Dark fantasy and books about the sea absolutely call to me. This was my first time reading an Adrienne Young book and I liked it. It had the right amount of description and action, heart-punching phrases contrasted with taut action scenes. It really was easy to read too. And it was quite dark. It's set in this brittle, cruel world of ships and traders, knives and murder, and softness is not only unforgivable -- it'll get you killed. Fable is the kind of character thrown into situations where she should drown, but she just refuses to give up.

Fable is a dredger, skilled at diving for gems and staying underwater for ages. After her cold father dumps her on the most ruthless and cruel island ever to fight and work her way off, to prove to him she can survive this world, Fable does just that. She also gets tangled up with the crew of The Marigold so the book leans into found-family. It's not technically about pirates, but definitely has that vibe to it. Lots of ship terminology and sailing. Bit o' diving. I think the thing I was most surprised about is there's no grand finale. I'm guessing the story will read like ONE just stretched over two books, but the petering out ending confused me.

The world is really harsh, so all the characters are too. I did end up liking the crew of the Marigold! Bunch of orphans and waifs, teens who are harsh as the sea but loyal as anything to each other. I just...wanted to get to know them better? Was hoping for like Dregs (from Six of Crows) sort of dynamics but I really don't know them at all. Fable herself is admirable with surviving the hard world, but she's not very dynamic. I couldn't really describe her personality.

Overall it's a fantasy of cruelty and loyalty, of survival against a world that wants nothing more than to drag you under. It felt like a rallying cheer to the underdogs, and definitely suits anyone looking for a sea-themed adventure where love is a terrible risk.

Left alone on an island with a right scurvy lot, Fable's mother is dead and her father's been gone for four long years. Now eighteen and barely scraping by as a gem seeker, Fable's been saving up money so she can get on a boat and find her father to demand what is owed to her. After wheeling and dealing her way onto a boat run by a bloke named West, Fable sets out on a journey into the Narrows that will threaten to plunge her into the abyss and challenge everything she thought she knew. All she has to do is watch her back and keep her feet steady until she can find her father again.⁣
⁣
This story about a girl left behind on an island explodes off the pages as she makes her way into the world to find family and purpose after being left behind. Fable is resourceful, courageous, and cunning. When she makes it onto West's boat, the crew instinctively distrust her, and she has to work hard to break down their cynical shells to allow her to find out more about the world outside the island, as well as to find some friendship on her journey. Life in the Narrows is cutthroat and full of surprises, and Fable had to fork over all of her coin just to get off the island, so finding allies is very important for her. However, that's easier said than done where kindness is seen as both a weakness and something to be done for ulterior motives. Because of the well-written characters and twists and turns the story takes, it is gripping all the way to the end, and it leaves you on such a cliffhanger that your jaw will drop to the floor. I'm glad this one is getting a sequel, because Fable's story still has so much more to give!⁣
⁣⁣⁣⁣
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 rounded to 5 stars!

I have never really liked pirate books, but this book was fantastic. Young's descriptions of ship life is enlightening and easy to understand, while still being interesting. I loved Fable, and West made my blood boil, but in a good way. I will definitely recommend this book!

4.5 stars

Every now and then, I like to venture into the world of fantasy. Often times I am overwhelmed with fantasy books; too much world building, too many characters, a new language to learn, etc. But Fable hit the sweet spot for me.

Fable was abandoned on an island by her father just one day after her mother drowns during a shipwreck. Her father tells her if she finds her way back, he’ll give her what she is owed. Oh gee, thanks dad!

The next four years Fable learns to keep secrets, hide everything away, and does her best to earn enough coin to purchase passage on a ship back. She’s barely surviving and nearly loses her life in trying to escape the island, but somehow she convinces West and his small crew to take her on.

From there it’s kind of a coming of age story: Fable learning what friendship and family is like, finding her place in the world. I loved meeting the other members of the Marigold crew and seeing them all start to develop relationships with Fable…especially the protective West. I loved West as a character and I was so excited to hear him open up and give us a little more insight to his emotions and past.

Ends on a major cliffhanger but honestly, that just entices me more.

"... and I think I've loved you since the first time we anchored in Jeval"


First of I think I need to begin saying that I am not a fan of maritime books, or at least I didn't think I enjoyed them until I read Fable. Now all I want is to dive into the sea and become a pirate. That's what Young did to me, as I read this book.

I am aware that Adrienne Young has a lot of books that are considered amazing, but I just had never had the chance to pick up a book by her and sit down and read it. Even reading the beginning of the book I was sure it was going to be an "okay" book for me. I was so freaking wrong.

