This book was beautiful. The characters were amazing and the world was even more amazing. The descriptive writing was just brilliant, I felt like I was living and breathing in fables world. I could smell the salt in the air, I could feel the wind on my face. Everytime she jumped into the water and explored the depths, it was just like an underwater heaven. The crew on the Marigold were all unique and delightful in their own way. Fables dysfunctional relationship with her father and the emotional scene that it worked up to with them was just wow. The scenes with West and Fable towards the end, under the water together and in the cabin were perfect. The only reason I'm not giving this a 5 star is because there wasn't a whole lot of plot but the depth of the world and characters did save this for me.

Okay, this is a really hard review for me to write to be honest. Not because I hated the book; because I absolutely loved it. I read it mostly in a day which for me is practically unheard of and it was my first (and certainly not last) book by Adrienne Young.

Fable introduces you to a world of pirates. I love pirates, always have. The world is brutal - Fable herself lives on an island where she fights daily to survive, she was abandoned there several years previously and does not have a house to live in. The scar on her arm makes everyone look at her with suspicion and she deals with thieves every second. Brutal.

But Fable is a fighter. She has a talent for finding jewels while diving and this is how she makes her living with the aim of bartering passage away on a ship so she can be reunited by her father and take her place at his side. The ship happens to be captained by West, a figure soaked in intrigue and the obvious love-interest. It was obvious and I loved it.

I won’t delve into the plot any more, it would give far too much away! But I want you to know that the world is built steadily after the initial impact, the characters are real and driven by understandable desires and the narrative itself is stunning. I was blown away by the amount of movement this book takes in - it’s not a long book so to go on such a massive journey arc, yeah I was impressed. I loved the ship's crew and I was taken by surprise at some of the twists and turns, Fable kept me on my toes for sure.

[Just writing this makes me want to pick it up all over again]

At first, I was pretty sceptical. I had seen so much love for this book I was curious about why and I needed an easy read, plus I'm desperate to improve my Netgalley rating … Fable seemed the obvious choice for me to read but at first I just didn't get what was going on. The narrative dives straight in and expects you to catch up quick to where our protagonists are in their story - I caught up quick. By 25% I was invested and literally did not move from my chair until I had reached the end - the dreaded cliffhanger.

Honestly ... brutal. How is this even allowed? My heart literally cannot take it!

Although it has nice interesting characters, I felt like some sence of plot/urgency/something was missing to make this book really gripping.
(Also, I can't quite get how they managed to care about each other so quickly & intensely in such a short amount of time...)

Despite this it was a nice book I managed to gobble up pretty quickly and I'll be honest... I'm curious to read the second book. Bring it on!

Actual rating: 3.5

<b>Short review:</b>
A lovely nautical tale, more of a slice of life than epic adventure. I picked this up for the complicated father-daughter relationship and was rewarded with many gut punches.

<b>My advice:</b> this is NOT a fantasy with mermaids (that's what I thought lol). It is about traders, sea life, found families.

<b> Story, no spoilers</b>
This was such a surprise for me, it gave me Robin Hobb vibes, but on a YA level, almost a Liveship Traders for beginners type of story.

So if I'm honest, I had no plans of ever reading this. But then I saw a few people I follow give it 4 and 5 stars it sparked my curiosity.  Again in all honesty I thought I would DNF it. Turns out it's a lovely and heartfelt tale.

It's very slow, not much happens, mostly following Fable trying to escape a cursed island and get to her father. But it didn't feel slow for me personally. From the beginning it is clear this isn't a wacky action packed pirate tale. It is a slice of life, a beautifully written tale, about a girl finding her place in this world.

I could tell the author was trying hard to craft a bit of intricate politics and nautical rules, but it felt awkward, it either should have all been left vague and basic or expanded upon this and have a larger book with subplots.

I hated the ending. It just felt like the book was ripped in half. I can't call it a cliff hanger because it just broke off almost mid sentence.

<b>Characters</b>

Fable, poor soul, she is such a fighter and feels so much, I really just wished the best for her constantly. She does her best to stay afloat and even through there were a lot of convenient things happening, I still felt for her.

Fable's relationship with her father, Saint, was the most interesting aspect to me. Her yearning of his affection, her conflicting loyalties and blind faith (to a point) were heartbreaking to watch.

