Six Crimson Cranes
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Six Crimson Cranes, by Elizabeth Lim (The Blood of Stars duology), is a compelling fantasy based on Hans Christian Andersen's "The Wild Cranes" with elements of Chinese and Japanese folklore and myths mixed in. The main character is a cursed princess named Shiori who will sacrifice anything to save her brothers. While under her curse she's regularly harassed and hit, gets pierced with needles, attacked by wolves, and thrown in jail. She's surrounded by some violence and death. Someone's nearly burned at the stake, another takes an arrow to the neck, a soldier is run through with a sword, and another soldier is poisoned. A person close to Shiori dies, and there's much talk of the loss of her mother when she was young. There's some mild romance and talk of kissing, and adults drink some plum wine. Shiori is the kind of female hero that commands attention, even though through most of Six Crimson Cranes she's not permitted to speak a word aloud. She will sacrifice anything for her family and goes through many trials to save them. She works hard to make amends when she realizes she's hurt someone.
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What's the Story?
In SIX CRIMSON CRANES, Princess Shiori runs away from her betrothal ceremony right into a lake and right into the clutches of a young dragon named Seryu. In order to save Shiori from drowning, he must give her a sliver of the magic pearl that lives in his heart. Princess Shiori now has a connection to Seryu, which she uses to learn magic in secret. It's dangerous to practice magic in her kingdom and tied to the demons imprisoned in the mountains. That's why Shiori's surprised when she spies on her stepmother in a magic realm. When her stepmother catches her, she curses Shiori and her six brothers. Her brothers are turned into cranes and banished, and Shiori is to wear a bowl on her head that dulls her magic and never speak or reveal who she is. For each word she speaks, one of her brothers will die.
Is It Any Good?
Fans of myths, folktales, dragons, and magic will fall for this East Asian-inspired fantasy and its strong-willed princess, Shiori. It's clear that author Elizabeth Lim is passionate about all the stories she weaves together in Six Crimson Cranes, from Hans Christian Andersen's "The Wild Swans" to the myth of Chang E the Moon Goddess. It doesn't seem odd that prince-cranes are fleeing dragons or a princess with a bowl on her head has a snake for a stepmother. Everything seems possible and wondrously impossible at once.
This wondrously impossible story wouldn't work without a hero like Princess Shiori. For most of the book she can't speak a word and can't use her magic and can't take that darn bowl off her head. She endures a hero's trials alone and scorned, and she eventually finds aid in an unlikely place: the betrothed she once rejected. The romance is slow to build and a surprise to Shiori, who only has her brothers' safety on her mind. It's refreshing in a story like this that the female hero's goal doesn't become the romance; it's just a sweet side adventure. The end of Six Crimson Cranes reveals more adventures to come for Princess Shiori. Let's hope they are just as wild and wondrous.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about all the fascinating mythic traditions combined in Six Crimson Cranes. Dragons, demons, cranes, a curse, and more all meld here. Can you think of other authors that blend such elements this way?
What myths did you know before? Which were brand new to you?
What do you think will happen next to Shiori? Will you read the next installment?
Book Details
- Author: Elizabeth Lim
- Genre: Fantasy
- Topics: Cooking and Baking, Magic and Fantasy, Princesses, Fairies, Mermaids, and More, Adventures, Brothers and Sisters, Fairy Tales, Great Girl Role Models, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Book type: Fiction
- Publication date: July 6, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 12 - 17
- Number of pages: 464
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: August 2, 2021
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