<i>3.5</i>

Going into this book, I hadn't done any research reading the blurb, and I was pleasantly surprised to read a found-family, pirate(ish) book!

The characters are definitely the highlight of this book, the depth of these characters is so realistic. While they sometimes fall into tropes, the characters of the Marigold are so realistic, they feel like a genuine family. The dynamics and interactions between them feel very real, I'm excited to get to know them further.

It would be fair to say that I know lots more about 'dredging' than I ever did before reading this book, and the way it's described is so cinematic, I kept imagining this book being adapted into a full-on movie. Also, I volunteer to play Fable!!

Overall, I would highly recommend this book if you like oceans, picturesque descriptions and family drama at sea.

Thank you to NetGalley and Titan books for providing me the ARC for exchange honest feedback.

Fable is where a girl searching for her father, Saint who abandoned her on an island, Jeval. 4 years later, she managed to escape the island and hitch a ship named Marigold. From there, she begun her journey, getting new friends and a lover. Also, uncover the secret of why her father abandoned her 4 years ago.

Overall, it is a simple story, the plot is not that really amused, characters slowly build their personality and the reason the 1st book is created was answered here. Find her father and make him 'walk the talk'. Maybe everything has been written in 2nd book? I believe so. I sensed that there is more secret to be digging in between of Saint and Isolde, Fable's parent. They must an adventurous couple. I need a novell of their love story. It is obviously how survivalness is vital for MC, Fable. Abandonment by parents is also portrayed and relationship among sailors are highlighted. All is well enough. I amazed that women are portrayed easily to work on ship. I was imagining Pirates of The Carribean vibes here.

The plot twist that never crossed in my mind is just secret siblings relationship. Usually when there are two girls, one of them overpowered but I was wrong. For romance part, so-so for me. Not that it is so charming. YA style I guess. Applaud to the author for doing a different themes of YA, jumps into sea and sailing. Her usage of words and sentences building are really charming and that's made this story looks interesting.

3.5 stars

Fable is an amazing adventure on sea, with likable characters and a strong female lead.

Fable is the daughter of one of the powerful traders in the Narrows, an unforgiving sea. When her father leaves her behind on Jeval, a tiny island where everybody has to survive on their own, she is determined to return to him and make him give her what she is owed. When she finally escapes the island four years later, she tags along with West and his crew on the Marigold. Surviving the harsh seas and her father’s rivals while working with the crew of the Marigold almost seem like the worst choice when compared to Jeval.

The writing in Fable is great. The characters mostly feel real and likable, the pacing of the story was good (enough moments to catch a breath, which is something a lot of books lack), and the story itself was predictable, but fun.

World-building wasn’t very special, but there wasn’t some enormous magic system to explain, so that made sense. The world did feel very small, probably because only a few island were visited, while you’d expect more when a story takes place on the seas.

The one thing that bothered me was the romance, it felt extremely sudden and random to me. There was no real build-up towards it, which made it a very difficult romance to believe in.

The book ends with a great cliffhanger, making me want to dive into the second one right away. I can’t wait to read Namesake and I definitely recommend Fable to anyone looking for a fun and exciting YA fantasy novel.

Things I liked!

1. The setting is very atmospheric, there isn't a lot of world-building but the world that is discussed throughout the story is very bleak and that bleakness just seeps through the pages. I loved it.
2. The writing is very accessible. I read this book very quickly, it was just that easy to get through.
3. The characters are good, I liked them and I liked the relationship between them. But I also wished that the relationship were fleshed out a little more.

Things that were kind of meh!

1. The plot wasn't very dynamic, it kind of fell flat. For such gritty and dark setting, I just felt that the stakes were not that high. I was waiting for something huge to happen but nothing happened at least not until the last two chapters.
2. The romance was meh! I don't have any feelings for the couple.
3. The villain - there is nothing about his motivation except he is jealous////
4. The father's motivations behind leaving his only child on a island filled with thieves felt stupid and kinda irrational.
5. The book ends in a cliffhanger, which was kind of predictable and just lazy.

Fable took me somewhat by surprise, and though it was an incredibly frustrating ending and my irritation at having to wait for book two before I find out what I need to know is high, I can’t rate this highly enough.
Our main character is hardy and spirited, not necessarily through choice, and I couldn’t help but hope for the best for her from the outset. Clearly talented, the skills Fable has around gems suggests there’s more info to come.
We are encouraged to jump into her adventures immediately, watching as she ekes out a living dredging what she finds at the bottom of the ocean. We quickly learn that one of the merchants who is feared by many has more of an interest in Fable than she is able to reveal, and she has to decide who to trust in order to get what she wants.
Full of adventure and more than enough hints at an intriguing backstory. I am desperate to know exactly how Fable’s mother fits into this, what West is hiding and exactly why Zola is so keen to have done what he has.
I got caught up in this immediately, couldn’t wait to learn more and am desperate to be approved for book two on NetGalley (strong hint).

