Star Rating: 4.25

I am still absolutely over the moon that I got to read this early. Fable was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I'm so happy to not have been disappointed!

Fable is a new world from the author, and leagues above her previous book in terms of cohesive pacing and storytelling. The Narrows are a dangerous, gritty world that was wonderful to sink into, a place where survival of the fittest truly reigns. Nothing is free. Everything is earned through blood, sweat, and the tears you cannot show. I would say a good comparison would be if Tricia Levenseller's Daughter of the Pirate King duology and the Grishaverse's Ketterdam had a love child, that is what the world in Fable is!

Fable herself is a wonderfully human blend of someone who hardened to survive in her world, but protects the soft parts still in her heart, even if she sometimes laments them. But her rough edges are not a facade; they are not a mask. She carries her strength even as her past and her grief and her disappointments gnaw at her. It is a conscious choice, and the duality of character was greatly appreciated in her and in many of the supporting characters!

I will warn that you should be prepared to widen your vocabulary with this read! The lexicon used for seafaring and sailing goes far beyond what is typically used in YA. This is not your typical Captain, Bow, Stern type of sailing, but very specific and technical to the types of boats and sailing used through the book. While it was originally confusing, you did get used to it as you dive in further!

Those who have read the author's previous books will also be happy for the environmental connection and focus. The weather and sea are very much prominent players in the book, giving the whole atmosphere an extra oomph and each moment more prominence.

After the first couple chapters, I was fully immersed in Fable and not only am I excited for it's release into the world, but for its sequel, Namesake!

I have been an Adrienne Young fan for a bit, and Fable is another solid book on her roster. While the characters weren't my favorite, Fable herself least among them, the adventure and worldbuilding were nicely done. I'm a bit peeved that its a cliffhanger ending.

As I said, the characters are the weakest part. Fable never felt three-dimensional to me, and West wasn't much better. Willa was the flippin best. That being said, Fable was *good enough,* but Sky in the Deep had such a good protagonist, this was a bit of a let down.

The adventure, as benefits a pirate story, zips along. Sometimes a little too fast for me, but the action scenes were all so well written, I'll forgive the pacing. The worldbuilding was well done as well. I hope the finished book has a map...that would help, but even without it, the waters and cities of the world Young creates are richly imagined.

Ooooh, the blurb hooked me and I had to read it ASAP! Breathtaking adventure, engaging romantic arc, and well-paced. Looking forward to recommend this!

I kept seeing this cover floating around and yes it a very stunning cover. Especially with that ship floating in her eye. What sold it is the reading the author did on instagram of chapter one. A tease that sold it, in fact i sent in an email that day asking for a advanced reader copy. Now this does not come out tell September so i knew i be waiting a while when low and behold it drops on Netgalley as a read now. I snatched it up right then. I read this book in two days probably would of been one day but life happens.

The main tag line that stands out through the whole novel is a line from Fable Farther that echoes around her. “Fable you were not meant for this world”. That statement can simply mean he wants more his daughter then being on a ship her whole life as you read you see this statement unfold in so many levels. Fable is a Gem Sage something that is in her blood, something she is born with, and something that can mean so much for her future if her cards are played right.

Fable was left by her Farther with a promise to survive and come find him and he give what is hers. What she thinks and what she gets when she comes back to him are two different things. Along the way she might just find love and a family.

If you love descriptive books, details about places you may never see with your own eyes, and a slow burn romance then this book might just fill the bill. Adrienne Young makes this book the perfect escape from reality as long you like water, ships and some magic hidden in a girl who lost her mother and was abandoned by her farther. I loved every minute of the adventure and think you will to. Pick up Fable in September and it sequel Namesake next year in March. Enjoy the ride.

Arghh, this was so good!! I love Young's writing, it's so evocative without being flowery. Her sparse writing and airtight plotting hurtle you through this book at break-neck speed. I couldn't put it down. The world was gritty and savage full of vicious, unscrupulous characters. (Some scenes were downright Dickensian - so vivid!)

Fable is a great character: tenacious and clever and loyal; I especially love the tender places she carves out in her heart and how ferociously she protects them.

My only complaint/regret is that I've read the book this early and now have to wait until next March for the sequel.

*This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion. However, I fully intend on ordering a finished copy as soon as they become available if only to communicate to Ms. Young, in the most important of ways ($$), that I'm a big fan of what she's putting out in the universe and encourage her to keep them coming.

It's been a while since I've read a book in 24 hrs. I got hooked from the description! Fable is a SURVIVOR with a capital S! Using her wits and sheer will she overcomes so much to get what she wants. Despite it being hard to accept I understand why Saint did what he did. I was fascinated with her ability to free dive. The amazing things she must see as explored the coral reefs. By the end, I felt like Fable had come to terms with it as well. The story is very well written with great characters to support Fable on her journey. I knew as I got closer to the end that I'd be left biting my nails for the next book! I look forward to finding out more about Isolde and where the story will lead for all the crew of the Marigold. I highly recommend this story for lovers of sea adventures.

