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2 stars. DNF'd at 53%/C24. Tandem read with audio and the narrator was great!
This is one that had a premise that hooked me, an excellent start, and then a downward spiral once the transport to the underwater kingdom happened. All the things that gripped me just disappeared and it became pretty bland. The FMC was reckless and snarky when I felt like she wasn't before, the MMC was kind of barely there and didn't really give me the Beast he was supposed to be, and just overall I started to care less and less. It also started to drag.
All in all I wanted to love it but it wasn't for me.
This is one that had a premise that hooked me, an excellent start, and then a downward spiral once the transport to the underwater kingdom happened. All the things that gripped me just disappeared and it became pretty bland. The FMC was reckless and snarky when I felt like she wasn't before, the MMC was kind of barely there and didn't really give me the Beast he was supposed to be, and just overall I started to care less and less. It also started to drag.
All in all I wanted to love it but it wasn't for me.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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:
No
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Charming beauty and the beast ish retelling, with dragons and turtles and mouthwatering food descriptions. (Wish I was working on another cookbook!) art forgery, surprising friends and enemies, and wonderful depictions of how complicated love in families can be make this book for me. Romance was just ok, but the friendships are really where it’s at.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
This could’ve been a solid retelling of Beauty and the Beast, if only the protagonist wasn’t such a dumb, judgmental, stubborn brat with the inability to listen to others. Belle would never.
At least Yargui and Renhai are human. My family can escape them.
Girl. You literally cannot. They caught and nearly killed you and your family, and the only reason you got to escape was because of Elang. What are you talking about? It’s okay to be bold and spunky, but at least be aware of your own situation. In addition to her tendency to run on assumptions, Tru’s actions also have zero logic in them. Like she’s the one at fault, and yet she’d accuse the other party of manipulating her even though the situation happened because of something she did. She often spouts stupid remarks about things she doesn’t actually know too, like saying she wouldn’t drown for skipping sangi even though she’s literally at the bottom of the sea. She also jumps into danger without thinking. I found it impossible to like her after the way she handled a certain revelation in chapter 31, and that obviously affected my enjoyment of the book.
The writing is a bit repetitive. It often goes over things that we already know, which happened only a chapter or two ago so it can’t even serve as a reminder. It’s just redundant, and the same can be said for the dialogue. It’s also not very descriptive when it comes to places, which makes it hard to envision the world and settings. A shame, really, because Ai’long could’ve been a truly magical place if only it were properly brought to life. Similarly, Tru’s affection for Yonsar was never fully explored either. We’re only told that it grew on her, but not really shown how. All she did there was argue with Elang and everything else is just glossed over, so please excuse my disbelief when she suddenly claims that Yonsar means something to her. Seeing that Tru and Elang do have great banter at times, it feels like the story has all sorts of brilliant ideas that weren’t executed nicely.
Not sure if I liked the ending either. While it might be a happy one, it is also super rushed. I did like Tru’s relationship with her sisters though, and I also liked Elang’s grumpy character even if I’m not a fan of the romance. The characters have charm, but the lack of depth for most of them made it difficult to form any emotional attachment. Oh well, at least we got to see Seryu again.
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
tense
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
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Multilayered and deeply immersive, Elizabeth Lim has once again shown herself to be a masterful storytelling with A Forgery of Fate.
A vivid and captivating underwater retelling of Beauty and the Beast, A Forgery of Fate is wholly unique in its take on the classic tale. A story of family, acceptance, passion and loyalty, this story is magical, heartwarming, action packed and whimsical in perfect measures.
I am such a huge fan of Elizabeth's work and A Forgery of Fate did not disappoint.
what to expect:
- noodles
- marriage of convenience
- underwater kingdoms
- mermaids and other magical sea creatures
- turtles
- beauty and the beast inspired
- ghibli vibes
- cursed prince
- sisterhood
- he falls first
- slow burn romance
A vivid and captivating underwater retelling of Beauty and the Beast, A Forgery of Fate is wholly unique in its take on the classic tale. A story of family, acceptance, passion and loyalty, this story is magical, heartwarming, action packed and whimsical in perfect measures.
I am such a huge fan of Elizabeth's work and A Forgery of Fate did not disappoint.
what to expect:
- noodles
- marriage of convenience
- underwater kingdoms
- mermaids and other magical sea creatures
- turtles
- beauty and the beast inspired
- ghibli vibes
- cursed prince
- sisterhood
- he falls first
- slow burn romance