I am not even sure if the story is good or not, but the writing is so vivid and lyrical that it makes the writing come alive in such a way that it is IMPOSSIBLE not to enjoy it. Even if you're just there for the writing. Now, I have a deep itch to go buy all her books that I have been avoiding for years, because I know that just like Fable's story I am going to be hooked and unable to move on.

Fable tells the story of a girl called Fable who was left by her father in a town, right after her mother drowns at sea (horrible father). Anyways, he promises her that if she is able to leave the town, he will give her what she deserves (which she translates to a place in his ship as he is a very famous Captain). Years pass and she becomes tougher and learns to trust no one but herself. That is until she needs a way out of the horrid town and has to rely on a very dysfunctional crew. As she reaches her Father's territory she realizes blood is not equivalent to family and she starts trusting herself and opening to those around her to really be able to save herself.

The story is narrated beautifully, the depth of the characters is expressed so well and I cannot wait to continue reading book 2 and dwell more into the character's life. I do wish we could have gotten a little more back story from West's other crew mates specially Paj. They were important in the story but in some ways I wish there would have been more scenes with them present, I just really enjoyed all the characters.

"Because home was a ship that was at the bottom of the sea, where my mothers bones lay sleeping in the deep"

The romance is tantalizingly good. It is very slow burn romance and I loved every aspect of it, from the forbidden side to it to the hardship that both feel opening up towards each other.

Lastly, the father and daughter relationship is described so well and heartbreakingly. I have never seen a book where you sympathize and understand both side, the abandoned daughter and the father who abandons her. One of the books that has used this issue in such a raw and real way, juxtaposing hate vs eternal love. It was really beautiful to see and experience those scenes though Fable's eyes.

"The trader who'd built an empire. The father who'd left me behind. The man who'd loved my mother with the fury of a thousand merciless storms"

*I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

--- 4.5 stars ---

One fateful night leaves Fable without a mother and abandoned on an island where she has to fend for herself until the day she finds passage off it with the help of a young trader, West. And so begins the start of unlikely alliances as they strive to navigate peril and keep their head above water.

Fable’s story, how she had to strive to live, to survive, broke my heart. I felt so much pain for this young girl, left to fend alone, having to stay on guard all the time. I wanted to hug her and make her life better. Give her food, shelter, protect her. The author wove such a heartbreaking character with a core of steel that you couldn’t help but feel for her.

As for West? He was an enigma, layers and layers of complications and secrets. I wanted to know everything about him, and finding those answers, getting to know him better – drew me in deeper. The ending chapters? Oh, I tipped over the edge and fell for him.

The side-characters, the crew of the Marigold—each one with their unique voices, charmed and endeared me to their plights. As secrets are revealed and pacts made, this story grabs you and hooks you in to the last page.

The world-building and descriptions were excellent. The author’s writing was a pleasure to read and the cliffhanger left me in high anticipation for more. This was my first book by Adrienne Young, and I have to say she completely won me over. I cannot wait to read the next book.

I am officially a Adrienne Young hardcore fan and head over heels in love with Fable and all the characters in this story.

Fable is an addictive YA pirate story about a special girl whose parents have passed on some incredible gifts and abilities that she will learn to excel at and which will help her to survive, while also putting her life at risk, if that's even possible. I never cared for pirate stories, but this one got me hooked. Could it be because there was way more to the characters than them roaming the sees? Each character comes with a story, struggle, and we grow fond of each and every one of them once we understand what they went through in order to become so cold and heartless. Survival.

I cannot stop praising this book, especially since it include my favorite kissing scenes of all times. Pure magic, goosebumps, this novel was a dream that I don't want to wake up from and I am so thankful that Namesake comes out next week... it's going to be a long wait.

Everyone read this book, it is a pure gem!

Thank you Net Galley and Wednesday Books for this e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Gahhhhh what a cliffhanger ending!! Fable is a maritime fantasy following the namesake character as she tries to navigate the world alone. There were definite Six of Crows vibes because the characters are unreliable and “bad” but so likable. For the first in however many are set to come, I am hooked.

Fable follows the titular main character, a 17-year-old secret daughter of a notorious pirate, as she journeys to return to him and prove her worth. Readers meet Fable as she is working to leave the island her father abandoned her on four years ago, after Fable's mother died in a shipwreck. On the journey back, she joins up with a crew of young sailors, all who have secrets of their own.

