The Dragon’s Promise by. Elizabeth Lim | ARC Review

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Title: The Dragon’s Promise (Six Crimson Cranes, #2)

Author: Elizabeth Lim

Format: eBook (NetGalley)

Pages: 400

Publication Date: 8/30/22

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers

Categories: Young Adult, Series, Fantasy, Dragons, Demons, Romance, Fairytale

Disclaimer: **I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**

Thank you to Knopf Books for Young Readers for giving me a chance to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Princess Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon’s pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever imagined.

She must journey to the kingdom of dragons, navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alike, fend off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves and will go to any lengths to get it, all while cultivating the appearance of a perfect princess to dissuade those who would see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood.

The pearl itself is no ordinary cargo; it thrums with malevolent power, jumping to Shiori’s aid one minute, and betraying her the next—threatening to shatter her family and sever the thread of fate that binds her to her true love, Takkan. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster to defend the life and the love she’s fought so hard to win.

Content Warning: violence

This is the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes and although I did enjoy this conclusion, there were a few things that didn’t work for me, but still lots of other things I did love – let’s take a look:

+ We get to spend time in the dragon’s realm and learn more about Seryu! I really did enjoy Shiori’s time with the dragons. It felt like a very fantastical and unique place, but quite scary for Shiori because there was a lot of deception going on and she didn’t know who to trust! There is a lot of action in the book because Shiori is moving from one place to another. That girl never has a repreve!

+ My beloved Kiki is back, she is the best paper bird ever. I love her! Other characters like Shiori’s brothers are back as well and once again they do their best to help Shiori in her quest.

+ Shiori and Takkan’s love story is a beautiful thing to see grow and develop. They are always thinking of the other, and wanting the best for one another. Yes they do have challenges because Shiori is always getting into a mess, but Takkan is the perfect balance for her – he is steady, he is constant and he loves Shiori no matter what. They were my favorite part of the book I think.

+ I love how we learn about Raikama’s past and it always pinched at my heart how Shiori missed her and how there were regrets about their relationship. I can at least say there was peace for Raikama in this book. But many parts of this book, especially at the end, were quite emotional.

~ The pacing is off in this book and I didn’t feel like the first part of the book, when Shiori was in Ai’long, connected to the rest of the book. We meet new characters in Ai’long and some loose ends that didn’t have closure for me there. Then there is a lull when Shiori is back in Kiata with her family because she’s pretending she there and back to normal but she’s planning on following through with finding the Wraith, to give the pearl to him. There might have been too much going on at once. Because she also had to deal with the demon, Bandur!

~ Speaking of Bandur, he’s always in the back of Shiori’s mind, obviously but I think when it came time to really put him away, if felt sort of anti-climactic because of the Wraith and his anger and issues…there are a lot of angry demons and dragons in this book. I get that Bandur is the biggest villain, but once again, I felt like the story got disconnected in some places or it felt like 3 stories in one book.

Tropes: special one, opposites attract (Shiori the princess/Takkan who doesn’t fit in at court), puppy love

Why you should read it:

creative world building, we get to travel with Shiori to Ai’long ,the Realm of Dragons
lovable characters like Seryu, Kiki, Takkan and Shiori’s brothers
emotional story when it comes to Shiori and her brothers and memories about Raikama
the sweet love story between Shiori and Takkan

Why you might not want to read it:

feels like too much going on, as if 2-3 stories are shoved into one, feels disjointed

My Thoughts:

I think this is a solid ending to an imaginative and fun duology but it did fall flat of my expectations mostly because of how disjointed the story felt at times. But I love Shiori and Takkan’s love story and I adore all the characters that I came to care for in this story like Kiki and Seryu. I wonder if the dragons will get their own book? There is a lot of story to tell there and I feel like Elang didn’t get any closure. Overall I found the themes of family and love in the story to be heartwarming. I’m glad I got to finish this duology and I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Book Links:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Book Review: The Priory of the Orange Tree

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Samantha Shannon

Format: Hard cover

Pages: 830

Categories: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Dragons, Court Politics

Book Blurb:

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction–but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

MY REVIEW

This 800+ pages standalone saga is epic in scale. The world building is complex with a lot of information to absorb: names, titles, positions, and places. The beginning is all about world building so this story didn’t click for me until almost halfway into the book! And when I say click, I mean that’s when everything started flowing better – that’s about almost 300 pages into the story. The build up of the story took time because there are four different perspectives being told by: Ead in the West at Inys, Niclays Roos and Tané in the East, and Lord Artheloth on a ship headed South to Yscali.

