Eye-Rolling Demigod's Book Blog

Truyan is a gifted art forger who stepped up to take care of her family after her father's disappearance at sea and her mother's gambling habits worsened.. After a sale of a forgery went wrong, Truyan runs into the mysterious 'Demon Prince' Elang who offers her a deal. Protection for her family in exchange for her help (and the use of her gift in painting the future) with overthrowing the Dragon King. The only catch? To overthrow the Dragon King, they both must venture to his domain and underwater kingdom.

The worldbuilding and the chemistry between Tru and Elang were what kept me hooked throughout the story. The author painted such a vivid picture of the underwater kingdom that it was easy to envision in my mind. I didn’t expect to see turtles depicted as handmaidens and mermaids as queens, but it worked well for this book. There's also some major twists and unexpected reveals in Tru and Elang's relationship that I didn't expect. While there's a slow burn romance developing, they also treat each other like reluctant partners in crime a good portion of the time which was entertaining. And all the art metaphors, especially with the main theme of the book being art forgery, were particularly witty; my favorite line was "Gray is the color of truth. The same in art as it is in life, nothing is ever as black and white as it looks."

Overall, this was a great book and a very bingeable fantasy. It's currently listed as a standalone novel, and I liked how the author wrapped up the story threads at the end of the book. I recommend this novel to fans of Lim's earlier works, as well as dragons, fantasy romance, and books inspired by East Asian folklore.

When the present day hurricane unearths the body of someone thought to have committed a crime during the original hurricane so many years ago, the Sherlock society is originally the only ones interested in taking up the case (especially since the statue of limitations has expired). However, as more information is revealed more people join in on the investigation and it was fun to try and solve the mystery right along side them. I really appreciated how relatable the characters are. Alex and Zoe had multiple stereotypical sibling disputes. Grandpa's investigative journalist background really came into play with this one. And it was funny to see all of the retirees get so into the case, partially out of sheer boredom in their retirement.

Overall, this was a great read and perfect for younger mystery fans. I highly recommend it to those who are already fans of one of the authors other series, City Spies. Audiobook narrator Mark Sanderlin did an excellent job bringing the story to lfie with his performance. As the statue of limitations did run out, the ending isn't quite as satisfying as the first book but I still enjoyed the ride.