A Forgery in Fate is a beautiful new novel from Elizabeth Lim, twisting the traditional Beauty and the Beast story into something gloriously draconic. 

Truyan lost her father to the sea five years ago. She, her two sisters, and her mother, are in dire straits-- all lost to their grief and to the cruelty of fate, landing them in a debt so damning it nearly ruins all hope of escape. Tru has been forging paintings for years, scraping together money for them to find her father's homeland, or to anywhere better than their current situation. Then her mother's debt collectors come calling, demanding a ridiculous repayment that the sale of no ordinary painting could pay back. As she and her family desperately attempt to escape the clutches of the crime lord responsible, Tru is inadvertently thrust into the garden--and the life--of the infamous Demon Prince who lives on the town's wealthiest street. In exchange for the safety of her family and for wealth that could catapult them back into security, the Prince asks Tru for her assistance in one mission: to use the magic of her painting to rid the underwater realm of its tyrannical ruler, the Dragon King.

Ohhhhhh how I love this book. The characters and their circumstances are so well articulated, and the desperation and grief they harbor so real. Even if we do enter knowing that certain things are to be expected due to its inspiration, a vivid world bursts into life in a way that still had me questioning what elements were red herrings, what was a deliberate signal to readers, and certainly left me starving for more. 

If you're looking for a gorgeous, Asian-inspired twist on a classic fairytale or simply looking for a rich new world to step into, filled with characters that are easy to love (or hate, in some cases), this is a perfect book to quench your thirst.

So many thanks to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for providing me with a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!