to jump into the Sacred Lake. I only said it because the heat this morning was insufferable. Even the chrysanthemum bushes outside had wilted, and the kitebirds soaring above the citrus trees were too parched to sing. Not to mention, diving into the lake seemed like a perfectly sensible alternative to attending my betrothal ceremony—or as I liked to call it, the dismal end of my future.

    Unfortunately, my maids believed me, and word traveled faster than demonfire to Father. Within minutes, he sent one of my brothers—along with a retinue of stern-faced guards—to fetch me.

    So here I was, being shepherded through the palace’s catacomb of corridors, on the hottest day of the year. To the dismal end of my future.

    As I followed my brother down yet another sun-soaked hall, I fidgeted with my sleeve, pretending to cover a yawn as I peeked inside.

    “Stop yawning,” Hasho chided.

    I dropped my arm and yawned again. “If I let them all out now, I won’t have to do it in front of Father.”

    “Shiori . . .”

    “You try being woken up at dawn to have your hair brushed a thousand times,” I countered. “You try walking in a god’s ransom of silk.” I lifted my arms, but my sleeves were so heavy I could barely keep them raised. “Look at all these layers. I could outfit a ship with enough sails to cross the sea!”

    The trace of a smile touched Hasho’s mouth. “The gods are listening, dear sister. You keep complaining like that, and your betrothed will have a pockmark for each time you dishonor them.”

    My betrothed. Any mention of him went in one ear and out the other, as my mind drifted to more pleasant thoughts, like cajoling the palace chef for his red bean paste recipe—or better yet, stowing away on a ship and voyaging across the Taijin Sea.

    Being the emperor’s only daughter, I’d never been allowed to go anywhere, let alone journey outside of Gindara, the capital. In a year, I’d be too old for such an escapade. And too married.

    The indignity of it all made me sigh aloud. “Then I’m doomed. He’ll be hideous.”

    My brother chuckled and nudged me forward. “Come on, no more complaining. We’re nearly there.”

    I rolled my eyes. Hasho was starting to sound like he was seventy, not seventeen. Of my six brothers, I liked him most—he was the only one with wits as quick as mine. But ever since he started taking being a prince so seriously and wasting those wits on chess games instead of mischief, there were certain things I couldn’t tell him anymore.

    Like what I was keeping inside my...

About the Author-
  • ELIZABETH LIM grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she was raised on a hearty diet of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Before becoming an author, Elizabeth was a professional film and video game composer, and she still tends to come up with her best book ideas when writing near a piano. An alumna of Harvard College and the Juilliard School, she now lives in New York with her husband and her daughters.
    Elizabeth is the New York Times bestselling author of Spin the Dawn, Unravel the Dusk, Six Crimson Cranes, The Dragon's Promise, and Her Radiant Curse. She is also a contributor to Disney's A Twisted Tale series.
    Visit her at elizabethlim.com
    Follow her on Twitter at @LizLim
    Follow her on Instagram at @elimpix
Reviews-
  • Publisher's Weekly

    Starred review from May 24, 2021
    As the emperor of Kiata’s only daughter and the youngest of six, Princess Shiori’anma, 16, is promised to wed warlord’s son Bushi’an Takkan to strengthen alliances with the North. But on the day of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori follows her escaped paper bird Kiki—crafted from her own forbidden magic—into the Sacred Lake. A breath from drowning, she comes face-to-face with a small dragon whose species has remained un-
    observed for centuries. The shape-shifting entity soon reveals himself to be arrogant 17-year-old dragon prince Seryu, who offers her magic lessons before leaving for his grandfather’s palace. Shiori’s luck takes a turn for the worse when she witnesses her cold, opalescent-eyed stepmother Raikama’s true demonic form. Cursed to be voiceless, magicless, and unrecognizable by Raikama, strong-willed Shiori faces impossible odds: she must defeat her stepmother, restore her brothers from their own cursed crimson-crowned crane form, and save her country from impending war due to Kiata’s now ostensibly heirless throne. Accessible dialogue and compassionately rendered family dynamics cohere in a nuanced, compelling cast. Seamlessly intertwining western and East Asian folklore, Lim (the Blood of Stars duology) embroiders a richly imagined landscape in this vibrant, fast-paced duology starter. Ages 12–up. Agent: Gina Maccoby, Gina Maccoby Literary.

