Beautiful prose and character work. I loved how this story was inspired by beauty and the beast but also inspired by Asian culture!

A breathtaking romantic fantasy inspired by Beauty and the Beast about a girl who paints the future and a cursed dragon lord, bound by love and deception in a plot to bring down the gods.

I loved Truyan, the blue-haired heroine who’s fiercely loyal and gifted with a rare ability: painting the future. When her father vanishes at sea and her mother’s gambling debts threaten her family, she agrees to a marriage of convenience with Elang—a half-human, half-dragon prince as mysterious as he is broody.

Elang, the ultimate grumpy dragon lord, has lost his dragon pearl—the source of his heart, magic, and emotions—and now lives in an isolated undersea palace. With talking warrior turtles, shark armies, and the regal merfolk, the aquatic world is rich and unique.

The story is so whimsical and woven so vividly that it's easy to picture the details that the author is trying to convey. It does have the Beauty and the Beast vibes for sure, but is also set largely underwater, so I'd agree with other reviewers saying it also is reminiscent of the little mermaid!

Elizabeth Lim’s “A Forgery of Fate” is a captivating standalone fantasy that makes an excellent addition to any summer reading list. I was immediately intrigued by its comparison to Beauty and the Beast, and as someone who enjoys stories rooted in Asian mythology, the blend of these elements was especially compelling. The world-building is richly imagined, and Lim’s lyrical prose reminded me of Sue Lynn Tan, one of my favorite authors. The pacing, also reminiscent of Tan’s work, moves swiftly—something I appreciated, as it kept me thoroughly engaged throughout. This was my first experience with Elizabeth Lim’s writing, and I’m now eager to explore more of her novels.
Thank you to NetGallery and Random House Children's for an advanced copy of this ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Elizabeth Lim does it again. This retelling of Beauty and the Beast is mixed perfectly with Chinese folklore to create a unique story that will stay with you for a long time. Tru's dedication to her family and her determination to see through the deal that she made to benefit them create such a rare FMC that will have you wanting to turn every page to see what she'll do next. I highly recommend this book for those who love folklore and retellings.

A Beauty and the Beast retelling, but make it mythological and even more magical <3

There are honestly so many things about this book that stand out, but here are just a few:
- Slow burn romance
- Yearning for days
- Strong FMC
- Family forward story
- Magical World building
- Betrayal, Drama, and just an excellent plot
- pockets (iykyk)

Every single book that has been written by Elizabeth Lim is a five-star read for me, and truly, she has certified herself as an autobuy author in my opinion. This book was masterfully created in a world that we already know, but focused on a brand new part with well crafted characters.

The romance was a strong slow burn with hints of yearning from both characters, and its one of those books where the tiny things has your heart exploding. This was overall such a magical and enthralling story that had a perfect mixture of plot and romance.

This book was so much fun! Expertly weaves folktales with my favorite trope, fake marriage. Another winner from Lim.

Loved it!! Read it in one day!
Another wonderful book by Elizabeth Lim!
This story about a young girl whose father goes missing at sea and the difficulties her family faces just trying to survive. She ends up meeting a dragon lord and is offered a marriage contract that includes her going to the undersea home he has been exiled from. There is a lot of adventure and mystery and an interesting undersea world. I truly enjoyed the main characters and the relationship that developed between them. If you have enjoyed Elizabeth Lim’s other books, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one too!

This was such a fun read. I enjoyed the characters and worldbuilding. The main characters were well written and relatable.

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.