The other characters aren't very well developed, although I am very interested to read more of Willa, and indeed Saint.

I wish the romance had been more of a slow burn rather than it being suddenly revealed to us in one tiny paragraph. I did feel a vibe there, but it skyrocketed suddenly at the end, literally from 0 to 100. I preferred feelings to be built up, slowly releavel in small gestures etc.

West was the typical tortured brooding man, not much to say on that.

<b>Overall</b>, a pleasant surprise.
This should have been one novel, the emotional torment is too much to carry on in a second installment. But I will read it when it comes out :)

A pretty good read. Nice writing and good world building. Quite a but darker than expected (or other similar) YA stuff, but that's not a bad thing - we just have to keep that in mind when hand selling.

Thank you, Sarah and Titan Books, for granting me an ARC of Fable! While I overall enjoyed the book, my expectations (especially after AtSaT) fell a little flat. Let's find out why!

Trigger Warnings: Violence, blood, murder.

WHAT I LIKED

Going through Goodreads, the world of Fable was criticised as "generic" and "unoriginal". To be honest, I think there is no strong need to come up with an exceptionally unique world when 90% of the story happens on the high seas and in port cities. Although it was somewhat simplistic at times (so much can happen out at sea beyond storms, like pirates, famine, malady, to mention but a few), I massively appreciated Fable for the care and attention the author put in using correct nautical terminology and recreating the feel of a ship faithfully. I could feel the burn of the ropes, the flap of the sails, the kiss of the sun and the sting of the cold water - what an experience!

Individually, each character presented a multi-layered personality and original traits. Each had something going for them, stories and secrets that are not revealed. I was hooked! I wanted to know more about them, their stories, what brought and kept them together. Particularly, I liked Fable herself: she's tough as nails but hasn't given up on her softness, which is an incredibly brave choice. "Found family" is also a trope I don't see often, so that was a definite plus. The author manages to strike a good balance between wholesomeness and hard, gritty reality.

Overall, this was a quick, enjoyable read that got me out of a reading slump! The action in this novel really kept me on the edge of my seat: intense, fast-paced, bloody. WOW. I didn't expect it just by looking at the cover, but it definitely did not disappoint. It added some pacing to a story that otherwise risked getting too bogged down in brainy intrigue and money exchanges.

WHAT I LIKED A LITTLE LESS

Fable is a gem sage! Cool! Now what? Not enough importance is placed on Fable's ability, making it seem somewhat superficial. If taken out, the story could unfold almost exactly in the same way. It felt very much like, "this independent, smart, resourceful woman who can deep dive, survive poison, fight and reach all her goals and has special heritage and this badass scar and unique red hair can also do this". I also didn't really understand the whole controversy around gem sages; surely guilds would like to protect them to bring more profit to their business?

While characters individually are interesting, the web of relationships among them feels thin. I would have liked more time and hardship to make the crew of the Marigold bond together. True, there is a storm, how much harder can hardship be? But there isn't a lot of bonding to be done if Fable spends most of it locked below deck. There is literally a 180° turn in the crew's attitude towards her; the love confession genuinely jumps out of the blue and races past so fast it left me more confused than satisfied.

Fable's relationship with her father was... very unclear. Whether this was the purpose or not, it ended up being quite underwhelming. If Saint cared about Fable, no one in their right mind would have left their daughter (still a minor) on an island full of thugs. Even if they did, he isn't very consistent with how he wants Fable to grow: first he wants her to toughen up, then when she puts into practice what he has taught her and uses his weakness against him to reach her own goals, he basically goes "Well, I don't like that". Surely that shows she can survive in a tough world? I get that the author was probably aiming to portray Saint as a man who, under all the scheming and business genius, is fallible and makes mistakes, but I think it could have been handled a bit more coherently.

For half the book, I was convinced the goal was "finding Saint", but this is reached exactly at the halfway mark. While it was cool to feel the wind being taken out of your sails just like Fable, it didn't do wonders in terms of narrative structure. The story became a bit like a ship without a helm: from a clear and charted direction, it turned into "(mostly unfortunate) things happen to a bunch of people". It felt more like a long character arc than a story with a clear goal. Not that that in itself is a negative thing, but the story is not set up as such from the beginning. This is also why the ending, while certainly a plot twist, reads exactly as one: a plot twist and not an ending. There just isn't enough story-focused build-up to it; it's very much a "another thing just happened to these people."


