I loved everything about this book. It has high stakes fantasy, pirates, strong characters, and found family. I cannot wait to read the sequel!

A swashbuckling fun read. Fable has a famous father, but they don't talk about it or advertise it in public. It's a well kept secret. But Fable bears a grudge. Her super famous piratey father didn't have to strand her on an island full of cut-throat villains. He just leaves her there to fend for herself. So Fable carves out a meager living for herself and saves everything to buy her way off the island. One day, things go a little south and she needs to get off the island sooner rather than later. A ship's captain takes pity on her. West saves her life and smuggles her off the island. And thus, their adventures begin.
What I love: everyone is concealing a past and relationship ties, all the secrets are juicy, there's a smoldering romance going on (well, at least two romances) and pirates. Who doesn't love pirates? The best thing about pirates is we all know they are ruthless and untrustworthy, but we trust anyways. Read on to see if who Fable puts her trust in pays off... or if it doesn't.

I buddy read this book with some friends, and unfortunately I didn’t love this book as much as I’d hoped. This book is mainly character driven; it’s about a girl and her relationship with her father and her search to find him, along with the friends she makes along the way. That’s fine and everything, but to be a character driven book you need to feel connected to the characters. Sadly, I did not. In this world it’s dangerous to let others know what you care about and who you are. As a result, I didn’t feel close to any of them. How can you feel close to characters who don’t really reveal anything about themselves? The romance element was fine, a bit out of nowhere, but fine. If you like the found family trope though, you’d probably enjoy this a lot.

On to the world building, which wasn’t bad. It felt really bleak and dark and all I can say is I’m glad I don’t live there. I definitely wasn’t meant for this world (ha inside joke). Sailing was a prevalent part of this book. Along with a lot of confusing sailing terms. The sailing scenes probably didn’t have as much of an impact on me as a result because I just couldn’t picture it. I was pulled out of the story with all this technical sailing jargon. And there was this one scene in particular that left me very unimpressed, but I can't give it away without spoilers. It was very anticlimactic.

The ending was very satisfying, though I thought it would go in a similar but different direction. It ends on a cliffhanger is all I can tell you. Fable was good, just not a new favorite.

Started this book and then had to put it down because life got insane. But when I finally picked it back up again, I finished it in a day. I loved and devoured Sky in the Deep in pretty much the same way. It was a quick, fun, and enjoyable read and I'm really excited to read the sequel!

I absolutely LOVED this book! The characters, the world, the… everything! Adrienne Young is definitely a talented author!

I had a great time reading Fable! I immediately felt sympathetic for the main character and was rooting for her. I was excited to see what would happen once Fable reunited with her father.

Fable has a very tenuous relationship with her father. After an accident at sea, where she loses her mother, Fable's father abandons her on an island of thieves. He leaves her only with a list of rules, her wit, and a cut on her arm to survive. Determined to make him answer for his betrayal and to take her place at his side, Fable painstakingly saves money for years to buy her passage off the island and follows her father’s rules to stay alive.

I really loved reading about Fable's stay on the island, how she had to keep watching her back, and retelling past experiences. I wouldn’t have minded getting to read more of her time on the island. It was so intense during her time on the island while we waited for her to make it. So many things could’ve gone wrong!

Of course, the fun didn’t stop there. We also had all the adventures with West and the crew once Fable finally managed to get off the island. I loved the relationship between the crew members and the bonds. It reminded me a little of Six of Crows. The mystery of what the crew was up to was also nice and kind of ironic.

As for the plot, I enjoyed it. We had the angle with Fable's father as the main driving force in the beginning. Though, when things don’t quite work out the way she expects, the story shifts to the crew and Fable's relationship to West. I really enjoyed both and it felt like the story flowed well.

On the romance angle, I thought things evolved really well. Although I have to say that for some reason West came off as so much older to me. He seemed more like a father/protective figure in the beginning so it threw me for a loop when I realized he was actually closer to Fable's age and was a love interest. Other than that, it was very good.

The ending left me desperately needing the next book! I seriously need to know what’s going to happen to Fable and the crew, and I’m wondering if her father will come help (although part of me doubts it). Fable was a fast paced, fun pirate YA that I’d recommend for fans of young adult. I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next and Namesake!

Truly loved this book, the MC had me from the very first I page. Young's writing had me with the great narration, character development and setting.

I've seen absolutely nothing but good review for Adrienne Young's Fable, and I certainly agree that the book is good. The storyline is very nice - not in the way that it's happy and joyful, but it's a solid storyline. A girl with a dead mother and a father who left her behind - orphaned by all intents and purposes - ready to be reunited with her patriarch. It's full of feminist themes and strong-willed women. By all accounts it should be perfect, and again, it is a good book. But here's my problem, the story is strong but then decides it needs there to be a romance between the main character and the main male character.