Queen Sabran is the ruler of the Queendom of Inys which lies in the West. There is a woman named Ead Duryan who seems to be the eyes and ears at her court. We find out she is much more than that. The Queen needs an heir because continuing the House of Berethnet would protect their lands from their enemy, the Nameless One. He is a huge evil wrym (dragon) who was bound a thousand years ago but is about to awaken soon. The wyrms in the West are fire-breathers and feared by all.

Many of the kingdoms in this book seem to be based off on the histories of various countries in our own real world. Inys reminds me of England, Queen Sabran reminded me of Queen Elizabeth I. The East basically pulls from China and Japan. The South seems similar to the middle east and Africa.

Tané’s story anchored me to this tale because it starts with her and also because the East reveres their dragons and I wanted to read about dragons. Tané is a Sekiinese young woman who is training to be a dragonrider and she achieves that goal. Her dragon is wonderful and so wise, I loved their bond. But Tané’s past comes back to haunt her. On the other side, Ead’s story flourishes as we learn about her amazing skills. Out of all the characters, I think Ead’s story is the most fleshed out and what a story it is. Both of these women are fearless and fierce but with quite different journeys.

There is a lot going on in this story. There is court politics, mages, religion, alchemy, myth, lore, magical beasts, pirates, quests, magical artifacts, adventures across oceans, and treks across desserts. There are battles, there is loss, love and hope. This story is female driven, from the villains to the heroines and there is diversity represented in the characters and romance, which I appreciated. It touched on issues we deal with as women: love, marriage, child birth, our fears, our ambitions, our responsibilities, and our power.

This story is not perfect. I’d rather have had more of Tané’s story and less of Niclays Roos. I felt at times I wanted to read more of one perspective than another, so I would think…okay, hurry up, just get on with it. Like the quest for immortality, was that really needed? I just wanted to read more about how they were going to defeat the Nameless One.

Also, though I didn’t think I related to any one character deeply, that was okay. Each character had something I could relate to and admire: Queen Sabran with her strength and vulnerabilities, Ead with her protectiveness and knowledge, Tané with her insecurities, love for her dragon and courage, and Loth – who wants to hold onto all his beliefs but braves the open waters to try and help the people he loves. Even Niclays Roos – who I disliked the most, his resentment and bitterness from heartbreak – I could relate to that as well.

I’m still thinking about this story after finishing it two days ago. I think I may even pick it up again later when I have nothing else to read (when is that? haha) just to see if I missed anything. It’s one of those tales I won’t be forgetting anytime soon so I think overall, this book has done it’s job. It is unforgettable.

**On a side note – if you don’t want to lug around a 3 lbs hard cover book (yes I weighed it 😂) – get the ebook version! **

Book Review: All The Wandering Light (Even The Darkest Stars Book 2)

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Heather Fawcett

Format: Hard Cover

Pages: 432

Categories: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Magic, Witches, Stars, Demons

Book Blurb:

After the terrifying events on Mount Raksha, the witches have returned, and River has betrayed Kamzin to regain his dark powers. The witches’ next step: march on the Three Cities and take over the Empire—led by River’s brother, Esha.

If Kamzin is to save Azmiri and prevent the destruction of the Empire, she must find a star that fell in the Ash Mountains to the north. Fallen stars have immense power, and if Kamzin and Lusha can find the star, they can use its magic to protect their homeland. To get there, Kamzin has allied with Azar-at, the dangerous and deceptive fire demon, who can grant her great power—in exchange for pieces of her soul. But River wants the star too, and as their paths collide in dangerous and unexpected ways, Kamzin must wrestle with both her guilt and her conflicted feelings for the person who betrayed her.

Facing dark magic, a perilous journey, and a standoff against the witches, can Kamzin, Lusha, and Tem find the star and save their Empire?

MY REVIEW

The adventure continues in this sequel to Even the Darkest Stars but with less mountaineering. Lusha, Kamzin’s older sister who is a seer, is with her every step of the way on this journey. She strives to remind Kamzin to make the right decisions regarding the task ahead – finding a fallen star and bringing it to the Emperor to bind the witches’ power again. I never quite took a liking to Lusha – she’s so hard on Kamzin and hardly ever lets up. Tem is also with them, using his shamanic skills to protect them as best he can.

“Some truths aren’t meant to be found, even by the most determined explorers.”
All the Wandering Light by. Heather Fawcett

This story was told through a few different perspectives: Kamzin and River obviously but at one point there was a few chapters told through Mara. Not sure if Mara’s perspective was needed though, he became a non-issue in the end. Mingma, the ghost also made a cameo and then he was gone! His time was brief in the book but so impactful, Kamzin needed to hear from an explorer who didn’t succeed in his mission, because sometimes that’s just life.