Mild to moderate violence and adult situations.

Recommended for ages 15 and up.

She was taught just five rules of survival by her father.
(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 a truth.
(5) Never, under any circumstances, reveal what or who matters to you.

She lived by those rules...until she didn't.

This is an epic journey of a young woman, Fable, who overcame incredible odds to discover that she preferred to make her own rules to live by. The journey is set against a background involving piracy, scheming, and feuds amongst groups all just looking out for themselves in a world that does not reward kindness or love. In fact, love and family are weapons to be used against you. But for Fable, a sense of family is all she has been searching for since abandoned by her father years before.

The story is masterfully written to draw the reader into the world to the point that the reader can feel all of the emotions of the characters. I found myself on edge many times while reading this...waiting with barely a breath to see how the situations would resolve. With that said - I guess I will be holding my breath quite a while waiting for the next installment of this as the cliffhanger at the end is practically heart stopping.

There were portions of the story that were slower than others, but I found those portions absolutely necessary to paint the full picture of the world in which the story takes place. I did not feel like any parts of the story were needless fluff or wasted words.

I cannot wait to see how Adrienne Young follows this one up and where Fable's story will lead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Fable!!! This book releases on September 1, 2020. Okay first off can we talk about this authors book covers?!? She has the most stunning book covers I’ve ever seen! I am absolutely obsessed!

Second, I’m not gonna lie. I’ve read 1 other book by Adrienne Young and I wasn’t obsessed. So when I saw this one my initial feels were hesitant. But after reading the description and seeing that cover I was beyond excited to read this one y’all!

Third, let’s get to the good stuff now. Honestly, I wasn’t hooked from page one. This book took me a good 40-50% in before becoming hooked. The author had to do a bit of world & character building but once this was established things started to get good (yay!). These characters were giving me total pirate vibes even tho they weren’t called pirates. The world ended up being so fun!! There were ships, open sea, different cities/islands, the different guilds/guild masters, bits of action, back story & love. Everything ended up flowing really well and just over all very well written. I was definitely feeling for Fable throughout the book, she had a rough run at first. And although some bits were predictable I thoroughly enjoyed this read and I can’t wait to read the 2nd book....talk about cliffhanger ending!! Ahh...I have to see how Fables story ends. All in all if the description interest you then I don’t think you can go wrong with this read. 😁

Fable was my first book by Adrienne Young. I had heard about her other two books, but they did not catch my attention as this one did. I love books set on the ocean or the coast, so I decided to give this one a try.
Overall, it was a story that I did enjoy and would recommend. But, at times, it reminded me of why I am sometimes sceptical about YA books. They are fun but rarely satisfying. I adored the setting, and the atmosphere described made you feel like you were at sea. It was fast-paced and action-packed. My main issues were that I found the characters simple, and did not see any build-up tension towards the romance.
Surprisingly, I loved the abrupt ending, and am already looking forward to the sequel.

Warning: cliffhanger.

I am willing to read any book that Adrienne Young puts out and I am not disappointed by this offering except for having to wait for the second book! I enjoyed the story and characters, but felt there was a lack of world building.
I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Gah! I loved this even more than the author’s previous books. Which I didn’t think was possible.

Kind of unique, lots of fun, I look forward to the rest of Fable’s tale.

I loved this. Adrienne writes with such immediacy and the world-building was vibrant and atmospheric. I was immediately hooked and devoured this story in a day. It was one of those books that when I wasn't reading it, I was looking forward to reading it. FABLE was quick-moving, vast, and completely immersive, just like the sea itself. Highly recommend this one.

This adventure took off right at the start. It is so fast paced and the pacing maintains throughout. I loved the world, the sea setting, and being able to figure out the little gems of mystery one piece at a time. I can't wait until the finished copy comes out so I can add this beautiful cover to my collection!

I think this book has pulled me out of my emotional reading slump? It’s been months since I’ve truly and wholly loved a book, but I was so invested and so intrigued with this world and these characters. I love Fable as our protagonist, and the way she interacted with the motivations of everyone else.

Sometimes there was too much description of action without much insight into what our main character was thinking, but it wasn’t frequent and I was never confused (once I figured out the vocabulary at least).(But I actually loved that the narration didn’t spell everything out and left the words to implications and context.)

I definitely recommend this one if you love pirate or ship stories. Or stories that appreciate the ocean. I cannot wait for the next book!

I cannot get enough of this book. I have been a fan of the author since Sky in the Deep released. This is a close second. The master storytelling and weaving of so many elements was just well done. If has such a long drawn romance that isn't the center of the story instead you can just know it. I cannot wait to see what happens in the second book. It cannot come soon enough!

