Really enjoyed this book! Engaging character-driven writing, good plot and interesting premise.

Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Fable is very much a character driven book, which ordinarily is what I'm drawn to. But the pacing felt a little off for the first have and only my interest in wanting to see where Fable's journey took her, kept me reading. I did enjoy the romantic interest; their relationship was nicely written and strayed from some of the more typical YA tropes. It was wholesome and I really enjoyed it! I may not be diving straight into Namesake, but it is definitely one I will read in the future.

3.5/5
Fable is about a young girl who gets left behind by her father on an island full of thieves and liars. Her one goal over the last several years is to get off the island and go home to her father and demand all he had promised her if she got off the island. Except that's not what happens.

Fable is a relatively slow paced, adventure-fantasy book. You're not just reading a book when you're reading Fable, you're participating in an adventure as a pirate! This is a cute and simple story but filled with great characters and interesting story lines. The book finishes on a cliff hanger in Fable's story which continues into the second book of the duology.

⭐️I received this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review ⭐️

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ecopy of this book. However, it was a let down for me.

After reading and loving Adrienne's first two books, I went into this one blind expecting another viking story so my disappointment is fully my own fault. This is not a viking story as far as I can tell and is set fully on ships and at sea which isn't my favourite setting.

I also found the writing in this to be very different to her previous books with everything being over described and the characters didn't seem to get much development and they just didn't capture my attention at all.

As a character driven reader, liking the characters and finding them engaging is a big thing for me and if I don't like the characters, then I tend not to like the book.

At first, I had trouble to fully get into Fable despite the fact that I love Adrienne Young's stories and writing. It took me a while, but when she boarded the Marigold ship, I fell in love with it.

There are not many books that would take place at sea and I adored this aspect of the story. I think the setting is amazing. The only thing I wish is that there would be more about the politics of the world and about Fable's abilities, that is, gem sages abilities in general. It's intriguing, but I feel there’s still more explanation needed. I am interested in this world of sailors and traders.

I fell in love with the characters as well. Fable is a strong and courageous heroine. I rooted for this brave girl in a man's world. West, the main love interest, is swoon worthy. Plus, the ship crew of Marigold are an amazing cast of characters. I loved how Fable gradually found her place with them. I just love the found family trope. I think it was well done here. Plus I can't wait to learn more about all of them.

It's a book that focuses on friendship and family relationships more than romance, but in the end, I did not mind that much- I hope to get more of Fable and West together in the second book. I loved their moments together. Their dynamics is great, so I'm hopeful to see more of it in the future.

Overall, I've enjoyed it!

Fable took me a little bit of time to get into it, the story isn’t very fast paced but when it starts – boy does it start!
I loved the characters, the story, and the slow but great development. The survival which Fable has to go through on her own shows how strong of a character she is.

The world that Adrienne Young created made it feel so real, I loved picturing it all in my head. She writes Fable in such a cleaver and skilled way, making me want to be her! She is the Heroine we all need!
I really cannot wait for the second novel… I am starting tomorrow. Stunning start to this series.

This book was a tour de force, strong and confident female lead who undergoes a life changing experience and spends a lot of the book not really knowing who to trust. The element of found family in this novel was huge for me, watching the characters bond and grow together. The schemes and pirate/sea elements were just so magical, for a non magical element to appear otherworldly takes an awful lot of spectacular writing and that's exactly what Adrienne Young does here with Fable.

Fans of To Kill a Kingdom, Shadows Between us, Daughter of the pirate king and other stories about strong badass heroines who chart their own course, seize what they have and fight to keep it will love this book!

Fable hit the ground running and I was immediately enthralled! We follow Fable and quickly see how quick-witted she needs to be to survive. With most young adult fantasy these days, there tends to be a lot of world-building and info dumping, so I appreciated Young’s confidence in her readers to keep up.

There is a lot of mystery around her father and the death of her mother that kept me turning the page. I loved the journey back to her father and the way the writing showed us how she was affected by her parents absence. I am still so intrigued by her mother and I hope to get more answers in the sequel.

Apart from the main plot, we had a gorgeous crew accompanying Fable. We have new friends and a love interest onboard the Marigold. To avoid spoilers, I won’t get into names! There is a plot twist among the crew that I adored.

There were only a couple things that slightly bothered me. There was a bit too much mystery. Even though I am very invested, I was let down by how much information we were given. Especially around her mother. The other thing was the romance. I am living for it, but sometimes Fable’s love interest can be quite hot-and-cold and overprotective without giving much back in return. I still quite like them, so maybe issues will get cleared up in future installments.

This was such an adventure and I am happy to say it isn’t over! I will be diving into the sequel, Namesake, next month. I cannot wait.

Thank you to Titan Books and Netgalley for the arc! This title was released January 26, 2021.

