i really enjoyed reading Fable, the characters were great and I really enjoyed the fairy tale elements. I'd be interested in reading more from the author.

I mean, it was okay.

There were pirates, but I need more than pirates to keep my attention. I read so many good reviews about Fable that I was stocked to start it, but then I would put it down every other chance I had because it just wasn't grabbing my attention. It also ended in a rather awkward note; felt like it needed at least one more chapter. Furthermore, it didn't have an overarching "main" villain you had to work against. Fable needed to go from point A to B to C for a reason or other, and in between they have this sort of B grade bad guy who was trying to keep them out of the game. Not overly exciting if you ask me.

The world building left a lot to be desired as there were references of the world beyond but no real actual work was put into making it feel realer. It is supposed to play a bigger deal in Fable's story seeing as her mother hailed from the other country? Maybe, but I guess we will get any real revelations in the sequel, which is a little too late for this reader. A lot of effort was put into the setting of the big blue sea and the life of a pirate, but it just wasn't enough to keep me interested.

The characters did need a lot of background story and work. Only 3/6 characters felt fully fleshed. Fable, Willa, and West, have the most backstory to them. While another of the two characters had a love story I didn't feel invested enough in the characters to really care. I get that secrets abound the seas, but this book should have been about creating bonds, and while we do have the beginnings of it Fable is only a duology which means that I should already care 100% about what happens to these characters in the next book. And I just don't.

If you are looking for some well built romance please look elsewhere. We go from 100% ignoring each other to confessions of love in a very unrealistic way. West and Fable by all means barely know each other as trading goods for a couple of years without exchanging more words with each other other than "how much?" not make a love story. Once Fable joins the crew we barely get any scenes with the two characters. In fact, Fable and Willa would have made more of a realistic love story. I just wasn't a fan.

Overall I WISH I was as enthralled with Fable as everybody else seems to be, but there is no spark for me. A real shame.

This book definitely defied my expectations. I went into it with little information, and I have to say.. it was a bit slow to begin with. Maybe that's my own fault for going into it semi-blindly, but I certainly was not expecting the pace the first quarter of the book set. HOWEVER, it wasn't long before I was hooked. Fable is so relatable - her inner monologue of insecurities (and how she faces them) really hit home for me. Once the story got moving, I couldn't put the book down. I can't wait to see what's next for the Marigold Crew.

DNF @ 25%

I put this off for so long it just feels great that I can finally admit it to myself. I tried so hard to like this one because I loved the author's previous books.

Everything was just so... boring. I had a really hard time getting into the story. I tried giving it a chance but it never improved.

Believe me, no one is more disappointed than me.

Very lyrical writing style kept the pacing slow in the first three or so chapters but at the 20% mark I was hooked. Fable is a YA fantasy with a different but refreshing take on a fantasy world. No magic (yet?) but plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. Fable is a very likable protagonist who was beat up this entire book, I wanted to give her soup and tell her to take a nap.

A swashbuckling enjoyable read that will take you on the adventures of a girl who's trying to find her own way. I really enjoyed this book and as always, I loved Adrienne's writing. That cliffhanger has me eager to read about what happens to Fable and her crew next.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the ebook of this book.

TWs: verbal abuse, physical abuse, violence, grief

What seems like years ago, but was actually back this January, I went with a friend to a book event where one of the featured authors was Adrienne Young. I had such a fun time there (little did I realize this was my last IRL book event for a looong time), and have wanted to read a book of hers ever since. So between my friend raving about her books and my hype from seeing her in person, when I saw Fable was available on NetGalley, I didn't hesitate to slam that request button.

Fable is a fantasy that follows the story of, well, Fable, as she tries to escape the island of violent criminals her father abandoned her on when she was a child. When she eventually does, it's on a ship with a crew of liars who all hate her, and she has to try to survive with them until she can reach her father, the dangerous trader Saint. Honestly, I haven't been happy with the way the blurb sounds, or my description of the plot, but it's kind of hard to pinpoint down without spoilers, and having to analyze what actually happens, but we'll get to that later.

I really liked the world that Adrienne Young built for Fable, it was reminiscent of your basic pirate worldbuilding (ala Pirates of the Carribean, etc.), but with it's own unique twist with it's fictional countries and magical abilities to find and feel gems. I had wished we had seen a little more of what exactly those powers could do, but I have a feeling it's going to be used more in book 2, so I'm not too upset. I loved the descriptions of Fable's deep water dives to dredge, and her absolute adoration of the ocean as her home. The way her memories were entwined into the tale worked so well too, sometimes they can become a distraction, but in this case they just enhanced the story for me.

