I absolutely adored this author’s first book and I loved Fable just as much. There is something for everyone. Adventure, whimsy, a spunky heroine and a touch of romance. I can’t wait to devour the sequel.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was drawn to the book's description of a kick ass heroine on a quest to claim her place in this desmisal world. I wanted Hunger Games on steriods. I expected adventure and full fleshed, interesting, compelling characters but I got very little of what i expected. While the novel is well written and the world building realistic, the story and characters failed to engage me. The heroine lacked wit and personality. It was all about survival and very little about personal connection.

If you liked Six of Crows...

… you might want to give this a pass. This being Adrienne Young’s latest YA fantasy book Fable, published 01 September, 2020.


Fable is the 17 year old heroine of this story. Left stranded on an island four years ago, she eventually has managed to scrounge away enough money to leave the island. Where to? In search of her father, who had left her on the island, right after his ship drowned with Fable’s mother on board; who had carved a mark into her forearm; whom she wants to prove herself to as a worthy member of his pirate crew.

In order to reach the island where her father has his home port she joins the crew of the Marigold under it’s helmsman West. A vessel Fable had been trading jewels with for the past years.

The premise for the book is great: female heroine, pirates, ships, a crew of misfits, found family, and romance. The delivery though.

Neither character feels fully fleshed to me, they are all rather shallow. Yes, of course Fable’s character has a bit more flesh than the secondary characters, of whom West and Willa are the two memorable ones. I have already forgot the names of the three other members of the crew.

The plot is slow paced and rather boring. Nothing much happens for the first two thirds of the book. The crew sails the ship from island to island to trade. There is banter, there are shenanigans, but it’s all just foreplay for the last third of the book. Then suddenly so many things happen at once that it is difficult to keep up and then we are left with a cliffhanger.

The romance also happens from zero to sixty. First West hardly interacts with Fable and then, after one kiss -granted that underwater kiss was well-written- there are confessions of love? That’s way too fast.

Other reviewers have compared this book to Bardugo’s Six of Crows. I cannot see the connection. Yes, we do have a crew of misfits. Yes, West might be the brooding type with a rather dark streak. Yes, there is two-facing, there is cunning, and there is “sleight of hand” involved in this story; but, in my opinion, it doesn’t even come close to Six of Crows.

AUDIOBOOK REVIEW ➯ FABLE

BY ADRIENNE YOUNG

NARRATED BY EMMA LYSY

THE DETAILS✎
❐ MY RATING➯ 4¾ STARS
❐ FABLE #1 of 2
❐ YA FANTASY
❐ PIRATES
❐ FINDING YOUR "PLACE" IN LIFE
❐ SOME ROMANCE
❐ LENGTH OF AUDIO ➯ 8 HOURS, 51 MINUTES
❐ I LISTENED ON LIBBY THROUGH MY LIBRARY (I ALSO RECEIVED AN ARC THROUGH NETGALLEY THAT I NEGLECTED TO READ AND OPTED FOR THE AUDIO VERSION INSTEAD)

First off, I love the cover, especially the twinkle in her eye, it's really gorgeous. Also, this is a duo, and the second cover kind of matches up with the first one...each one is a side of her face. The narration by Emma Lysy was mostly well performed...her alternate voices didn't always sound different from her normal voice...but she was rather perfect for the voice of Fable.

At its core, Fable is a story about a girl trying to find a place to belong with people she belongs with. With underlying themes of what makes a family a family and that it's not always actual family members. This is a story, you can't help but love, and Fable is a character you can't help but root for...there might be a few others to root for too. Coupled with a pirate-esque backdrop called The Narrows featuring wily thieves, deplorable traders, and the most notorious adversary of them all...her father.

While the bigger story at play has some closure...the book itself does end in a cliffhanger...which just means I'm eagerly awaiting the middle of March.

BREAKDOWN✎
Narration ➯ 4¼ STARS
Plot ➯ 5/5
Characters ➯ 5/5
The Feels ➯ 4.5/5
Pacing ➯ 4.5/5
Addictiveness ➯ 5/5
Theme, Tone, or Intensity ➯ 4.5/5
Originality ➯ 5/5
Flow (Writing Style/Ease of Listening) ➯ 4.3/5
World-Building ➯ 4.5/5
Ending ➯ 4.5/5
SUMMATION ➯ 4¾ STARS

Fable is book 1 in a new series by Adrienne Young. Fable's father leaves her on an island where she turns to diving to survive. She escapes from the island with the intent to find her father. Overall, I'd rate this a 3.5, I didn't love, didn't hate it. It was good for a quick read.

Thanks to NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goodness! What another fantastic book by Adrienne Young! Young has given us the gift of a fierce, female main character and wonderful world building; no amount of effort to needed to delve into this exciting world. Pirates, treasures, and finding family, what more could you ask for?

As soon as I heard about this new book, I had to get my hands on it! I have loved several other works written by Adrienne Young and I just knew I was going to love this one as well. It doesn't hurt that one of my all time favorite fandoms in the entire world is Pirates of the Caribbean, so I jump at my chance for pirate books!

It did not take me the first five pages to be hooked. Fable's introduction was so intriguing that I knew I needed to know more! Fable also made me fall in love with her when she did something (trying to stay spoiler free here) that I was not expecting her to do, especially after her past. She is just a unique character.

I loved the adventure throughout the book and the suspense and intensity that Young was able to achieve through her writing. This was one of those books where you wanted to just punch the villain for being a villain and then cheer the main character and their group to victory! Oh and that ending!!! Ohh so so so good!!

I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series and continue this adventure with Fable!

