A review by evamadera1
A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim

4.0

I continue to enjoy Elizabeth Lim's books. In this narrative, the main character feels responsible for caring for her family due to the disappearance and presumed death of her father as well as her mother's gambling addiction based on her supposed ability to predict the future. When the debt becomes so much that the local crime lord threatens to take the main character's sisters as payment, the main character tries to use her painting ability, an ability which - unlike her mother - means that she can actually paint the future. This lands her in the garden of the supposed demon lord - actually a half dragon - and into a marriage bargain for which he will pay off her mother's debt in exchange for her painting something that will help him. While reading, I did not realize that this was partly a Beauty and the Beast retelling - something I saw later in the synopsis - but upon reflection I see those plot beats clearly. Since I tend to enjoy these types of retellings, this definitely helped my reading experience. I will continue to read whatever Lim produces.