Thank you to netGalley and Random House for the advanced eARC.

A Forgery of Fate is Lim's newest novel, a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, with more magic, interesting characters, and a plot that is one of Lim's best yet.
Tru is a great character that is motivated by the love of her family and her ability to paint. She keeps the story moving, takes chances, and you feel like you know her as a protagonist in a very real way. The themes in the writing are particularly strong, as are the character relationships and how small things from the beginning of the story extrapolate to the consequences at the end. Overall this was a story that I couldn't stop reading, and I really enjoyed every moment of it.

Once again, Elizabeth Lim had created yet another masterpiece, a beautiful story that whisked me away. The way she writes is so masterful and enchanting, from the vivid descriptions and the lyrical prose, everything was so tastefully done.

Lim's heroines always have such grit, and Tru is no exception. She will fight tooth and nail to protect her family, and she's not above a little bit of scheming to get there. Her romance with Elang has a fun balance of banter and vulnerability with some classic "marriage of convenience" shenanigans.

This epic fantasy deserves all the praise, and there’s no doubt that this is and will be one of my top reads of this year. Such a refreshing and magical read, would definitely recommend!

Absolutely loved this! I've been recommending it to everyone already! The Beauty and the Beast element was my favorite, but the pacing was perfect and the last quarter had me on the edge of my seat! I couldn't read it fast enough!

I love Elizabeth’s stories. So magical and what an adventure. She is a great storyteller.
A girl who can paint things she foresees.
An arrange marriage for a coup.
And a fated connection that is so sweet.
I cried at the end but Elizabeth always gives a HEA.

Very satisfy with this novel and I love the little cameos from previous novels.

Highly recommend!

Her writing just keeps on getting better!

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim • ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Read: 3/27-3/31 2025

✨ Review ✨

Thank you so much Random House Kids and NetGalley for this ARC!!

Warning: Do not read this book on an empty stomach or you will deeply regret it. I recommend reading while eating spicy ramen, but that’s up to you.

If you like Chinese folklore, dragons, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, art, and food, this book is for you. The imagery in this book is beautiful! It truly feels like you are going to Ai’long with Tru and Elang. The world building and writing style is magical and captivating, and the adventurous plot twists will keep you hooked. Seriously, that ending had me scared. I can’t wait to get my hands on this beautiful edition!

This was my first Elizabeth Lim book and I will now be searching for her backlist. I can’t wait to read more of your work!!

Releases June 3, 2025
Pre-order Links (found in @elimpix bio): https://www.elizabethlim.com/links
^ You can get it personalized, signed at B&N and be entered for a sweepstakes that ends June 2, 2025, or wherever you buy your books. Don’t forget to get some cool swag while you’re at it by entering your order number (if it’s from an indie retailer, you’ll also receive a special bonus pin) before June 17, 2025. Just look at that cover and those sprayed edges!!

I'm always really weary to read re-tellings of stories because it can either be magical and nostalgic or go horribly wrong. Beauty and the Beast is one of my all-time favorite stories so I put off reading this at first in fear of hating this retelling.

I was thrilled to find my fears didn't manifest. This book felt magical from cover to cover. Elizabeth Lim is so skilled at keeping readers engaged and building such beautiful worlds and deep characters and I'm so grateful to have been introduced to her work!

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House for the opportunity to read this ARC! 💕

An intriguing reimagining of Beauty and the Beast but with some Chinese mythology thrown in as well. Belle is Truyan Saigas, an art forger that can paint the future. The Beast is "Elangui Ta'ginan Yuwong, the lord of the Westerly Seas, prince of the Third Supreme Kingdom," and half dragon. In an act of desperation, Tru teams up with the dragon lord and commits to a marriage contract.

The story itself is fascinating. The world building was the part that was lacking a bit, or perhaps it was that it was simply too drawn out. It also took longer than necessary to even meet Elang. But the relationship between the two, the side characters that helped take care of Elang and Tru, and the crazy plan to send Elang's grandfather to oblivion were mesmerizing and made it difficult to put the book down. I wanted to ignore my own responsibilities and just enter this world that was recognizable on one hand and a complete mystery on the other. As someone rather obsessed with mythology and retellings of fairy tales, this hit a lot of notes. The homage to The Magic Paintbrush was an especially nice touch.

