I don't think I've flown through a book so fast in a while. This book felt like it was only 200 pages long because I couldn't put it down and the story moved so quickly. But what a great summer fantasy read! It's action packed, but I never got lost in the action. The found family that Fable is able to find on the Marigold is my everything and I am eagerly awaiting book 2 to see what comes next.

I want to give thanks to NetGalley for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Well, i felt a whole lot of....nothing. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Other than the fact that Fable sailed the seas in search of her father, there's a MASSIVE LACK of high stakes in this pirate style book. The crew was nothing to rave about. I didn't feel attached to any of the characters, save Willa. She seemed slightly interesting. West wasn't much to rave about either. The titular character, Fable, really fell flat in terms of
Survivor.
Trader.
Fighter.

Everything the cover boasted was a pale comparison. She didn't feel special or sea hardened. She was just a naive child who wanted to live up to Daddy's legacy through true grit but fell super short of it. She didn't exhibit a street smart one would expect by someone marooned on an island where everyone will kill and rob you of everything you have. She just felt so protected. I didn't feel any real danger surrounding her. The action was lackluster. This Zola character didn't exactly have me shaking in my boots. He didn't pose a threat like we are told and meant to believe through the characters. Several scenes felt confusing, at times I couldn't tell who was talking; the voices really mixed together and nothing individual stood out about them. I didn't feel that familial attachment, which is disappointing.

The back stories to several of the characters were generic and half baked. Didn't really stir an emotional attachment. Which in truth surprises me because Sky in the Deep, to me, really captured that feeling enough for me to care about the characters. But here, nothing special stood out. The style of writing is great and beautiful, but others than that, not evocative of emotion. It felt fluffy, super chill like if you the reader are there just along for the ride and don't serve much of a purpose. The scene where Fable and West dive to the Lark was EXTREMELY lacking in detail. I wanted to read more, i wanted the scene stretched out. It felt too quick and brushed by. I wanted the scene to be painted out, to feel the rush of diving in the ocean and exploring a ship wreck, but I didn't get that. I was served vague details and a kiss. An underwater kiss. Great. SO WHAT? Another thing, while im glad the romance isn't rushed and the two characters sleep together near the end, I'm failing to see what amazing features West sees in Fable. As I say, these characters are flat and not special.

I was about 70% of the way in the book when serious shit was going down. 70% OF THE WAY! That's a long ass time in a book for things to get going and pick up pace! This is the pirating world where competitive shit went down each day! While I appreciate the flashbacks for Fable's backstory, it felt repetitive after awhile, even the estranged relationship she has with her father was grinding on my nerves. Then we have everything go down fast with Zola figuring out who Fable is and kidnapping her, leaving us with a big cliffhanger for the second book, which i pray brings more action than this slice-of-pirate-life book.

This book really is just a chill book to read on a slow day. It's not a thrill ride, doesn't present much sea danger for the crew, hell they didn't even run into a famous storm they keep talking about. The seas are rough and storms are typical. I can tell the author did her homework on looking up dialogue and key terms about ships and their parts, so cudoos. Overall, not the best. I feel like the writing is regressing and this really read like a debut novel for sure. The storytelling isn't strong and leaves much to be desired. There's so much to expand or elaborate on, but I'm hoping that the second book brings more to light and helps push the narrative into a more adventurous light.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of "Fable" by Adrienne Young. I loved "Sky in the Deep," then was a little disappointed by "The Girl the Sea Gave Back." I knew that was an unplanned companion novel, so I had more hopes for "Fable," which is set up as a duology and would stand on its own. I'm happy to say that it came through. I really enjoyed the almost swashbuckling seafaring vibes, the magical gemstones, the complicated relationships, and the cut throat world. It was almost piratey without being stereotypical—it made up its own thing while still keeping that lawless, ocean sailing atmosphere that pirate stories give you. Seriously, the setting was its own character and one of the best parts. The romance wasn't quite as heart-wrenching as "Sky in the Deep," but I still really enjoyed it. I was gripped throughout and I'm so ready for the next book. I definitely recommend it!

This book was such a nice surprise!!

I love Pirates of the Caribbean but never once have I even picked up a book Pirate related at all.

I'm pretty glad that this was the first one!

This book was more than I expected it to be and I truly appreciate the way this world was written.

Fable is a teenager but she doesn't act it. She is wise beyond her years, and she had to be to survive this world that her father tossed her in. He abandoned her on an island that requires you to be tough or you will pay for it with your life.

She is very knowledgeable about ship life and she keeps her opinions to herself but she sees things no one wants her to. She is highly observant but will speak up when she needs to, even when she probably shouldn't, thinking it will help.

Her whole goal is to get back to her father, Saint, who is a well known and well feared man. She made a promise to him to never tell and she has kept it. She even lives by his rules and it has kept her going all these years.