Loved loved loved this. The writing and plot were fantastic. I can't wait to read book 2.. It was a nice change of pace for me

I really enjoyed following Fable in this story. She was a strong character and I connected well with her, eager to see where her journey would take her. The world building was really incredible, with a huge expansive world and great detail that I could picture perfectly. I really enjoyed the cliffhanger ending and would definitely be intrigued to pick up the sequel.
I had a couple of let downs from this story including the fact that it wasn't exactly a heavy fantasy, I expected more magic to come from the story and play a heavier role. I also personally had no incline to the romance that would come to because I don't feel that was set up very well! I think it would be better having been left out or shifted into the second book and instead having more build up and character development of the romantic interest as their character felt flat for me and I suspected a different sort of relationship to blossom between them.

The writing style! Wow. It just drew me straight in and I couldn’t put it down afterwards. Fable is such a badass character and she has definitely become a favourite of mine. The intricate world-building is mind-blowing and I love the dynamic of the crew (the found family trope is one of my favourites) Young did an absolutely amazing job on this book and is definitely a top book of the year! The plot twists and the ending of this book made my jaw drop and I am so thankful that Namesake is out soon!

This was amazingly good. It's a pirate romance with plenty of badass characters, betrayal and bad guys. And the sequel is coming out very soon, which I am happy about because the cliffhanger had me absolutely screaming for more.

After her mother drowned in a storm, Fable was abandoned by her father and has spent the last four years fending for herself on an island full of dangerous people, dredging the sea for valuable stones and gems to raise enough money to pay one of the trader ships for passage back to the city where she used to live. After narrowly escaping death at the hands of another dredger, she convinces West, the captain of a trader ship, to give her safe passage back home so she can finally take her place on her father's crew. But her father isn't the person she thought he was, and West also isn't who he seems. Fable is left alone once again, forced to make a decision one way or the other: she uses her inheritance to thwart her father, binding her fate to West's. But both her father and West have made a lot of enemies, and Fable will have to endure many more storms in order to live.

The first part of this book can be seen as a coming-of-age story, with Fable trying to figure out her place in the world. The second part starts relying on the romance aspect more, leading to further complications for everyone involved. Although the start of the story is a bit slow, once Fable makes it off the island the pace picks up and it became simply impossible to put this book down. I loved how the crew on West's ship was a little found family, and how they eventually accepted Fable as one of their own.

Sadly this book missed the mark a little for me. I did enjoy reading it and the story wasn't too bad. I do like stories that are set on the sea and things with pirates. This didn't have pirates but traders and they were honestly much the same. This book started a little confusing for me and took a few chapters to understand what was going on.

I feel like this story didn't have much of a plot, it was just a series of events that happened. It seemed everything was a little bit too easy and happened to quickly. The characters were also very shallow and I didn't feel we got to know them very well. West and Fables relationship came out of nowhere and it was just done very badly. If there was more interaction and banter between then it would have been better. The affection between characters is not shown just told.

I did like the writing and all the seafaring aspects of it as well as the trading. I feel more politics would have made this much more interesting and I'd have liked to learn more about the guilds and this gem sage thing Fable had. The world building could have been better but I did enjoy it. I was finding myself a bit bored at times and not really invested in the story. Its an enjoyable adventure and an easy read but I have read similar things that I've liked more. The ending however does make me want to read the next one just to find out what happens.

Another great book from Adreienne Young. This book had me hooked, it had secrets and twists. The world building was great and the characters were likeable.

Please take in mind it’s my opinion, and everyone is allowed to have one.

I got an e-arc through Netgalley.

I cant believe I’ve put this book aside for such a long time. This book started off real slow for me, but it got so much better. It was such an amazing, well written book.

I honestly loved to get to know all the characters and some of their stories. But most of all it was so great to see how Fable handled everything (and boy she did handle everyone). She is such an amazing, strong and fearless character.

I cant wait to see what’s going to happen in Namesake.

Title: Fable
By : Adrienne Young
Publisher: Titan Books
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy | Teens & YA
Pub Date: 26 Jan 2021
Review on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3216127368?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

One storm steals Fable's whole life. She goes from being a loved daughter to stranded survive. The ship Fable was on has sunk, her mother had drown and now, her father has abandoned her on one of the most dangerous islands there is.

Her father tells her that if she survives and finds him that he will make everything right. Fable watches as her father leaves her there. At the will of the island and its inhabitants Fable has to learn fast or she will die. Her only means of income is to dredge for precious stones. The longer she stays on the island the closer she is to death.

When her time runs out she finds an unlikely savoir. But that does not mean her life is easier, just that she has it a little longer.


The book covered a lot of themes given its size. At the beginning we are with Fable and are dealing with huge themes at once. Grief, abandonment, isolation, uncertainty, treat of danger, secrecy. Later in the book we also deal with love, longing, poverty, truth, trust, belonging and sacrifice. This is a lot to portray in one short book. It was also touching to see that Young included LGBT+ rep.


Personally I saw through West's real purpose almost as soon as Fable boards the ship. A lot of the rest of the plot I didn't foresee but that was definitely one I saw from the off. I loved Willa as a character, she was independent and head strong. I think I admired each crew member for different things.

The only thing I was really left questioning about the book was, how old was West exactly? We know Fable is 17 and I personally would not like West to be much older. It would give their relationship the ick factor in my mind. Well I was left to also wonder what happened to Fable, but that I hope to answer when I read Namesake.

