464 pages
English language
Published Oct. 14, 2021 by Hodder & Stoughton.
This book is so full of beautiful little side stories and wonderful twists, it was a real joy to read.
Minus 0,5 points: There are no lesbians.
A fascinating story, mainly based on the fairy tale "The Wild Swans" but its own added elements, about a princess, her enchanted brothers and a stepmother. But the tale gets twisty towards the end as the author throws in her own variations.
Princess Shiori possesses magic, which she hides, in a kingdom where magic has been banned by the gods. But on the day she is meant to be betrothed to a prince, she runs away, setting in motion events that would cause her stepmother to curse her brothers to be turned into cranes. As for her, she is cursed to remain silent or cause the death of her brothers with every word she says and cast out of the kingdom. As she finds her brothers and struggles to return to the castle, she discovers the way to break the curse. But doing so would cause her much pain, …
A fascinating story, mainly based on the fairy tale "The Wild Swans" but its own added elements, about a princess, her enchanted brothers and a stepmother. But the tale gets twisty towards the end as the author throws in her own variations.
Princess Shiori possesses magic, which she hides, in a kingdom where magic has been banned by the gods. But on the day she is meant to be betrothed to a prince, she runs away, setting in motion events that would cause her stepmother to curse her brothers to be turned into cranes. As for her, she is cursed to remain silent or cause the death of her brothers with every word she says and cast out of the kingdom. As she finds her brothers and struggles to return to the castle, she discovers the way to break the curse. But doing so would cause her much pain, and the journey leads through the fortress of the prince she was meant to marry.
It is here that things start to change, when she discovers the prince is not as 'barbaric' as she initially though. But conspiracies in the fortress thwart her as she struggles to complete her painful task, and she begins to get second thoughts on her stepmother, and the reasons she and her brothers were cursed. It would all come to a climax at the end as plot twists make her to realise the dangers she and her kingdom are in and what she would have to do to save it.
This book was a pretty decent read, not only in terms of quality but as in length; coming in at nearly 500 pages. This book lays the foundation of a new world with dragons, gods, and magic.
In the story the main setting is across a few points of interest in the country Kiata, but there are cursory mentions of other nations beyond the sea. Each setting has a distinct impact on the main character and her growth.
The romance tropes trickle in slowly until the faucet is fully opened by the end, at which time I felt glad that the book was over.\
The rules for magic were easy to follow at first, until, again, at the end where the exceptions seem to either be poorly explained or simply put in place to give the main character plot armor. Those trip ups were jarring considering that …
This book was a pretty decent read, not only in terms of quality but as in length; coming in at nearly 500 pages. This book lays the foundation of a new world with dragons, gods, and magic.
In the story the main setting is across a few points of interest in the country Kiata, but there are cursory mentions of other nations beyond the sea. Each setting has a distinct impact on the main character and her growth.
The romance tropes trickle in slowly until the faucet is fully opened by the end, at which time I felt glad that the book was over.\
The rules for magic were easy to follow at first, until, again, at the end where the exceptions seem to either be poorly explained or simply put in place to give the main character plot armor. Those trip ups were jarring considering that with almost 500 pages there shouldn't be this feeling of being rushed to reach the conclusion of everything.
However, even with it's flaws at the end, it was a very enjoyable to follow the journey of the main character and watch her grow. I would totally be interested in reading the sequel to learn more about the other countries use of magic and the influence the dragons have over the human realm.
Original ya fantasy. Can't wait to read
Original ya fantasy. Can't wait to read
I have nothing bad to say, it was a story with colorful elements and characters, (like the paper bird it was so cute), and the writing was good enough, I liked the characters, I just didn't feel any real excitement while reading haha
I have nothing bad to say, it was a story with colorful elements and characters, (like the paper bird it was so cute), and the writing was good enough, I liked the characters, I just didn't feel any real excitement while reading haha
This is probably my favorite fairy tale retelling Ive read, and that’s saying a lot. It’s just a really fun book! I was obsessed with fairy tales as a kid (I still am really) and this used so many of the tropes, molding them together in a story that explores the idea of curses, destiny, and fate so much more intricately than I expected or have seen before. It’s at once a very easy read but leaves you reconsidering many things you’ve probably always taken for granted in stories like this. I’ll be looking out for the sequel, which the ending set up very nicely.
This is probably my favorite fairy tale retelling Ive read, and that’s saying a lot. It’s just a really fun book! I was obsessed with fairy tales as a kid (I still am really) and this used so many of the tropes, molding them together in a story that explores the idea of curses, destiny, and fate so much more intricately than I expected or have seen before. It’s at once a very easy read but leaves you reconsidering many things you’ve probably always taken for granted in stories like this. I’ll be looking out for the sequel, which the ending set up very nicely.
...it's Glamorous & spellbinding! Follow Princess Shiori on a journey to break the curse placed on her and her now crane brothers - a whimsical experience like no other!" (3.5/5)
...it's Glamorous & spellbinding! Follow Princess Shiori on a journey to break the curse placed on her and her now crane brothers - a whimsical experience like no other!" (3.5/5)