(3.5 stars) Elizabeth Lim is a great writer, but this book didn't live up to my expectations. The premise of the book was intriguing--a marriage of convenience between an art forger who can paint the future and a half dragon lord who is bent on taking down the tyrannical Dragon King. The world building was done well with lush descriptions of the desolate underwater world of the dragon lord, but I felt that some of the characters needed further development like Tru's sisters and her mom. I also did not buy into the romance between Tru and Elang and felt that they lacked chemistry as a couple.

What can I say? It's a Beauty & the Beast retelling where Belle is a painter. I ate this up just like the noodles that Tru is obsessed with.

I'm having tremendous luck with arcs this year, both in getting them & having them be 5⭐️s. I was kindly given A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim recently & absolutely fell in love with it. Inspired by Beauty & the Beast, the book follows Truyan Saigas, an art forger who can paint the future. With her father lost at sea, Tru provides for her family by selling forged art. However, when they land in more trouble than she can handle, she agrees to a marriage contract with a cursed dragon lord. In exchange for her family's safety, she will accompany him to his underwater palace & help him overthrow the Dragon King.

I'm a huge Beauty & the Beast fan & this checked all my boxes. Firstly, I loved Tru as a main character. I had already seen how well Lim could weave the themes of familial responsibility into a story in Six Crimson Cranes, but I think this book did it even better. Outside of the romance, there was so much emphasis based on Tru's relationship with her sisters & mom, & how everything she did was for them. I also loved how art was incorporated into the story & the little bit of magic Tru had. She's not an overpowered main character; she's a real, breakable girl with limits and I really enjoyed how her story and character development played out.

But the best part was obviously the romance. This was my favorite component of Six Crimson Cranes & the same was true here. Elang fully embodies the "beast" character & I enjoyed watching Tru break down his walls & start to fall for him herself. I especially liked how, much like the Disney movie, we see their romance happen in their actions, such as doing small things for each other or seeing how the other cares for those around them. This felt like a believable love story, much like the one in Six Crimson Cranes did, and I appreciated all the adorable moments they had together.

However, I will say there was one twist I can only describe as WEIRD. It didn't make me mad, but I still don't know how I feel about it. I'm anxious to see what other people think once the book actually comes out. The ending was also similar to another book I read last year, which lessened the emotional impact, but I think that was just a me problem. Besides those small things, all the other twists were surprising & I liked how the action panned out in the last few chapters. I'm also glad I read Six Crimson Cranes, because it is set in the same universe and there were cameos 👀

Long story short: the stunning cover is no lie. This is whimsical & romantic & I've already pre-ordered my own copy. I encourage everyone to give it a try when it comes out June 3rd 💙

Thank you to Netgalley & the publisher for providing me with an eArc in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

Elizabeth Lim’s writing is magical, enchanting, and her story-telling is next-to-none. Returning to the stunning world of Six Crimson Cranes, I was so excited to delve right in!

The premise of this story really gripped me, a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, entwined with Asian lore had me hooked from the get-go.
The way Elizabeth Lim writes is so beautiful, the fairytale-esque prose, the romantic tension, the thrilling twists! Lim really drags you in from the very first chapter and keeps you entertained until the very last page.

I enjoyed reading about our two main characters, Tru and Elang, and their character arcs throughout the novel. The action was exciting, the romance was full of tension, the world building was captivating.

A must-read for Six Crimson Cranes lovers!

I really enjoyed this book! It was fast paced and I loved the setting--the writing was so enchanting that it really felt like I was there with Tru. The romance and other relationships were sweet, although I did feel like Elang's character fell a little flat. But overall, this was such a fun read with the perfect twists and ending!! The cover is STUNNING and the title is perfect for the story! Loved this book.

Elizabeth Lim is an author you can always count on to tell a masterful story. I’ve read quite a few Beauty and the Beast retelling, but this one is by far my favorite. Featuring underwater dragon kingdoms, larger than life characters, and a familiar tale, this book is truly worth the read! Thanks to NetGalley for ARC access.

I have read most of Elizabeth Lim's other novels, and the premise of this one sounded interesting. I thought combining Beauty and the Beast elements with elements from Asian fantasy lore was creative. Elang, representing the "Beast", had a unique character design too being half-dragon. Tru's family members being given some background outlined aspects that represent their occupation or interests, which I thought was done with thought while pointing to Beauty's family members from the fairytale. I enjoyed the setup and the initial parts of the story more, but I found the middle part a little flat as the story felt long.

