Her Radiant Curse

Ich habe „A Radiant Curse“ regelrecht verschlungen. Die Geschichte ist bittersüß und dient als Vorgeschichte zu „Six Crimson Cranes“, weshalb man schon eine Ahnung hat, wie sie enden wird. Dennoch verliert sie nichts von ihrer Spannung und emotionalen Wucht. Im Mittelpunkt stehen zwei Schwestern, die unterschiedlicher kaum sein könnten, verbunden durch Liebe, Schmerz und Schicksal. Die Geschichte ist tief in asiatischer Folklore verwurzelt, was ihr eine faszinierende, märchenhafte Atmosphäre verleiht. Der Schreibstil ist leicht, aber unglaublich fesselnd, und Elizabeth Lim schafft es, große Emotionen zu wecken. Ein wunderschön erzähltes, melancholisches Prequel, das mich noch lange beschäftigt hat.

This beautifully written story explores themes such as inner beauty, friendship and loyalty. It focuses on the strong bond between the two sisters Channi and Vanna. While Vanna was blessed with a radiating beauty, her older sister Channi was cursed with a serpent's face. Vanna is the only one in their village who looks at Channi and doesn't see a monster. The book delivers beautifully in terms of world-building, intriguing characters and fantasy elements steeped in asian mythology. Overall just a wonderful and well-rounded story, perfectly suited for young adults. "Her radiant curse" is a spin-off prequel to the "six crimson cranes" series. Readers who are familiar with the series will enjoy returning to this world and seeing it being expanded. Readers who are unfamiliar with it will still be able to enjoy the book, as no prior knowledge is required.

Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim is the origin story of Channi from the Six Crimson Cranes Series.   I absolutely loved the Six Crimson Cranes Series and Channi was only seen as the evil stepmother. Therefore, I was so curious to see her story and this book was amazing.   Channi grew up on a small island and when her sister was born, her father offered her as a sacrifice to the Demon Witch. This turned her life upside down and the innocent childhood was immediately over. The Demon Witch found a liking in her and therefore gave her the ability to speak with snakes and cursed her beauty simultaneously. The people around her start seeing her as a monster and at some point, she just embraces it.   This book shows how everyone has a story and you shouldn’t just condemn someone. Channi also has a very loving side and I loved how her relationship with her sister was shown. She fights and protects her sister Vanna until the very end and that just shows how strong of a person Channi is.   Overall, this is such a captivating and heart-wrenching fantasy novel and I appreciated Channi‘s story. 4,5 stars.   (ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)