The world-building was strong, and I did really enjoy the strength of the female MC. I wanted more from the novel. I felt like there was a lot of sailing around, but not much depth to the plot or to the characters. When Fable meets up with the crew, there were so many opportunities to offer more insight into the characters, more camaraderie, but it just wasn't there. The romance feels rushed at the end as a result of this.

Overall, Fable left me feeling lukewarm. There is a decent cliffhanger at the end, which - along with my enjoyment of Fable herself - will have me finishing out the duology when Namesake is published next year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Wednesday Books for an ARC of this book! Release date - September 1, 2020

What an awesome, nautical adventure. I thought this book was really well-done. I wasn’t hooked right away, it took me maybe 50% to really get hooked. The beginning was a lot of world-building and introducing the characters, which I thought was all really well done. I adored Fable’s character. I also really liked learning about her backstory and her sad relationship with her father. I thought the concept of a gem sage was also really interesting and I liked that there was a little smidge of fantasy in this book without being over the top.

But once West was introduced and the adventure started happening I was became really really invested in the story! The world just came alive and I could picture the ships and the sea and all the things that were happening. I also came to LOVE West and Willa and all the rest of the crew of the Marigold. By the end I just couldn’t put it down and now I’m anxiously awaiting Namesake!

This book did remind me of a YA version of The Bone Ships, minus the dragons and some of the more gory bits. I think fans of that story would also really enjoy this book. It had a similar vibe with ship life and the sea-faring adventures.

All in all I am so happy I read this book. The STUNNING cover totally drew me in, it’s truly one of the prettiest covers I’ve seen in a long time. But the story absolutely delivered. Can’t wait to read the next one!

I fell in love with Adrienne’s writing from the very first line. Thoughtful and evocative, this book is a rare gem.

First, I just love the name Fable it sounds so sweet and mystical a name fitting for someone of great destiny. As for the story it was magnificent Adrienne set the table nicely by giving me little samples for what is to come in the next book. By giving me what I needed instead of what I might have wanted. Every character stand on their own in way that I could follow any of their story including Koy. Nobody is just a foot note they all have a defining present in Fable’s story even characters we have not even meet yet.

Saint and Isolde, I desire to know their story so badly the way Adrienne just drops little gems about Fable’s parents’ history. I am ready for the novella/prequel of how they came to be. Anytime they are talked about or how Fable reminisced about the small moments that they shared together I just wanted to know them. Also, I want to get a little P.O.V from Saint to grasp how he truly feel about Fable and her mother and how he became the beholden man of great and dangerous power.

Fable is just such a down to earth girl who is navigating through her world with such strength and poise. I love how she handles making mistakes by owning them and then learning from them. She never crumbles under her short comings; she honors the code of her lifestyle that her father has installed in her with such determination to be his equal. At the heart of this book is a father/daughter love story of having to forsaken what you treasure dearly and keeping it buried or you will be buried in returned.
Adrienne Young is just getting better and better with each new book releases that I am just enjoying and appreciating her she styles of writing as well as her she conveys these mythologies and genre in way that is unpredictable. It is very refreshing to read a book with no preconceived notion of how it will play out. Young does more showing than telling with her stories she gives you just enough to keep you engaged as you journey along with these fascinating characters. Always making a reader wanting for more.

Fable grew up on a ship, learning to dredge with her mother, and keeping her distance from her father, the ship’s captain. After a fierce storm, Fable finds herself alone on a cutthroat island, having to fend for herself and eventually go in search of her father. She falls in with the crew of the Marigold, trying to gain their trust and their help in her mission.

I loved Sky in the Deep, so I was really excited to try this new duology from Adrienne Young, and I really enjoyed it. I liked the settings, the characters and excitement. We don’t know much about the world as a whole, but the various ports and oceans we visit are vividly described. It has definite pirate vibes, although technically they are “traders”. The rivalries and power plays between the traders made for interesting suspense and conflict.

Fable is so strong and fierce, and I liked the rag tag crew of the Marigold. I would love to see more development in their friendships, as they definitely have the supportive, found family feeling to them. The romance was a little rushed, in my opinion, but I still shipped it. I’m not one to condemn magical elements in a story, but I wasn’t sure they were really necessary to this plot. Perhaps the magic will be developed further in the next book.

Also, not related to the content, but I am in love with the cover of this book. It is gorgeous and definitely drew my eye. Overall, a fun adventure on the high seas, and I would love to hear more of Fable’s story!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and will be continuing on to the second when it comes out! I LOVED the main characters/setting. It hooked me from the beginning.

