This book was amazing!! I‘m usually not a huge YA fan, but this sea-world fantasy just blew me away...I was hooked immediately, and 350+pages simply flew by.

Fable is a 17 year-old gem mage who, after she lost her mother in a shipwreck at 14, was left on an island of cutthroat dredgers (salvage divers) by her trader father to fend for herself. She survives for 4 years until she bargains for a voyage to her father‘s home on West‘s ship (a trader who has been purchasing her salvaged pyre). West‘s misfit crew takes her in after she proves herself and thus begins their adventures (including meeting up with her seemingly uncaring father, clashing with a truly evil villain and exploring Fable‘s gem mage abilities inherited from her mother). 

The world-building was spot-on, and the cast very well thought-out. This is the first of a duo, and I cannot wait for part two. Highly recommend. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress and  #WednesdayBooks for providing me the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Fable knows that in order to survive she needs to follow 5 simple rules: 

– 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.

After being left by her father on Jeval, an island filled with thieves, Fable needs to survive one way or another. It has been four years since her father abandoned her but she has a plan. 

Fable has been saving coins in order to leave the island and get what she’s owed, a place beside her father and his crew. But having a stash is dangerous in Jeval. Everyone’s looking out for themselves and would not hesitate to put a knife in your throat for a couple of coppers.

Fable needs three or four more weeks to have enough coin to barte rpassage out of Jeval. Unfortunately, people have been talking about the possible places where Fable could be hiding her coin.

When word got around, Fable was targeted and almost drowned. She barters passage to get off the island, losing all the coppers she saved.

Now Fable needs to earn coins fast to not show up empty handed when she sees her father again. Although it seems that coin isn’t what she needs to worry about.

THOUGHTS

Fable is about debts, riches and something more special than anything money can buy – family. It’s about relationships and the price you pay for them. About how people can grow to help each other and become something meaningful in life.

I loved how Adrienne wrote Fable’s character. She’s an excellent example of how it doesn’t matter how many times life knocks you down, you always need to pick yourself back up and try again.

Also, while you’re reading Fable, the writing is so descriptive that it makes you feel like it was you who was out at sea, diving deep or inside the ship.

The side characters are what sealed the deal in this amazing story. Their personalities and the way they connect and interact with Fable and each other are what truly enthralled me.

“I can’t decide if I like you or if I think you’re stupid.”

The cover is AWESOME! It was the first thing that really motivated me to request it in NetGalley and then I saw the reviews, which didn’t disappoint.

The only downside is that I need to wait almost a year for the next book. I can’t wait that long with that ending.

Overall, Fable is a really great start to this duology and I can’t wait to see what happens with these characters that stole a little piece of my heart. If you’re looking for a fast-paced story, filled with emotions and high seas adventures, you just found it.

The only issues I had were the politics, it felt disconnected, and not enough questions were answered by the end of the book.

I thought Fable was an interesting character. She works hard but she learns to take direction which is a rarity in YA. Usually the main character has a crappy attitude and knows more than everyone else in the room. I also liked the relationship with her father-it was very mysterious and I'm curious to see if develop further in book two.

I liked all the characters and how they contributed to the plot; I also liked the romance.

This was a very good pirate book full of colorful characters, action, and romance.

Fable by Adrienne Young was AMAZING. I loved every minute, every page. I LOVE books with a strong female heroine and she didn't disappoint. She’s fierce, assertive, a survivor, compassionate, and intelligent. I haven’t read many books that take place on ships and enjoyed all the detail Young put into the scenes on deck and Fable diving in the ocean. The imagery was amazing and I could imagine the sails, to the gems, to Fable’s hair. I appreciated the diversity in the crew, and their loyalty to West and each other. There was adventure, mystery, murder, deceit, villains, and a lil romance. I can't wait to read the next installation, Namesake, as Fable left off on a major cliffhanger. I need both physical copies of Fable and Namesake - they are SO beyond gorgeous🖤

I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! You can almost taste the salt of the sea, and there's just the right amount of adventure and intrigue. Leapt right over to the sequel!

This was a great pirate story, full of sea voyages, bartering, near-death experiences and sailing knowledge. I loved Fable and her wily, slick ways. She had to forage and find her own way and she was scrappy. The crew she stumbles on was good fun as well as we got to know them

This ends on a cliffhanger so I look forward to reading book 2.

