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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Mulan meets Aladdin in this lovely Asian inspired romantasy.
Maia is a super driven FMC just waiting for a chance to bloom and it was so rewarding to witness her shed her naivete as the story progressed.
Her cross-dressing as her brother is equal measures tense and comedic as she learns the correct mannerisms. Maia's sewing craft speaks for itself with such vivid imagery, it was easy to imagine the splendour of each piece.
Edan is a wonderful MMC and love interest as well. He balances a teasing tone with a mysterious nature and is refreshingly unbroody and grumpy for the most part.
The only part of the book I didn' enjoy was that due to the sheer amount of things that happen, the trial phase feels quite rushed and is tonally quite different from the rest of the book, leaving it feeling out of place.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, Maia and Edan's relationship is adorable, the magic balances well and the imagery is lovely. The social commentary is also appropriate and tasteful. I'm looking forward to picking up the second book.
Maia is a super driven FMC just waiting for a chance to bloom and it was so rewarding to witness her shed her naivete as the story progressed.
Her cross-dressing as her brother is equal measures tense and comedic as she learns the correct mannerisms. Maia's sewing craft speaks for itself with such vivid imagery, it was easy to imagine the splendour of each piece.
Edan is a wonderful MMC and love interest as well. He balances a teasing tone with a mysterious nature and is refreshingly unbroody and grumpy for the most part.
The only part of the book I didn' enjoy was that due to the sheer amount of things that happen, the trial phase feels quite rushed and is tonally quite different from the rest of the book, leaving it feeling out of place.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book, Maia and Edan's relationship is adorable, the magic balances well and the imagery is lovely. The social commentary is also appropriate and tasteful. I'm looking forward to picking up the second book.
5/5☆
I love this book so much. It's one of my favorites of all time. Maia's and Edan's love is so cute but heartbreaking at the same time. The fact that they were willing to sacrifice so much for each other. I hope they get their much-deserved happy ending in the second book.
I love this book so much. It's one of my favorites of all time. Maia's and Edan's love is so cute but heartbreaking at the same time. The fact that they were willing to sacrifice so much for each other. I hope they get their much-deserved happy ending in the second book.
The premise is very interesting, which is why this was such a disappointment. First of all, the author literally tells you what happens in the prologue. This implies that the book is all about the journey and the story, which is fine, except for the fact that the journey was bland.
The only thing I liked about this book is the familial relationships portrayed and the premise. The characters fell flat for me. The romance was very awkward and boring; it just didn’t work. Also, the love interest is 500+ years old and the main character is 19. Can authors please stop with this? I’m sick of these frankly disturbing age gaps.
The magic system is almost nonexistent. It’s really random. I felt like the author was trying really hard to make Edan witty, but he just came out as friendly. Maia, the main character, was “vexed” with him all the time for absolutely no reason. He breathes and she’s flustered. It just sounds very juvenile to me.
Maia keeps talking about how she changed since the beginning of the book, and how she’s not the same person anymore, but frankly I don’t see it. The author keeps telling us that she changed without actually showing it.
It’s sad because I really thought I’d love this book. It had SO much potential, with the premise and the fairytale elements, but it didn’t live up to it.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After reading A Forgery of Fate I promised myself I would read more of Elizabeth Lim’s work and I’m glad I kept that promise.
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adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I know this is YA, but still, I felt as if the story had no teeth. I like the Asian/Chinese touches, but the world seems too thin. The travel times and details feel unrealistic, for example, who is embroidering while on a camel and the dress is pristine? Everything is both too fast and slightly like GET ON WITH IT ALREADY. The stakes never feel real or high. The love story, too, feels somewhat instalovey (but fits the genre, I guess) and other than the ending, the story is good enough. The ending was somewhat of a twist and I did enjoy that. I liked Edan a lot and I will read the sequel, but overall, it was underwhelming.