Her Radiant Curse

The prequel to the Six Crimson Cranes duology, telling the story of Channari's life before she moved to Kiata and became known as Raikama.

Never will I apologize for being the monster they made me.

I find this one a lot more engaging than The Dragon's Promise right from the start, mainly because Channari is such a strong and consistent character. She would do literally anything to protect the people she loves, and this personality trait stays exactly the same many years later. The difference is that in this book, she lives for her sister Vanna. It's an action-packed story about family, though it does have a little bit of romance which I honestly find unnecessary. A platonic friendship would've worked just as good, considering how fast it got dashed anyway. But Channi and Vanna's sisterhood? Channi's friendship with Ukar? Good stuff. 👌✨

What I did not like, though, is how Hokzuh's action was painted as a betrayal. He literally did not have control over himself. He didn't do what he did willingly. It's even made clear plenty of times what would happen if he lost his talisman, so it's not a betrayal no matter how you look at it and it bothers me a lot how the book and Channari insist that it is. If anyone or anything is to blame, then shouldn't it be the pearl instead of him? Speaking of which, it's also never explained how Vanna was born with the pearl either.

I was also under the idea that this book would show more of Channari's ties to Hanriyu, but it doesn't. This particular part was so rushed. Her reason for going to Kiata is crammed in at the last minute, and the selection where she chose him gets entirely skipped. I can't help but feel like some of the scenes in the middle, especially the parts where they hop from Shenlani to Yappang, could've been removed to give more spotlight on their friendship instead. Still, it's an easy book to read and it gives a lot more depth to Channari so it does make a nice addition to the series.