I liked Fable, she was quick on her feet and brave, while still being really relatable. Her determination was what really propelled the story, and I liked the way she bonded and interacted with the rest of the cast. I was a little hesitant about liking West at first, but after a few chapters he managed to win me over, and I loved the scenes between him and Fable (the TENSION!). I would've liked to get to know the rest of the crew of the Marigold a bit better than we did, since I literally can't tell you anything about Hamish other than his job and have some issues telling Paj and Auster's personalities apart, but I think why ties into the next part of this review.

While I really did enjoy Fable, when I was about halfway through I realized why it wasn't quite what I had been hoping for, because the entirety of book one felt like the build up to what's going to happen in book 2. I've read enough series to understand how build up works, but if you were to actually graph the plot of Fable it's not your traditional story arc and it was an interesting way to tell the story. Now that I've finished I totally see why it was written that way, but it's a bit disorienting to go in without expecting it, since the flow is slower. The entire plot is just following Fable's story arc which was honestly just not that interesting. That's not to say that the story didn't have action, but it didn't really peak the way I thought it should, it was closer to reading a serialized story that just hasn't finished than anything else, until the cliffhanger ending. I'd have rather have had one longer book than an entire book that didn't really...do anything other than introduce the reader to the characters and set up where the actual plot starts.

Overall Fable was a fun introduction to Young's work, and I'm looking forward to reading book 2, Namesake, when it's available. I'm hoping it has more of an actual plot than book one, but I liked Fable's story enough to pick it up either way. Regardless of the plot flow, and I'm going to be keeping my fingers crossed for more interactions between her and West in the finale.

AHHH. This was fantastic and I was NOT ready for it to end. Absolutely, undeniably need more of Fable, West, Willa and the rest of the Marigold.

This was so atmospheric and everything just felt so right. Adrienne’s descriptions make me feel as though I can smell the salty, sea breeze, feel the wind and water wash over me.

I loved this story and am already dying for the sequel.

It’s a book about pirates and I love it. Fable was abandoned by her father on an island. She wants to earn her place on his crew and seeks out West’s help.
I really enjoyed this and loved the way Fable tried to get to be apart of the crew. I loved her relationship with West. The romance was okay, but could have been better. Saint was an interesting character and I want to know more about him.

I thought this would be a fun read, something a little different from my normal tastes, but instead it totally caught me off guard and sucked me right in. This feisty little pirate adventure story is one of the most fun things I've read this year.

The writing is great and I need to read more of Adrienne Young's work. It is a perfect mix of lyrical and to the point and there is such a great weaving of atmosphere. The setting is a perfect world of pirates, misfits, darkness, and deception. There's something of a Pirates of the Caribbean feel, but then again...I may feel that way because it's my only real exposure to another pirate tale. I DID NOT see myself loving a pirate story, but here we are.

Fable herself is a strong female protagonist with skills, guts, and a desperate longing for a family. She is fantastic and I rooted hard for her. The other characters are somewhat thin, but this is the first book in a series and they did gain some additional depth toward the end of the novel. As it is, they are a colorful bunch and I loved the dynamics.

I SO enjoyed this book. The pace was perfect and I didn't want to put it down for the majority of my read. The ending is killing me and I need the sequel YESTERDAY.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

I devoured this in a single sitting. The story is so rich and you will lose yourself in this world. Lives up to the hype!

I don't know how to explain this book.

It is by far my number 1 read of the year! The world building, the highs, the lows, are all something that Adrienne Young has mastered. I feel like I've stepped into this world of fantasy and I live it. I've felt every blow that Fable has felt, the breath that is held in my lungs.

The writing is amazing, Fable is amazing, West is....absolutely amazing.

When Fable hitched a ride with West and his crew, you knew there was something more to both of their stories. This book was riveting and I can't wait for Namesake.

I apologize for typing my review up so late but I have to start with the fact that I LOVE this cover.
I had a lot of fun reading this. It was a bit slow to start but I was completely immersed shortly after I started it.
Fable is so atmospheric. All I wanted to do while reading was go to the beach!

I loved Fable's character. She is such a strong female lead and her backstory completely broke my heart. After losing her mother in a storm, her father abandoned her on an island low on food and full of thieves. Fable had to learn to survive on her own and make her way off of the island in order to find her father and demand her place beside him and his crew. Along the way she meets a young trader named West who she is eventually able to pay for passage off the island and across the Narrows. Her journey certainly isn't easy. She can't let anyone know who her father is so she has to let the crew believe she is just a dredger - a diver who excavates precious gems/stones from Coral reefs.
I adored West and the rest of his crew. Not so much in the beginning maybe but they all have secrets of their own and I liked the slow reveal of their backstories. I enjoyed the mystery of it all. It's clear how much they care for each other.