Of course is this only my personal opinion on the book and just because i give this rating to the book doesn’t mean, that everyone will have that opinion.

Last year I developed a love for pirate books and I can’t get enough of them. Fable war on my Want to Read List since the first edition came out and I was very excited when Titan gave me an ARC of Fable.

This is the first book in a duology and i can’t wait for the second book. The cliffhanger at the end is not that bad but nevertheless i am excited.

But now to the important points:

I liked the characters from the start and took Fable and the crew to my heart. They are all kind of unique and i adored the dynamics between the characters

I really liked the progression of the story and liked reading how the crew was along for the ride. However, while reading it, sometimes I kind of felt like I overread or forgot a part because certain events were covered very quickly. Maybe it’s a me problem but i was surprised how fast the book was to read.

I am curious to see how the plot develops in the second book and am already looking forward to reading it.

Conclusion
A great pirate book, for all the people with wanderlust

I give 4,5 from 5 Stars

Fable introduces the reader to a new world filled with danger, thrill, and adventure. It's a journey one would want to be a part of.


My Rating: 2.8 Stars


I liked reading Fable. There were so much trading and dredging involved. The writing was lucid, and most of the descriptions were gems based. If you're up for a book filled with adventure, then Fable is the one you're looking for. The book ends with a cliffhanger, which I didn't see coming. With an ending like that, I will have to read Namesake and find what happens to Fable and the others.

Thank you, NetGalley, author and the publisher for this eARC.

Fable is a High Fantasy mostly set on the sea. Fable is 17 and has been abandoned on a ruthless island by her father four years before our novel starts. Her father is the most powerful trader in the Narrows and Fable is a secret, almost no one knows he has a daughter, let alone who that is.
Fable finds herself having to run from that island after someone tried to kill her. Many things happen next.

This was an enjoyable read. The character were interesting and well rounded. I liked the plot but I wasn't 100% engaged. I liked it, I will read the sequel but I just didn't fully connect with the characters, so I had some trouble staying completely focused. I still really liked the "found family" that was on the boat, that was the best part for me.
I did read it in one sitting, it's definitely an engaging book that makes you want to know what happens next.
Anyway, this was really nice, and I definitely recommend it if you like any kind of pirate or pirate adjacent novels.

This was a very interesting journey. I loved the geology of this book (nerd!) and the sea setting.

The story begins small with high stakes then branches out into a larger scale. It all made sense and there wasn't a single turn or twist that felt off or weird. I loved how the love triangle was not about the main character at all - that was a refreshing twist :)

I loved how the story starts with some action in the first few chapters before settling down. Then a new wave of action came.

The world is well built. Most of the world-building is done when needed so it doesn't feel too much. It all relies on where she is. The character builds the world based on her location and her parents past. It felt natural and not forced which was nice and well done.

Fable is the main character and narrates the book. She has been dumped on an island and told to make her way home by herself. And this is where the story starts with her making those final choices that get her home. I loved Fable and her resourcefulness.

Very well written! I was almost impressed by it. Maybe I went in with minimal expectations but I now want to read everything by Adrienne Young. I loved the writing style as well as her linguistic skills.

In summary, a very enjoyable read in a lovely setting. The characters were great and someone I could invest in. I will pick up the sequel whenever that comes out :)

With thanks to NetGalley and Titan Books for this digital arc, all opinions expressed here are my own.

Fable by Adrienne Young is the first book I have read by this author. I have seen it around Instagram a lot, as the book has already released in the US, but is just coming out in the UK. I was intrigued by the blurb so looked forward to reading the book and Fable did not disappoint.

The book is named after the main character Fable, who is determined to get off the island her father dumped her on and return to her rightful place by his side. She enlists the help of West, Willa and the rest of the Marigold crew to get back “home.” A lot of this book takes place on board the ship, which is different and an enjoyable read. The cast of characters were fascinating and I enjoyed learning pieces of their stories. This is a duology, and while Fable has ended on a cliffhanger, it is more a surprise ending than anything. I very much look forward to reading book two.

4 enjoyable stars. I will post to Instagram and Amazon on release day.

