The Dragon’s Promise, by Elizabeth Lim, starts immediately after the events of Six Crimson Cranes. In it, Shiori must carry out a deathbed promise she made to return a dragon’s pearl to its proper owner, but, in doing so, must first journey to the realm of the dragons while also worrying about how to protect her own kingdom from the demonic threat she knows is looming.

Going into this book, I was worried this duology was going to be similar to Spin the Dawn, where the first book was absolute perfection and the sequel was painful to get through, but fortunately that was not the case. Like Spin the Dawn, I had thought that Six Crimson Cranes could have served perfectly well as a standalone with a little reworking, so I was hesitant about what The Dragon’s Promise could bring to the story, but I found myself thoroughly enjoying the book.

Shiori continues to be an absolutely amazing heroine; I love her. She grows so much over the course of the duology, while still having the same mischievous and independent core to her personality that she had at the beginning. She’s courageous and cares so much about her family and her kingdom, and is honestly one of my favorite protagonists I’ve read about in quite a while. I also really loved her emotional journey as she deals with the death that happened at the end of the first book; her grieving process is complex, well-written, and one of my favorite aspects of the book.

Kiki, Shiori’s enchanted paper crane, continues to be a standout character from the book; simultaneously bringing both comic relief and advice that Shiori desperately needs, she’s one of my favorite things about this duology.

Takkan is such a good love interest, and so different from the love interests that typically tend to work best in YA fantasy books. He’s earnest and stable in a way that Shiori needs, but he’s also imaginative and brave and able to keep up with her energy. Their romance is so cute and I just love them so much.

Seryu, the resident dragon friend of the book, continued to be iconic, though I think I definitely preferred him in the first book. I did appreciate how his established feelings for Shiori were resolved without a full-on love triangle, and I really wish we had seen more of him in this book. Similarly, while we see a lot of Shiori’s brothers, I wish that they had more independent characterization from each other; right now, I honestly could not tell you a single distinct thing about any of them.

The Dragon’s Promise expands on the narrative established in the first book, elevating the fairytale feeling of Six Crimson Cranes to the stakes of a more sweeping fantasy narrative. While I definitely preferred the atmosphere of the first book, I definitely appreciated the opportunity to learn more about the world and magic through the sequel. I also loved all of the connections to the Spin the Dawn duology; the two series are tied together while still feeling like they have their own distinct themes and stories.

The plotting of the book did feel a bit odd; the first third, due to having a completely separate setting and goal from the rest of the book, feels almost like it either needed to be shortened or have been expanded into its own book. The beginning wasn’t spectacular, but the rest of the book really made up for it.

While The Dragon’s Promise didn’t quite live up to Six Crimson Cranes for me, it was still a wonderful conclusion to the story that the latter set up. My only real issue with it is that I think the plot ought to have been reworked some, as the pacing felt very strange and disconnected. The characters are lovable and amazing, the magic is wonderfully written, and the worldbuilding is expertly done. Shiori’s character development and emotional journey is wonderful (I almost enjoyed it more than the actual plot of the duology). I’m giving The Dragon’s Promise 4.5/5 stars.

The Dragon’s Promise is out TODAY (8/30/2022), so be sure to check this duology out if it sounds at all appealing! I can’t recommend it enough.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.