(Detailed) plot overview: In a fictional world of magic, dragons, and mystical forces, two sisters, Vanna and Channari, are born to an ordinary father. Both sisters start life as normal, healthy children. Vanna is exceptionally beautiful, glowing with an inner light, and becomes the village's darling. Channari, however, is mocked and ignored because of her monstrous appearance. At a young age her father sacrificed her to the Demon Witch. She luckily survived in the forest, saved by the Snake King, whose bite made her blood lethal to all but snakes, rendering her immune to the Witch's harm. Yet, the Witch, infuriated, cursed Channari with a serpent’s face, a curse breakable only by surrendering Vanna to the Witch before her seventeenth birthday.
Despite their divergent paths, the sisters maintain a deep bond, with Channari, the elder by two years, feeling fiercely protective of Vanna. When Vanna is set to be auctioned in marriage, Channari goes forward to be Vanna’s champion and fight the champion of the king who wants to wed her sister- the champion being a dragon. This determination allows her to defeat the creature, although now, the king has taken an interest in her as an ‘exotic creature’ to keep as a pet. Channari is abducted along with her snake best friend, Ukar. Channari's abduction brings her face-to-face with none other than the very dragon she’d fought, who turns out to be the one destined to aid her, according to a prophecy.
As Channari escapes the king and confronts various challenges, she discovers that the dragon is benevolent and learns of a split dragon pearl, half of which is possessed by the Demon Witch. The other half, shockingly, resides within Vanna's heart. A dilemma arises when Channari must decide whether to reveal this truth to the dragon. After a painful decision, she confides in the dragon, who then seeks out Vanna.
The tale reaches a climax when Channari, Ukar, and the dragon confront the Demon Witch. In a twist, the Witch shatters the dragon's moonstone, unleashing his demonic half, which inadvertently causes Vanna's death. Though it pains her, since she knows that it wasn’t the dragon’s fault, Channari nonetheless curses him to live in darkness until her own death. In an unexpected turn, the dragon pearl chooses Channari, granting her its powers. She yearns to see Vanna again, but instead, the pearl transforms Channari to wear Vanna’s face, to her dismay.
In the end, Channari marries an emperor from a distant land, departing with him to start anew. She leaves her past behind, erasing her name from the memories of her people, and creating a new identity in a strange realm.
My opinion: I didn't know until after I'd finished the book that Her Radiant Curse was actually a prequel to Six Crimson Cranes, a book I'd already read for a book club, but I realized that the main character of this one, Channari, is actually the unnamed stepmother (only going by Her Radiance), and that the book details her origin story. (At the end, the emperor she marries has six sons and a daughter, and lives in a world forbidding magic...seemed kind of familiar especially since I noticed this book is by the same author as Six Crimson Cranes). But it was definitely a very good origin story, and although I didn't know about it at first-, did give me more insight on the character of the stepmother who died in the Six Crimson Cranes duology after it was revealed she wasn't so bad as Shiori (the main character of the other duology) had thought, before I could explore any more of her. And I've noticed I do love anything by this author so I might have just immediately picked it up after seeing 'Elizabeth Lim' and blindly read it-. As expected, I loved it, and would reread.
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