“Six Crimson Cranes” was a great YA fantasy full of adventure and action scenes, especially at the beginning and end. The middle portion had a slower plot to detail the characters. I loved the cranes theme and a strong, young princess as a heroine. The mute part felt a bit like the Little Mermaid where she doesn’t have a voice, but she showed her power in other ways. This was a clean book with minimal romance focus overall. I’m 50/50 about reading the sequel.
Here’s my thoughts while reading:
The first chapter was spectacular. Finally not was visual and active and the heroine already has agency and I care about her future and want to know her better already. She’s the youngest hold of the empires and his only daughter. A quick series of water in cocked events leads her to possibly viewing a dragon under the surface. Will this somehow change her fate from wedding her betrothed. It sounds like she has a passion for traveling outside the capital. Oh and I love that it came with a map!!!
Oooh I like Seryu’s character, a dragon prince turned teenager who wants to teach Shiori her magic. But I’m not sure why.
I was right about my assumptions of her stepmother. And yay about Kiki!
I don’t really like that she can suddenly hear the thoughts of both Seryu and Kiki in her mind without explanation.
But is she actually a demon?
Goodness this story is not predictable so far which is great. I guessed incorrectly on the meaning of the title. But soooo many bad things have happened to her already & all at once that it seems impossible she will overcome it all. And the villain seems unbeatable which isn’t good.
I don’t like that three weeks passed in a single chapter.
Well. Who she found in chapter 12 happened a lot sooner than j had expected. Also… the dragon not side plot completely disappeared. Will he come back into the story?
So I’m wishing she stayed in one setting location longer. She’s ALL over the place. There’s minimal introspection which is okay because it’s action packed and plot oriented, but there’s little time to adjust to new scenes so it’s all very quick.
I don’t respect her as much when she keeps making rash choices of going against her brothers’ advice again and again because she’s restless and stubborn.
At the halfway mark, it’s perfect that if she solves the curse, it’ll end up with a huge sacrifice.
It seems unrealistic that they keep having no trouble understanding her when she isn’t verbal.
I can’t tell how much her stepmother has had mind control over her. It makes me wonder what exactly has been real or not.
Megari isn’t just getting sick. It’s too coincidental. So who is poisoning the young princess? Why does Seryu feel more ominous now? Who can I trust? Which of Shiori’anma’s brothers will fall?
Chapter 34 was a bit overwhelming with all the revealed information and villain plans. Part of it felt a little far stretched and confusing. But I think I understand the majority.
The climatic scenes were well planned out and I loved her scene with the stepmother. The wolf parts weren’t as impactful or exciting as I wanted since there wasn’t much anticipation created for the wolf in general. I didn’t understand the last word/name that was said and its relevance to the sequel’s story.
This was a solid YA fantasy read but I’m 50/50 about reading the sequel.
Cassie Swindon 