Book Review: Six Crimson Cranes

No matter where life takes you, you will be like those stars - connected by the light you shine together

I have always loved mythology, fairytales, folklore - you name it. Anything with magic, mystery, romance? It’s 100% my jam. I always liked the ‘otherness’ of those worlds - I heavily related to fairytales and would often wish I could sink into those fairytale worlds and live there. What I love about our book this week is that we delve into the realm of Asian mythologies, and as someone who is half Asian - I love to see it, read it, and now talk about it.

Six Crimson Cranes focuses on a precocious princess, Shiori - the youngest of seven, who secretly practices magic. Magic is forbidden in her kingdom and is so rare it is deemed a myth. However, a chance meeting with a dragon allows her to develop her skills - but she has the misfortune of discovering that her stepmother is an equally talented and more powerful sorceress and curses Shiori to silence and, her brothers into cranes. Any sound Shiroi makes and one of her brothers dies. A quest full of danger, intrigue and romance ensues!

If we think about the novel's structure, it obviously relies on many fairytale tropes. There is magic, a seemingly evil stepmother (what classic fairytale doesn't have one!), elements of transformation - Shiori’s brothers literally change into cranes, an animal sidekick (if you count an enchanted paper crane as an animal, then sure), our heroes true identity is revealed, and the villain tends to go out with a bang. These classic tropes exist, but all have a slight twist to them. Asian fairytales do not necessarily follow the tropes you find in Western fairytales. This book is a merger of the two, which I really enjoyed. The novel maintains its mystique even when two influential cultures collide. In Asian fairytales, everything is almost black and white, i.e. legend has it: if you make 1000 paper cranes, the Crane God will grant you a wish, whereas, in Western fairytales, everything is not always as it seems. We can also see the use of the ‘Strong Female Lead’ trope, all fairytales have them - most Western fairytales are named after them: Cinderella, Rapunzel, The Little Mermaid - need I go on? We do indeed have a strong female lead in this - Shiori goes from being spoilt and precocious to genuinely kind, fierce, loyal and exceedingly brave, especially for those that she loves.

If I were to criticise the book - I would say it felt a little rushed towards the end. I think that because a lot happens there wasn't enough space for the reader to digest what was going on or for the events to truly marinate on the page. I think more space was needed for the ending events to unfold. However, that being said I loved the overall story and I loved the little map at the beginning of the book - in true fantasy style! There is a sequel to this book - Shiori’s quest is far from over and I’m excited to read on!

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