I loved this story! Fable as a character is compelling and there were plenty of twists and turns to keep me reading. I finished it in two days and I’m so ready for Namesake! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

This book is so different from Adrienne Young's previous novels, and it totally works. I love seafaring, pirate stories, and Fable lives up to her name. She will surely become that, both in her world and ours.

The atmosphere in this book is absolutely immersive and alluring, I couldn't get enough!
And that last chapter. . . .
Bring on Namesake!

From the beautiful cover to that hook of a first-line, Adrienne Young grabs your attention and doesn't let up.
The world-building in the book is amazing, it's layered and clear and completely atmospheric.
Each character from the Marigold crew is fully fleshed out and clearly unique; there is no confusing them with each other.
I love that the story doesn't shy away from what a life as a pirate would actually be like; there is violence and there is danger
Fable's story is really an exploration of what home, love, and family really are.

A slow burn but in a great, satisfying way! There's a lot of methodical description, so if that's not your thing, it might seem slow, but for the the most part, it made it seem more immersive and well-researched. A fun, cozy read with a charismatic cast.

That cover made me go all WHOA but what's inside is a small OH.

Let me list the best bits before anything else: a strong heroine who I develop a cute crush on, the setting of being on a ship and on the rising waves and with the cold lurking around is so atmospheric that I truly was transported, and pirates always make any adventure far better so a huge appreciation for the classic rebels and misfits. The writing aligns well with the intriguing voice of a story where a daughter steps out of an island to search for her father, and that's an aspect I even particularly liked in Sky In The Deep—the author's debut novel.

However, the found family trope and the emotions were so bland that I almost didn't care at some points. This stings a little more since I expected a lot when a misfit crew was promised and I personally couldn't agree with this hint at crossing oceans and surviving the worst possibilities to find one's way to those they love, simply because a parent wants you to prove your strength in any term. Though, I did cheer for the main character as she passed through this brutal world that makes everything worse for women, and was happy to see her rising above every huge wave coming for her.

Another thing that disappointed me was the romance. The love interest is as interesting as the main character when looked through an individual lens but their graph of building feelings for each other is so steep that I couldn't enjoy the forbidden romance it was trying to set up at the start. There are some twists and secrets than keeps one excited and it does end on a cliffhanger so I might be looking forward to the sequel, certainly expecting way more to make up for this start of a duology.

I really enjoyed this book! It was written really well and easy to understand. The only thing I really didn’t care for was the slower-flowing story. But that is all. Everything else was good and the characters were really like able!

I adored this book! Adrienne Young has a writing style that is subtly beautiful and immersive and made me want to keep reading. When I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about this book. The plot is well developed and so are the characters and the worldbuilding. The cliffhanger was unexpected. I need book 2 now!

I really enjoyed this book despite the fact that nothing really happens in it. I know what you are thinking. That's not really possible and that wouldn't make a good book anyways. Well I said what I said and I still loved this book!
For me, it gets a gold medal for just the character study of Fable. (It's called what it is for a reason) She was a brilliant character. From the very beginning we get a sense of the hardships she has faced since she was young. She was robbed of a true adolescence and had to toughen up so much so fast. The best way to describe her is like a callus (What? RENDZ!) I know, but she was this soft child who was forced to toughen up and become rigid to survive in this brutal and unforgiving world. That being said, I loved that we got to see some of that softness in her too! Frankly, reading about her journey, her relationship to her mother and her father! Oh wow. Now those are some daddy issues, not reduce the struggles she went through, but wow.
The other characters were great too! We have this crew that Fable has to prove herself to. Everyone has secrets and just watching them build enough trust to open up about each other warmed my heart. West was definitely more of an enigma but he has a bad saviour complex which gets him into trouble, but I liked him! XD
I don't read many pirate books, but this was a fantastic nautical adventure! I can't say if the boat talk was all correct but it really did immerse me into this world of traders and seamen and merchants fighting this commerce battle! I will say the gem-plot was a little underdeveloped, but I know that it will play a bigger role in book 2!
This was a fast read! I was flipping pages. And Young really kept me glued and absorbed into this story. I know it seems like it took me a while to finish it, but in reality if I had bigger chunks of time to read, I could have finished this in two sittings!
So let's address the elephant in the room: Nothing honestly happens. Like fights break out, there's some running, betrayal and brawls, but nothing explosive and shocking takes place. This book is build up to a reunion and then it happens like halfway through the book, so what's next?? Nothing, except reading about these characters grow and interact which I liked. Of course, the explosive thing happens at the very end, but by then we all know what it will be. Nevertheless, I didn't mind the lack of action because there was so much emotional drama and secrets scattered throughout to keep me entertained.
So it's not really a 5 star, but I'll give a 4.5. I am very much looking forward to the sequel and I have some predictions so I hope it ups the ante!

