Reviewed by Bethany, Cerdon College, Merrylands

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim, is about Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, who has a secret of her own. Magic has long been forbidden from Kiata, but Shiori has her own magic running through her veins. However, Shiori isn’t the only one with magic, her step mother also possesses her own dark magical powers. Raikama uses these powers to banish Shiori from Kiata and turn her brother’s into cranes, threatening her that for every word she speaks, one of her brother’s will die. This leaves Shiori feeling alone, voiceless and extremely vulnerable. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, feeling encapsulated by the fantastical setting of the novel mixed in with classical fairytale notes. The descriptive and lush mythology filled writing style of Lim is something that I fell in love with whilst reading and I felt like it complimented the strong characters that the book embraces. I am excited to see where the series goes, and hoping to see the relationships between the characters continue to grow and flourish. 

Overall, I absolutely loved ‘Six Crimson Cranes’, where it retold the story of ‘The Six Swans’, in a East-Asian inspired setting which is something that I always love to see in contemporary fiction. I rate this novel a 4 out of 5 stars, and would recommend it to anyone aged 14 and over.