Fable is more about love than adventures. It’s sweet and heartfelt but it lacked the drive I was hoping would color this book bright and agile, mixing the seemingly melancholic undertone. I wouldn't say it's a bad thing if you are in the mood for something slow and contemplative. The positive side of the story that it gives insight into the heart of our main character Fable. She is highly reliable and I could've easily imagined myself in her shoes.

Secondary characters were also very nice. The romance part was great, and I am for sure going down with this ship, but I wished the development of said romance was more slow, so the reader could feel it and soak it and invest in it. I wasn't 100% invested, though I still ship the couple as I was saying earlier. There was also a secondary couple which was maybe even more curious for me to read about. There was a long, old story behind the romance, and I would love to see more of it in the sequel.

Getting back to the plot, the story is about the 17-years old Fable, whose father dropped her on a small and unfriendly island to fend for herself for four long years. After that time Fable decided to get back to her father and ask for what is hers. She requests for help from mysterious West (I know right, it wouldn't be interesting if he wasn't mysterious, haha) and his crew. On their way, the whole crew will have to face danger but also their inner demons.

All said and done, I highly recommend Fable because it is an entertaining story written in a very beautiful language. It makes you relate with the characters and hope for a happy ending for all of them. Also, it's got quite a few curious villains, and I am looking forward to their stories in the next instalment!

I binged this book in a couple of days! Loved the pirates. I’ve never read anything by this author so it was wonderful to step into a new story.

If you want Mystery, intrigue, pirates, and bass ass females, this is the book for you!

Fable is a binge-worthy read filled with danger, heartache, and an extremely loveable heroine. I am obsessed with this book.

Adrienne Young has done it again. I am absolutely a fan of her writing and she has created another fascinating world that you can’t wait to know more about! The Narrows is a deadly place to live and Fable has done what she must to survive and find her way back to her Father. She is determined prove to him and herself that she can live a life at sea by his side.

When she’s forced to leave the island where she’s lived on her own for the past four years, Fable is sent on an adventure she couldn’t have expected, discovers what she’s willing to do for family and finds herself along the way. I fell in love with the Marigold crew and how much they care for each other especially in the cutthroat world of trading on the Narrows. This book had me from the first sentence to the last and I cannot wait to read the sequel!

I got an e-arc from NetGally and I am so happy that I was given this option to read it early. I absolutely adored this book and cannot wait tell I can get my hands on a physical copy to add to my shelves. I am super sad that I have to wait tell March for the next book in the duo-logy. I miss the world and characters already that I am ready to reread the book and I just finished that is how amazing this book is.

This book has it all, adventure, danger, love, family (new and old)... and of course a cliff hanger that makes you dying for the next book. The writing style is amazing, I was able to visualize the whole book as I read. Even after I finished the book I would catch myself going back to my favorite scenes and just reliving it over and over again; that's the kind of writing that puts authors on such a high pedestal for me.

Originally the cover of the book is what snagged my attention when I was scrolling threw Instagram one day. I'm pretty sure I saw the authors post about the books and she had both of the covers put together so you can see the whole face of Fable on the covers and I knew that I had to look into the book and I am so glad that I did. I have been on the hunt for amazing pirate stories because writing about the pirate life isn't for everyone but my god... Adrienne Young was able to pull it off.

This book is about a girl fighting for her life to get what she is owned back to her after four years of working her butt off to stay alive. Any twist that the sea monsters threw her way though she took it in strides and used them to make good opportunities for herself. I would say more but if I start talking about it I don't think I would be able to stop myself from spoiling something. With that being said I really urge everyone to read this amazing book! I have already recommended it to all of my friends.

Plot: 5 stars
Characters: 5 stars
Writing Style: 4 stars
Cover: 5 stars
Representation: 4 stars
Enjoyment: 4 stars
Overall: 4.5 stars

First things first: That is a *gorgeous* cover!

The book itself started out as a disappointment. I really enjoyed Sky in the Deep, and I was intrigued by the description. Also pirates. You really can't go wrong with pirates. For the first 30% of the book, however, Fable seems overly young and far too tough - enough that it wasn't very believable. I really considered DNFing.

However. I stuck it out and I'm so glad I did. I ended up giving this book 4.5 stars because, after that rocky start, I loved every minute of it.