I received an ARC of this book through the lovely folks at Netgalley.

When I read this book, I was on a kick of reading ocean-themed fiction. In just a few weeks, I read "The Starless Sea," "The Changeling Sea," and "Fable." Each book is very different and focuses on a unique aspect of sea-life.

"Fable," unlike the other two titles, focuses on those that live on the edge of society--criminals, outcasts, and the generally lawless. The main character, named Fable, was abandoned on a island of criminals four years earlier. She's made her way by diving for treasure and staying one step ahead of the violent people that share the island with her. However, she's been drawing too much attention, and she needs to leave the island, and leave it now.

The only way Fable can find off the island is by forcing a small ship to take her with them. The captain has been buying her treasure for years, but that doesn't mean that he or his crew are her friends. Far from it. Everyone is carrying dangerous secrets, and Fable puts them all at risk of exposure.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and the narrative pacing was excellent. I found some of it to be fairly predictable, but the story itself was fun so I didn't mind all that much. I do wish that Young had spent more time explaining the world around Fable. However, since Fable occupies only a small part of it (outlaws, pirates, and merchants in a small group of islands), perhaps it makes sense that we don't know how the larger world works. I hope we'll see more worldbuilding in the second book.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the story though I felt like it could have used a little more story building. I had a hard time picturing a lot of things. Like did the just dredge in normal clothes and hold their breath for that long or did they have tools to help them? Overall the writing was good.

Four years ago in the wake of the shipwreck that killed her mother Fable's father left her on a dangerous island filled with thieves and roustabouts, issued her a challenge to not only survive but thrive and escape the island, and set sail. Somehow she has managed to find a way to support herself and save some coins to use as passage to escape. But before she can get enough she is attacked by someone she thought she knew and is forced to beg her way onto the only ship she trusts.

Nearly broke but not broken Fable is proud to finally return to her father and claim her spot on a crew in his empire. If she can survive the surly and uncertain crew of the Marigold that is. They are anything but welcoming and she finds herself constantly at odds, doing menial work and trying to survive. Which shes fine with, because if her father taught her anything, it is that nothing comes free.

Upon arriving back in Ceros instead of the warm welcome she dreamed of she is ignored on the streets and then turned away with the promise of inheritance, if she can retrieve it, and the knowledge that her father will never let her join his crew. In a moment of desperation she and the crew of the Marigold team up to claim what is hers and free themselves from her father's reach.

A pirate-ish but not at all pirate-ish nautical adventure of epic proportions, Fable manages to be both familiar and nostalgic while also being fresh. I am really excited to see where these characters journeys take them in the coming books, especially after that one word cliffhanger ending!

Not bad, but not great. There isn’t much to the plot; this book is more about character and setting. Aside from the titular Fable, a plucky teenager on a mission to find her pirate dad, the characters are pretty thin. That leaves mainly the setting — so if you like ships and islands, and a dash of YA romance, you’re in luck.

More historical fiction than fantasy, as it doesn’t have much in the way of fantastical elements beyond the made-up places standing in for... the Caribbean, I guess?

I was not super impressed with the writing, but this could have been down to ineffectual editors. There were a number of sentences like “My hands closed over the purse in my hands” that made it into the final publication (yes, I checked). That sort of thing really needs to be fixed.

After fighting my way through some recent reads, I was happy to pick up Fable, which has a lot going for it.

Fable wouldn’t work if not for the title character. She is strong, determined and smart. Despite her feelings toward her father, she has to admit, he prepared her well for this moment. His rules are a large part of why she has been able to survive this long. And it’s his rules that she’s also rebelling against.

West is a bit more of a mystery. As his — and his crew’s — stories unfold, you gain a greater understanding as to how high the stakes are.