Although this exciting YA fantasy has a lot going for it, I feel it would make a better screenplay than a novel. Great action, interesting characters and potential for an intricate tale of intrigue and subterfuge, but unfortunately all within a weak framework. Had Fable's goal been reached around the 80% mark, it probably would have given the story more time to breathe and unfurl, and solve most of my issues with it. Notwithstanding, I am curious to see where the second instalment will take us and what other secrets it'll uncover!

Absolutely exquisite. I was completely submerged in the story, and even after finishing it, I still couldn't let it go. As with all of Adrienne's books, it took a little while to get into, but once I did, I was wholly transported. I could smell the salt of the sea, feel the wetness of the water and experience the wind whipping at my hair. I cannot wait to read Namesake, I am so excited.

This book was amazing! I devoured it in one sitting. it was so well written, the story was gorgeously woven and immersive that you felt instantly part of the world. I feel like I could picture every rusty nail, every scratched plank of wood, every cobblestone. Fable was such a great main character and I found it so easy to empathise with her journey. It was gritty, treacherous and everyone was out for themselves, which made for extremely interesting and complex pirate politics. I've not read many pirate books and this book just solidified my love for them and the worlds they create.

The touch of mystery surrounding her parents was really interesting and I liked that the romance was not the centre of the book, but I did wish there was more in the story, it was definitely a slow burn. I was sure how the sea was going to be explored in book, as it didn't say much in the blurb, but Fable being a dredger and all the deep diving, was different and something I haven't seen before. A lot of the book, including West's character gave me Six of Crows vibes. All in all a great read and I can’t wait for the concluding part of the duology. I loved all the side characters, I also enjoy it when there is a group of friends in a book so the fact there was a crew in this book was perfect - there were a host of different character relationships and I'm just so excited to see them develop more in the sequel. That ending though! I was utterly surprised and did not see it coming. I'm so excited for sequel and too see what happens. Overall, an amazing read!

This book is so so good! I love a story set at sea, and this one didn't disappoint. Read it all in two days and then devoured the sequel. Highly recommend

A big thank you to Titan Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read this eARC and perhaps introducing me to one of my top 10 books of the year... i'm still feeling the stress.

This book was easily a solid 4* read for me throughout the book; the worldbuilding was clear and really easy to follow and although we're dropped into the story I never felt lost in the plot and could easily follow Fable and her experiences. I think Young does well of building a backstory for Fable that is simple but full of depth; you can understand Fable's pain and desire but also clearly see how she develops as the story goes on. Also, i'm starting to realise I might just be a sucker for stories about female pirates... quite a few of my favourite books have been about them or about stories set at sea!

The only thing i'll say about the plot in terms of what I didn't enjoy, is that there was a lack of action at times in the book and although events did happen we sometimes came in at the end of them. But I think by the end of the book it became clear that the story wasn't about the action or plot twists, it was about the characters and the relationship they build AND ALSO THAT BLOODY TURN AT THE END WHICH I'M STILL FEELING SO STRESSED ABOUT. Honestly.

In terms of the characters, I bloody love Fable. She's fierce and sharp but also so so human; all she wants is to be loved and accepted by her father and to try and understand more about why he did what he did and she makes mistakes. I love a main character who isn't perfect and who gets things wrong and makes mistakes, and Fable does this. But she learns throughout the book and you can really see her character arc develop. She doesn't change who she is but she definitely grows from what she goes through.

West is delightfully broody and the glimpses of what we got of his backstory made me so sad for him. I love his interactions with his crew and how protective he is (and I don't even mind the romance). The crew of the Marigold are all wonderful and I love their little family!! Give me more backstory on them all please, or just a separate story on Paj and Auster and their love story please?

NOW. Let's talk about that ending Adrienne shall we. I knew this was a duology going in and so for the last 20% of the book or so I could literally feel my heart in my throat just waiting for a twist or something to happen that would leave this on a cliffhanger to set up for the next book. I honestly felt so incredibly stressed just reading the last pages wondering where it was going to come from and whether one of my favourites was going to betray. So when the ending did happen and that cliffhanger... I just sat in shock, utterly stressed, utterly devastated that I cannot get my hands on Namesake yet. I just need it right now please???