It’s been a long time since a book had me hooked within the first few pages, but FABLE did just that. With its delightful mix of fantasy and adventure, the entire book had me so invested that I ended up doing nothing for 6 hours straight other than read this book.

After being abandoned by her father on the ruthless island of Jeval, Fable has known nothing other than fear and how to survive. Working as a diver and a trader, she possesses a unique ability to feel gems and rare metals on the sea floor. Such an ability is useful for someone who needs coin, and she’s been working for 4 long years trying to save as much as she can. Her only goal in this rough life is to save enough to travel back the mainland and confront her father about why he so callously abandoned her. Though that presents a whole different set of challenges because no one can know who her father is. After experiencing yet another situation where her life is threatened, Fable has no choice but to flee, and is taken aboard a trading ship. Problem is, they don’t want her, and they make sure to remind her at every step along the journey to the mainland.

I absolutely loved everything about this book from Fable’s hardscrabble beginnings on Jeval to her journey across oceans and islands and the subsequent new life she is navigating. But most of all, I loved the friendships she made along the way and her new place in the world alongside them. This story isn’t without heartache, but the characters and their camaraderie aboard the Marigold added such a bright spot in this otherwise bleak tale. And of course a little romance never hurts, and I really enjoyed the relationship between Fable and her new amour. Though it was almost a guarantee that I would because enemies to lovers will forever be my jam.

The world that Young created was so fantastic and so palpable that the grittiness of the salt and the scent of the ocean and the reeking smell of the docks just leapt off the page. When you combine that kind of sensory-pleasing world-building with a story that just sucks you in, it’s destined to land on my favorites shelf. And this one definitely has. I’ve not read anything else by this author yet, but I’ll certainly be rectifying that awful mistake in the near future. I can’t wait to see how Fable’s story concludes in the sequel, NAMESAKE.


*eARC received courtesy of NetGalley.

Gorgeous cover!! Highly recommend this book because it‘s an entertaining story. You can easily relate to the characters and hope everyone gets a happy ending. Loved the villains too!

I absolutely loved this book! A high seas adventure with cast of interesting characters, an intriguing plot and a girl trying to find her place and where she belongs. Fable is that story that kept me turning the pages and yet never wanting it to end. I cannot recommend this book enough. And I can’t wait for the second book to find out what happens next.

I really loved this book so much it is my new favorite pirate adventure story with a slow burn romance that was well worth the wait. I loved the characters so much especially Fable and West and the slowest burn YA romance I have ever read. When they were finally together it was well worth it it took him so long to actually trust her and everything to do with her. I really loved Fable for her strength of character and knowing her limits and how when she cares for someone she cares with her whole being. I really loved the plot it started with a girl just trying to survive and get off that island and it turned into a great adventure and slow burn romance that I loved so much. So overall I loved this book and I am really looking forward to the sequel.

Fable hooked me from the very beginning and never let go. There is so much to love about this book, from the powerful and strong heroine, seeking her own destiny, to the rag tag team of crew mates, and the romance, oh man. It’s all so good. The sea is a character of her own, and I love when an author can add the setting in so seamlessly that it feels like you’re there.

Fable, the heroine, is a dredger, a person with the skillset to dive for treasure, and bring it back for trade. She buys her way onto the crew of the Marigold, who will give her passage to meet the father that abandoned her after her mother’s death. Fable has learned how to survive, how to build walls to keep people at arm’s length, and how to live by a certain set of rules (nobody can know your secrets).

In order to become a true member of this crew, Fable must evaluate everything she knows about life, and about herself. And she’s not the only one. Each member of this crew has secrets, and as they let Fable in, she learns more about her new friends, and as readers, we fall in love with them too. As the plot thickens, the stakes get higher, and the plotting and pacing is excellent. I don't want to give too much away, but this book was unputdownable for me.

The action and adventure in this book kept me hooked throughout the whole thing, and the world building was so well done. I loved the characters, as well, and they felt well rounded and complex. The cliffhanger at the end was incredible too. I cannot wait for the next installment! I’m so excited to recommend this book to the teens in my community. I know they’ll love it!

Fable is such a badass character and I love her complex relationship with Saint. The Marigold and it's crew are full of secrets and loyalty and I loved that. At times I definitely was hoping for more excitement but it was still such a great read! I'd love to see West's character build more. I feel like we need more on him! Fable also has such a vivid and detailed world and I loved that so much! If you love high seas adventure with a bit of a pirate ship vibe you're going to love this one!