This book follows Tru who had to turn to a life as a con artist in the form of forging paintings to help take care of her sisters and mom. Her sisters also work, but their mother sort of turned to gambling after the Tru’s father was lost at sea while on a job. There’s no confirmation that he’s dead, but none that he’s alive either. Their mother questioned so many people for so long in search of her husband and answers and somewhere down the line that turned into gambling and deep debts.

When Tru was just a girl, her father gifted her with a paintbrush and whenever True would paint she would say magic paint brush after each painting. As Tru got older she would experience tingles and for those drawings they always came true.

The man she works for encourages her to paint her own works instead of forgery’s that she has real talent. She declines because she cannot risk the money, but when she returns home to find her mother in some VERY REAL VERY SERIOUS debt and a very tight deadline; she lets the magic happen. 

Everything happens so fast and Tru is on the run from not only gangsters, but the law. This is when she stumbles into the demon prince. Who isn’t a demon prince, but a dragon lord and they make an agreement. She has to pretend to be his heavenly match and draw a specific painting for him and in turn he will make sure her family is cared for and help in the quest of answers for her father.
This book has it all: an immersive world that is just so fun to imagine, a storyline that makes you feel connected with the characters, dragons, underwater kingdom (which was totally giving me Little Mermaid vibes with some of the banter and some of the scenes that take place) the magic system that is so fascinating, and best of all; Elang can conjure pockets for her dresses. Pockets. A man after my own heart.

I rated this book five stars. Special thanks to netgalley and random house for always gracing me with these early copies of Lim’s work.