I loved everything about this book, the characters, the plot, the adventure on the sea, the danger, the adrenaline-fuelled page-turning I experienced while reading, and the author's exquisite writing. The one thing I didn't enjoy was that the story didn't end. This is one of my major pet peeves, the fact that it wasn't mentioned in the blurb that this book was part of a duology and you have to wait until the next book is released to see what happens.

Putting the ending aside, I am still giving this book 5 stars because I really enjoyed the story. Fable is such a strong character. She's determined and never gives up no matter what difficulties are thrown at her. The crew of the Marigold are all excellent characters too and all unique. The world-building is well done, the plot is exciting and keeps you turning the page, and the high stakes that emerge make it a superb read.

I didn't want the story to end, but sadly it did and with an ending that I wasn't expecting. If book 2 were available I would have jumped straight into it which is a big positive and again another reason why I haven't deducted any stars for not knowing upfront that this was part of a duology. Will I purchase book 2? Definitely. I want to know what happens next for Fable and West and the rest of the Marigold crew and I want to see how Saint reacts. I have high hopes for him and will be adding the next book to my preorders as soon as it is announced.

A 5 star read from an author that knows how to tell a story. Her fluid writing pulls you in from the start and holds your focus until the very last page.

Firstly, huge thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Four years ago Fable was left abandoned on an island by her father, the most dangerous and powerful trader on the seas, after his prize ship sinks taking his beloved wife, Fable’s mother, with it. Ever since, Fable has been determined to get off of the island and find her father to prove she has what it takes to be a member of his crew. After all these years she’s survived by her father’s rules: don’t trust anyone or reveal what’s important to you, but can she still keep to these rules when she has to rely on a young trader called West to get across the sea to her father...?

Fable, our protagonist, is a fiery young woman who is doing everything she can to survive. At first I was worried that she may be too perfect and would easily breeze through certain situations, however, I was pleased to see this wasn't the case. As her story began to develop and we learn more about the world - she very much fits perfectly into it. I loved how she would throw herself into anything - wanting to prove herself. I also liked how she was determined to lock all her emotions away, so when we did see a flicker of something it was much more meaningful. What I also loved about all the characters in this novel is how they all exist very much in the grey area. It isn't completely clear if they are "good" or "bad", they are much more complex than that with pasts that we barely scratch the surface of in this first instalment.

I don't think that I have ever read a fantasy novel that mostly takes place across the sea. This made the novel refreshing to read and also a really interesting take on the fantasy genre. I’m always really intrigued by the politics and lore of fantasy novels; so I particularly enjoyed this different set of politics among the ships and traders. I would have loved to have learned even more about them but as this is the first novel in the series, it was very much setting up for the rest of the series. I would have liked the novel to have been a little longer to develop certain aspects of the world a bit more but I also enjoyed how the novel ended and it has definitely left me wanting more.

Overall, I thought this was a great start to the series, which has a lot of potential, and I'm very excited to see what adventures await Fable, as well as what other secrets she will discover on the seas. Especially with the cliffhanger we are left on!

Fable was left on an island by her father several years ago and has struggled to survive ever since. After spending all her time dredging for gems to sell to traders, Fable is finally able to pay for passage across the sea. West, the captain of the trader ship she has sold most of her gems to, reluctantly agrees to take her, much to the ire of his crew. With everyone on the ship keeping secrets, Fable is in good company, she has some of the biggest secrets of all.

I’ll start by saying I absolutely loved the characters in this one. From Fable herself, to West, Willa and the rest of the crew, they were all well developed enough to have stories of the their own! The world building of the dark and gritty places they visited was also detailed enough to have me feeling like I was right there beside them. But, although I wanted to know what was going to happen, I found the story a little slow. There was just too much sailing jargon and not enough action for a lot of the book. I know less than nothing about ships so I felt myself skimming over all the technical descriptions of what they were doing – they just didn’t interest me. I would have preferred more of that time be devoted to the actual storyline. To be fair, Sky in the Deep was one of my favourite books when I read it and what I adored most was the breathtaking, non-stop action. So maybe I was expecting more of the same and I just …. didn’t quite get it. That by no means makes Fable a bad book, just a little different to what I was expecting.

This is definitely one of those books though, that despite feeling a little unmemorable for me, I absolutely have to read the sequel because I NEED to know what happens next 😅 The ending was a clear cliffhanger with a couple of reveals in the last few pages and I’ve got to admit, I love it when books end that way!

I'm not really one to read all that many books with sea voyages. Why, no idea. The few I read I enjoyed, so might have to change that.

Fable is a book that took me by surprise. It was really hyped and, even though I was familiar with the author's writing style and have enjoyed her Sky in the Deep, I was still a bit wary.

