Book Review: A Forgery of Fate by Elizabeth Lim

By: Zhendi C., Grade 10

Overall rating 4.5/5.

A cursed dragon lord bound to love with an artist that paints the future…

It was not the background setting that amazed me first, but the book. I literally mean the physical book itself—the pages were covered with gold paints that shine whenever you flip it. Although it’s probably common for all books, that was the first time I saw a book with stand-out appearances. The map also gave me a clear reference of the world setting, which I was surely impressed by.

The story starts with an average girl called Tru. She had an ability to paint the future, but couldn't control her vision well. Her dad got lost in the sea and her mother got tons of gambling debt so were chased by a bunch of gangsters. Leaving no choice, she agreed to marry a half-dragon prince called Elang. Elang planned to overthrow his grandfather—the Dragon King Nazayun—a tyrannical king that once ruled Ai’long. Tru and Elang dived into Ai’long, after which she learned the mystery of Yonar and the castle. Elang gave Tru an ultimate weapon called the Scroll of Oblivion. Knowing Tru is a talented fortune forger, Elang wanted Tru to paint King Nazayun on the scroll and send him down to oblivion. As Tru worked on her project, danger arrived. After encountering monstrous enemies and lethal threats, Tru managed to paint Nazayun’s final movement on the scroll and leaped towards him. 

“Rest well, Your Majesty, in Oblivion.” 

The God of the seas was no more. Elang got seriously wounded and died as expected. Three years later, Tru met Elang as a young, polite man. Elang’s memory got wiped away, but after Tru gave him the red string of fate, suddenly a realization came up in his mind. These two came together at last.

This book resonated deeply in my heart. As a student who enjoys Asian fantasies, this is the second book that made me feel so connected and stunned, the first one to be Legend of the White Snake by Sher Lee which I also highly recommend. Elang, being a half-dragon half-human prince, loved Tru at the very first place. But he turned into Garri to test her skills. He just watched her from a distance, not expressing any personal thoughts, not showing kindness, only demonstrating his distant and cold personality. Even Tru thought he’s just a hypocritical cursed dragon. But when Elang shows subtle kindness through talking, guiding, and teaching Tru, her attitude towards Elang gradually shifts. A scene I remember clearly was when Elang planted a field of waterbells for Tru’s paint. During the Luminous Hour Elang taught Tru how to race animals. He drew a whale, and Tru drew a carp—fortune finds those who leap. It was magnificent, every detail in the castle described, it presented a vivid scene in front of my eyes while reading that chapter. When Nazayun first trapped Tru, it was Elang that carried Tru out of the crowd and delivered her to Nazayun. Tru then reveals the Scroll of Oblivion, tricked Nazayun to believe it was an illustration of Elang but actually Elang’s reflection in his eyes, and destroyed one of his eyes. That sequence of motion was depicted in a smooth, intriguing way that made me feel tense too, as if I was captured right inside the kingdom (I knew the twist was coming, but I didn’t know how Tru turned the tide over; it was amazing reading that chapter). In the end, Elang and Tru’s relationship reached a peak. Elang’s final words were sorrow yet graceful, showing his great care towards Tru. Tru was the only one who could break his course, so this made their ending destined—maybe they will get separated, but their fate will always be connected.

Despite Lim putting a lot of work on Tru and Elang, my favorite character is surprisingly the watery demon, Shani. The first time Shani appeared was during the rescue of Tru’s family from the gangsters. The first time I saw her, I felt like that’s the kind of character I’m longing for. She’s a complicated demon, you couldn’t tell what her true thoughts were, but she gave me the impression of strength, enigma, and beauty. She’s kind and comforting at the very bottom, but often behaves like an indifferent, cold and sly female demon. I couldn’t believe that she betrayed Elang and was actually an assistant of Nazayun during the climax, but the ending reassured me that my first intuitive guess of Shani’s personality was correct. If Tru and Elang were a pair, then I definitely wanted to be with Shani. No big reason, just for her intricate, enigmatic mind.

The overall story was somewhat straightforward, you could conclude all the plot in one sentence, but a fantasy book usually prioritizes describing details, as we could see in this book, so I’m not going to blame that. The major issue is that the pace is off. The first 400 pages are just there to pave the path to the ending, so you could struggle to make sense of the main plot. Shani’s double twist seemed abrupt, definitely could use some foreshadowing to make these twists more reasonable. Also there are some logic issues about the world settings, like why didn’t Nazayun destroy Yonsar in the first place, and Gangsun seemed not affected at all after Nazayun shot fire towards it. But, again, I enjoy the accurate use of literary devices, specifically imagery. All that detailed stuff will surely bring you a pleasant experience. If you like fantasy, never miss this one!

P.S. Some said this book is similar to Beauty and the Beast and compared to it. I never fully read it so couldn’t provide details, but you could argue this book is partially inspired by it.