I wouldn't ever say that love in and of itself is unnecessary. I in fact have a tattoo that says "love is all you need." But this book was set up to be a duology... there's more time for there to be a romance in book two. It felt unnecessary in the context of book one to push the romantic edge at the end of the book. It honestly took away from the rest of the book because it made Fable seem like she wasn't able to take care of herself.


"Home was a ship that was at the bottom of the sea, where my mother's bones lay sleeping."



I swear it sounds like I'm discounting the need for friendships and relying on others, but that's not the point. There's so much feminism in this story, but then the main character becomes a damsel in distress? It just doesn't make sense. And again, this story could've ended without the romance and it could've been added into book two. I enjoyed the slow burn of the romance, and something actually happening in the end of the book made it seem like overkill. I don't know, but it really changed how I felt about the entire book and left me annoyed.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for having this book in the read now section so I could read it. I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book is good and about 85% into the book I started to see what all the hype was about because I became invested in it and wanted to know what would happen to the characters. It reminded me of Victoria Aveyard books with the amount of detail in it (but at times I also felt like the author might have gotten bogged down in the details. Maybe that all changed in the corrected proof, but there was a lot of misplaced details or forgotten ones like the poison from the coral making her sick except it never did. Unless she got scraped by coral too many times she was suddenly immune to it and unaware of it?)
Clearly the bad guy made such an impression on me that I finished reading the book and the only thing I remembered is that it started with a Z:p
West and Fable are so cute together and I wished they got together sooner than they did, but there were reasons for it I'm sure.
I'll keep this review short if you want the full one you can read it on my blog https://bookgirlreviewsbooks.blogspot.com/2021/08/fable-by-adrienne-young.html (warning: half the review is questions.)
This is a book that I will definitely consider rereading down the line. I'm just not to sure if I should read Namesake (for those who have what do you think?)
I would recommend this book for those who love fantasy and seafaring adventures.
4 out of 5 stars.

DNF - Did not finish. I decided not to keep reading this title because I did not connect with the writing or plot. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for the early copy!

A perfect seafaring adventure, Adrienne Young’s Fable is masterfully crafted with an excellent cast of characters, high-stakes plot and one of the most compelling worlds I’ve read about in a long time.

I’m truly in awe of this book. I didn’t feel it as much with Sky in the Deep, but I now see why people see Adrienne Young’s books are hard to put down. Once I got into Fable, it grabbed me and wouldn’t let go.

The world is probably the best thing about this book. Don’t get me wrong, I adored the characters, but I could read about this world and all its smallest details forever. At the start of reading this book, I wasn’t sure how I was going to rate it. That quickly changed though, the further into Fable I got; the world Young created easily pushed this into 5 star territory, where without it, I might have only rated this 4 or 4.5 stars. I was already a fan of pirates and pirate-related books before reading this one, but Fable has renewed that interest more than I ever expected it to! If you think you’ve read about an atmospheric world before, think again.

I loved the cast of characters Adrienne Young gave us. The protagonist, also named Fable, is a survivor through and through. After being abandoned on an island by her father at the age of fourteen, Fable’s a little rough around the edges but she has such heart; it was so easy to root for her and her story will likely stay with me for a long time.

The Marigold’s crew is comprised of West, Willa, Hamish, Paj and Auster. I adored them all. Young did an amazing job of making it truly seem like they’d known each other for years, and slowly peeled back the layers of their characters so we get to know more about them as the plot progresses, always leaving us wanting more.

West made for a great love interest for Fable. Like Fable, and due to the rules of their harsh world, he’s reserved and unwilling to trust others. I find Adrienne Young’s romances to move a little too quickly for my taste; there’s never quite enough slow burn or build up. That being said, I loved Fable and West as characters and the idea of them being together that I didn’t care as much as I did with Sky in the Deep, enjoying the few romantic scenes they got together towards the end of the book and cheering them on inside.

The plot isn’t as fast-paced as you might expect going into Fable, but it certainly doesn’t drag or feel slow whilst you’re reading. The book does end on a cliffhanger – and one I wasn’t expecting! – so I cannot wait to read Namesake when my copy finally arrives.

Overall, Fable is a tour de force. This book has a great re-readability factor, and I’d happily read more about the smallest of details in this world. I can’t wait to continue this series with Namesake, and I will eagerly read any of Adrienne Young’s future releases.

This book had me hooked from the start. Interesting, engaging characters and writing that kept me wanting to read. Hard to put down once you get started with it.

OMG I loved this book from the very first chapter!! Young has written some amazing stories and I am glad that I can now add this one to the list. This was an amazing dangerous tale about one girls journey to finding family. I loved the light fantasy and romance and can not wait to read book two as well as the companion novel.

The characters in this one leap off the page as you read this tale and I would love to have companion novels about each one of them! You just can't help falling in love with each of the characters in this story. They dig into your heart and just won't let go.

The pacing of this story was perfect. It weaved a tale that you won't forget. It was simple but dark and just draws you in. The world building was wonderful and I just don't want this one to end.



