Six Crimson Cranes

Six Crimson Cranes by Elizabeth Lim follows Shiori’anma, the exiled princess of Kiata who possesses forbidden magic. After her stepmother curses her brothers, transforming them into cranes, Shiori must remain silent to keep them alive. Stripped of her voice and status, she embarks on a quest to break the curse and confront a looming threat to the throne. The story blends elements of East Asian folklore with fantasy, focusing on themes of family, power, and self-acceptance.

In The Dragon's Promise, Elizabeth Lim continues Princess Shiori’s story as she attempts to honor a final vow: returning a powerful dragon’s pearl to its rightful owner. Her quest leads her into the dragon realm and back into human courts, where shifting alliances, political maneuvering, and open conflict blur the line between friend and enemy. The pearl’s unstable magic both shields and endangers her, drawing thieves, war, and suspicion toward her forbidden sorcery. Balancing her role as a dutiful princess with her identity as a magic-wielder, Shiori must protect her family, safeguard her romance, and confront forces that could unravel fate itself in this young adult fantasy rooted in Asian-inspired mythology.