Six Crimson Cranes: Volume 1

Written from the POV of Princess Shiori'anma (Shiori), the youngest child and only daughter of Emperor Hanriyu of Gindara, Six Crimson Cranes gives a great insight into Shiori's journey in trying to free her family from a wretched curse spun by her stepmother. The story is easy to read with themes of familial love, duty, honor, and responsibility. The balance of plot and character development is fantastic. It gives readers stunning world-building effects and determined characters on each dire circumstance Shiori faces. The experiences help her become a more realistic and believable character - making mistakes and learning from them. She goes through all the emotional highs and lows in her journey from North (Iro) to East (Mount Rayuna) to South (Gindara) to West (Holy Mountain of Fortitude) - all to break the curse. The map in the book helped visualize everything. Being an avid Chinese myth and legends reader in the past, I love how the author mentions other folklores in the book, like the origins of the Moon goddess or how the cranes got their crowns. It brought me back to the origins of Chinese tradition that I follow culturally. The book comprises many star-studded and essential characters - from princes of land and sea, warriors and sorcerors, mysterious enemies to peasants galore! I had my side notes to get things straight. But given the immense choices, my favorite character would be Kiki, Shiori's paper crane/best friend and companion! Kiki gives the right amount of seriousness, comic relief, rational conscience, and snide remarks that balances the situations - funny, easy, or even dire. All made in good humor or from looking out for Shiori. Not to spoil anything for readers, so all I can say is there were MANY secrets, half-truths, and plot twists in this book. Do not take everything at "face value." Be like Shiori, especially when she starts digging into the whys and hows of the people around her. I am sure readers will LOVE the ending in this book...BUT WAIT, it's a duology, so there's a good part two in all this. This book tackles issues above land, while book two will be Shiori dealing with problems "under the sea" and another male protagonist, the grandson of the Dragon King. In summary, Six Crimson Cranes will intrigue, astound, captivate and satisfy even the most decerning fantasy young and old reader! The writing, pacing, and themes are timeless and relevant to all that it would be impossible to put this book down until the end. This book gives a lot of great moral lessons about life, love, family honor, and duty in a rollercoaster ride of emotions to match it. The world-building is the right amount of color and imagery without overwhelming the senses or overtiring the reader, then brings readers back to the story and characters. The ending may feel like a cliffhanger to some, but note that the author did a great job resolving the book's initial premise and continues to the next phase of Shiori's last and final adventure before her ultimate HEA. Now, it is who would she ends up with, in the end, or if she even sends up with anyone, readers like myself want to know? PROS: emotionally charged, intricate world-building, comic relief in dire times, newbie magic, self-discovery, familial love, and patriotism CONS: none!

Even after finishing this book, I was still in awe. Days had passed yet the story still lingers in my mind. This book brought me to a wonderful journey.

wonderfully written story that catches and holds your attention in the first couple of chapters. I had a hard time putting this book down.