Tthank you to netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I absolutely love Elizabeth's writing, but unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book. Her writing is still as wymsical as ever but I could not connect with the characters this time around, their personality changes gave me whiplash at times and the sense of deja vu I had through 80% of the book was the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. I spent the whole time feeling like I had already read this book.

Whilst I enjoyed the base plot, I did not enjoy the character development. I will defo still read other books by Elzbeth Lim but this one was not one I really enjoyed

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim is beautifully written, Lim paints a fantasy world that is rich in beauty.

🐉 Marriage of Convenience
🐉 He Falls First
🐉 Dragons
🐉 Beauty and Beast Retelling
🐉 Slow Burn

I wasn't really sure what to expect going in, and I'm so glad because I'm so happy with my experience. AFOF starts with Tru our FMC, she after losing her father at sea, she makes a career as an art forger to support her family and pay off her mother's gambling debts. After chasing a painting into a dragons lair she ends up in a marriage of convivence with Elang, a exiled dragon price. And yes, the marriage of convenience does marriage of convenience.

I loved how, Tru was so committed to her family in particular her sisters and her passion. Elang, my baby, what to do with you, because I love you and you must be protected at all times. I loved all the side characters, there was an air of mystery and who do you/don't trust that kept you on your toes the entire time. Tru's mother though was the worst part of the book, every time she came on the page I signed and wished for it to be over. She made it on the list of characters I can't stand and at times ruined the book for me, she's so selfish and the fact that they're playing happy family at the end annoyed me so much which she caused literally all of the misery they suffered. I get the whole forgiveness but she's the reason Tru's sisters were sold... so how does that make any sense. That ending though was beautiful and sad and perfect.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton / Hodderscape for the eARC in exchange for my honest review,

🎨🐉 𝓐 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓰𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓼, 𝓯𝓪𝓽𝓮, 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓪 𝓬𝓾𝓻𝓼𝓮𝓭 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓸𝓷 𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓭 🐉🎨

Truyan Saigas has always done what she must to protect her family, even if that means forging paintings and hiding the truth about her magic. With her father lost at sea and her mother drowning in debt, Tru agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord who offers her family a fresh start… at a cost.

Taken to his lonely undersea palace, Tru is asked to paint a future that could bring down the Dragon King himself. But as she spends more time with the one she was meant to fear, the line between deception and devotion begins to blur. And when feelings emerge, so does a truth she never expected.

“I bind you to me, Tru Saigas. Until the end of our days upon this earth, under this heaven, and across the seas, our fates are one, our destinies entangled.”


This book was such a creative take on magic. I loved the idea of painting the future, it felt so original and meaningful, especially as someone who’s really passionate about art. Tru’s connection to her visions and the emotional weight behind her paintings added so much to the story.

Elang’s character had my whole heart. He was loyal, layered, and quietly intense. I genuinely wish we got more of his past, (view spoiler), his battles, his regrets. I still feel like he had so much story left to tell.

The undersea world was one of my favorite parts, lush, eerie, and dreamlike. I honestly would have loved even more depth in the world-building, but what we got was still rich and immersive. The pacing felt steady and never too slow, but the ending wrapped up a little too quickly for me. It lacked the emotional punch I was hoping for after all the buildup.

Still, I really enjoyed this book overall. It was unique, heartfelt, and filled with soft moments of connection and strength. If you like art magic, cursed romances, and quietly powerful heroines, A Forgery of Fate is worth diving into.

“My heart, my home—they are yours. They always have been.”

📅 A Forgery of Fate was released on June 5, 2024.

Special thanks to NetGalley, Elizabeth Lim, and Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / 5

I like a good Beauty and the Beast retelling, and this did not disappoint, while still delivering a fresh story unlike anything I have read before.

This was my first Elizabeth Lim book. I gather it is set in the same universe as others of her books- this was not a problem for me, but does make me want to read some of the others, so that’s good!

I liked the characters, and their motivations made sense. The art forger who can paint the future angle was well used and made for a unique story. However, at times the pacing was a little slow for me and the ending did not quite work for me. Nevertheless I did like it, and I can imagine some readers will absolutely love it.

Thank-you very much to NetGalley and Hodder books for the opportunity to read an eArc.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC.

This was my first Elizabeth Lim book and I loved it!
The world building was easy to understand, it was fast paced and the story was just amazing!
It is a Beauty and the Best retelling, so if you don’t like these the book is not for you.

The story follows Tru who has to marry the Demon Prince Elang to a avoid her sisters having to be come concubines due to their mothers Gambling Problem.