There is more to the crew than at first it seems, more to Saint, more to Fable. The love story, when it came, was swoony. It was full of adventure and adrenaline and freedom. And risk and grudges and revenge.

I loved how Fable lived by her father's rules, and when she chose to break them. I loved her interactions with him, especially the last one. They have a complicated relationship and that really comes through. And I love how she felt her mother around her sometimes as if she wasn't truly gone.

I love her relationship to the crew of the Marigold too. They don't want her there at first, but they grow on each other and by the end seem to have adopted her into their little family. I definitely want to see more of their interactions in the next book.

And that ending! Needless to say, I'm eagerly anticipating the next book.

Honestly, I was on the fence about requesting this book from NetGalley, but after reading so many fantastic reviews, I decided to give it a try.  Now, I'm raring to get my hands on the second in the duology.

From the first page, your heart goes out to Fable.  She's literally abandoned on an island full of criminals by her father - it's a true sink or swim situation.  Over the course of two years, she struggles to survive and learns some hard lessons along the way.  Considering all she experiences, her trust issues are valid.  Without such a strong, independent, charismatic MC, I'm not sure this book would have gotten such stellar reviews, but for me, Fable and her quest made the story.  With much of the setting on the open sea, it receives bonus points.

Stakes are high, and Fable is in near constant danger.  When the crew of the Marigold reluctantly take her in, she discovers they harbor many secrets of their own.  After a rough getting-to-know-you period, trust and relationships form - I'm a sucker for found family stories.  And if anyone ever needed the support of a family, it's this group.  With the crew, West's and Willa's characters are well-developed, but the remaining three aren't as clear-cut and seem interchangeable.  The author could have more planned for them in the next book - I'm anxious to learn their stories.

If you're a fan of pirates, high seas adventure, closely-guarded secrets, and feisty main characters, I highly recommend Fable.  Now I need the second book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First off, Fable is a freaking page turner guys. I couldn't put this book down even if you paid me to. It was addictingly fun to read about and I definitely enjoyed Fable's journey. Now she's lives a dangerous life but has had one thing on her mind: a reunion with her dad.

If you've ever watched any of the Pirate of the Caribbean movies, you would know and love Jack freaking Sparrow. Fable kind of reminded me of him because she found a way to give off an island. I wouldn't call her a pirate but she definitely knows how to take care of herself with all these thieves around her.

Besides Fable, you meet the crew of the Marigold. Now I loved everything about this crew because they were one tight knit family. The only thing that they couldn't agree upon was having Fable on their ship but they had to accept her because she paid for her passage.

Now I didn't expect so many secrets to come out in this book. Which is probably why I devoured it so quickly. I honestly had so many questions about so many things that were said or done.. and now after that cliffhanger, I have even more.

Long story short, I'm dying for the next book. I need answers like SpongeBob needs Patrick.

This book gripped me from the very first chapter! I absolutely loved and flew through it. Fable is incredibly written and was just overall amazingly done. It was completely unpredictable, fast paced & engaging.




I loved the characters, especially the MC, Fable, who was a badass but also just felt so real and developed and grew amazingly throughout the book. I also really enjoyed Willa. She was sarcastic and didn’t take shit but also was super caring.

I enjoyed that we had some diverse characters mixed in. There was POC (hinted anyways) & LGBT+ rep in the book which is always nice. All the characters just felt well rounded & real.

The world building in this book was amazing. Young described the world so vividly that it made it so easy to imagine. The magic system is also very interesting and unique. I would love to learn more about what’s behind the magic, so fingers crossed we get that in book 2!

Overall I really enjoyed everything about this book and don’t have a negative point to give it! I can’t wait for book 2 which is set to release March 16th 2021. Also, can we just talk about how stunning the covers are for these books! Like damn. Usually I am not a fan of books with people on the cover but these are just amazing.

Review scheduled for 11th of August.

I binged this book in just a couple days. I couldn't put it down. Adrienne Young is a master of pirates. I adored the characters and it had the perfect amount of action that kept me turning the page into the wee hours of the night. I'm not one for the ocean but thus author makes me want to get a pair of sea legs. I can't wait for the sequel!

This book was okay, it had some really fun aspects but overall wasn’t something I needed to pick up, I was able to put it down and forget about it.