I wish Fable's affinity for gems had been explored some more but I'm assuming we'll learn more about that in the next book.

Pirates. Treasure hunting. High-seas adventures. Slow-burn romance. If you're a fan of any (or all) of these then I definitely recommend picking this up!
That ending though! I don't want to wait to find out what happens next. March can't come fast enough! I'll be counting down the days until I can read Namesake.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the review copy of this book!

THIS BOOK WAS GREAT! I loved this story so much. It gave me all feels I was looking for. Lets first talk about how stunning this cover is!!! I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book and when I did, i was afraid to read it because of all the hype so I waited but OH MY! DONT WAIT! This plot and story were done great and so easy to follow. The characters were written very well! This author is growing on my list to be one of my tops. Her other works "A sky in the deep" was so good! I will make sure I watch for her future works.

I highly recommend this read!

This was a lot of fun. Definitely an easy read as there wasn’t really much to plot. It felt like a set up for the next book. Fable was a really likable character though and I’m excited to see what happens next.

This book was a beautifully written fast-paced adventure that took me a little while to get into (not the book's fault at all, purely the fact that I kept having to stop and start the book due personal circumstances), but once I was there it dragged me along and didn't let go. It was a brilliant and emotional ride with a cast of complex characters and relationships.
I loved the characters and the story, the worldbuilding was interesting (I'm excited for more) and I always love reading about pirates!
Fable is a wonderful., strong and interesting character, and I adored the slow-burn romance which is my favourite kind! Fable also had complex family relationships and found family which are always something I like to see explored in YA fiction.
Honestly a berautiful book that I highly recommend,
Can't wait for book two!

I really enjoyed this book! It has a great pace, beautiful writing, a creative and intriguing premise--all in all, a good, fast read that fit the bill after a particularly difficult day in the world. I'm really excited for the sequel, to see how Young further develops the protagonist and the world.

Adrienne young did it again. She has created another world so rich in characters and well steeped in a plot so addictive that you are unable to set the book down.
I have been a a fan of Adrienne writing since the day Sky in the Deep came out. So I highly recommend this book, you will not be disappointed.

You know those books where you read the first line and you know, you just know, that you're going to love this book? Well that was Fable for me. From the first page, I was swept up into Fable''s world and taken on the journey with her.

One of the most memorable things about this book are the characters. Not only is Fable and incredibly likeable and relatable character, she is still full of flaws. But that makes her even more loveable. She's not the kind of person who makes rash decisions that everyone but her can see is stupid. She makes rash decisions that still turn out badly, but make sense because a lot of people would most likely have made those decisions (or not depending on their bravery level). She cares deeply and fiercely about the people around her, and longs to be accepted into a family whether that is her birth family or a found family. She just wants to belong. I think this story did such an incredible job portraying that deep need to belong somewhere.

Along with Fable, we have West, Paj, Auster, and Willa (The Marigold crew), Saint and Isolde, and Zola. Each one of these characters felt incredibly real, as if they could walk off the page and live their own lives separate from Fable. At no point did I ever feel like these characters sole existence was to move Fable's story along. Yes they helped move the plot forward, but I could still see them being the main characters in their own stories. That alone made this book so incredibly deep, emotional, and meaningful

I also really loved the world Young created. This is the first time I've seen a fantasy world not based around Eurocentric Medieval period centered around magic. There is little to no magic in this book and it was a huge breath of fresh air. I love our standard medieval based fantasy books, but it was nice to be able to go in a different direction. As with the characters, this world felt incredibly alive as well. There is still so much more to know about this world, but only in the sense that Fable doesn't know everything about this world vs our main character knowing about this world but the reader doesn't. I honestly felt like I could hop on a ship and sail to The Narrows at any point, and be there to spend time with the crew of The Marigold.

I absolutely adored this book, and I think many others will love it as well. The writing, characters, plot, and world were so incredibly beautiful and engaging. The pacing was incredibly, and the story sucks you in. It makes me excited that the sequel comes out in March and not in another year from now.

I LOVED this one! Give me ships and the sea and a strong female lead and I am usually a happy camper. Fable delivered all of those. I really enjoyed Fable as a character. It would have been easy to get 'tired' of her but I wasn't in the least. She's got an interesting backstory and the grit and determination to make it through anything.

I think I'd kind of liken it to Daughter of the Pirate King in some ways, but it stands on its own very well. I am a sucker for a slow burn romance as well, and this baby delivers on that too!

I will caution you - if you don't like cliffhangers (of any kind) then you may want to wait until book 2 comes out in March of next year. I know...I'd hate to wait too which is why I read it. But, while it does give you an 'ending' it also leaves you with 'but what happens next'?

Definitely recommend for ages 15+.