Thank you for the complimentary ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Review: 4.25 stars

Ironically this is my first book by Elizabeth Lim despite owning ALL her books in special editions *judging myself here* And also, this was a nudge from Deaa (readingful.escape) to pick up and read.

Tru is a con artist whose expertise lies in forging art which she sells in order to support her two sisters and mum when her father vanished in the sea 5 years ago. However, Tru has a secret: she has the sight in which when her hands tingle, whatever she paints will come true in the future. In order to desperately save her sister from being sold off due to her mother’s gambling debt, she unexpectedly stumbles into the home of the enigmatic half dragon/half human lord, Elang who saves her and her family in exchange for a marriage of convenience and the task of helping him break the curse he was inflicted with by the dragon king, his grandfather and another task…

I really like the creative spin that the author added to this Beauty and the Beast retelling in the underwater world. The worldbuilding is lush with turtles, merfolk, sharks and dragons thrown in. The pacing started off slow with the introduction of the characters and picked up after the marriage when Tru enters Ai’long, the underwater realm. The culture in play with a nod to noodles and spice has some flair of East Asian with a hint of South Asian-ness to it. The writing flows and it’s easy to get lost in the story - I finished the book within 24 hours of reading it.

Tru is such a determined and strong heroine. She grew up bullied for being different due to her mixed heritage and yet she doesn’t let it pull her down. As the eldest, the pressure to support her family is high and she does her best to do so. Elang appears very cold and heartless at first, always rejecting Tru’s friendship and overtures…However, with every little interaction they have, Tru can’t help but wonder if Elang was hiding something from her and finds herself slowly falling for him. Their heartfelt moments and banter were sweet with some silliness thrown in between.
I love the subtle twists that the author adds to the plot and all the puzzle pieces start falling into place as the story comes together. I was on tenterhooks the last 10% of the book - that ending though?!! I wanted MOREE!

My only nitpick is I wish the author went into more depth with the character development especially with Elang. We only got to understand him better in the last 30% of the book and his past was very glossed over. I also found the last part of the book a little rushed and abrupt.

I enjoyed this read immensely and will probably have to backtrack to read the author’s other books…This book can also be read as a standalone even though it takes place in the same world as the Six of Cranes duology.

Big shoutout to Penguin Teen Canada for the eARC…absolutely no regrets picking this one up.

Truyan Saigas watches her family fall apart after the disappearance of her father. As her mother racks up gambling debts, it falls to Tru and her sisters to make ends meet. For Tru, this means making a living out of forging the paintings of masters and selling them to the highest bidder. But Tru has a secret gift--she can paint the future. After a series of events leave her with nowhere else to turn, she accepts a strange marriage contact with the "Demon Prince" for the sake of her family, hopeful for answers about her father's disappearance. Now Tru must paint the greatest piece she has ever made--if she can survive.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. I was quite literally giggling and kicking my feet several times. I loved Tru's dedication to her family, and the way this romance was written really made me believe it. Though there were times when I wanted to shake both of them, it was entertaining to watch the male lead let his guard down with Tru only to catch himself and slam it back up. I love a good fake dating (marriage in this case) scenario and this absolutely delivered. Admittedly, I also didn't catch that this takes place in the same universe as Six Crimson Cranes at first, until a certain dragon was mentioned. If you, like me, were rooting for said dragon, then you will love this book.

A Forgery of Fate is Elizabeth Lim's newest fairy-tale retelling, and like all of her other books, which I've read and loved, this one is full of enough twists and turns to make it so much more than a straight retelling. Yes, A Forgery of Fate shares some things in common with Beauty and the Beast (the missing father, a beast, and a curse), but instead of a bookworm like Belle, Tru is a incredibly gifted painter who is also blessed with the Sight. This talent and skill, used in art forgery, is what keeps her family from starving, but it also earns Tru unwanted attention and sets her story in motion.

I absolutely loved Tru's time spent in Ai'Long. The underwater descriptions were so gorgeously written, it was easy to picture what Tru was seeing. Readers of Lim's other books will enjoy the nods to her other stories, as I did. A certain character popping up at the end was so unexpectedly delightful, it makes me to go back and reread her other books. Speaking of characters, A Forgery of Fate had such a well-rounded cast that I would love a spin-off about any of them.

I flew through this book, and I enjoyed that it was a standalone, so we were able to see Tru's story from start to end without having to wait to see how it all plays out. This book is must read for fans of fairy-tales, lush world-building, magic, romance, and dragons. But, be warned. This book will make you hungry for noodles!