This book was fine. Perfectly, boringly, fine. Very little happens plot-wise to keep my interest, and the characters were so thin that I couldn't empathize with any of them. While I normally love pirate media enough to forgive nominally poor pacing and character development, I was just so bored with the nothingness of this story that I couldn't even distract myself with the set dressing. The story is thin, and the relationships are even thinner. 3 stars solely for the writing style, which I actually enjoyed.

3.9/5 ☆= 5-

After the death of her mother, Fable was abandoned on a dangerous island (Jeval) filled with malicious thieves by her father to fend for herself. The story follows Fable as she struggles on her journey to return to her father to claim her place at his side as one of his crew members. On the way, she meets menacing thieves and rivals, as well as the crew of the ship The Marigold, her only way off Jeval.

At first, I was incredibly excited to start reading FABLE. I mean, a feminist pirate story with ounces of angst and romance? What more can you ask for?

I found Fable to be an interesting and powerful character. She uses her wits to survive, as the harsh environments she grew up on has definitely taught her what it takes to live. She is determined as well as likable, and I found myself rooting for her most of the time. It's also quite amazing how she's able to see in saltwater. My eyes would burn as soon as it hit saltwater. And being able to see in the water. Wow.

Also, I loved how the story focused on Fable. There's often other ya that fall into the category where the romance plot is more favoured than the actual plot and development of characters. In Fable, however, we follow our main character on her journey to find her place in the world.

Moreover, some of the supporting cast definitely found a way to my heart. Willa and the complex character Saint really shone out to me. They had many layers and their personalities were among my favourites. I appreciated their connections and interactions with Fable the most, as I found them quite enthralling. Most of all, I love interesting dynamics. And that's exactly what Willa and Saint handed to me. The kind-of-friendship development between Willa and Fable, as well as the strained relationship between Saint and Fable.

Unfortunately, some of the other side characters were doomed to be forgettable for me. Sorry to the other crew members of the Marigold that I can't remember the name of right now. Furthermore, let's talk a bit about West. He seemed like an interesting character, as he had his own ambition as well as need to protect others. To be honest, yeah - I liked West. However, I felt like the romance between him and Fable was a bit...underdeveloped. They didn't really have many conversations and I just felt their romantic scenes kinda came out of nowhere. Nevertheless, the romance didn't play such a big part in the book, so it's alright. I did swoon while reading some romance scenes, but in an afterthought, I realised the romantic relation lacked...something.

Additionally, the plot was a bit thin. It was all just about Fable trying to get to her father. Of course, there were action scenes on the way across the Narrows. But it all seemed very short. Also, the worldbuilding was a bit lacking. I found it hard to imagine how the Narrows was and how it all worked together. But hey, maybe it's just me being stupid.

Obviously, there's a sequel. But I really hoped the book was a bit longer. And I also found the plot quite predictable? I just, I wasn't really surprised when things happened. Not really. But I enjoyed it otherwise.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this book. It was fast-paced, intriguing, and - dare I say - fun! To me, it was a relatively quick read, which I liked. Of course, there were some things I would like to see improved, but there were still a lot of good things about FABLE. Agh, I can't wait to read the sequel!

Over and out. -Nora <3 (less)

4.25/5 stars This was the type of pirate book I've been looking for. I loved the characters and I really enjoyed the plot. It was fast paced and riveting, and I couldn't put it down. While the plot was simplistic, it just felt like a fun, pirate adventure story, and it was really great. The writing is good and I really enjoyed my time reading it. I can't wait for the sequel because this ended on a cliffhanger and I am desperate to know what happens next! I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a fast paced book to get out of a reading slump, or to just have some fun. If you liked Sky in the Deep, you will like this other book by Adrienne Young. I have been putting off The Girl the Sea Gave Back for unknown reasons, but now I can't wait to pick it up the first chance I get!

Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for my digital copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Obviously I was drawn to this book because of the cover. You can look at this girl's face and tell that she has been on an adventure... it may not always be a good one but she DOES have one heck of an adventure. Fable's father abandoned her when her mother died, saying that she was not built for his world. That world, by the way, was one at sea full of danger and crime. So he left her on an island to fend for herself...and she DID...becoming a much stronger, independent woman than she might have been otherwise. I always say I like to see growth in the characters but WOW...There is action from the very beginning but her entire goal is to get off that island no matter what she has to do and make it back to her father so show that she IS capable of living that life. But so much more happens in the book...obviously, there is adventure, but you also get friendship and love. It has everything I could possibly want in a pirate book :)