Shouldn't have been. Fable didn't have it easy. She had to be a fighter in order to survive. Her mom was gone and her dad, a powerful and known someone, dumped her on an island. But she inherited things from her mom and was almost as talented as she had been.

For the entire time she spent on the island, she was visited by West, who'd do trades with her. In the end, he was her get-off-the-island ride though he wasn't really all that eager to help.

So sort of enemies to lovers? Yes. At least, major dislike from both sides.

I also loved the side characters, West's crew. I loved their adventures and I didn't want to put the book down, so it's safe to say I loved it. It gave me feels and also has me waiting for the next book - 'tis a duology, you see, so it ends on a cliffhanger.

I highly recommend it. I volunteered to read a copy via Netgalley and my rating is 5 stars.

Thank you to Titan Books for providing me with a digital copy for review via Netgalley. Fable released last year in the US, so I saw a lot of people loving it, and the hype definitely made me want to check it out. It releases on January 21st in the UK! I also haven’t read many fantasy books set at sea either so I was excited to see if I would enjoy this. I think the sequel is coming out this year in the US so I’m glad I don’t have to wait as long.

Fable is a YA fantasy primarily set at sea and on islands. In this world, trading by sea is how most people make their living. However, when she was younger Fable was abandoned by her father on a remote island and left to fend for herself after her mother drowned in a storm. She has to be very careful while living on Jeval, because no one would hesitate before taking advantage of her. However, she has to put her trust in a trader named West so that she can get off the island and find her father. However, West and his crew are hiding a lot of secrets, and there is a lot of danger in being a trader…

I really enjoyed the details on trade, such as gem trading, and Fable’s occupation as a dredger. This is a fantasy, but the magic is subtle, and while the characters are more traders than pirates, they definitely have questionable morals and actions. Not a huge amount happened at the beginning, but I still read it quickly. What I will say is that this book is SO fast-paced – I read almost half the book in just one sitting, and it only took me two days to read it. The plot really got interesting in the second half, but there were still some parts that I expected more from or seemed a bit rushed. Still, I was always motivated to keep picking up the book, and the chapters were short too.

I think one of the reasons I didn’t fall in love with this book is that I didn’t fall in love with any of the characters. I definitely didn’t hate any of them, but I didn’t really connect with them either. West was okay, but I didn’t feel attached to him really. I was honestly more interested in reading about Saint and Isolde, and I loved the bits of backstory we heard about them – I especially enjoyed this at the end, and there were hints we’d learn more in the next book. I really liked Willa too, and she was probably the side character that stood out the most to me. However, I did enjoy reading about the main character, Fable, and I think we’ll see a lot more development from her in the second book.

I believe this book is part of a duology, and the ending definitely made me want to pick up the sequel. I do think that the ending seemed like a shock factor just to make people want to read the next book – it was a very sudden ending that seemed to come out of nowhere. I probably would not be as invested in reading the sequel if the ending was different. Saying that, the technique worked and I do want to know what will happen! Duologies aren’t too much of a commitment, and I do think this book was slightly lacking in plot and character development so I would be interested in seeing where the story goes.

Overall, I had a fun experience reading this book! I wasn’t fully invested in the characters, and I had a few small issues with the plot, but I still couldn’t help flying through this book. The ending definitely made me intrigued to read the sequel, especially because it’s a duology. I also enjoyed this more than the other one of Adrienne Young’s book I’ve read, The Girl the Sea Gave Back.

3.5/5 stars

*I was given an ARC of Fable in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Titan books and Adrienne Young.*

Fable is a story about a girl’s journey to find a family. The story follows Fable, who is the daughter of a powerful trader. At just thirteen years old Fable lost her mother to the sinking of their ship and subsequently, she lost her entire family. Her father did not die, instead, he took Fable to the island of Jeval and left her there. Giving her the challenge of finding a way off the Island, Fable become a dredger and sold her findings at a trade market. Here a handsome trader called West, who is the helmsman of the Marigold brought every piece that Fable brought him.

After a bad run-in with a Jevali dredger, Fable escapes Jeval and pays for passage on the Marigold to Ceros. Here she will be reunited with her father.

I really enjoyed this book, it was not really what I was expected. But it was still enjoyable.

The plot was somewhat slow and I really had no idea where it was going to go or how long it was going to take to get there. However, when it did pick up, somewhere after the halfway mark, I really enjoyed it.

Character-wise this book was okay. No one was really too interesting, other than Fable’s talent with gems which I would like to know a lot more about. West didn’t really ‘come out of his shell’ until the very end and the romance felt very rushed.