Following Tru and Elangs story will make you go through all the emotions. I really loved following their journey and how, in the end, it all came together and everything just made sense.
Also, HE GAVE HER DRESS AND COAT POCKETS!

If you like the following tropes, this book is for you:
- Beauty and Beast retelling
- He falls first and harder
- Dragons
- Slow Burn
- Bad Ass FMC
- Adventure
- High stakes

This was a mixed read for me. I liked the first part that took place in human world. The stakes were high and the characters felt real. But it completely lost me once the story moved underwater. The worldbuilding wasn't believable and the story began to meander. Elang never grew on me and I didn't like Truyan much either, but I liked how it wasn't insta-love, or even insta-trust. This author's books are hit or miss for me, and I guess this is the latter.

I absolutely love it when you find a series that has lots of different stories told in the same world. Six Crimson Cranes is one of my fave books, and if you didn’t know, Elizabeth Lim has now written quite a few tales set in this whimsical world following different characters!

The latest instalment, A Forgery of Fate, came out in early June and I think it’s soared to my second fave spot (no one will top Shiori, I’m sorry Tru!). It took me a little while to get into this one, but I ended up being so invested in Tru and Elang’s story. It was one of those books where I felt like I kind of knew where it was heading, but also didn’t, all at once? Elizabeth Lim really blindsided me with some of the twists in this one! 😂

It’s loosely inspired by Beauty and the Beast and follows Truyan, Tru is skilled in forging paintings and when her family racks up a hefty debt she has no choice but to make a deal with a dragon lord to save her family. It was sweet and surprising, whimsical and twisty and I really enjoyed it!

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of Lim's works is the word 'vibrant'. She's a master of descriptions and it shows here too. Her words make sights, sounds, and smells come alive. Vibes play no small part in the beauty of her books. Fans of The Little Mermaid will find themselves at home with Lim's Ai'long. This is a world you'll want to escape into. AFOF works perfectly as a Beauty and the Beast retelling: something that retains the essence and vibes of the original fairytale yet feels wholly original. The rich worldbuilding and lore inspired by Chinese myth made this a fun time!

Tru is a likeable protagonist with whom I often resonated. A problem I often encounter in romnatic fantasy is the author 'telling' the reader how oh-so-strong and self-reliant and definitely-not-like-other-girls the FMC is, only for her to fall prey to insta lust and lose her agency. I loved how Tru maintained her authentic self throughout: she's determined to make a better life for her family and also has an actual brain.

Overall, AFOF did justice to its enchanting premise. The ending actually made me tear up. It was very fitting for such a cinematic tale. (I'd looove to see EL's works being adapted into animated films!) I'd recommend this to anyone who loves fairytales or Ghibliesque fantasy adventures!

I loved the story, the characters, and everything else about it. I was so captivated that I stayed up all night to read it. I haven't done that in a long time. Can't wait to read another book by Elizabeth Lim. I loved Six Crimson Cranes and The Dragon's Promise as well. I can't wait to read Her Radiant Curse and the other duologies.

If you’re into fairy tale retellings, especially ones that twist the classics into something fresh and magical, this one is a must-read. It’s a super imaginative reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, but with dragons, cursed kingdoms, and a whole underwater world that honestly stole the show.

At the heart of the story is Tru, a painter and a con artist, who is just trying to keep her chaotic little family afloat. Then there’s Elang, the mysterious half-dragon prince who shows up with a wild proposal: marry him, move underwater, and help him break a deadly curse.

Their dynamic is full of tension and slow-burn magic, and I was totally hooked by the emotional layers behind both characters. Tru’s painting ability is such a cool twist, and Elang’s inner struggle as part-human, part-dragon made for some genuinely powerful moments.

I’ve read some of Lim’s other Disney retellings (her take on Mulan was solid!), but this one hit different — it was even better. The world-building is just amazing with turtles, sharks and bioluminescent jellyfish that will 100% try to kill you, and a Dragon King who’d rather burn it all down than share power. I loved every second of it.

Highly recommend if you love retellings that feel both epic and intimate — this one’s definitely going on my favorites shelf.

I love Elizabeth Lim's writing and how her books always read like a fairytale. She also always manages to make me cry. It also helps that a fake relationship is one of my favorites tropes.

This can 100% be read as a stand alone but it is set in the same world as Six Crimson Cranes (yes, we do see Seryu again) and it follows a very similar vein, so if you liked one you'll definitely like the other.

This time we follow Tru, the oldest of 3 sisters. She makes a living as an art forger to support her family and pay off her mother's gambling debts after her father was lost as sea. But Tru also has a very special talent: she can paint the future. In order to save her family from the gangsters demanding blood payment, Tru makes a deal with the mysterious Demon Prince, who turns out to not be a demon at all but a half-dragon (yes, the same one we met in The Dragon's Promise).

