This love story was so epically beautiful, the way this book is written is stunning . I gave it 3 stars because I think I have a ceiling to how high my fantasy Could go I need more humanoid characters I could be OK with one or 2 talking animals but they nearly all can talk and my brain just couldn't grip the magnitude of fantasy in this book

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim is a breathtaking, emotional triumph — and I knew it would be my new favourite just 8% in.

As a longtime fan of Elizabeth Lim, I always expect something magical when I open one of her books — but A Forgery of Fate completely exceeded those expectations. It's a stunning blend of fantasy, romance, and mystery, wrapped in Lim’s signature expressive writing style and immersive worldbuilding.

The story follows Tru, an art forger with a love of spicy noodles and a dangerous secret: she can paint the future. Then there's Elang, a cursed half-dragon who we first met briefly in A Dragon’s Promise — a quiet, brooding prince with a cup of tea always in hand. One of my few criticisms of A Dragon’s Promise was that we didn’t spend enough time in the underwater kingdom of Ai’long. Now, I understand why — Lim was saving the full reveal for this story, and experiencing the kingdom’s beauty and terror through Tru’s eyes was absolutely worth the wait.

While the book draws subtle inspiration from Beauty and the Beast, the narrative is entirely original, standing confidently on its own. The romance between Tru and Elang is a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers journey that’s rich with tension and depth. Though there is technically an arranged marriage element, it’s far from the typical trope. Their bond begins as a deal — Tru needs money and protection for her family, while Elang needs a Heavenly Match to break a curse — it's purely a practical arrangement, until it isn't.

The plot is packed with action, yearning, betrayal, and magic, making this both a heartwarming and hypnotic read. And for readers who loved Six Crimson Cranes and A Dragon’s Promise, there’s an added treat: a glimpse into Seryu's life post-Shiori.

A Forgery of Fate is a beautiful, powerful addition to Elizabeth Lim’s universe. I couldn't put it down — and I already can't wait to reread it

I wasn’t expecting this but oh my goodness did I love it! We have this gorgeously vivid world full of little details and quirks that make it fantasy. It reads like a fairytale especially closer to the end – I read it was a beauty and the beast retelling but honestly it is so far away from the original and improved that I wouldn’t have made the connection otherwise! When I did realise it made for a happy discovery because then I could link all the little bits and pieces!
Tru as a heroine is so delightful to read because she bonds two of my favourite heroine attributes together: she is strong and has been strong in her own right for years and her ability is not ‘discovered’ by the romantic interest, it is something that she has already wielded for years on her own. She is a painter, forging early masters in dead artist’s style so that her and her family can survive on the little food and shelter that she can work for. Unlike a lot of heroines who are warriors she is a creative which was so lovely to read and definitely memorable!
The imagery and world of this book were honestly just exquisite especially for the first 30% or so when we were in Tru’s world. It felt so real and all the little details that had been added as we jumped into Tru’s ‘just on the slight side of illegal’ life style was honestly flawless.
I also love that Elizabeth Lin didn’t make Tru’s sisters unlikeable or vain or shallow like a lot of retellings and original versions do. It made it so much sweeter of a read for me that I wasn’t annoyed over that.

Age Recommendation: YA -  12+ - while I think that older readers would also enjoy this it is a romance that I would be happy to give to a 12 year old and it feels on the lower age end of YA.
Romance Rating: Soft
Violence Rating: Level 3
Content Warnings: None

I knew that i will love this book after The dragon's promise. I love all Elizabeth Lim's books. She has a way of creating a beautiful and captivating world and her words are like the keys to a magical underwater palace. Getting back to this book, i adored the dynamic between our heroine and the mysterious dragon and how little by little their relantionship changed and their opinion about each other. The other characters are so cute and interesting, and some of them funny. I can't wait to buy a physical copy to add it to my collection of Elyzabeth Lim books. Thank You NetGalley for the Arc.

I've been meaning to read Elizabeth Lim's books since her debut and now finally got the chance with her most recent work. It was in many ways what I hoped it would be but it also took some unexpected turns. I really enjoyed it though and I look forward to picking up her previous works.

I love Beauty and the Beast and stories inspired by it. I also love books inspired by Chinese culture so having these two come together here was a double win. I will say that the beginning felt rather uneventful, it wasn't until around 20% that things were actually moving forward. From there on, though, the pacing was well done. Although the stakes were reasonably high, I did feel that this was more of a calm story and I don't mean that in a bad way whatsoever - it suited the painting aspect of this tale perfectly.

