Thank you NetGally and Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Release date Sep 1st, 2020! (Swipe for synopsis)
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Read. This. Book. Oh my gosh! 5/5 stars! ⭐️ Full disclosure, I have a soft spot for all things pirates & mermaids. So it is no surprise that I fell head first into this story. Fable as a main character is so fun to follow. She is flawed, kind, determined, and gets shit done! We stan!
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This book has one of the most epic kiss scenes I have read in a long time. Like, upside down Spider-Man & Mary-Jane iconic! I can’t wait to see how angsty the sequel is...
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Speaking of sequels... I need it!! Namesake isn’t projected to come out until March of 2021... don’t mind me while I die a little on the inside. Thank you Adrienne Young for writing one of my top five favorite books of 2020.
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This was such a happy surprise of a book for me! I absolutely loved it.

Things I Liked:
♥ The atmosphere of this book was incredible. I feel like I could picture every unruly nail, every scratched plank of wood, every errant cobblestone.
♥ I loved all of the side characters SO much. They were well fleshed out and practically jumped off the page.
♥ The world building was great. I had a really good grasp of the traders and how everyone worked together.
♥ This book was really well paced and flew by.
♥ The ending!!! I love a cliffhanger, and this was a great one.
♥ Fable was a really strong MC. She had a perfect mix of strength and vulnerability, she didn’t try to be likeable, and I loved her.

Things I Disliked:
♡ I like West a lot, but I wish I’d connected to him more. He definitely felt the flattest of all of the characters but I did find his chemistry with the others was pretty good.
♡ I think there could have been more build up for the romance. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t feel it until it actually happened. I like a little bit of yearning.
♡ For a fantasy, there wasn’t a lot of magic in this book. There were hints towards someone with a magical power, but we didn’t see much of that in this book. Honestly, I don’t think the story suffered for it, but it’s not what I’d expect from a fantasy.

I am absolutely dying for book two. This was SUCH a good little book. I’ll definitely be picking up more of Adrienne Young’s books.

Content Warnings: Mutilation, slavery/servitude, violence, murder, poverty.

Truly exemplary storytelling at work here. I went in to Fable never having read any of Adrienne Young's previous books and knowing only vaguely what this one was about and any expectations I had were totally blown away. Despite being literally dropped in to the story and an unfamiliar world, I was immediately drawn in to the world-building and the character of Fable. I was tense basically the whole way through navigating this treacherous path with her and then that ending!! I could not request the sequel fast enough. This is going to the top of my booktalk list for schools and the top of my favorite books of the year list.

I'm so glad I gave this book a shot! It went REALLY quickly for me, sped by honestly, but I was happy to be along for the ride throughout.

Four years ago, Fable's father left her on an island to scavenge for her life after her mother's ship sinks. Her father is a feared and respected pirate, and no one can know their connection. She struggles dredging the coves for anything of value with thieving eyes on her constantly. When she finally escapes, it's on a ship with a crew that wants nothing to do with her. She has to make her way to her father without getting caught out as anything more than a harmless dredger.

This book does something vital: it delivers on piracy. Think of this book as the Black Sails of pirate YA books. Short of a pirate ship cannon battle, it gives you everything else you might be looking for in a pirate book that others tend to ignore. Pirate islands where the folk all scam each other? Check. Trading posts where you can trade less than legal items for gems? Check. Raging storms and.... actual ship maneuvering??? in a pirate book??? Yup.

I think I'm rating it so highly because of that, but I will be honest about some issues. There are some issues with prose, moments where lines are repeated but it feels almost like there's no actual emotion there, like the author thinks it will mean something in that moment but it just doesn't connect. This happens most often before we learn the full story about Fable's mother, and lines are repeated to emphasize things, but we don't have the full story so it's just like "please reader, be sad about sad mom until I tell you more". It's a personal preference, really, I just didn't like how much some line repetition seemed to be like "this should make you feel something, it's dramatic" and then just close the chapter off.

