A Forgery of Fate: Synopsis, characters, review, triggers & spice

Written By Esta Pinto

If you’re anything like me, you saw Beauty and the Beast + cursed dragon lord + painting the future + under the sea and immediately added A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim to your TBR. 

Now that Elizabeth Lim's latest romantic fantasy is here, I’m breaking it all down in this article.

In this A Forgery of Fate guide and book review, I’ll cover A Forgery of Fate synopsis, main character overview and a list of supporting characters, to just how much romantic tension (aka A Forgery of Fate spice) to expect. 

I’m also including A Forgery of Fate trigger warnings for readers who like to know what they’re getting into beforehand.

So whether you’ve read it already or are still deciding, here’s everything you need to know before paddling into Elizabeth Lim’s latest.

Happy reading friends!

 

A Forgery of Fate synopsis.

From the New York and Sunday Times bestselling author of Six Crimson Cranes comes a new 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.

Fortune finds those who leap . . .

A gifted art forger, Truyan Saigas has the unique ability to paint the future. But when her father is lost at sea, not even magic can heal her family, or save her two younger sisters from the dangerous consequences of her mother's gambling debts.

Then Elang, a mysterious dragon lord, offers her a in exchange for a fresh start for her mother and sisters, Tru must enter a marriage contract and join him in his desolate undersea palace.

Once there, Tru will embark on her most dangerous forgery yet. To infiltrate the tyrannical Dragon King's inner circle and paint a future so treasonous, it could upend both the mortal and immortal realms . . .

Get A Forgery of Fate here.

 

A Forgery of Fate characters.

Image by @hodderscape via Instagram.

A Forgery of Fate is narrated from a first person point of view, from female main character, Truyan Saigas’ perspective. The ”beast” and the male main character is Elang, a half-dragon, half-human. I’ve included brief character overviews for them below.

Main characters.

Truyan Saigas, aka, Tru.

Tru is our bright blue-haired art forger. She’s resilient, brave, sassy and talented and has a beautiful bond with her two other sisters, Falina and Nomi.

Tru possesses a special talent: the ability to paint what the future holds, an artistic seer if you may. 

Elangui Ta’ginan Yuwong, aka, Elang.

Lord Elang, Elangui or just Elang, is our main male character and is cursed, because his pearl-heart has been taken away from him, therefore he can’t fall in love without it, unless he finds his ‘Heavenly Match’.

But that’s not what he’s concerned about. He’s more concerned with overthrowing his tyrant grandfather, King Nazayun, to bring peace.

Supporting characters.

Below are all the characters, besides Truyan and Elangui that we meet in A Forgery of Fate, from major to minor characters.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT YOU MAY SPOIL SOME OF THE SURPRISE CAMEOS AND EASTER EGGS IN A FORGERY OF FATE BY READING THIS CHARACTER LIST.

  • Shanizhun, aka, Shani

  • Mailoh

  • King Nazayun

  • General Caisan

  • Kunkoi

  • Queen Haidi

  • Arban Saigas, ‘Baba’ (Tru’s father)

  • Weina Saigas, ‘Mama’ (Tru’s mother)

  • Falina Saigas (Tru’s sister)

  • Nomi Saigas (Tru’s sister)

  • Gaari

  • Puhkan

  • Madam Yurgui

  • Governor Renhai

  • Tangyor

  • Mr. Jisan

  • Prince Seryu

  • Aunt Vosan

Mentioned characters (who don’t appear).

  • Lanwah (Elang’s mother)

  • Nahma (former high lady of the Southerly Seas)

  • Liayin

A Forgery of Fate book review.

My rating: ★★★★☆

  • Spice level: 🫑🧄🍜

  • The only spice in this book is literal (chilli, cardamon, clove, cinnamon, garlic etc)

I like most meals with a lot of spices and chilli.

So when A Forgery of Fate ambushed my senses with a bowl of hand-rolled noodles in broth simmering in cinnamon, ginger and chilli oil, plus a fantasy romance, fake marriage, a phoenix demon and talking turtles, I knew I’d found a comfort read. This book legitimately gave me butterflies and food cravings.

Now, if you read the blurb, you already know this is a Beauty and the Beast-inspired story imbued with Chinese culture that unfolds under the sea. Despite Elizabeth Lim’s background in Disney retellings, I didn’t get heavy-handed “Disney” from this.

On the surface, it's all very whimsical and fairy-tale-core with seahorses pulling clamshell carriages and magical serviettes that summon your favourite food (how very Grimm). But underneath there’s loss and the whimsy is barbed. Maybe Studio Ghibli meets The Godfather but with more noodles and curses.

At its core, the story carries the traditional Beauty and the Beast themes of inner beauty, transformation through love, and what it means to be monstrous but they’re also filtered through a more diasporic lens. What I appreciated most was how Lim uses fantasy to examine very real questions about identity, racism, and othering.

So yeah, instead of talking furniture, rose petals and ball gowns, it’s sea, ink and a cursed half-dragon half-human prince, named Elang, (the “beast”) whose literal pearl-heart is missing. FMC, Tru gets roped into a fake marriage of convenience with him, where once she fulfils her mission, she will part ways with him and go back to her family. It’s less locked in a castle, and more of a I signed a contract to help a dragon guy and in return he will save my family and help me find out what happened to my father who was lost at sea vibe.

If the pearl-heart dragon lore and setting rings a bell, I’ll give you a hint that Six Crimson Cranes fans are definitely going to have fun with the Easter eggs peppered in this one, it's set in the same world! (Although it’s definitely not necessary to read SCC to enjoy A Forgery of Fate). I thought the writing was well-suited for the YA target audience.

My advice is that this is one of those stories that’s best discovered without reading reviews that give away too much plot detail, so you can appreciate the C-drama, romantic beats, underwater worldbuilding, fantastical side characters and moss, yourself. (Yes, moss).

One more thing. Pocket appreciation. Okay I’m finished.

If you like your fantasies with flavour, your romance served slow and yearning, and chilli oil used as a weapon, this book is for you. But maybe don’t read it on an empty stomach.

A big thanks to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton | Hodderscape for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

 View my review and follow me on GoodReads here. I chat about books a lot.

 

A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim FAQs.

SPOILER ALERT:

Some answers may spoil the book if you haven’t read it already. Proceed with caution.

Is A Forgery of Fate part of a series?

A Forgery of Fate is a standalone. However, it is set in the same world as Six Crimson Cranes and has a cameo from a certain dragon who also appears in Six Crimson Cranes.

Grief/loss

  • Gambling addiction

  • Violence

  • Blood

  • War

  • Death

  • Death of fantasy creature

  • Abandonment

  • Bullying

  • Racism

Is A Forgery of Fate spicy?

Spice level: 🫑

0/5.

A Forgery of Fate has zero spice and is all about a slow, yearning romance.

What is A Forgery of Fate’s age rating?

A Forgery of Fate is a Young Adult (YA) fantasy romance, so the age rating is approximately for readers 12+.

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Esta Pinto
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