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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.
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... .
"In beguiling prose, Lim skillfully blends elements of classic fairy tales to render Tru's many adventures across Lor'yan, a fictional world inspired by China, and inject heart-pounding action into this lush romantasy epic. Tender moments of connection and discovery enrich Tru and Elang's cautious developing relationship, even as they both contend with xenophobia and preconceived notions based on their nation's mythology, and navigate a perilous world of politics and greed." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This emotional, thoughtful story about love and found family is perfect for romantasy fans." —Booklist (starred review)
"The inevitable romance is enhanced by a beautifully rendered subaqueous backdrop and beguiling folkloric elements...An adventurous and romantic addition to the genre." —Kirkus Reviews
"The romance is a yearning slow-burn, full of tension as Lim balances Tru's clairvoyance with the mystery of how the future comes to be. While readers might wish for deeper descriptions of the underwater world, the pacing and plot are exceptional. Hand to readers who like the ache of slow-burn romance and the whimsy of fairy tales. Highly recommended for all collections." —Library Journal
"An alluring and captivating story, filled with mythical creatures, lyrical prose and vibrant characters." —Isabel Ibañez, #1 New York Times bestselling author of What the River Knows
"Devastatingly romantic, with heart-stopping action and twists that kept me turning the pages." —Axie Oh, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea
"Everything I love in a story—danger, complex characters, romance, betrayal and gorgeous writing." —Mary E. Pearson, New York Times bestselling author of Dance of Thieves
This information about A Forgery of Fate was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Elizabeth Lim grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she was raised on a hearty diet of fairy tales, myths, and songs. Before becoming an author, Elizabeth was a professional film and video game composer, and she still tends to come up with her best book ideas when writing near a piano. An alumna of Harvard College and the Juilliard School, she now lives in New York with her husband and her daughters.
Elizabeth's bestselling novels include Six Crimson Cranes, The Dragon's Promise, Her Radiant Curse, Spin the Dawn, and Unravel the Dusk. She is also a contributor to Disney's A Twisted Tale series.
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