The romance is nice, a little out of nowhere and kind of like a heel-turn, but I wasn't angry about it. West is sweet, and respectful, and I will always simp for men doing the bare minimum.

My favorite part of the book is what we learn about Fable that I won't write out for spoilers. I like the idea of it, and I like the idea of where I thiiiiink book two will go (especially from the cover). It has me hoping that Netgalley will grant my wish to read it so I can know before March.

Read if: you want a pirate book with pining, a main character who is uniquely talented and has reasons for her development. Has a cliffhanger ending, but the book's arc is wrapped up.

There are so many things I loved about this book. Starting with the cover. Adrienne Young has always had beautiful covers but this one has to be my favorite.
Once you get past that you are greeted with an intense story that keeps you captivated until the end. I loved how fast paced the story was and how the writing was so easy to get into when you would pick it back up again.
The story itself is an interesting tale of vengeance and courage.

The only thing I didn't enjoy was near the end. It felt rushed and seemed to skip ahead faster than I would have liked especially when I knew there was a second story coming.

Overall fable is a great story around love, family and those we choose over blood. I highly recommend it.

Once again Adrienne Young amazes me with one of her books!
Sky in The Deep was one of my favorite books of 2019, so I was really excited waiting for Fable and I am happy to say it did not disappoint me.

This book is the beginning of a duology, and we follow the main character Fable, who after losing her mother in a storm at sea, is abandoned by her father on an island of pirates and criminals. For four years, she will have to endure very hard times on the island of Jeval learning to fend for herself, until she can raise enough money to buy passage on board of the Marigold. There she meets West, the young captain of the ship and his crew. Fable want to find her father, who is now a powerful trader, and demand him retribution for abandoning her.

I had an instant connection to this story thanks to the setting and the protagonist. Fable is a strong girl, determined and willing to fight for her goals. Since her father abandoned her, she had to face constant danger from the criminals of the island where the rules are to survive at all costs. She is the kind of female main character I like to read the most in books. She is defiant and determined, but we can also see all the insecurities and fears that torment her, and how despite the pain suffered, she has a generous heart wich long for a place where to belong.

The characters are well built, they have clear motivations and moral values that guide their actions. They all have been through rough situations and are struggling to remain standing in a world rule by cruelty. Throughout the book we will see how the relationship between them develops, how they gain mutual trust and end up forming a great friendship. I love these kinds of dynamics where the characters find a “family”, it was something that is also present in Sky in The Deep, and it is one of the reasons why I like Adrienne Young's writing style so much.

The setting is amazing and really well ejecuted, with precise and beautiful descriptions. I love stories of pirates, ships, and the sea, and this book felt like experiencing every adventure first hand.

As for the plot, this is not a novel that focuses on epic action moments and that worked for me. The first half of the book is more calm and centers on introducing basic aspects, but in the second half the greatest conflicts begin and many truths are discovered. I could enjoy the pace of the story because it was exactly what I was looking for: a story with good characters, settings and adventures that did not require me to learn about a complex world.

I recommend this book for those who want to enjoy an easy-to-read story that makes you feel engaged and part of a pirate crew.

Thank to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for a digital arc of this book!

I would give this more than 5 stars if I could! #fable is a remarkable fantasy with a fully formed world dependent on the sea and ships and the people who inhabit this world are full of secrets and rules and an as-yet-unknown backstory (some of which is revealed along the way). It is also a love story of multiple types—for the lifestyle, for other people, for the past. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series! Thank you to #netgalley, the publisher and the author for this ebook to read and review ahead of publication.

I absolutely loved this book! The beginning was a bit slow, but it really picked up and I enjoyed the characters. There was a lot of action, but the relationships between the characters was also important. There was a great cliffhanger at the end, and I can't wait to read the next to see how it ends!

