This novel is everything and then some, I cannot wait to start Book 2.

Shiori is the only daughter of the emperor and has the rare gift of magic which is forbidden. On the day of her betrothal ceremony Shiori jumps into a lake to save her magical paper crane and she, herself gets saved by a dragon. She tells her brothers about the dragon. Her step mother, Raikama, has a strange reaction to being told, where he brothers didn't believe her which starts a suspicious feeling in Shiori. Shiori gets private lessons from the dragon, Seryu, but he eventually has to travel back to his grandfathers kingdom and cannot come back until spring. He tells her to continue practicing her magic while he is away.

Her magical paper Crane tells her about her step mother, Raikam, also having magic so Shiori watches and follows her step mother around hoping to catch her doing some. She discovers her step mother performing dark like magic and that her face she wears is not her own. That she is more serpentine. Shiori runs to her brothers to tell them their step mother is a demon but when Raikama finds them in their room she curses them, turning her 6 brothers into cranes and putting a bucket on Shiori's head that hides her identity and stops her magic. The curse makes it so that Shiori cannot speak a single word or for every word she speaks a brother will die so she is forced to remain mute. They are then separated from each other and Shiori's journey begins to find her brothers and break the curse.

This was another one of those novels I just did not want to put down and I had to remind myself sleep is important and you can continue it in the morning. The art cover for the book is so well done and it definitely helps with visualization for the story. This was one of those books that made me cry and the ending was unexpected.