Rich with fantasy, adventure, and a slow burn romance! I absolutely DEVOURED this in one sitting. I did not want it to end. ⁣
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The writing style and imagery flows so nicely and I felt like I could see the ocean and taste the salty air right along with Fable.⁣
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Fable is so strong willed and determined. Right from the beginning she exhibits extreme perseverance and wit. ⁣
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The group of characters are also amazing. The mystery surrounding the crew does not get revealed until closer to the end and I loved that it kept me guessing! ⁣
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I love love LOVED the slow burn romance!

I enjoyed Fable overall, but it took a while for me to get into it. The beginning is a bit slow and then there's a lot of sitting on a ship while it sails somewhere else, but at about the 40% mark I was hooked and finished it in a few hours. I find Adrienne Young's writing style very easy to read and loved how different all the characters are. I'm looking forward to the next book!

I wasn't expecting to get swept away quite so quickly by this book, but I'm certainly not complaining! This book is a wonderful blend of fantasy/action/adventure with bits of mystery and romance. I loved everything about this book -- the wonderful storytelling, the interesting characters, the tight pacing, and the excellent writing. I'm so glad that I had book #2, Namesake, queued up.
I purchased 2 copies (I seldom order doubles!) for my high school library as I think this one will be a real hit with my fantasy readers and fans of Six of Crows.

*3.5 stars!
I was really pleasantly surprised by this!! I wasn't a big fan of Sky in the Deep, but this book was so interesting. I really liked the characters and their interactions and the ending definitely makes me excited for more! However, I would have loved for there to be more world building.

This book was easily one of my favorite books of this year! The world building was so rich and beautifully detailed. I felt like I was right there in the scenery of the book following the characters along every step of the way. The story was amazing and had so many wonderful aspects that really hit the mark. I am excited to see where the story leads for these characters!

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A great read. Can't wait for the second book in the series! We've got both books on order here at the library!

I ended up not finishing this book. I gave it well over the 50% mark, but the story itself was moving a bit too slow for me with nothing much going on. I will say I really liked the main character, Fable, and thought she was strong and cool. I think it was definitely the lack of action and slow pace that made me lose interest in this quickly.

Another great novel by Adrienne Young. Who doesn't love pirates and romance? It was a very enjoyable read. Fable is an amazing heroine, though the rest of the characters are somewhat flat. There also isn't a lot going on at first, but the final part of the book really makes up for the slower beginning. I'm excited to read the sequel!

This book almost fixed 2020! (Almost). One of my favorite books of the year, Adrienne Young has written another fast-paced, engaging, character-driven quick read in a unique and fun world! I love books about the sea, and the main character, Fable, agrees with me. Abandoned on an island filled with criminals by her father, after her mother drowned at sea, Fable has to fight tooth and nail just to survive. And she wants to do more than survive - she wants to get off the island, find her father and claim her rightful place at his side. Her determination and grit guided me through this book! I could not get enough of her love interest either, and I am looking forward to reading more of their story in the sequel. But the truly fascinating character was Saint. I wanted to know more about his story, and most of all what makes him tick. Clearly, I need more pirate stories in my life. This one is a must-read. Note: I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved Fable! This book had everything that I love about stories! Adventure, romance, action, a strong female lead, and well written characters. Fable is such a badass, but she also has a vulnerability that comes from her hope and faith in others. I would love to have a friend like Fable in my life!

West was also a really great character. I loved all the pirate vibes and all the side characters on the crew were so unique and diverse. They all really added so much to the story. The chemistry between Fable and West is phenomenally written and it kept me so enthralled through the entire book. With that on top of the action and adventure, I could not put this one down, and finished it quite quickly, so the pacing is really well done.

I definitely recommend this book if you love pirates, a good adventure, and a slow-burn romance! Can't wait for the next book in this series!

I meant to finish and review this before it came out but alas that just didn’t happen. That being said, I am happy to say, unlike my feelings about The Girl of the Sea Gave Back, I quite enjoyed this one.

The story was a tad predictable, but overall I think the author did a decent job keeping me interested. But still not to the level of A Sky in the Deep. I think the problem for me here was that I did not quite connect with the characters. I liked them sure. Yet not enough to truly feel for their pain and struggle. It's like the friend you hang out with from time to time. You enjoy their company. It is nice catching up. Yet, if you're being honest, you do not miss them in their absence.

That is this book to me.

I liked it. Yet ask me in about another month or two and it's likely I will have forgotten most of the main plot points.

I very much enjoyed this book! It was compelling, detailed, and so unique. I felt like I was living on board right along with Fable and the others. The romance was subtle but still present, and I could chase the tension in the book with a rope.

I wish this story had cast the same spell of sea salt and ocean breezes on me that it did for other readers.

Many of my bookish friends loved this book and I wish I had as much as they did!

The two stars are because there's no doubt Young is a gifted writer. Her prose is lyrical and magical, full of imagery, while still firmly staying on this side of "purple prose" territory. I appreciated this.

However, this story made me feel NOTHING. Nothing towards the plot OR the characters. No anger, sadness, happiness, etc. I felt zero positive or negative emotions about any of it. It was too lukewarm for me, very bland and neutral, and the relationship very much insta-love which cemented the rating for me. It was a very bizarre and disappointing reading experience for me.

I think if you enjoyed Sarah Henning's <i> Sea Witch </i> duology, then you will enjoy this. There's a similar beautiful writing style, a story heavily told through narration versus dialogue, and of course, seafaring themes a plenty.

I may perhaps read the 2nd installment, but it won't be a high priority for me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of this book, and I also read the finished version through Scribd on audiobook just to see if my opinions would change - that's how much I wanted to be wrong! Alas, this wasn't the match for me. I hope it is for you!