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Book: “A Forgery of Fate” by Elizabeth Lim
Publishing Info: Knopf Books for Young Readers, June 2025
Where Did I Get this Book: Netgalley!
Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound
Book Description: 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..
Review: Obviously, I’m probably going to read almost anything that bills itself as a new version of “Beauty and the Beast.” And, while I didn’t fully connect with previous books I’ve read by this author, I still think she has a strong, compelling style to her writing that, at the very least, will be good reading on its own. So reading this book was an odd mixture of expected points of interest and strange disconnects.
First of all, I very much enjoyed the main character. Not only was she an engaging lead, full of spunk, smarts, and a refreshing streak of pragmatism, but her magical abilities tied to painting and prophesy were incredibly interesting. The author wisely crafted this magic system to be just useful enough, often giving Tru (and the reader) glimpses of a future that may end up presenting itself in a completely different manner than how one might at first interpret it.
Beyond Tru’s abilities, I really liked the magic and world-building of this story. Much of these fantasy elements were of the whimsical sort, such that if you perhaps spent too much time trying to picture how any of this worked, it could be frustrating. But if simply accepted and viewed through a lens of wonder, much of it was fantastical and beautiful. Yes, I did get caught up with movement in the underwater scenes more times than I want to admit, but that might just be a “me” issue. Obviously, I also really liked the dragon lore and the way this was tied up in the classic “Beauty and the Beast” tale.
As for characters, I also enjoyed many of the side characters and Tru’s intimate family. Tru’s relationship with her family is strained by the circumstances they find themselves in, but I enjoyed the layers this added to their dynamics, particularly between Tru and her mother. And, of course, I loved Tru’s devotion to her sisters. I was sad when they disappeared for large chunks of the middle of the book, though that’s probably to be expected in a retelling of “Beauty and the Beast.” I also really liked many of the inhabitants of the “castle” that Tru meets and befriends.
Unfortunately, the one real sticking point for me was the romance itself. It started off strong, with a spark-filled first scene, but then things seemed to peter out completely as the story continued. For one thing, they simply didn’t seem to spend enough time together to justify any growing interest, at least on Tru’s part. There was a lot of action, but much of it was spent apart, which then made Tru’s growing interest feel disconnected from anything we’d seen on the page. Even as I was told that the attraction was growing, I never felt it. Beyond this, there was a “twist” that was introduced late in the story that I think only complicated this relationship, and not in a good way.
Overall, I think this was a successful fantasy adventure story, and Tru was a great main character on her own. However, as a “Beauty and the Beast” re-imaging, I think it struggled with a lackluster romance. Fans of this author, however, should definitely still give it a go and I’m still committed to checking out new books by her in the future, as I think her storytelling is only improving over time!
Rating 8: A whimsical, fantasy adventure, though a bit lacking in the love story itself.
Reader’s Advisory:
“A Forgery of Fate” can be found on these Goodreads lists: Chinese, Japanese, and Korean Fantasy and Favorite Retellings.
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