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A review by cortanasreadingnook
A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.25
I SAW THE BEAUTIFUL COVER FOR THIS BOOK AND I MUST SAY THAT EVERYTHING THIS WOMAN WRITES I WILL ABSOLUTELY 100% READ 💙 so excited for this! looking forward to another asian author releasing a book in 2025 🤍
My thanks to Penguin Random House for the complimentary review copy. I was sent an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Out on 06/03/2025!
A Forgery of Fate is a dashing addition to Elizabeth Lim’s Legends of Lor’yan epic! This Beauty and The Beast retelling is a sweet tale of love and adventure. Truyan Saigas is gifted with the power to paint the future. And to save her mother and sisters from a tragic fate against gangsters, she agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. Truyan later learns that the bargain may not only cost her her life, but also her heart.
What I love about this book is how it treads the waters of both middle grade and YA fantasy. You can truly tell that Elizabeth Lim wanted to make this book as magical and charming as possible, especially with the addition of the talking turtles and DRAGONS! It transports us back to a world we’ve seen back in The Dragon’s Promise but it an entirely different way (I can’t say who this is about guys but it is NOT Ser’yu). And for those who like the stakes of court politics, this book still has it while retaining its fairytale-like elements.
I could feel the romantic chemistry between the characters, especially with how the slowburn was done. The author didn’t cater to the insta-love trope and actually followed the classic retelling. I have noticed that Lim’s female leads become more and more unique and interesting throughout each book so I’m looking forward to her next novels. Truyan is by far the most fascinating female lead because of her stubborn determination and unique gifts. The retelling was definitely given justice. However, I think I found it quite difficult to envision the details in this book. I also felt like this was a novella connecting Six Crimson Cranes with a future series, maybe? I still recommend it, though!
My thanks to Penguin Random House for the complimentary review copy. I was sent an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Out on 06/03/2025!
A Forgery of Fate is a dashing addition to Elizabeth Lim’s Legends of Lor’yan epic! This Beauty and The Beast retelling is a sweet tale of love and adventure. Truyan Saigas is gifted with the power to paint the future. And to save her mother and sisters from a tragic fate against gangsters, she agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. Truyan later learns that the bargain may not only cost her her life, but also her heart.
What I love about this book is how it treads the waters of both middle grade and YA fantasy. You can truly tell that Elizabeth Lim wanted to make this book as magical and charming as possible, especially with the addition of the talking turtles and DRAGONS! It transports us back to a world we’ve seen back in The Dragon’s Promise but it an entirely different way (I can’t say who this is about guys but it is NOT Ser’yu). And for those who like the stakes of court politics, this book still has it while retaining its fairytale-like elements.
I could feel the romantic chemistry between the characters, especially with how the slowburn was done. The author didn’t cater to the insta-love trope and actually followed the classic retelling. I have noticed that Lim’s female leads become more and more unique and interesting throughout each book so I’m looking forward to her next novels. Truyan is by far the most fascinating female lead because of her stubborn determination and unique gifts. The retelling was definitely given justice. However, I think I found it quite difficult to envision the details in this book. I also felt like this was a novella connecting Six Crimson Cranes with a future series, maybe? I still recommend it, though!