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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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
adventurous
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugh this was so good
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
6 stars
this year has truly been filled with disappointments as far as reads from my favorite authors go so a forgery of fate was a saving grace. i laughed, i cried, and loved the beauty and the beast movie parallels. i'm so happy with how much lore expansion there is to the world of lor'yan and felt like elizabeth lim put joy back into fantasy. my book bestie and i are both artists so this was especially a treat, combining some of our favorite things—art, romance, fantasy, and chinese mythology/folklore. thank you, elizabeth lim, for saving us from more disappointment 😂 what a treat!
----
us cover artist: tran nguyen
uk cover artist: dong qiu
buddy read with my book bestie, @theboneforest.
this year has truly been filled with disappointments as far as reads from my favorite authors go so a forgery of fate was a saving grace. i laughed, i cried, and loved the beauty and the beast movie parallels. i'm so happy with how much lore expansion there is to the world of lor'yan and felt like elizabeth lim put joy back into fantasy. my book bestie and i are both artists so this was especially a treat, combining some of our favorite things—art, romance, fantasy, and chinese mythology/folklore. thank you, elizabeth lim, for saving us from more disappointment 😂 what a treat!
----
us cover artist: tran nguyen
uk cover artist: dong qiu
buddy read with my book bestie, @theboneforest.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Was pretty good. I cried a little. I think the middle sagged a bit but overall held together
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm sitting writing this while eating a bowl of spicy soba noodles (this book had me craving spicy noodles). This book was everything I have come to expect from an Elizabeth Lim novel. Our protagonist is Truyan Saigon is an art forger who specializes in replicating paintings. She partners with Gaari, an old man with a knack for selling forged paintings. Due to Tru's father being lost at sea five years prior, Tru's mother accrues gambling debts with the town's local gambling madam. In a move that is convenient for both parties, Tru enters into a marriage of convenience with Elang; a dragon prince. Elang has reasons of his own for entering into the marriage, but most importantly, he needs Tru's help in overthrowing the dragon king (you know, the same dragon king and jerk from the A Six Crimon Cranes duology).
What happens next is romantic, dreamy, and beautiful. Elizabeth Lim paints a beautiful underwater picture of Ai'long, the place of dragons. Along the way, Tru encounters a snarky manta ray demon, talking turtles, mermaids, and (yes) the dragon king himself.
I can't express enough how spellbound I was by this novel. The gradual burn between Tru and Elang is incredibly sweet. The world-building is incredible. The descriptions of the underwater world of Ai'long are beautiful. I just can't say enough about this. The elements of the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast are there as well. I highly recommend this book!
What happens next is romantic, dreamy, and beautiful. Elizabeth Lim paints a beautiful underwater picture of Ai'long, the place of dragons. Along the way, Tru encounters a snarky manta ray demon, talking turtles, mermaids, and (yes) the dragon king himself.
I can't express enough how spellbound I was by this novel. The gradual burn between Tru and Elang is incredibly sweet. The world-building is incredible. The descriptions of the underwater world of Ai'long are beautiful. I just can't say enough about this. The elements of the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast are there as well. I highly recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail
I've read several books by this author that I felt didn't really hit the mark (pacing issues galore) but this book pleasantly surprised me so I'm very glad I gave this a chance!
It reads like a fairytale and is just absolutely lovely, well-paced and doesn't try to do too much. This is the view of Ai'Long that I longed for but didn't get in The Dragon's Promise (Six Crimson Cranes book 2) and I loved seeing Elang's story.
It reads like a fairytale and is just absolutely lovely, well-paced and doesn't try to do too much. This is the view of Ai'Long that I longed for but didn't get in The Dragon's Promise (Six Crimson Cranes book 2) and I loved seeing Elang's story.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No