Although cover and blurb give it away, I wasn't actually expecting this to be an underwater setting so I was quite surprised but really enjoyed the vivid underwater world and the various creatures we meet there. This vibrant setting also worked well with our main character Tru being an artist and it being part of the magic system presented here.

There were moments I thought I could guess the plot twists and while I was partially right for some, others caught me entirely off guard. I didn't have much of a favourite character, they were largely all pleasant and likeable but somehow non of them stood out as a potential favourite. On the flip side, I could not stand Tru's mother - she felt like a gambling version of Mrs Bennett. However, I did really enjoy Tru's bond with her two sisters Nomi and Fal. They're all three very different but still had nice interactions and care for each other - I'd actually love if Nomi and Fal could get their own book later down the line.

I enjoyed the romance with the Beauty and the Beast premise and also the fake marriage kept both me as a reader as well as Tru guessing on what's actually going on between her and the dragon Elang. I enjoyed them together but I also felt like there could have been a wee bit more of a spark.

As a whole, besides Tru's mother, I really enjoyed the entire novel. Much like the romance missed a spark, there was a little something missing for this work overall that makes me lean more toward a 4 than 5 star rating, but I truly couldn't tell you what that something is. Regardless, it's a beautiful standlone fantasy with lots of dragons and underwater imagery and I'd definitely recommend it to fans of Chinese inspired fantasy.

This book was absolutely phenomenal and exceeded all of my expectations!

Normally I'm not a huge fan of retellings of things like Beauty and the Beast, I find they tend to be a bit predictable and samey in their execution. A Forgery of Fate however, was so unique in how it goes about its retelling of the story and I truly enjoyed every second that was spent reading this book!

This is the first time I've read something by Elizabeth Lim and it's safe to say I will absolutely be picking up some of her other titles after this! Her writing style is so magical and atmospheric. I was absolutely mesmerised from page one. It's so easy to picture exactly where the characters are at any point in time and how they are feeling thanks to the vivid descriptions and fantastic world building. The descriptive writing didn't feel too overwhelming, or over done either. It was just the right amount to fully immerse me in the moment, without feeling like there was an endless stream of descriptors being thrown our way.

Truyan is the eldest daughter of the Saigas family. After their father goes missing when a storm hits his ship Tru takes on the role of main provider for her family, taking care of her mother and two younger sisters. She's an artist who excels in forging the work of other artists and with the help of her friend Gaari she hones her skills to sell her forgeries at auction and keep her family afloat.

Through a twist of fate Tru bumps into Elang - our MMC - and they come to an agreement involving a fake marriage to help break Elang's curse, in return Tru's family is to be kept safe and taken care of.

Every character was so perfectly crafted, even the side characters had such distinctive personalities and voices it was so easy to tell who was talking when, and all their different feelings on towards other characters and the situations they encounter.

I was a huge fan of Shani personally! She was such a wonderful, snippy, no nonsense character and I found myself looking really forward to every interaction she'd have with Tru!

Tru and Elang were such perfect main characters, they felt so real in their behaviour and their actions made sense and were really relatable.
Tru is such a strong, independent FMC. She's so resilient and loyal, never giving up on her family - or Elang.

Elang was a wonderful, grumpy little dragon prince! He was so charming even when he wasn't trying to be and I found myself falling absolutely in love with him from the moment we meet him!

I would absolutely recommend this book if you're a fan of twists and turns, secrets and betrayal, an emotional, slow burning love full of yearning and longing, and a world full of folklore and wonder!

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review the eARC!

5⭐

Thank you Elizabeth Lim, Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC!

A breathtaking romantic fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast about a girl who paints the future and a cursed dragon lord, bound by love and deception in a plot to bring down the gods.

This book feels extra special, offering a creative twist on an Eastern "Beauty and the Beast" retelling while introducing a fresh, vivid take on an underwater world. The journey is painted in rich, colorful strokes, featuring phoenix demons, heroic turtles, treacherous sharks, dangerous jellyfish, and a vicious Dragon King determined to destroy his own kin rather than share his empire.

Tru was an outstanding FMC. I thought she was stong, determined, and so easy to love. You couldn't help but want to root for her.

From the different magical creatures and slow-burn romance to the vivid world-building and unique magical elements, this book has everything you could ask for—including secrets, twists, and turns that will keep you hooked!

The world within this book entranced me, it was unique and magical, and the premise was perfectly delivered. Not only does this book have an incredible MMC, Elang, who is half dragon and royalty (this character alone should convince you to read this book) and a FMC, Tru, who can see the future through her paintings, but there are also talking turtles, mermaids, and a water demon who lives inside a ring and can appear at will.

