A Forgery of Fate - Elizabeth Lim

After nearly three years of marriage, my husband is finally moving in with me. We've sold his house and are trying to breathe in enough to fit our lives into my 1-bedroom flat. A lot of my books have moved into my mothers garage. Packing them up has been both easy - the sheer quantity of them had become overwhelming, it's a relief to not have teetering piles of books everywhere (although more have to go) and really not easy. What should stay, what do I refer to regularly, what am I likely to want to read or re-read in the next couple of years, and what can go to the charity shop?

Answers to all those questions and more are slowly resolving themselves. The next steps are exciting ones, but oh, is the process ever hard on the back? And where do all the tiny cuts and bruises come from at the end of each day?

Meanwhile, I really need to round up on the proofs I've been reading and dispose of some of the work related books I'm unlikely to revisit. A Forgery of Fate is just such a book, although I absolutely will be revisiting Elizabeth Lim.

She's one of a growing number of authors who straddles the young adult and fantasy boundary. At work her hardbacks tend to be classified as Young Adult, which I think they are, but when they come out in paperback they get reclassified as SFF. I find this annoying. I'd like to live in an ideal world where the boundaries were more distinct. 

In this world I'd say A Forgery of Fate is definitely YA, but good writing is good writing and it cuts itself off from a sizable chunk of potential readers if you market purely as teen. Billed as Beauty and the Beast meets the Little Mermaid, and delivering on its promise, I really enjoyed this one. 

Truyan Saigas has a reasonably happy childhood until her father disappears on a sea voyage, her mother falls apart, and she and her sisters are forced to grow up fast. Truyan has a particular gift though, she is an artist, a gifted forger, and it's just possible that she can paint the future. Her gift bring her to the attention of the mysterious Lord Elang, who may be a demon or may be a dragon and that's when it gets really complicated for Tru.

The magic and mythology here is compelling, and the world building is truly fabulous. Tru negotiates helping her family, making new friends and enemies, overcoming her past, falling in love, and making some very hard decisions with grace. The peril, especially at the outset feels real, the resolution is deeply satisfying, and I never found her an annoying heroine to read - which I often do when young girls are chosen to save the world. 

In short, a satisfying and enjoyable book for anyone from 14 upwards (age classifications are hard, but there'a an emotional depth to this book that makes me think very young readers would miss a bit too much nuance).