  • Kirkus

    June 1, 2021
    Girl meets magic. Hijinks ensue. Shiori'anma, Princess of Kiata and eldest daughter of Emperor Hanariho, is the intrepid protagonist in this folktale retelling. About to turn 17 and be married off to a third-rank barbarian lord, Shiori desperately looks for ways out of the engagement. Her emerging talents in forbidden magic and a run-in with a young shape-shifting dragon help to pass the time before she is doomed to relocate to the cold North. Things take an even worse turn, however, when she uncovers her stepmother's secrets. As a consequence, her six brothers are cursed into assuming the form of cranes by day. Shiori is whisked away and coerced into silence, for every word that escapes her lips will mean the death of one of her brothers. She must learn to survive on her own and use her wits and hard-won experience to save both her family and country. Readers here revisit the East Asian-inspired world established in Lim's The Blood of Stars duology. Despite a few hiccups in the logic of the magic, the author cleverly maintains the basic structure of this well-known European folktale type while weaving in rich elements of Asian mythology, including dragon pearls and the goddess of the moon. The exploration of complicated family dynamics is a particular strength, especially the challenging of the evil stepmother clich�. Part exciting adventure, part thoughtful coming-of-age novel, this story retells and overturns familiar tropes. (map) (Fantasy. 13-17)

    COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • School Library Journal

    Starred review from July 1, 2021

    Gr 7 Up-Dangerous magic, untimely romance, and more than a few twists await readers in a magical adventure set in the same world as Lim's "Blood of Stars" duology. Princess Shiori'anma, the youngest child and only daughter of the Emperor of Kiata, has successfully hidden her forbidden magical abilities for years. But one fateful day, desperate to escape a dreaded betrothal ceremony, Shiori slips up and reveals her secret to her stepmother, who is discovered to have dangerous powers of her own. Now Shiori and her six older brothers have been cursed and banished-her brothers doomed to transform into six cranes by day, while Shiori is rendered unrecognizable and warned that for every word she utters, one of her brothers will die. Shiori must summon every ounce of grit and resourcefulness she possesses to survive, track down her brothers, and solve the mystery of their curse. Fast-paced excitement is balanced with a satisfyingly intricate plot that weaves in elements from Western fairy tales and East Asian folklore. Princess Shiori, with all her shortcomings, is an endearingly determined protagonist whom readers will be excited to follow into promised sequels. VERDICT A must-read for fans of folklore- and fairy tale-inspired fantasy.-Darla Salva Cruz, Suffolk Cooperative Lib. Syst., Bellport, NY

    Copyright 2021 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

  • Booklist

    February 25, 2022
    Grades 8-12 When 16-year-old Princess Shiori is introduced to her betrothed, she panics and flees, appalled at the notion of constrained life as a married noblewoman. Shiori is feisty, adventurous, and close to her six older brothers, and she will need all those qualities when stepmother Raikama reveals her dark magic and curses to Shiori and her brothers, changing the princes into cranes. Shiori must act on their behalf to break the curse, with the help of origami crane Kiki, who she brought to life with her own magic. Lim combines Andersen's ""The Wild Swans"" with many elements of Asian folklore while complementing fast pacing with the richly detailed world of both courtly life and the natural world. Large and small cultural details bring authenticity: the importance of the number four (considered bad luck), the folktale of the girl with a bowl on her head, the legend of 1000 paper cranes and culinary and religious details are seamlessly incorporated. A comfortably predictable romance emerges between Shiori and her intended betrothed, and the folk and fairy tale elements will lend a similar feeling of warm familiarity for many readers.

    COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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    Random House Children's Books
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