The romance was *chef’s kiss*, it was slow-burn, there was yearning, and it was all brought together by a marriage of convenience. This marriage is planned in hopes of overthrowing the Elang’s grandfather, dragon king (and god) of the sea, who is destroying the ocean, talk about high stakes! Tru agrees to this marriage to protect her family and to discover whether her dad really did die at sea five years ago. Although I wouldn’t have said no to more romance between the characters, it was perfectly timed throughout the book and I couldn’t stop reading, hoping for more.

There were a few times I couldn’t quite grasp how a scene was playing out in the underwater world but I think it’s up to your imagination to try and fit the pieces together and this didn’t affect how much I loved it. This was my first book by Lim and I will definitely be reading more of her work!

A girl who paints the future. A dragon prince with no heart. A marriage of convenience.

Elizabeth Lim is one of my ultimate auto-buy authors. I’ve loved her previous books, and while this one was slightly below the others for me, it was still a beautiful read.

🎨 I loved Truyan, the blue-haired heroine who’s fiercely loyal and gifted with a rare ability: painting the future. When her father vanishes at sea and her mother’s gambling debts threaten her family, she agrees to a marriage of convenience with Elang—a half-human, half-dragon prince as mysterious as he is broody.

🐉 Elang, the ultimate grumpy dragon lord, has lost his dragon pearl—the source of his heart, magic, and emotions—and now lives in an isolated undersea palace. With talking warrior turtles 🐢, shark armies 🦈, and the regal merfolk 👑, the aquatic world is rich and unique, though I did struggle at times to fully visualize it and feel completely immersed (pun intended, haha).

🖌 Tru is tasked with painting the portrait of the tyrannical Dragon King—whom Elang secretly wants to overthrow. Between royal secrets, ancient betrayals, and a very slow burn romance full of emotional tension, the story unfolds gently and fluidly. Lim truly has a gift for writing tender, heartfelt love stories.

✨ In short: a standalone YA fantasy filled with tension, strategy, magic, and a beautifully written romance. If you're into slow burns, grumpy x sunshine dynamics, and dreamy underwater worlds, this Beauty and the Beast–inspired one-shot might just be your next favorite.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HodderScape for the chance to read this early!

Instagram post planned Thursday 10th April

Absolutely stunning.

This was my first book by Elizabeth Lim, and I adored every moment of it. A beauty and the beast retelling in the best way.

The MFC is a delight, struggling with the loss of her father, with her hair that marks her out as 'other' in her home. She has to look after her family, younger siblings and a mother with a gambling problem. Despite everything thrown at her, she never gives up. Along the way she literally falls into a garden of a 'demon lord' who offers to save her family - for the minor price of her marrying him.

Our MMC. Oh our MMC. As all the best ones are, he is grumpy and cold and obnoxious on the outside but inside... he's a sweetheart. A romantic who takes a simple gesture and turns it into a whole field. Who throws himself into danger time and time again to protect her, while still trying to push her away.

And when you find out why he's pushing her away... well.

Sometimes, what you need is a fantasy romance wrapped up in a hug, a delicious melody of art and food, the burn of the noodles keeping you warm. This was just a completely enjoyable read, full of fantastic characters and just enough danger to keep you motivated.

I also really enjoyed that it is a standalone (although I certainly wouldn't complain if we returned to this world). It's really nice to have a one and done story sometimes, and to have all the plot very enjoyably wrapped up.

Thank you to Elizabeth Lim, Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for giving me this e-arc.

A Forgery of Fate is a Beauty and The Beast retelling (I’m starting to love these), but with an Eastern Mythology twist. This is actually my first Elizabeth Lim book since I have Six Crimson Cranes among other books of hers on my TBR and I wasn’t disappointed!!

The beginning was a little slow, with the two main characters not making the deal and progressing the story until about 25% in which got me dangerously close to DNFing but thankfully I stuck through! The lyrical writing style and the amazing world building had me hooked from the rest of the book.

A Forgery of Fate is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast with an eastern mythology twist. It follows Tru who is a talented con-artist but she's hiding something- a special gift. After her father disappears at sea, she tries to earn money for her family by selling her paintings. Her mother is a fortune teller and ends up in trouble with Madam Yargui by gambling. It is upto Tru to save her family. She comes across a mysterious man who turns out to be a half-human, half-dragon. Together they come up with a deal that can cater to both of their needs.

I enjoyed this book and loved the enchanting setting of the underwater world. We got to see all types of creatures like the merfolk and dragons. Their fake marriage meant that we got see them having to act in love in front of others when they didn't want to. I enjoy slow-burns and this definitely was one.