The half-dragon offers Tru a fresh start for her and her family, answers about her father's disappearance and solutions to all her problems. In exchange, all he needs from her is a painting. But this paining must be done in Ai'long, the underwater dragon kingdom, and in order for a human to be allowed in Ai'long she must marry a dragon (or half-dragon in this case). For their plot to succeed and for Tru to be able to paint this future, they must keep pretending they are completely in love with each other (you can see where this is going).

I loved the characters in this book. I loved Tru, Nomi, Fal, Elang and even Shani. I loved Tru's painting and how it all weaves into the story. However, I do think this book was a bit too long and could've cut a few pages out.

That being said, I would really like to read about Nomi at the National Academy and her falling for someone that can match her brain and wits. I'd love to see her being swept off her feet.

I loved every single second of this book. The writing style, the pacing and the world building were exactly what I enjoy most. Tru is a wonderful heroine for this story, she is real, makes mistakes but is fierce, loyal and kind. As another oldest daughter of three girls, I related to her a lot. Whilst I picked up on a lot of the hints throughout the story, I didn’t see the big one coming and I loved the reveal so much. I adore Elang, he is the perfect grumpy MMC.
Minor spoilers for tropes below
If you love a fake marriage and enemies to lovers then this really is the perfect book for you.

Elizabeth Lim has this exceptional writing style that keeps the readers hooked till the very end. Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk were the books that got me into the Romantasy genre and Six Crimson Cranes is my absolute favorite. The Dragon's Promise did not live upto the mark so I didn't pick up Her Radiant Curse, but this book compensated for the same. I absolutely loved the characters of Truyan and Elang. The book had some of the best scenes and twists, especially how witty the actions of Tru were. The characters were realistic and although it was single POV, it did not feel monotonous.
I would definitely love to see this one turn into a movie and recommend it to all Romantasy readers. There is no spice as well so suitable for readers under eighteen. The ending could have been a bit better but I feel this is part of a series so that's why some things were left incomplete.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Elizabeth Lim for providing me with an arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

A Forgery of Fate is Elizabeth Lim’s newest release, it’s a standalone and it’s part of the Legends of Lor’yan universe. I’ve read some of the author’s previous books, so I knew what to expect in terms of writing style and setting.

This book follows Truyan Saigas, a painter or maybe I should say a forger, and Elang, our favourite half-dragon (do we know more than one? Absolutely no, but I have it in good authority that he would still be the favourite even if there were multiple half-dragons to choose from).

I don’t know how to express how much I loved this book. I’ve enjoyed Elizabeth’s previous works so I knew I was going to enjoy this, I just didn’t know how much. This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and now I can say it’s probably going to be one of my best reads of the year.

Let me start with the setting. Even though we are in a different part of the universe, it still felt like coming back home. Gangsun is a magical land and not just because we are in a magical universe. The detailed descriptions of Tru’s art, of the food, of the decorations for the different celebrations are what make it magical.

Now the characters. It took me a little bit to warm up to our side characters, I really liked Nomi but for a while I couldn’t really enjoy Fal or Tru’s mom. It was the opposite with our main characters, I loved them immediately and I was fascinated by their stories. Tru and Elang work perfectly together, and make the perfect duo.

The retelling aspect, in my opinion, was more noticeable in this than in her other books but it didn’t bother me. I liked it and I enjoyed seeing the story unfold.

🖌️ We are strangers, we hate each other at first sight and then… we fall in love. It's a classic idea that most readers absolutely love (I am readers). While I find the gratuitous antipathy bothersome, there are times when I understand it (because it makes sense). Like it does for Tru and Elang. Overall, Tru hated him for stalling her, while the dragon detested her for being a fickle human who trespassed on his property. I know, I know, don't throw rotten tomatoes at me yet. Their story is much a bit more complicated than that, but I am trying to avoid spoilers here. Anyway, if we take a hard look at all facts, the two started out as a pair of strangers, then the threads of fate got tangled.

🖌️ An arranged marriage? We already know where we're headed. It's easy to understand that one way or another, the original pact will be broken and the two will fall in love. As they say, "all roads lead to Rome." What I appreciated were the clean scenes and the timid beating of Elang's heart, but I would have definitely liked a smoother unraveling of the knot that binds the two.

🖌️ Tangled are the ways of fate. Things never seem simple at first glance, but when you look back, everything seems to make sense. In a way, Truyan Saigas seems to be the exact embodiment of this idea. The final resolution was too easy and I think the ending was a little rushed. There were many scenes where Tru practiced her artistic skills underwater and some moments where she lacked the instinct of self-preservation, but in the end, she didn't blow me away the way Maia Tamarin did.

