3 Reasons Why We Love Elizabeth Lim’s A Forgery Of Fate

We’ve got such an incredible book to review for you all today! Elizabeth Lim has released her new novel, A Forgery of Fate, a romantic fantasy weaving through the mortal realm and Ai’long, the dragon realm.

A Forgery of Fate draws inspiration from classic fairytales as well as Chinese folktales. Our favorite romantasies often remind us of the stories we heard growing up. You can find elements from “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” “The Magic Paintbrush,” “The Dragon Gate,” and more tales!

Elizabeth Lim is very much a staple for THP’s bookshelf, and we look forward to her books every time! Here are three reasons why we love A Forgery of Fate and why you should read it, too!

Book Overview: A Forgery Of Fate

Content warnings: blood, violence, animal death, animal violence, forced captivity, serious injury

Summary: Truyan Saigas didn’t choose to become a con artist, but after her father is lost at sea, it’s up to her to support her mother and two younger sisters. A gifted art forger, Tru has the unique ability to paint the future, but even such magic is not enough to put her family back together again, or stave off the gangsters demanding payment in blood for her mother’s gambling debts.

Left with few options, Tru agrees to a marriage contract with a mysterious dragon lord. He offers a fresh start for her mother and sisters and elusive answers about her father’s disappearance, but in exchange, she must join him in his desolate undersea palace. And she must assist him in a plot to infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King’s inner circle, painting a future so treasonous, it could upend both the mortal and immortal realms…

The World-Building

It always amazes us to see how authors reimagine fairytale worlds that we know and love. Elizabeth Lim absolutely blew our expectations away with such a rich and well-developed world in A Forgery of Fate. After Truyan and Elang enter their marriage contract, they travel to the dragon realm, which is completely underwater. The couple stays in Elang’s run down palace (see: the Beast’s dilapidated mansion). There, Truyan encounters all types of marine animals and merfolk in Ai’long. She also learns how to speak to the ocean as the new lady of the Westerly seas.

Truyan’s Artistry

Truyan’s mixed A’landi and Balar heritage grants her the ability to paint prophecies in A Forgery of Fate. Her mother taught her how to read faces since she was young. Her father showed her to use her imagination to make anything come to life. All these circumstances lead to Truyan being able to recreate famous art pieces and create portraits of anyone she meets. Her visions tend to take over when she paints the future. But she likes to add a bit of deception into every painting, a detail that gets her out of the most precarious situations. We loved getting to see Truyan work her magic, from mixing colors to adding the final strokes.

Elang “My Wife” Yuwong

Finally, one of the main reasons why we love A Forgery of Fate so much is because of Elang, the dragon prince and love interest. He is half-dragon, half-mortal. His grandfather, the Dragon King, has hidden Elang’s pearl, which is his source of magic, power, and emotions. And yet, Elang takes yearning to the next level, doing everything to learn about and cross paths with his Heavenly Match and future wife, Truyan. Once they marry, he takes care of Truyan’s family to the fullest. And even when he plots to overthrow his grandfather, he has no intention of breaking his own curse because of what that requires his wife, Truyan, to give up. He says the words “my wife” like a true honor, and we fall for him even more every time.

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim is out June 3rd, and you can order a copy of it here!

Are you as in love with Elizabeth Lim’s A Forgery of Fate as we are? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!

Want to hear some of our audiobook recommendations? Here’s the latest!

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