Book Review: The Dragon’s Promise

I finally read the follows up to Six Crimson Cranes over the past few days, The Dragon’s Promise, by Elizabeth Lim. I loved Six Crimson Cranes so it’s crazy how long it took me to finish the duology, but I finally did!

The Dragon’s Promise picks up where Six Crimson Cranes left off so if you haven’t read that yet beware of spoilers ahead!

Shiori promised her stepmother before she died at the end of Six Crimson Cranes that she would return the dragon pearl to its rightful owner, but she had also promised to present the pearl to the Dragon King, Seryu’s grandfather. She goes with Seryu to the underwater dragon kingdom and things start to move quickly. The Dragon King wants the pearl, but Shiori has a promise to keep so now she has to try to escape. Seryu is in a tough position because Shiori is his friend, but he has to tread lightly to not make an enemy of his grandfather. And the dragons are the least of Shiori’s problems – demons, especially Bandur (remember him from the Spin the Dawn duology? Even though that takes place much later!), and other humans want the pearl too. Shiori has to work with her brothers. her betrothed, Takkan, and her enchanted paper bird, Kiki, to try to return the pearl to its rightful owner while fighting off enemies, those who want the pearl for themselves, and while Shiori learns to use her magic.

I loved this book and thought it was paced really well. It was nice to see Shiori work with her brothers and Takkan in this book when she was on her own for so much in Six Crimson Cranes due to the curse. The ending was bittersweet which is why I gave it a 4 or 4.5 on GoodReads because if it were up to me it would be a 100% happy ending (not that it isn’t a happy ending but if you’ve read it or when you do read it, you’ll see what I’m talking about!)

I loved getting a glimpse into her stepmother’s past and can’t wait to read the prequel about her and her sister that’s coming out soon. I also loved Seryu and his troubled cousin, Elang, so I’m hoping for book(s) about them. I messaged Elizabeth Lim a few days ago and asked her and she said she couldn’t reveal anything, but to stay tuned so I hope that means there are stories about them in the works!

Read this duology if you want an Asian fantasy romance (more heavy on the fantasy/fairytale/mythology/folklore elements than romance) featuring dragons, demons, and magic.

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