I don't want to say much more because it would be spoilers but I recommend this to anyone! Seeing this world through her eyes is refreshing and exciting and has me wanting/needing more!

I received this ARC from Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.

Loved, loved, loved this book. I became familiar with this author in her debut book Sky in the Deep and been drawn to her ever since. This book did not disappoint and I can’t wait to continue this story in book two.

I loved Fable! Abandoned by her father at the age of 13 she has spent the last 4 years dredging for gems in order to survive. She’s shown courage and bravery in everything that came her way. I love strong female characters!

I haven’t read many pirate books so it was refreshing to read something a little different. This book is filled with excitement, romance, thrills and the drama of living at sea.

Wow! I was swept away and not returned until the last page. What a journey! I want more!! What happens now?!

A tale of pirates, merchants, and diving for treasure. This novel follows Fable as she tried to get off an island to reach her Father and get what was promised to her. ALong the way she will meet new friends and old enemies but will it be worth it?

This is Adrienne Young's third novel and its her best one so far. Her first two books were good but I feel that she learned alot along the way in terms of her writing. I love love this novel so much from start to end it had my attention. The continued secrets and just how smart Fable is in general, really made this novel enjoyable. It reminded me of The Pearl with the diving/dredging and I loved how much detail went into this novel.

This is a duology and the sequel. Namesake, Has a matching cover to this gorgeous one. I will be purchasing this novel on top of reading the arcs as I enjoy Adrienne's writing and this was honestly one of the best books I have read this year.

Fable by Adrienne Young
★★★★★

OH MY GOODNESS. It’s been a few days and I am still in the throws of a boom hangover from Fable. If you don’t know, I love Adrienne Young’s writing style. It’s lyrical, descriptive, and transportive. I felt like I was aboard the Marigold sailing through the Narrows.

If you love strong, female leads, you’ll love Fable. She tough as nails and never stops. Maybe even to a fault but I admired her for it. In a word ruled by men, she doesn’t quit and more than once puts them in their place. She knows her worth and won’t back down.

Plus look at this cover!! It is BREATHTAKING. I already preordered my physical copy because I loved it so much. You should too.

Fable out September 1st. Thank you @netgalley and @stmartianspress for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't even know where to begin to tell you about this amazing seafaring book about the hard core heroine. Fable had me sucked in quickly with a strong desire to keep reading to find out who this amazing redhead is who suddenly found herself sailing away with the gorgeous West and his crew who had some secrets of their own. Young has a gift for writing and her words poured out of the pages into my mind and her characters took up residence in my heart. I cannot wait for the next book in this series, which I have no doubt will become a favorite for me and for many.

I really enjoyed Fable as a whole. The story really sucks you in. Fable is just trying to find her way off of Jevel where she was abandoned and finds herself on a ship with a crew that's keeping secrets.

I really enjoyed all of the character dynamics and just really liked the crew. Their relationships felt true to the realities of their world. I really liked Fable and really understood her hopes and fears. I appreciated the setting of being out at sea and really makes me miss the ocean. The story was just well written and described.

The ending definitely surprised me and I'm really looking forward to the sequel. I hope we get to learn more the Gem traders and Holland.

Overall a great read if you love books set at sea with a dash of magical realism.

Looking for intense action and a story of a strong female pitted against the world? Look no further. Young has brilliantly created the story of Fable, a girl who is courageous, cunning, determined and beautiful. Her father abandoned her after her mother died, leaving her surrounded by thieves, amid the dregs of a starving island. Fable will not remain a victim of circumstance and fights to find her pirate father. To accomplish this, she must secure passage off the island and this involves using all her wiles.

This pirate adventure is filled with obstacles that seem almost insurmountable. But Fable cannot be deterred. She is unforgettable and vividly portrayed. The action races forward and will leave readers breathless as they turn the last page.

This was just ok to me. The setting and the main character were interesting. I didn't care about any of the other characters though and it made the story boring and bland to me. None of them had much of a personality. It seems to be a trend in recent fantasy for authors to pay more attention to plot rather than the characters, which isn't a bad thing if you like plot-driven stories, but I like character-driven stories. The writing was good and made the book easy to get through despite the issues I had with it. So if you're interested in the synopsis and want a fast-paced, plot-driven story, I recommend this.

The action of Fable starts right at the beginning of the book and the pace stays fast throughout the novel. The title character is a feisty, determine survivor who struggles through near impossible odds To take control of her future. There are villains, friends, foes, and ambiguity with them all. The world building and fantasy elements are slow to materialize, but are present. This book was ultimately an exciting oceanic adventure with some magical moments peeking through. The ending is a truly thrilling cliffhanger that will leave readers wanting more. Definitely a page turner. Highly enjoyable.