Thank you to Random House for providing me with a copy!

Tru forges art to make ends meet after her Father is lost at sea and her mother gambles everything away. When things escalate and she needs a lot of money very quickly, Tru gets drawn into a plot to overthrow the Dragon King in this gripping and beautiful fantasy.

The romance was sweet and the plot perfectly paced. I really adored this book!

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review

A FORGERY OF FATE is a dramatic YA fantasy perfect for younger YA fans that want a strong-hearted heroine like Mulan and a dangerous water world teaming with magical mermaids, talking turtle soldiers, and a gorgon/Ursula- type Dragon King.
Although the novel fashions itself after Beauty and Beast, with a young heroine marrying a mysterious/brooding hulk to save her (obnoxious) mother, (extraneous) two sisters, and possibly missing father (think THE COURTING OF BRISTOL KEATS), it's the shape-shifting, sus water demon Shani that stole my heart. In fact it's her character's arc that gets me to tear up towards the end! She's got the slithery and disappearing qualities of Mushu but is much more devious. Lastly, I hope there is a sequel/spin-off with Queen Haidi and her stories.

Thank you Random House Children's and NetGalley for this exciting read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and the wonderfully talented Elizabeth Lim for granting me the opportunity to read into A Forgery of Fate ahead of its official release on June 3, 2025.
This enchanting tale swept me away into a world where art and destiny intertwine beneath the waves.

Summary:

Truyan Saigas, affectionately known as Tru, never imagined she'd become a con artist. Yet, after her father's mysterious disappearance at sea, she takes on the mantle of family protector, using her exceptional talent for art forgery and her unique ability to paint the future to support her mother and two younger sisters. When her mother's gambling debts attract dangerous attention, Tru finds herself in a perilous situation.

Enter Elang, a brooding and enigmatic dragon lord. He offers Tru a marriage contract that promises a fresh start for her family and elusive answers about her father's fate. The catch? She must join him in his desolate undersea palace and assist in a daring plot to infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King's inner circle. Together, they embark on a treacherous journey that could upheave both mortal and immortal realms.

Tropes

- Beauty and the Beast Retelling

- Marriage of Convenience

- He Falls First

- Slow Burn Romance

- Yearning

- Unique Magical Abilities

- Underwater World-Building

- Complex Characters

- Mythological Creatures

- Talking Animals

Review:

From the moment I opened A Forgery of Fate, I was captivated by Elizabeth Lim's lyrical prose and the mesmerizing blend of Chinese folklore and romance. The underwater realm is depicted with such vivid detail that I felt as though I was swimming alongside Tru, exploring Yonsar's underwater palace and encountering mythical sea creatures. Lim's storytelling prowess shines brilliantly, crafting a world that is both enchanting and immersive.

Tru is a protagonist who resonated deeply with me. Her unwavering selflessness and fierce protectiveness toward her family are incredibly relatable. Her journey is one of resilience, courage, and discovery, making her a character I couldn't help but root for. Elang, the brooding dragon lord, is shrouded in mystery and secrets. His enigmatic nature had me intrigued from the start, and as the plot unraveled, the layers of his character were revealed in a way that made all the angst and tension worthwhile.

Their dynamic is a masterclass in slow-burn romance. The yearning, the tension, the gradual build-up of trust and affection—all of it is executed flawlessly. Each interaction between Tru and Elang is charged with emotion, making their evolving relationship feel authentic and deeply satisfying. The classic Beauty and the Beast charm is woven throughout their story, adding a timeless quality to their romance.

The narrative is well-paced, seamlessly blending action, intrigue, and introspection. The conclusion is nothing short of epic, with twists and action scenes that left me breathless. Elizabeth Lim has a gift for crafting endings that are both satisfying and thought-provoking, and A Forgery of Fate is no exception.

In conclusion, A Forgery of Fate is a luminous gem in the young adult fantasy genre. Elizabeth Lim has once again demonstrated her unparalleled talent for blending myth, magic, and romance into a tapestry that captivates and enchants. This novel has undoubtedly secured a place among my favorites, and I eagerly anticipate delving into more of Lim's mesmerizing worlds.

Lim’s writing is lovely and compelling as always avid fans of her previous work will love seeing the tie ins in this stand alone novel. Personally, I didn’t connect with certain elements, but it was a matter of preference rather than quality.