The Dragon's Promise (Six Crimson Cranes, #2) by Elizabeth Lim
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers on August 30, 2022
ISBN: 0593300955
Pages: 484
Genres: Fairy Tale, Fantasy
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
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The second book in a fantasy duology, this novel picks up moments after the first, Six Crimson Cranes, left off. This writing style reinforces the epic, sweeping feel of the duology, but, full disclosure, it also means this book is not ideal as a stand-alone novel.

While the first book was loosely based on the Grimm fairytale The Six Swans, this 484-page novel is original. Shiori, the book’s heroine, promised her dying stepmother at the end of book one that she would return a dragon pearl – the heart of a dragon – to its unknown owner, and that is the focus of this tale. She is helped by her six brothers and her betrothed in her journey, as she battles dragons, demons, fellow humans and even the treacherous dragon pearl itself, to keep her promise. On the positive side, the story is engaging and the magical Asian setting is beautifully described. More critically, the book has a few too many distinct arcs, bringing Shiori to the point of certain death in an end-of-book kind of way multiple times, before she is saved and – lo! – sets off on yet another previously unknown leg of her journey, which at times felt a little…ho-hum, here we go again.

On the whole, the duology is an enjoyable tale for readers who enjoy epic fantasy with a little romance, Chinese folklore and mythology, or who enjoyed Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon trilogy as middle grade readers. This book on its own would be a harder sell for readers who are not familiar with the first; together they are telling a single tale.

Recommended to: libraries who purchased the first book will definitely want to add this one to the collection.

Reviewed by Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library