🖌️ Magic has its limits too. Someone please explain to me how to boil water underwater and how to paint paper in the depths of the ocean. One way or another, Lim once again forgets that the world she created works a little differently than ours. I can understand that some things can be omitted, but seriously, now we're cooking egg noodles and other human dishes underwater, in boiling pots and serving them on regular (?) plates... while floating through the water...? I don't get it. At least if she chose to mention that everything is drawn in magic, it would have made more sense. But no. The same happens with the paints and paper that Tru draws on. All are impeccable and the paint stays in the container.

Disclaimer: I received this book from Hodderscape via Netgalley to read in advance and give my honest opinion.

An art forger who can paint the future, a half-dragon prince with a literally lost heart, a marriage of convenience, and an underwater world full of magic and fantastic creatures.

Inspired by Beauty and the Beast, but with a very original twist and a setting that blends Chinese folklore, curses, and the deep sea, this story feels fresh and exciting. Tru and Elang have a relationship that evolves with great chemistry, tension, and tenderness.

It's easy to read at times; at others, you're a little confused by the descriptions, but ultimately it's captivating, ideal for young adult readers. And although some scenarios may be difficult to imagine due to the dense world, the story is so moving that this fades into the background.

A read that beautifully combines magic with deeper themes like identity and sacrifice.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the ARC I read through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really tried to get into this novel, I just couldn't do it. I didn't connect with any of the characters. I will give it another chance in the future, I really want to read this author, because she has a good writing style.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another lovely book by Elizabeth Lim. A Forgery of Fate is a slow-burn romance in a world of dragons, curses, and magical paintings. I loved how the author reimagined Beauty and the Beast—familiar yet refreshingly original.

4.5 stars

'A Forgery of Fate' is a novel in the 'Six Crimson Cranes' universe, and this time we follow Tru, a forger of paintings, as is gets in a deal with a half-human half-dragon to be his bride and paint his grandfather, the Old Dragon King.

I do love this universe, and Elizabeth Lim has crafted it with care and love, and it shows on her pages. This time, the story takes us on an underwater adventure, filled with emotional scenes and a slow-burning romance. The characters, especially Tru, were lovable, endearing, and interesting, brave but not on your face brave, as they all seemed to place sense over sensibility, which is something I enjoy with my characters.

Also, the story is quite entertaining, and the second half of the book was filled with action and fast paced scenes. However, the start was rather slow and wasn't as engaging.

Still, I loved the ending.

This review is also posted on Goodreads and Storygraph

Let's talk about A FORGERY OF FATE!

First of all I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

In fact we are only here now but I read this book in April! But let's go slowly to talk about this new release by Elizabeth Lim!
What is it about:
- fantasy
- asian setting
- in the same world as Six Crimson Cranes
- retelling of Beauty and the Beast
- romance with a marriage of convenience
- there are dragons (obviously)

Over the years Elizabeth Lim has been an author that I have always enjoyed reading, from her first books Spin the Dawn and Unravel the Dusk, up to this one, all set in an expanding world made of creatures, magic, art and characters that you'll remember forever. I have been following her publications for many years now and receiving this book in preview was really very nice.

I must say that the reading, in addition to the fact that I enjoyed it a lot, was a little different from usual, that is, perhaps because in this book the romance component, whether for a question of plot, is a little more present. Then, of course, we are reading Lim, so a writing style where we always find a romance sub plot but always in the background, delicate and very YA, which is fine given that we are in this genre, but I must say that in this book the romantic element is definitely slightly more present (I liked it).

The plot: Truyan is an artist, but a particular artist since with her art she actually sees the future. A series of dynamics mean that she finds herself without a father, and, to save her sisters and mother from a future on the street, she decides to accept the marriage offer with the dragon lord (ehehehe).

The plot is very cute and develops very quickly, which makes you read the book really all in one sit. Surely the marriage of convenience dynamic is always fun and I must say that from this point of view it works, even if in some ways perhaps the romance part is too fast at a certain point.

I really liked the book, also because I usually appreciate two elements of Lim:
- the fact that the magical element, the description of places and realities always emerges a lot from her books
- the fact that every main female character is always a character with a certain artistic ability that moves the story, which I think is a beautiful thing and that in a fantasy is wonderful, especially to go and underline the theme of artistic ability and fantasy world.

Anyway, the Dragon Lord does his job!

PS Those who have read Six Crimson Cranes will keep their eyes open for the whole reading of the book!