The Dragon's Promise The Dragon's Promise
Book 2 - Six Crimson Cranes

The Dragon's Promise

    • 4.6 • 36 Ratings
    • $8.99
    • $8.99

Publisher Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of Six Crimson Cranes comes the thrilling next adventure! A journey to the kingdom of dragons, a star-crossed love, and a cursed pearl with the power to mend the world or break it... Fans of Shadow and Bone will devour this soaring fantasy.

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. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster to defend the life and the love she's fought so hard to win.

GENRE
Young Adult
RELEASED
2022
August 30
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
496
Pages
PUBLISHER
Random House Children's Books
SELLER
Penguin Random House LLC
SIZE
9.7
MB

Customer Reviews

Kyanna.S ,

Fantastic and Beautiful

Absolutely loved this book!!! I it wrapped up the story from the first book perfectly. I felt all the emotions happiness, sadness, regrets and hope. I loved how this stories continue her relationship with her brothers, father, and stepmother. I really hope there’s a third book I feel like there so more to Shiori story.

Lauren Michele Stewart ,

A Disappointing Sequel

"Princess Shiori’anma embarks on a journey to the underwater kingdom of Ai’long, risking her human life to return the pearl in her possession to its rightful dragon owner. As she navigates this delicate task, the pearl takes on a life of its own, sometimes helping Shiori and other times causing chaos. She must keep it contained by any means necessary, but her magic is still a secret, any use of power a danger to her and her loved ones. Her friend Seryu promises to try and keep her safe in his grandfather’s kingdom, but his personal feelings for the princess are clouding his judgement. When Shiori finds herself bound to the royal family, the circumstances feel insurmountable, and she fears she’ll never return to the surface. Will she be able to keep her promise and survive to tell the tale? Will she make it back to her family and finally marry Takkan? Perhaps forbidden magic and the fate of a kingdom is too great a burden for a teenage princess . . ."

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from Knopf Books for Young Readers, imprint of Random House Children’s Books, through NetGalley in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

For the optimal reading experience, I reread “Six Crimson Cranes” as an appetizer to the entree of “The Dragon’s Promise,” the duology finale and my most anticipated book of 2022. Chapter one begins right where we left off, Shiori following Seryu to his grandfather’s ocean kingdom. I spent much of my childhood pretending to be a mermaid princess with a castle at the bottom of the swimming pool so the idea of spending some time underwater thrilled me, even as an adult reader. Out of nowhere, the dreaded reading slump got ahold of me, and my reading came to a complete halt. I pushed myself to read here and there but made very little progress, taking one whole month to finish a story I initially thought I would devour in one week at most. Yes, the slump did affect my reading experience, but I know for a fact it wasn’t the sole roadblock because I tried my luck with another book and flew through the chapters. Plain and simple, this sequel left me feeling disappointed and wishing the duology was, instead, a standalone book.

There was a lot of ground to cover in order to wrap up Shiori’s tale, and nothing flowed, instead feeling like three separate sections that happened one after the other. It read like “We’re in this place. Now we’re here. Lastly, we’re at this location.” The first book took me on an adventure that felt like a whirlwind, and the sequel took me on a guided tour that made me hyperaware of the seconds, minutes, and hours ticking by. I found Shiori incredibly annoying, even more so than before; I understand that her immature mistakes were meant to grow the character, but at some point she has to stop making those same mistakes to show growth, and I never felt that shift. I also didn’t like her use of the word “snitches”; maybe I’m being too picky, but it felt out of character and out of place in this particular fantasy.

I was rooting for Shiori and Takkan as a couple, but there were too many unnecessary twists and turns. One specific thing that transpired in the underwater kingdom didn’t need to happen, but I would’ve been fine with it had there been some sort of significance; it ended up affecting nothing and was, therefore, a waste of pages. Just when the romance seemed to be back on track, Shiori herself sabotaged the happy ending not once but twice. When I say I felt frustrated with her, I don’t mean the good feeling of frustration while reading that feels like part of the experience; I mean the bad kind of frustration that negatively affects your opinion of a story.

I’m struggling with the intensity of my disappointment, but I’m going to push through that wall and give you a positive: I love the moment when Takkan gifts Shiori with a simple wooden comb painted with memories they’ve shared. He parallels their quiet moment with the hunter who won the Lady of the Moon’s heart with a simple comb amongst suitors gifting her gold and jewels; he gave Imurinya a comb to put up her hair so he could see her eyes and light them with joy. Swoon! That moment gave me everything I was craving from their romance, not to mention their continuous quoting of these words inspired by Shiori’s stepmother: “You are the light that makes my lantern shine.”

I am very open to rereading “The Dragon’s Promise” after a period of time and giving it a second chance with a fresh mind. For now, I’m settling on a 3 star rating and walking away. If you’ve read the first book, please give the sequel a chance and read it for yourself. Just because I had a “meh” experience doesn’t mean you will; I’ve seen reviews from readers who enjoyed it so it does have an audience. I would also recommend you look into Elizabeth Lim’s “Spin the Dawn” duology because there are many connections to the “Six Crimson Cranes” duology, especially after the events of the second book. I’m considering a reread myself which is a relief because obviously my heart still loves this world Elizabeth’s created.



Content Breakdown: Abuse, Alcohol, Animal Harm, Blood, Bullying, Claustrophobia/Drowning/Seasickness, Death, Language (very minor), Loss, Magic, Prejudice, Religion, Romance, Self Harm, Sensual/Sexual Situations (very minor), Spirituality, Suicide, Superstition, & Violence

* Detailed content breakdown on my blog LaurenMicheleLifestyle *

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