As much as I loved the writing style, the plot did not feel as compelling to me as I hoped. I was really excited about this book not only for it's title, but the nautical premise. I love books that take place on Island/marine settings, but this just did not seem to hit for me. Altogether, it felt a bit average to me

Rating: 3.5 stars

This was a short and sweet adventure novel on the high seas, would recommend for fans of Pirates of the Caribbean. I really enjoyed the writing and the characters that Young developed in such a short time. While the story was enjoyable the storyline was very similar to others so it made it easy to predict how the book would progress. The book does end of a cliffhanger so I hope to see some unexpected twists and turns in the sequel!

First, can we just talk about how BEAUTIFUL that cover is? The detail is awesome with the ship being reflected in her eyes!

I read Adrienne Young's book Sky in the Deep back when it first came out and loved it quite a bit because it was so atmospheric and it seemed like Young did some research to make it really seem like you were immersed in Vikings and their culture. Because of that, I was not surprised at all to find that Fable was every bit as atmospheric, although with pirates and the open ocean instead of Vikings. This world is full of danger, and I could really feel that through the page.

Because of how dangerous this world is, Fable lives by the 5 rules that her father taught her:
•Keep your knife where you can reach it.
•Never, ever owe anyone anything.
•Nothing is free.
•Always construct a lie from a truth.
•Never, under any circumstances, reveal what or who matters to you.

I adored Fable herself, she had so much strength and courage! Her father left her on an island alone after their ship sank in a storm, and told her that if she could find him again he would give her what she was owed. She survived for 4 years on that island just barely scraping by. I also really loved the crew she escapes with, even though parts of their characters are still a mystery and you can never quite tell what they are thinking or planning. There is also LGBT+ rep, which was nice to see.

I also appreciated Fable's relationship with her father, although I do wish we could see his motivations for abandoning her on that island. However, that may end up being answered in the sequel, as this is the first book in a duology. I'm also hoping for more clarification on the relationship between Fable, her mother and father, and Zola, because clearly there is something else going on there. I'm also curious about how the whole gem sage thing works and how that will come into play with the next book!

Finally, I want to talk a bit about my main con for this book: the romance. It felt a bit like it came out of nowhere because the love interest didn't seem to have much interest in Fable for the majority of the book. I can't talk too much about the relationship without giving away some spoilers, but it was hard to see where the relationship ended and the 'important cargo' thing started.

This was such a page turner, I couldn't stop reading and I only put the book down once to sleep. This was exactly what I was expecting from this book, and I'm excited both for the second book and I'm also excited to read the only other book by this author that I haven't read yet, The Girl the Sea Gave Back!

*This review is based on an uncorrected proof copy provided by the publisher.*

4.5/5 stars

Fable is a dredger—a diver who searches for precious stones in the sea—on an island full of thieves. All she wants is to escape Jeval and return to the open seas, preferably crewing on her father’s ship. After a storm wrecked her former ship and killed all but three of the crew, Fable was left on Jeval to find her own way. But when she makes an enemy of the wrong people, she has to run for her life. The Marigold is the only ship she trusts, but she isn’t certain she belongs. When the captain, West, agrees to take her from the island, an adventure begins that Fable could have never dreamed of.

Adrienne Young takes readers to a new world in the first novel of a new duology. Fable introduces us to a daring, desperate diver on the hunt for a place to belong, stuck in a cutthroat society with no friendly faces. The islands, ocean, and greater politics of the world are well-drawn, without feeling unnatural or cumbersome. The sea is treated as something both wonderful and dangerous, which both provides and destroys livelihoods. The story is rooted in reality, with a few small exceptions, and feels gritty and raw in the invention of its environment.

The character of Fable is strong, willful, and a little melancholic. She carries the reader along with her, imbuing the story with her love of the ocean, her desire for family, and her will to survive. Her voice was strong and consistent in a way that anchors the reader.

The crew of the Marigold is well-executed and felt unique from the beginning. Each character has their own quirks and personality, and none of them felt recycled or underdeveloped. West, the enigmatic captain, is mysterious and unfalteringly kind, even as he tries to harden himself. Willa, the only other woman on the crew, is feisty and protective. There is a queer couple on the ship, bringing natural, sweet representation. The only crew member we don’t know much about is Hamish, the coin master.