I really wanted to like Willa and I thought she had a lot of potential to be a great character. However, she and the rest of the crew fell quite flat for me. Hopefully, in the next book, we will get more of an insight into their lives and why they are on the Marigold as I do think they could all be great.

I kept forgetting how old Fable was during this book and the fact that West was older than her felt wrong. However, it was completely fine as Fable is 17 and I was picturing West as being somewhere around 30. So that problem is on me and my bad memory, sorry.

Anyway back to the romance. The blurb of this book actually says that it is ‘filled with romance’. I would not agree with that statement. This is probably best described as a slow burn, but it’s definitely the slowest burn I’ve ever seen. You don’t even realise that the characters like each other until the very end where they apparently love each other. Personally, it seemed a little out of place.

The best part for me was definitely the world-building. It felt like I was really on all of these interesting Islands and honestly I wish you got to spend more time on them. The traders market in Dern was definitely one of my favourites and I wish you got to see more of it when Fable and the crew were selling there.

As I already knew that this will be a duology I did start getting nervous near the end as I knew something was going to happen. Oh my did something happen. I cannot wait to read the next installment Namesake and I really hope that unlike Fable the UK will receive it at the same time as the US.

I’m not sure if this review makes it seem like I liked this book, but I promise I did. I would have just liked to see a little more from it. Fable has definitely set up the next book well and I can’t wait to see what the crew of the Marigold get up to next.

For a book about diving and dredging, it has perfectly captured the feeling of being underwater - smooth, cool, and slightly cut off from the rest of the world. It feels exactly like gliding through water, everything painted that blue-green of clear, deep water. The prose flows so well, and to evoke an atmosphere that completely is very impressive.

This is not just found in the prose, but in the pacing and plot too. There's a tranquillity to this book that her Viking duology didn't have. It's not obviously building and rising to a big confrontation at the end - it's not frantic and sharp, but more observational and languid feeling. There is forwards progression, but it's much more relaxed, more interested in building the world and characters than demanding a big action sequence.

The ending, therefore, doesn't feel much like you'd expect in YA fantasy. It's not desperate and pulse-pounding - there is a cliff-hanger, but it feels more inevitable and very open, rather than the definitive end to a book. I guess it's like the last scene before an ad-break - there's a beat of tension, but it doesn't feel resolved because you know there's more to come. Unlike the first book in a more traditional YA fantasy duology, where it feels like the ending is the end of an episode.

I really liked it, because it suited the book so well, and I wanted to read something gentle but moving, a book that felt more like a setting and an escape to a real seaside world. Given everything that's happening, to be able to really feel like I was on a boat on blue waters (to me, it feels like the Greek islands in aesthetics, if not in culture), was something special.

***I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley (thank you Titan Books) in exchange for a honest review.***

I’ve hear a lot of praise of this book and I was not disappointed. I was completely hooked from the very first page and it was absolutely impossible to put down. Fast paced, beautiful world building and interesting, lovable characters and a perfect slowburn romance.

Ever since her entire life was turned upside down four years ago Fable has been on her own, barely managing to survive by selling pyre to a young trader named West. After a series of rather unfortunate, although not entirely unexpected, events Fable manages to barter West into giving her passage across the Narrows to the island where her father resides.
But everything is not what it seems and Fables father isn’t the man she remember growing up. But Fable isn’t one to give up and her journey has just begun.

The only negative thing I have to say about the book is the ending; how on earth am I going to survive until I can get my hands on the sequel? I know it’s only a few moths away but still… I need more now! My only consolation is that I have yet to read Adrienne Young’s other books, otherwise I would be in for a major book hangover right now.

If you haven’t read Fable already, you should definitely check it out!

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

Warnings: Blood, Murder, Death by Drowning

This was such a good read! I loved the detail of what Fable had to as a dredger and just to survive. I would say this book is more character-based than plot-based, HOWEVER, it was still excellent, and the journies on the boat didn't seem to drag as the book felt fast-paced which gave it the sense of action and adventure that kept me hooked (no pun intended).

The romance in this is more of a backburner but still incredibly sweet nonetheless. The book includes a pretty cool crew and I loved them all, especially as I learnt more about them. Fable is also really cool as a character and is such a badass- I love her!

I wasn't fond of the cliff-hanger at the end as I am not into them but that is okay because the sequel is coming soon!
Rating: 4.5⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes and I cannot wait for the sequel!
Would I Recommend it? Yes

I enjoyed this book!
Young‘s writing style was lovely and the plot interesting.
Overall a solid read.