Elizabeth Lim casts a spell over readers in her new novel Six Crimson Cranes – a whimsical, dark retelling of the Grimm brothers’ The Six Swans fairytale, abundant in the magic, emotion and detail that can only otherwise be found within an animated Studio Ghibli film.
Elizabeth Lim
Set in an East-Asian inspired world, we follow Shiori’anma (or Shiori for short), the only princess of Kiata and the bearer of a dark secret – forbidden magic runs through her veins. But she is not the only one. On the eve of her arranged marriage to a barbarian lord from a neighbouring city, she loses control of her magic, catching the eye of her step-mother, Raikama, and soon discovers that she too is a sorceress in her own right. Before she gets the chance to tell her father, Raikama casts a spell on Shiori, banishing the young princess and turning her six brothers into cranes with a dire warning to follow: she must not speak of her curse to anyone for with every word she utters, one of her brothers will die.
With no money, title or voice, Shiori wakes up in a new city with nothing but her enchanted paper bird, Kiki, to keep her company. While she searches for her brothers, Shiori uncovers a dark conspiracy to seize the throne and must place her trust in the most unlikely of allies, including a mercurial dragon, the boy she sought so hard not to marry and above all, the magic she has spent so many years repressing.
With a soft, understated romance that will take you by surprise, eclipsed by the overwhelming love and fierce protectiveness that Shiori has for her brothers, this book is refreshing in the balance it strikes between familial and romantic love. YA fantasy in its purest form, the fantastical adventure that awaits readers is sure to give you all the warm and cosy feels that films like Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service incite. Magnetic and arresting, Lim’s vivid and atmospheric writing is so easy to get lost in and heartbreaking to wrench yourself away from – I could live in this world with these characters forever! Shiori is strong and determined, selfless in her pursuit to save the ones she loves and full of wit and charm in her scheming, despite the limitations the curse imposed upon her. Her brothers were nuanced in their characterisation, ranging from soft-spoken and reserved to bold and commanding, while even the evil protagonists themselves had redemptive qualities, making all the twists and turns of the plot even more exciting to chase and harder to predict.
This is the kind of book that will make you immediately add all the author’s backlist to your cart, obsess over dates for all of their upcoming releases and check daily for an update on the sequel! If you’re like me and are new to Elizabeth Lim’s work, don’t forget to also check out the Blood of Stars duology and keep your eye out for the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes, expected to publish in 2022.
—Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim (Hachette Australia) is out now.
Six Crimson Cranes
Book 1
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, 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...
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