Would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loved sea adventures.

Full review on my blog February 22nd.

Content Warnings: blood, violence, grief, death (parental), child abandonment, murder, mutilation.

For piratey found family vibes this book is an impeccable pick. I adored the dynamics onboard the ship and the treasure hunt style storyline was so much fun. I really enjoyed the way that it could be so character focused, with the crew learning to work together. I'm a sucker for protagonists joining established groups and having to learn where they fit, so that worked so well for me. Unfortunately, I wasn't sold on the romance. It was obvious from the very start, which meant it was a little boring to read the will-they, won't-they and ultimately the barriers stopping them from being together didn't really make sense. The idea that being together would put a target on their backs made perfect sense to me, but we're being sold this found family dynamic, so surely that's true of all the crew. And besides that, there were close relationships and couples aboard the ship anyway, so I didn't really understand why we were being told they couldn't be together. What did work really, really well for me was the focus on complicated family relationships. The relationship between Fable and Saint was fraught and hard and I absolutely loved it. It guided Fable's motivations so well and made her feel so authentic and real the whole way through. She's a fantastic protagonist with flexible morals and clear goals (my favourite kind) and I do want to read more about her story.

I do wish the gem sage thing had had more of a focus. I assume that it'll be a big thing in Namesake (the sequel) but for now it was a little strange. It was mentioned so casually the first time that for a moment I assumed I was supposed to already know about it, and then it flickered between being mentioned frequently and disappearing. I still don't totally understand it or its role in the plot, I would have liked it to have more of a presence so it didn't feel so much like it was just leading to the sequel.

The ending of this book was fantastic though and I found myself absolutely absorbed in the final few chapters. Overall the book was super atmospheric and the world was really interesting. I will absolutely be picking up Namesake at some point to find out what happens next, so if you're looking for an easy to read book with pirate vibes and found family, this series is a good pick.

I need book 2.. ( ╥ω╥ )

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So, it took me over a month to finally get over this book "enough" to write a review..

I'm really glad that I decided to start the year off with this book 1.) because I don't have to wait for a WHOLE YEAR to continue with the story (lucky meee ✨), but also 2.) because this book makes me want to read ALL the fantasy books possible, which is exactly what I need in 2021!

I think I've found a new love for the sub-genre of pirate books and stories related to sailing through this duology — and I'm on the hunt for more stories like it! "Fable" strongly reminded me of the series "Ship of Magic" by well-known fantasy author, Robin Hobb, but I enjoyed that this book had less high fantasy elements and instead was more plot and character-driven! Fable was such a strong and fierce character, who honestly didn't need anyone to achieve her dreams, but was vulnerable in the sense that she just wanted a family to belong to. So I really can't describe how happy I was that "found-family" was a trope within this book <3

I'm really looking forward to picking up "Namesake" this March, and I can't wait to see more bonding & banter between Fable and the others - because I feel like she was only beginning to open up in this novel.

I just want to quickly say that that ending left me absolutely SHATTERED though. I never would have expected Adrienne Young to throw a cliff-hangar like that in with only a few pages to spare.. because that's really some next level skills right there ✨


-- Thank you so much to Netgalley and Titan Books for providing the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I've really been craving a good-old-fashioned pirate adventure and Fable gave me just that and more. This fast-paced, swashbuckling tale filled with unexpected twists was such a wonderful read and I need to get my hands on the next book soon, especially after that ending!

Fable is everything you could want in a heroine. She's clever, skilled and a character that you easily become invested in. And then we have the wonderful found-family of the Marigold, whose camaraderie and back-and-forth witty remarks, makes you wish that you were a part of the crew.

This book perfect for fantasy fans looking for an intense adventure filled with mystery, cutthroat action and something a little different from mainstream YA!

Four years ago, Fable was abandoned by her father on the island of Jeval, a place of thieves where food is scarce. He offered her a deal: she would have to survive on the island and be able to leave it in order to reclaim what it was hers. Now, Fable is a seventeen-year-old dredger trying to buy passage in order to leave Jeval. But when her life is threatened, she makes a deal with the Marigold crew to join their ship, where she will soon find out that West and the rest of the crew have their own secrets.

I’ve been lucky to read ARCs of Young’s previous works, Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back. She won me over with her debut novel, but I was a little disappointed by her sophomore book. Nevertheless, I was quite curious about this new YA fantasy duology because I enjoyed Young’s writing in the past and everything with a pirate aesthetic gets my attention.

What I found between the pages of Fable is a quick and fast-paced story. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to. I liked the concept and the characters, but the plot takes place over only a few days, which makes the different relationships between Fable and the crew too rushed and unbelievable. They trust in her too soon and the romance is very insta-lovey. Also, I found some details of the story too convenient.

Overall, this was an average read for me, although I liked the aesthetic and the setting of the story. I don’t think I will read the sequel, Namesake, but I’m still interested in checking out Young’s future works. It’s just that this story wasn’t for me. But if you usually read YA fantasy books and you like pirate stories, you might want to give Fable a shot.