Absolutely divine!!!!

I refuse to reveal any spoilers, but consumers will want to get their hands on allllll the merch they can for this sure-to-be-favorite new series from an acclaimed author we adore!

Full reveal to come!

I was provided an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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"That bastard was leaving me again."
With the first line, I was interested. Take note of the author and it was done for.
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Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.
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Fable has an amazing group of characters and some of them very surprising. I was immediately curious about all of them, even the shady ones. The setting is explained in a manageable way to understand and it still surprises you. Some of it was predictable, but in the way that you hope it happens and the author doesn't throw a wrench in it. I felt empathy for a character that I initially had some harsh words for and that's good writing. When you can understand the reasoning and choices behind a character's decisions without knowing all the details, it has you invested. It ends with the perfect opening for the second book titled Namesake.

Thank you to Netgalley for the e-arc!
4.5 stars

FABLE introduces readers to a high-stakes world where everything depends on the sea. The secret daughter of a powerful trader, Fable has been scraping a living by diving for precious natural resources. When an opportunity presents itself to get off of the island of thieves, she desperately seizes it and meets a rather enigmatic ship crew led by the mysterious West. They set sail to find her father, but the journey won't be as straightforward as Fable had hoped.

I loved, loved, loved this book so much! I had no idea I needed a romance on the high seas, but this book was so much more. The worldbuilding was perfect, depicting a very cutthroat world where survival is difficult unless you're ruthless. Fable was also a very lovable character, a girl who wants to be kind in a world where that's discouraged. She was extremely capable, and didn't need others to rescue her. Her romance with West was an exquisitely written slow burn and I was definitely rooting for them the entire time.

The side characters could have been a bit more fleshed out, as they were introduced all at once and it was a bit confusing, but that's my only critique!

I'm eagerly awaiting the second book. (That cliffhanger was just plain rude)

Unfortunately, I didn't feel connected to the world or the characters in a way that I know Young is capable of (thanks to Sky in the Deep). We got the barest hints of a wider world, but not enough for it to feel real. And we don't get a lot of description because we spend most of the story on a ship, so Young doesn't get to flex in that regard either. The writing was strongest in the two cities, where we get to see Fable walk the streets (if only briefly).

And Fable spends so much time pointedly not thinking about things that have wounded her in the past and talking about how tough she's had to be, but when actually presented with challenges, she's very naive. I couldn't believe that this girl had so little street smarts despite the hard life she lived.

I feel like this book set us up very well for an exciting and action-packed sequel but we didn't really get much of either this time around.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for letting me read Fable early! I was able to jump on the opportunity to read/review Fable when Wednesday Books was doing that incredible Read Now deal on Netgalley earlier in the summer when they had like 5 amazing upcoming titles turned to Read Now and while I wasn’t the biggest fan of Sky in the Deep and I haven’t been able to finish the Girl the Sea Gave Back yet, I absolutely devoured Fable. It’s definitely my favorite Adrienne Young book by far!
Fable 5/5 Stars
Summary from Goodreads: As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive.
Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.
Oh man y’all, Fable broke me and then remade me and then broke me again with that ending. I absolutely LOVED everything about this book, from the characters to the plot to the setting. I freaking love books about the sea/merchants/pirates who aren’t really pirates. Fable was such a strong main character and the way she interacted with her father and West and the rest of West’s crew was great. I love the crew of the Marigold- West is incredible and I love him. Willa is so strong and I can’t wait to read more about her. I really liked Paj and Auster. Gah can the second book be out already??? The plot moved so fast (in the best way possible) and I had the hardest time putting this book down as soon as I got into it. Y’all should 100% pick it up- you won’t regret it! This is probably my favorite line in the whole book “‘I’m not saying I don’t want you to love him. I’m only saying that if you get him killed, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep myself from cutting your throat.’” (This is the last line of Chapter 38 in the e-ARC - I don’t know if it’s going to make it to the final copy of the book, but I reallllllyyyyy hope it does!)

I received a review copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It obviously needs a little bit of editing but that will come in the final copy.

I’ve come to really like Adrienne Young’s writing style from her books. She has a way of putting the picture in your mind, letting you feel the same weather elements that the character feels. I may have gotten a nice tan and a smattering of freckles from reading this book. It was a delight. You can tell a lot of research was done to really make this book pop.

My only qualm with it is that it didn’t really feel like much of a climax? I suppose this is less of an adventure novel with a huge fight or climax and more of characters exploring themselves and coming to terms with who they are and what they want. Which with that in mind, then this is a satisfying read. That cliff hanger ending though, that speaks to how I assume the sequel is going to be more adventure and I can’t wait to read it!

Superb storytelling! Young's writing style is dynamic and heartfelt in such a way that pulls you into the story. I'm very invested to see how the story continues in the sequel.