Rating: 3/5 stars

Category: Fantasy, Romance, Action, YA

Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton

Publication date: 29^th August 2023

Pages: 418

Trigger: Child Abuse

Hello Readers, welcome back to my blog.

Long time no see my friends. I have been on a little hiatus due to life but I am back now, not with full consistency but at least I won’t disappear this long again. On that note, let’s hop into this review.

SYNOPSIS

One sister must fall for the other to rise.

Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts.

Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi’s heart to its breaking point.

Weaving together elements of The Selection and Ember in the Ashes with classic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Helen of Troy, and Asian folklore, Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.

Review                                              

Channi loves her sister so much; even though she longs for her curse to be broken she will not do so at the expense of her sister. The first years of Channi’s life are whizzed through and the world building is done alongside the character introductions and the plot advancement but if you have read Six Crimson Cranes which this book is a prequel to, you will fall into the story very easily; which means that this book can be read as a standalone although it is a prequel to a duology. This story teaches the love of sister siblings and family love and how that can be more important than romantic love, the love of a family can heal deep wounds.

Elizabeth Lim’s writing is always easy to follow; the sentence construction and the use of language are easily understandable that it makes reading her work relaxing. The rating I gave of 3 out of 5 stars is therefore not a reflection of her work which is 4 out of 5 stars. I gave 3 stars because I read this story when I was in a reading slump and had to push myself to finish it, so my rating is a reflection of my emotional state not the work. This book and the Six Crimson Cranes duology are a great read, you can check out my review of the duolgy after this.

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Thank you for reading

Have a great week and God bless

Psalm 103:17 But the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear him. His salvation extends to the children’s children