“Choosing to lock yourself up in a life that doesn’t suit you is its own sort of death, wouldn’t you say?”
All the Wandering Light by. Heather Fawcett

The beginning was slow but I understand why – we get to learn more of River’s story. We meet his brothers, and learn about River’s family history. With the binding spell gone, it seems River is the most powerful witch in the Kingdom, but he never wanted power, in essence all he wanted was freedom. His romance with Kamzin doesn’t show up really until the very end, talk about a slow burn romance! They really did put the issues of the Empire before the lovey-dovey stuff.

I really love the action scenes in the end, witches lunging out of the wall? Give me more! That was the one thing about this book that gave me a slight pause. I was trudging through the beginning, then at the end I was reading so fast through the action and all of a sudden it was over! 🤔 The author did wrap things up nicely in the end but can there be more stories to be told in this world? Oh – most definitely.

What I adored about this series is the magical entities. I fell in love with the familiars, Ragtooth and Biter. I loved the demons in this story too. And yes to the witches, ghosts and pet-like dragons! Also, what about that falling star? I adored her – I wanted to put her in my pocket and keep her forever – she gave me giddy feelings. The writing is beautiful and drew me into this world filled with lore and magic.

I enjoyed this series very much. I could totally envision myself wearing kinnika bells around my neck (I figured I’d be a shaman instead of an explorer) with my own feisty wing-demon. Fire-demons stay away from me though, I might be too tempted by them!

Book Review: Even The Darkest Stars

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author: Heather Fawcett

Format: Hard Cover

Pages: 427

Categories: Young Adult, Fantasy, Magic, Dragons, Witches, Adventure

Book Blurb:

Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the Emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous Empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world, if only someone would give her a chance.

But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin—not her older sister Lusha, as everyone had expected—for his next expedition. This is Kamzin’s chance to prove herself—even though River’s mission to retrieve a rare talisman for the emperor means climbing Raksha, the tallest and deadliest mountain in the Aryas. Then Lusha sets off on her own mission to Raksha with a rival explorer who is determined to best River, and Kamzin must decide what’s most important to her: protecting her sister from the countless perils of the climb or beating her to the summit.

The challenges of climbing Raksha are unlike anything Kamzin expected—or prepared for—with avalanches, ice chasms, ghosts, and even worse at every turn. And as dark secrets are revealed, Kamzin must unravel the truth of their mission and of her companions—while surviving the deadliest climb she has ever faced.

MY REVIEW

Even the Darkest Stars took me on quite an adventure and it was so refreshing. I was transported to the mountain village of Azmiri, where we meet Kamzin, who is a girl dreaming to become a royal explorer for the Emperor. She gets her chance when the greatest and most current Royal Explorer, River Shara, comes to her village needing a guide to climb the tallest and deadliest mountain, Raksha.

This story isn’t only about a climbing expedition, there is a reason River needs to get to the top of that mountain, but it’s not what everyone thinks, though some do suspect what he’s after. There is magic, witches and even dragons in this story, though the dragons seem more like domesticated pets than the deadly fire-breathing soaring creatures we’ve come to know in other stories.

The world building kept me in this story because it was so different and I’ll admit, I’m a sucker for those movies about climbing Mount Everest. There is always danger in those movies and the study of human nature: the will to go on, the need to reach the summit and can they even reach the summit?

I loved the mysticism and traditions of the mountain villages we journey to in Even the Darkest Stars, and learning about the witches that once roamed the land – but of course the emperor put an end to that by binding their power. Then there are ghosts, winged beasts and even a fire demon! I loved it all.

But there was one point in the book, around 75% into it – that I had to skim through some of the climbing scenes because I just was so eager to know what was coming.

As for the characters, I liked Kamzin. She’s brave, intuitive and one of the best climbers River has ever been with. Her sense of adventure comes through and it’s infectious. Kamzin is a second daughter though and feels she has something to prove to her village. So sometimes that desire to be more than what she is, causes her to make some questionable decisions.

Kamzin and River connect right away through their love of adventure. But Kamzin also has her level headed, best-friend, ex-boyfriend, Tem, who journeys with her and the team to Raksha. The love triangle was present in the book but it didn’t distract me or overtake the story at all. When reading a love triangle, I usually feel a strong pull towards one side, #Teamwhoever, 🤣 but in this one, I didn’t quite know who I wanted her to end up with. I like that Tem knows her so well and looks out for her but River is exciting and she could share her love of adventure with him. I guess we shall see how it plays out in book two.

I’m excited that I had borrowed the second book along with the first one because of that ending – oh you fire demon, you! Okay, I’ll be right back, going to immerse myself in book two, All The Wandering Light. 😉