Go Into This One Knowing: Light Romance, Light Fantasy, Cliffhanger

This book was phenomenal! Firstly the cover is stunning.
We had great adventure, romance and love interest. Fable was incredibly well written and unpredictable. I really loved our main character, she was adventurous and I can’t wait to read the second book!

Ahhh I actually really liked this! I wasn't the biggest fan of Sky in the Deep, so I went into this hopeful but wary, but I really enjoyed it.

First off, this is a really speedy book, so it was perfect for me right now. I've been having trouble focusing on reading lately, but this book made it so easy to keep on reading! It was full of action (yet was easy to still follow and didn't dominate the whole book), and it was just a perfect balance of characters, plot, and description.

One of my favorite aspects of this book has to be the writing, at least the descriptive aspect of it. The scene that Young was trying to paint was always so clear in my head, and I felt like I was on the ship with Fable, or diving beneath the waves with her. I loved how the ocean was wrapped into every part of this story, and how its beauty (and danger) were described throughout the book. It felt like a perfect summer book for this reason, and was a perfect little getaway to crystal clear skies and endless, blue seas (maybe minus the pirates and scheming, of course).

I also really liked that this book actually went hard on the ocean/ship/trading/pirate stuff too. A lot of times those parts of pirate/sea trading stories are glossed over, and the story might as well take place on land with how much of ship life is actually described. But Young makes a clear distinction between the times they're sailing and when they're docked, and you can feel the difference in how things are described and the things the characters focus on. We get to see crazy boat maneuvers, watch the characters fight their way through deadly storms, and feel the sea breeze in the quiet moments. It was just really well done.

I also was overall quite invested in the story itself, and am curious to see where it goes next. The world was just big enough for it to feel like there's more going on, without feeling like too much for such a short book. There was intrigue, politics (amongst traders and guilds), a lot of plot and secrets, and a bit of romance. And while I didn't necessarily feel like this book needed a romance, it wasn't bad, to be honest. It's just not why I cared for this book at all, and I would've felt the same without it being there.

Anyways, this has made me excited to try more books by Young, and I can't wait to see what happens in Namesake!

<i>Thanks to Netgalley for an e-arc of this book. Full disclosure - I also have the hardcover and Kindle copy as well because I just love the author that much.</i>

Ok. First things out of the way - I love this author. I first read <u>Sky in the Deep</u> and was sucked into that world. Same goes with the kinda sequel and I thought this would be the same. I would be sucked into a world with amazing characters and plot and I would continue loving the author. Sadly, I was not and I DNFed the book. It is not the author's fault. For, in reading this book, I figured out something that is life changing. Well, maybe not life changing, but it will help me trying to figure out if I want to read books or not in the future.

I do not like pirate stories. Or mermaid stories. Or possibly any stories that have sea voyage in them. You think I would have realized this at an early age after being forced to read Moby Dick but I didn't. So, while I will continue to love the author, I won't be attempting to force myself through this book. I can't wait to see where she takes us next!

I didn’t know I needed a pirate book in my life, but this taught me otherwise. I enjoyed this first book more than the others by the author by far. Fable has been left by her father to fend for herself and finally earns enough to pay her way to get off the island. She has so much to prove, until she realizes that the one person she wants to prove herself to will never be concerned with her. So she determines she has nothing to prove to anyone but herself. And oh how the story unfolds. I just can’t wait for the next book. Namesake, here I come.

Another great story from Adrienne Young! Loved the world building, character development, strong heroine, and adventure of this! Excited for the sequel.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

*Thank you to the publisher for this eARC. My views and opinions are my own*

I am ashamed to say this… but Fable was an ARC review from last summer. What is even sadder is that I love this author so why did I wait so long?

It’s called mood reading. Which doesn’t mix well with arcs.

Not going to lie. At first, this book was slowwwww for me. I actually did read a few chapters last year and just couldn’t get into it. Fast forward to this summer and I finally have it another go.

It still was a bit meh for me until about halfway through. After that point, I really didn’t want to stop reading. The characters abs story got my attention.

Fable is a strong MC that we get to see grow into her own with the help of some pirates. Honestly, I love the crew of The Marigold. Willa could be the best of friends. And don’t even get me started with West. SWOON. Blonde broken boy with green eyes and I’m going to fall head over heels.

I think there was a great balance between world-building and character development. Sometimes too much detail can be a bore. I understand why the first of the book was sort of slow. So if you also feel this way just keep pressing through. Unless you don’t.

I do think I will end up loving the second book more even though in the end I rated this one so high.

A fun seafaring adventure story for anyone yearning for life on the high seas! Young has an excellent writing style that breathes life into this world of pirates and port cities teeming with riches. I appreciated the way the characters in this book actually had to be more than a little ruthless to survive, although I didn't quite connect with them as much as I would've liked. I enjoyed the fraught relationship that Fable has with Saint, in particular, although I'm not very compelled by her romance with West.

That being said, this story ends on quite the cliffhanger. I do look forward to reading book 2.