I've read all of Adrienne Young's books, and whilst I enjoyed the first two, they were definitely missing something for me and I think Young found it in this book. Her writing feels so matured and developed in this book and I would say this is easily her best book by far. I've already ordered myself a beautiful hardback copy of this book and pre-ordered Namesake because I have no restraint. So now I will just be sitting here... waiting... stewing on that ending... I highly recommend reading this book!

"I didn't really choose this life. It's just the only one I have".

If you know me you’ll know I love the sea, I grew up on the coast (ish) and I’ve since lived totally landlocked here in the middle of the UK for the last seven years – so when a book has even the slightest bit of ocean it kicks off some kind of primal happiness to just be back by the sea albeit fictionally. Fable was definitely another one of those books for me.

I have had a rocky relationship with YA in the last year or so – something about it just wasn’t hitting home the way it used to – but reading Fable felt like a return home to the kind of book I loved when I started blogging. Is it familiar and fun because it’s kind of tropey? Yes. But who ever said that was a bad thing?

So we have the main character, Fable, and she is a strong female character the likes of which I would have idolised when I was a teenager. What I liked about Fable is that she’s quite a quiet main character, by which I mean she isn’t always making comebacks and quipping. She’s got some wit to her – make no doubt – but she doesn’t feel like a one-liner in a corset. I think it helps that Fable has a skill that isn’t just ‘good with sword/bow/[insert weapon here’. While I’m not going to knock ‘girls with swords’ I thought it was cool to explore a character with a more…marketable skill? Fable is a dredger, which essentially means she dives in order to retrieve and sell crystals of varying kinds. Unsurprisingly this skill comes into play at various points in the book to great effect. It’s not that Fable can’t fight or sneak around or any of the other classic YA Hero aspects – but I enjoyed that her strongest suit is a skill that isn’t really combat based.

I had a strange time with the romance – which was purely my own fault – I read the age of one of the characters wrong and so in my mind he was essentially an old man and not a strapping romantic lead. That’s not a comment on the book and more of a ‘do not do what Judith did’ kind of comment. Once I got my head straight on that one I thought it was a very nice romance – I can’t say it totally blew my socks off but I’m quite particular as to my romances. I liked the way that the relationship progressed and I liked that, at least some of the time, it was two characters communicating rather than just being angsty on opposite sides of the ship. I have a sneaking suspicion that I’ll get a bit more out of this on a reread since it won’t take me so long to work out that there is in fact a romance…

I thought the setting was solid – well…it’s on water but you get what I mean. I’ve read books set on enormous tall ships and loved them so it was interesting to look at life on a smaller trading vessel. Not only does this amp up a lot of the tensions between the smaller crew but it also gives you that good found family vibes for which I am a sucker. On top of that it amplifies the ‘outsider’ feelings Fable has at the start of the book when she first joins the journey. I also thought the wider setting was interesting. I wouldn’t say there is oodles of detail as to the world and the culture of various places but I think this is a case of this particular story being quite isolated with the potential to develop those ideas in later books.

I had a very good time reading this book, I found it compelling and entertaining which is what I look for in a YA fantasy book. I’ll be very interested to read the next book to find out what happens to Fable and the crew – I’ll just be here twiddling my thumbs until that book comes out.

My Rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free review copy of this book from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I was so excited to read this because I love pirates and although it wasn’t what I expected I still liked it. I’ve seen mixed reviews for this and I’m somewhere in the middle.

The storyline in this book was okay, I felt that not much really happened until the end. The plot is Fable the main character goes to find her father who is a well known pirate. So this book has a lot of sailing and being on a boat which I expected but I just had higher expectations. There’s also debts and bargains which was a good thing to add in. The book felt a little slow to me and honestly I was shocked that it ended how it did as it just stopped and I felt there should have been more but I guess I’ll have to wait until book 2.

The characters were okay, they were pretty simple really. Fable is the main character and she was okay. She has some unique gift for recognising gems. But most other character fell a little flat to me, I wish they were built up more. I still managed to like most of them.

I really liked what I saw in the worldbuilding. The places that were in the book were good to see and I wish more time was spent on them. There’s a lot of time spend on ships which was okay. I think the world could have been expanded more and I wanted more history.

Overall I enjoyed the book but I just expected a little more than I actually got. I think I would recommend this if you want a YA Fantasy with a little piracy.