Young brings an exciting, swashbuckling adventure to the YA scene with her newest duology. The quick pace, snappy dialogue, and near-constant action makes for a fun, high-octane read with heart. Readers will also be excited to learn that the second book, Namesake, releases just six months after the first.

Recommend to anyone who loves Pirates of the Caribbean or any other high seas adventure!

Loved this! The storyline picks up quickly and continues at a fast past throughout. There is mystery and intrigue to keep you reading The settings were dynamic, the plotline was appealing and the writing was great!. I think reads will enjoy the strong female character. I wish a few of the secondary characters were a bit more developed and I felt the love story was predictable but enjoyable and YA readers will love it.
I would recommend this book can't wait to read the next and look forward to checking out more Adrienne Young books.

This was a fun, emotionally charged and action packed story. I was totally ensnared by this world, that did remind me a little of the movie Waterworld - which I loved! Fables journey as a totally independent young women, who must fight to survive for every minute she’s alive, while surrounded by basically pirates is awesome!

I loved so much about this world. The concepts of dredging and her relationship with gems was so special and beautiful, which was a nice contrast to the dangerous life above water. How it felt like the 1600’s with all the sailing, but also kinda like a post-apocalypse or alternate world, with just a little bit of magic or specialness sprinkled in. Her path of when to or whether to trust others felt real given the circumstances. And that ending...wow- I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for the second half of this duology now!

Thank you to Netgallery and St. Martins Press for an eGallery of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book a lot! I had my doubts because I’ve liked book from Adrienne but DNF’ed another. So I was hoping that I would really like the book and wow! One of my favorite books of this year! That ending was intense! I just thought this book had me hooked from start to finish! I didn’t want to put it down! Highly recommend it!

Adrienne Young has hit this one out of the park - yet again.

That bastard left me again.

It is one the best opening lines I’ve read in a long time. This book exceeded all my expectations. It has an amazing lead female character and truly a plot line that will have you speed reading to find out what happens next. This story takes place on the open sea and visits the chain of islands surrounding it. It has a mix between pirates and old century trading. Fable is the most persist character I’ve read in a while when fighting for what she wants. This storyline has many aspects that fit all readers, action, adventure, love, betrayal and perseverance. Please order this you won’t be disappointed

Your Review
Laura
Laura rated it it was amazing
12 days ago
Loved this! The story line picks up quickly and continues at a fast past throughout. Couldn’t wait to find out what would happen to Fable through it all and now I want the second book ASAP! Read full review


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44012880-fable

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A captivating story about a young girl abandoned on an island by her own father after a narrow escape from the sea storm that took her mother’s life. Forced to survive on her own, Fable becomes a dredger, diving the reef to chisel precious elements for trade. Fable seizes and opportunity to escape her dangerous life on the island and makes it aboard a ship with a skeleton crew.
There is just enough mystery and intrigue to keep you flipping pages. The dynamic settings were so vivid... from the high seas, to the overrun port cities full of unsavoury characters. The plot line will appeal to our young adult readers-
good pace and they will connect with the strong female character.
Cons: Secondary characters were not as expertly developed, abrupt ending and predictable love story. However, it checks so many other boxes, I would recommend it!

I just loved Fable’s story! She is such a wonderful character - I wanted to kick people’s asses on her behalf most of the time but I admire her determination and strength! And West... le sigh.
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I don’t even know how I’m functioning right now with not having book 2 to read. Yes these covers are gorgeous but the story inside is just amazing and I highly recommend you preorder this one now! I did!

*I received an ARC for this. All views and thoughts are my own*

OMG. Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher!! This book was AMAZING. I couldn't put it down. Adrienne Young has a way with words that makes you completely visualize everything, and you can taste the saltwater in your mouth. I can't wait until this book gets out there for everyone to devour. This book has it all: action, romance, morally gray characters, and "traders" (basically pirates!)

This was my top read so far this year. And now comes the painful wait for the next book!!!