Tru is strong and determined. She will do anything for her family. I love that about her. Elang is cold and distant but there's more to him underneath and i liked how we saw his true self slowly unfurl as the story went on. The book had high stakes and the ending was beautifully done.

The cons of the book for me were that it felt a little slow at the start and was hard for me to visualize the world at times. I'd have loved more detail for the world-building. It would have been nice to see more romantic moments between Tru and Elang aswell. Overall, it was a nice read.

I'd like to thank Netgalley & Hodder Books for allowing me to read an e-arc for an honest review.

Elizabeth Lim is a master at weaving together folklore, mythology, fairytales, breathtaking landscapes, and unique characters. Her talent is once again confirmed in her latest novel, A Forgery of Fate, a Beauty and the Beast retelling where the “beast” is a half-dragon prince.

I enjoyed this book, I’ve been a fan of Elizabeth Lim since Spin the Dawn, but my favorite of hers remains Six Crimson Cranes. That novel was so imaginative, creative, and emotionally powerful that it cemented my love for Chinese fairytale retellings. A Forgery of Fate, unfortunately, doesn’t quite reach the same heights as these two books.

My main issue with the novel is its incredibly slow start. The synopsis actually covers more than the first 30% (over 150 pages!) of the story, which, in my opinion, is far too much and makes it difficult for the reader to stay fully engaged. The two main characters don’t strike the deal until around the 25% mark. This really affected my connection with the story, and I might have been tempted to DNF it if I hadn’t already read and loved Lim’s other books, and if I hadn’t been so eager to return to the underwater realm of Ai’long. As a result of this sluggish pacing, I found myself feeling quite distant from the characters, removed from their anguish and motivations.

What I did love, though, was Lim’s signature writing style, atmospheric, lyrical, and immersive. I also appreciated the way the relationship between Tru and Elang developed over time, and the fresh, intriguing twist she brought to the Beauty and the Beast fairytale.

A thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for gifting me this eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm already a big fan of Lim's writing, the best book I've read so far this year was 'Her Radiant Curse' by Lim, so I knew that i'd enjoy this book. It took a while to get going, i found the start a little slow in places, taking quite a while to set up the story and characters etc. But once it got going, it was excellent. A retelling of Beauty and the Beast, but with dragons and a much better storyline in general.
I love how Lim's books weave together, each book/series is unique, yet they are set in the same worlds, and overlap in places. you find yourself spotting characters from other books, or finding out the backstory or future of a character from another one of her books while reading. it's never a massive thing, just a mention in passing, but i find it wonderful.
Just in general, i love Lim's writing, and i find her stories so compelling. highly recommended.

3.5 stars: A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim is a gorgeously written, atmospheric standalone that weaves art, myth, and romance into a vibrant tapestry of Chinese-inspired fantasy. The prose is undeniably beautiful—Lim paints with words as vividly as Tru paints with her brush. From underwater castles to enchanted paintings, the imagery throughout this book was absolutely stunning, and I found myself completely immersed in the world she created.

Tru, our heroine, is everything I’ve come to love in a Lim protagonist: clever, courageous, and emotionally grounded. Her role as a forger adds a unique twist to her moral compass, and I enjoyed seeing her navigate a world full of deception and divine politics. Her bond with Elang—the half-dragon, grumpy-to-soft love interest—was well-developed and emotionally satisfying. The slow-burn dynamic, paired with tropes like forced proximity and secret identity, was a definite highlight for me. Fans of romantic tension will not be disappointed.

That said, while the premise and characters drew me in, there were a few elements that didn’t quite land. The pacing felt uneven—particularly toward the end, where things wrapped up a bit too quickly and left several important threads unresolved or brushed over. The worldbuilding, while enchanting in aesthetic, lacked some of the depth I was hoping for. Mentions of gods and mythological elements were intriguing but underexplored, and the villain's motivations felt too simplistic given the rich world we were shown.

I also think readers unfamiliar with Chinese mythology or drama tropes might find themselves craving a bit more context or explanation. There’s a lot of potential in the setup, but some of it remains on the surface rather than digging deep into the cultural roots that inspired it.

Still, A Forgery of Fate has a lot of heart—and style. The romance was swoony, the heroine compelling, and the premise refreshingly original. I just wish the plot and world had been given a bit more room to breathe.

Would I recommend it? Definitely—especially for fans of romantic fantasy with lush settings and strong female leads. Just know going in that while the journey is lovely, the destination might leave you with a few lingering questions.