Young is an excellent world builder. I never once questioned the world in which her characters live. It’s lush and vibrant with colors, smells and entire scenes popping off the page.

Fable is a smooth read, with excellent pacing and a strong mix of tension, adventure and a little romance. I’m looking forward to the second book in this duology, Namesake, which is slated for publication March 16.

A high-stakes, high-seas adventure full of intriguing characters and dangerous deals. Fable lives in a harsh world, one her father said she was not made for right before dropping her off on an island full of thieves and leaving her.

I loved the underwater exploration. There was such a quiet beauty when Fable dived contrasted with the world above that was dirty, brutal, and unforgiving.

I did not notice a map in my ARC, but I hope the final product does include one. I would have loved to see the world from a bird's eye view.

There is death and murder (like mentioned earlier, brutal world) but the world-building is rich and the characters captivating. Enjoyable book which, maddeningly, leaves off with a big cliff-hanger.

“That bastard was leaving me again.”

I was hooked by Fable from the first line. Never having read any of Adrienne Young’s other novels, I was surprised and delighted by how much I ended up loving this book.

Ever since she was abandoned on an island filled with the cast offs of the sea, Fable has done everything in her power to survive Jeval, following Saint’s rules to stay alive:
1. Keep your knife where you can reach it.
2. Never, ever owe anyone anything.
3. Nothing is free.
4. Always construct a lie from the truth.
5. Never under any circumstances reveal who you are or what matters to you.

knowing that one day she would get off the island to face Saint again and claim what she’s been promised. Then, a harrowing encounter with another Jevali dredger moves up her plans and plants her at the mercy of West the helmsman of the Marigold. Sparks fly and secrets abound aboard his ship and Fable soon learns that the fight for her survival didn’t end when she boarded the Marigold.

Young’s characters are complex, multidimensional, and a fun, rowdy crew overall. I found myself loving West and his crew as much as I adored Katz and the Dregs in Bardugo’s “Six of Crows” duology. An adventurous maritime fantasy full of action, danger, and love, Fable took my love of pirates and fantasy and gave me something I didn’t know I needed.

Note: Thank you Macmillan for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

I feel like this was the perfect summer read for me! I never read a book by this author before but she is definitely on my to-be read list now!

A YA story of pirates, danger and hunting for treasure is something I haven't read in a long time. I thought the characters were interesting and unique with layer of secrets that are revealed throughout the book. I loved the character of Fable and how unique she was as well of the other characters on the Marigold.

I the story could have been a little more mysterious as it was slow in parts, but overall it was one of my favorite reads this summer and I can't wait for the next book in the series.

The island of Jeval is a rough, dangerous place, filled with traders and dredgers. Dredgers spend their days diving into the crystal waters surrounding Jeval to find Pyre to trade in the market places. Fable, who was abandoned on the island by her father has learned the hard way how to survive. Fable knows that if she can just save enough money she can escape Jeval and hopefully find her way to a better life. When Fable finds an unexpected cache of Pyre her dream of escaping Jeval suddenly becomes a reality. However, other dredgers are watching. Can Fable escape Jeval before someone steals her Pyre? Is there any other life for her beyond dredging? This page-turning tale will entertain readers of all ages. Don't miss this one!

This book is a slow burn, but a burn like a cozy fire on a snowy winter's day. You ease into the characters, setting, time and the story slowly envelopes you and you don't want to leave. I have to admit, I put it down and picked it up between other books, which was okay. I didn't want to blow through it. I liked the language and submerging myself in the depth of the sea and salt of the air. By the second half of the story I was hooked and excited for book 2.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about Fable. I loved Sky in the Deep but The Girl the Sea Gave Back was not my favorite. This book did not disappoint!

It starts off right away, there isn’t an information dump or anything, which I liked but it also took a little bit of time to get up to speed. The writing is wonderful and as the story unfolds you get to know these characters as Fable gets to know them. This book is VERY character-driven. There is most certainly a plot, but the main focus is watching Fable and her band of misfits grow as people.

The story is great and certainly has that treasure hunt aspect. There are parts of it that are a little slow, but that is generally when the best character development happened. If you are looking for a fast-paced adventure story this may not be your thing. The adventure is certainly there, but the pace isn’t.

Fable is a wonderful character-driven adventure story about a girl finding herself. And am looking forward to reading the next book in the series.