The Dragon's Promise by Elizabeth Lim

A dragon's kingdom. A star-crossed love. And a cursed pearl with the power to mend the world, or break it . . . Shiori's quest continues in the soaring sequel to the New York Times bestselling young adult fantasy Six Crimson Cranes. Princess Shiori made a deathbed promise to return the dragon's pearl to its rightful owner, but keeping that promise is more dangerous than she ever imagined. She must journey to the kingdom of dragons, navigate political intrigue among humans and dragons alike, fend off thieves who covet the pearl for themselves and will go to any lengths to get it, all while cultivating the appearance of a perfect princess to dissuade those who would see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood. The pearl itself is no ordinary cargo; it thrums with malevolent power, jumping to Shiori's aid one minute, and betraying her the next - threatening to shatter her family and sever the thread of fate that binds her to her true love, Takkan. It will take every ounce of strength Shiori can muster to defend the life and the love she's fought so hard to win . . .

I absolutely loved this book. It was even better than the first one and it was everything I had expected AND MORE. Such an amazing story, Elizabeth Lim has a very beautiful writing style that makes you forget you're reading and it makes you feel a part of the story.

Bound by promise, Shiori quests to reunite a broken pearl with the dragon who can make it whole again. But along the way, she will have to face a number of challenges. From dragons to demons and even members of her own court. Shiori will journey across the land, risking the lives of those she loves to fulfill her promise.

The Dragon’s Promise took a while to reach a steady flow of narrative. Shiori’s venture into the dragon kingdom promised a powerful start to the story, but not enough time was spent building the world around the settings. The ambitions of the King and his subjects were quite clear, but the lore and culture were not as in-depth as readers have seen in the first novel. This resulted in an action filled, yet rushed time in the kingdom. While this section of the story tied up loose ends from Six Crimson Cranes, it also seemed to be a distraction from the main quest.

The storytelling felt episodic as the plot progressed, reintroducing characters and then finding ways for them to take a step back and barely be mentioned once again. While it did prove to expand the reader’s knowledge of how various parties reacted to Shiori’s magic, it also felt disjointed. As if certain characters were only introduced to propel the plot forward instead of helping the characters develop. However, my favorite moments were with Shiori and Takkan. After everything readers learned about them in book one, it was wonderful to see them stumble along and realize what their relationship could be. As the story focused on them facing challenges together, I was thoroughly hooked.

And once again Kiki was my favorite part. The little paper bird is selfless and has no problem speaking her mind. Even if it may get her and Shiori in trouble because she has no filter. The bond Kiki and Shiori share is heartwarming. They will selflessly defend one another and do all they can to help each other. Kiki also knew when to break the tension of a moment or urge Shiori to think about her choices by speaking up. Kiki was Shiori’s greatest champion, pushing her to develop and become a better person.

If you have read Six Crimson Cranes, I still encourage you to read The Dragon’s Promise. There is a great mix of romance, action, and lore, it just takes the story a little while to uncover it. And while it has its downfalls, the story does come to a satisfying ending.