My feelings on this book took more twists and turns than the poor main characters life. The first line had me ready for drama and then I slowly started to get discouraged with all the sailing terminology. World building is important though and as everyone in this world so far is dependent on sea trade it’s just something to work through. I had pondered just stopping at the 25% mark but pushed through because I know from Adrienne’s other books she likes to flesh the world out before you really get into the thick of things. There was representation and none of it was used to push the story so that was really nice. I had a small fear halfway through insta-love was going to happen and I always cringe when that happens but it’s so typical in ya you just have to brace for impact like you’re about to hit a reef. I was pleasantly surprised that wasn’t the case. As the book drew to a close knowing that it’s a duology there was going to be a cliff hanger so I mentally tried to prepare myself. I did not prepare myself to the point I should have. Equal parts predictable and out of nowhere shocking. I was a little disappointed about the predictable part just because there are a lot of characters that a true blind side could have happened but I’m excited to see how Fable’s story ends. I will be adding a physical copy to my shelves when this is released and will now count the days until book 2.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for my Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

My oh my! Now this is a story that dug itself into me and wouldn’t let go!

This has been a book I’ve been anticipating all year! It was even better than I hoped! It’s got action, adventure, love, lost, feelings of hopelessness, but most of all it has hope. The story hooks you from the very beginning with the world building, characters and writing.

Adrienne held nothing back in this one. Fable is our MC abandoned by her father on a cut throat island at a young age. Fable is told if she makes it off the island and back to her father she will be given what’s hers. Along the way she meets a small crew who are not at all what they seem. But they’ve saved her life so who really cares right?

This epic adventure had me feeling every emotion. I haven’t cried reading a book since Allegiant...it’s been a while. But with everything Fable comes to face she always has hope. She’s a strong written female character that we can all look up too. It’s so hard in YA not to have a MC be whiny in some way, Fable finally broke this mold for YA female characters. She never once annoyed me by whinnying, she dealt with every blow that came at her. She had her big girl panties on and pulled up. But every emotion she went through and dealt with in this story, it was so easy to get lost and feel everything she did.

Adrienne wove a beautiful adventure I’m so glad to have read, the adventure was amazing and I CANT wait for Namesake!

Fable is a Jevali dredger, a diver off the coast of Jeval, the island of thieves on the edges of The Narrows, a dangerous stretch of sea rife with traders and privateers alike. Fables’ secret gift for sensing the presence of gemstones has been a boon to her profession in a world where it’s every person for themselves and she’s so close to being able to buy her way off of this hellish island that’s she’s been stuck on since she was 12 years old. She can practically feel what it will be like to confront the man who dropped her there in the first place, the infamous trader, Saint, and take her place amongst his crew where she belongs–after all, he is her father.

However, on day while on a dive things quickly go awry and with death close on her heels, she flees toward the very trader whose gold has filled her cache with coins. After giving him everything she has in exchange for passage, Helmsman West of the Marigold reluctantly agrees to take her to her destination. However, once they are out to sea, the very place she feels like she belongs, Fable starts to note some strange things about the crew itself. What did she get herself into?
Fable is jam-packed with action, high-seas adventure, and a healthy dose of romance. Every character is well-written, the scenes are well-set, and everything comes together so beautifully. I had a very hard time putting this book down once I got started and I loved every second of it. It never slowed down for me. I have always loved stories of privateers and pirates, especially those set in a Caribbean-type space and this checked all of my boxes. Young is an amazing author and I cannot wait for the sequel. I really hope we get closer to the gem-trading city of Bastian and learn more about Fable’s mother’s past and about Fable’s gift. What really happened when the Lark wrecked when she was a child? I feel like there is way more to this tale and I will wait with baited breath.

Oh wow. This book was so good. I just flew through it and finished it in less than twenty-four hours. It did take me a few chapters to really get into the story, but once the plot was really moving and I became more familiar with Fable, the main character, I could not stop reading.

The world-building is done very well and I loved the overall mood of this book; I appreciated that Young obviously put a lot of effort into researching ships and sailing. I really liked Fable. She was definitely my favorite character and I felt very sympathetic towards her throughout the entire story. I found Saint to be a super interesting character as well, because he was super complex. I did not really feel attached to the other members of the crew, however. I liked them, though not as much as I did Fable, and I wish their pasts were explored further.

I admit that I was not particularly into the romance—I thought they were cute and I liked them but they didn’t have as much chemistry as I would have liked.

But nonetheless, I absolutely can’t wait for the sequel—the ending just left me on the edge of my chair. I will most definitely be picking up a final copy of this book.

This seriously is Adrienne Young's best work. I fell in love with her storytelling in Sky in the Deep, and watched her characters grow in The Girl the Sea Gave Back. But now with Fable, she has effortlessly pieced together what's great about her first works to write a beautiful story.

Young is able to paint a beautiful backdrop for the lives of these sailors, and you can't help but be pulled under in the tide of her writing. With a diverse cast of characters, and a slow burn romance that will make anyone swoon, Fable will be sure to leave your lungs burning, waiting for the next breath of salty air that is Namesake.