I enjoyed this so much more than I expected to and didn't want it to come to en end. Truyan is devastated by the disappearance of her father and is desperate to look after her mum and sisters
She meets Elang and agrees to help him in order to help her family. Little does she know the importance of this relationship.
A fantastic fantasy. Loved it.

ARC Review: A Fate Forged in Fire by Elizabeth Lim

She did it again. I absolutely loved Six Crimson Cranes and I adore this Beauty and the Beast-inspired romantasy just as much. What do you think how I felt when I realized this takes place in the same world!? I loved being back in this beautiful setting. She weaves lush fantasy with mythology, great family dynamics, and a love story to die for. This story had everything I wished for.

What is this about?
This book is about Tru, a strong, independent, and sassy FMC who can paint the future and makes a deal with a (half-)dragon prince to save her family. She must marry him and help him achieve his own goals to get what she needs for her family's survival. Suddenly, she finds herself in the midst of a conflict with the cruel dragon king in the underwater kingdom of Ai’long — a conflict whose outcome could change the future of both the mortal and immortal worlds.

Tru felt so real and relatable — and she was funny! Her loyalty made me adore her even more. Even though you might think that because she “only” paints the future, she must be weak... she was far from that. She turned the events of the book and beat an OP villain. Loved that!

Our MMC is the half-dragon prince Elang, who at first seemed cold and distant — but he was soooo much more. He cared for Tru and his court, even though he didn’t have a heart?! I loved how much he adored Tru and did everything for her.

Besides these well-written MCs, we had a lot of interesting and endearing side characters, which made the book even better!

The story started off easy to read and went from “okay” to “OMG” in less than 100 pages. I couldn’t put the book down. So much was happening, and soooo much was at stake. The plot was plotting, and the twists took me to the edge of my seat.
(PS: At one point I was out of my seat. The ending nearly shattered my heart.)

The romance was subtle, but it was sweet and heartwarming. I was totally in for Tru and Elang — their banter and chemistry were great. We had a slow burn, but there was so much yearning and tension, which made the romance even better in the end.

You’ll love this if you like:
• Beauty and the Beast retellings
• Enemies to lovers
• Yearning and slow burn
• Sassy FMCs
• He falls first (and harder)
• Marriage of convenience
• Adventure and high stakes
• Family dynamics
• Shape-shifting dragons

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a charming, magical story that felt like a Ghibli-esque fairytale.
I liked that the author took their time to introduce us to Tru, her family, and the relationships between them, showing us the before when everything was good, and then the after. It made me root for them all, wanting them to succeed in their everyday struggles but also in the fight to get their happiness back.
The book lost me temporarily when we got to meet the half-dragon and when Tru travelled into the underwater world shortly after. I found it hard to grasp both the half-dragon as a character and the underwater world. About halfway through the book I started to enjoy reading about both, with some suspension of disbelief concerning all the things that were possible within that world. I wish we could have seen a bit more of it.
The more we got to see beyond the half-dragon’s grumpy façade and with some reveals putting things into perspective, the more I was on board with the developing romance. I definitely wished for more moments with these two, but what we got turned out to be pretty cute.
Despite some transitions feeling a bit abrupt, the writing was lovely.
With all the talk about noodles, I felt hungry quite often.
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and a fun twist on Beauty and the Beasts.

Characters: 8/10 x4 (Great)
Relationships: 7/10 x4 (Good)
Atmosphere/Vibes: 9/10 (Excellent)
World-building/Setting: 6/10 x2 (Okay)
Writing: 7/10 x4 (Good)
Plot/Pacing: 6/10 x3 (Okay)
Enjoyment: 8/10 x5 (Great)
Total: ~7.26 = 3.5*

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

fortune favours those who leap🐉

such a wonderful story with such beautiful setting and imagery. sisters, dragons & a demon really make for my favourite kinds of reads. special shoutout to spicy noodles & all of the merpeople🥹

thank you for sharing such a lovely read with me xx

“Should you chance upon a dragon, be on your guard. Keep your distance, and his luck will be with you for ninety-nine years, But venture too close, and he will whisk you away into his watery kingdom, Where all your fortunes will be his.”

Beauty and the Beast but with sea dragons, Elizabeth has truly brought words to life in such an amazing way.

This was a truly magical adventure that I feel lucky to experience. Every moment felt like a breath of fresh air and I was living every moment of it, the characters felt so structured, unique, likeable and colourful, the relationships they all had with each other felt true and how everyone grew through the book was perfect.

Tru and elangs relationship was just so heartfelt that I didn't want their story to end and I want to know their future.

Some of the twists I never saw coming and normally I'm good at seeing foreshadowing.

All around this was truly a magical love story that hopefully many will enjoy for years to come.