Thank you Wednesday Books, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion:

'The Last Legacy' is a story of family--and it is incredibly layered, exploring how we define family, what we do for family, how our families use and abuse and yet still love us, and how we choose who to be within our family (or maybe despite our family). Bryn believes she knows what it means to be a Roth. And she wants to be a Roth! She desires connection, purpose, a chance to prove herself and claim her stake in the family business. But she ultimately discovers that one's idea of something is not always a reflection of the reality of that same thing--and choice is everything.

Where be the sea?! Considering this novel takes place in the same universe as 'Fable' and 'Namesake', I was just a teency bit shocked that absolutely no part of this story takes place on the water. Characters definitely discuss the business of trade and ships and so forth, but this entire story arc takes place on land, specifically in Bastian, with the Roth family--both of which/whom were fully introduced in 'Namesake'. That said, one could definitely read 'The Last Legacy' without reading either of Adrienne Young's previous Narrows based novels...though I might still argue against doing so because: A) 'Fable' and 'Namesake' are simply fabulous! and B) key pieces of the plot in 'The Last Legacy' are the direct result of events that take place in the first two books--so (for me at least) it felt easier to immerse myself in the latter, given the knowledge already held from the former.

I love the momentum of Adrienne's novels! The action just rolls on through, with nary a pause--and yet every moment ultimately contributes and adds layer upon layer until you are presented with an incredibly nuanced portrait of family that is arguably as character driven as action-driven, while still masquerading as a battle of wits and manipulation in a quest for greater power and legitimacy (which it still kind of is too). The Roth family is just SO complex though. Henrik particularly contains multitudes and while part of me is desperate for a proper glimpse inside his brain, another part of me is terrified to brave such a twisted psychology. I mean, seriously: If you thought Saint made for complicated daddy issues? Henrik makes him look like Mickey Mouse.

Also: Someone needs to explain the concept of 'Stand-Alone' novel to Ms. Young. Because this? This is clearly just breadcrumbs leading off into the forest...with who knows what waiting at the end, but definitely not a sense of closure! What is next for Bryn? for Ezra? for Murrow? What about all those little dangly threads involving Henrik and maybe more Roths on the horizon? Inquiring minds need to know! (This is a HUGE hint, hint, nudge, nudge for both Author AND Publisher, by the way.)

Ultimately: 4.5 Stars from me! Absolutely recommend!

Adrienne Young has become an auto-buy author for me; her stories are enthralling, rich in detail, and paced perfectly. I'd love to take her books and make a fantasy class where we read all of them and study character arcs and plot development--I think they're perfect for that. The Last Legacy is no different; I love that we get introduced to new characters while still being in the Fable world. It really is such a treat. The Roths were so intriguing to me in the Fable and Namesake world that I JUMPED on this chance to get more of an in-depth view of them. The forbidden love side of this plot gives it a sweet spot that I think a lot of my students would connect with and enjoy. Bryn is a powerhouse and I was rooting for her from the very beginning. All around, this book is fantastic and anybody who was in love with FABLE will love this one just the same.

She did it! it finally happened! Adrienne Young's books always have such a rich atmosphere that they're addicting to read. In the past, though, I've found their plots to be a bit lacking or the pacing to be off, and I just didn't love them. The Last Legacy, however, finally hit the jackpot! Set in the same world as Fable, this book follows 18 year old Bryn Roth, who is required to return from overseas to join her notorious crime family, The Roths. This story takes place in the seaport town of Bastian, which I really loved (and it totally reminded me of Ketterdam). The story focuses on Bryn as she learns more about her family's schemes and dynamics, and tries to establish a place for herself amongst them.

There's a forbidden romance teased in the blurb, which I definitely wish had been developed more. On that note, I do wish there was more character development as well. Our protagonist does grow into her own more throughout the book, but with a large array of family members also present, I wish we had seen growth from at least a few of them, instead of them remaining static characters. Finally, I wish there had been backstory!!! With many characters being what I would call morally grey, I would've loved to know what drives them, and how they got to that point. Also, the Roths are a crime family... it feels like it's not self explanatory how a family becomes such a thing, and I think more backstory on this would have been very beneficial (and intriguing).

Lastly, Ezra needed more lines in my opinion. I feel like the author barely scratched the surface with him, and he definitely had the potential to be the most complex character in the book. I personally would really enjoy an Ezra prequel spin off book.

The Last Legacy is a masterfully written chess-game that will leave readers cheering for Bryn as she comes to terms with her past in order to forge her future.

Set in the same world as Fable, Young treats readers to another infamous family trading in the Narrows -- the Roth's. A true coming of age story, Bryn must decide where she fits within her outlaw family -- and quickly! When Bryn realizes she's more than a pretty chess piece, she takes her fate into her own hands and must decide if blood is the only tie that binds.

I loved getting back into the world of The Unnamed Sea, but instead of being in the Narrows, we are in Bastian, the most influential city in the Unnamed Sea.
We learn about Bryn, and the family she is born into, the Roth's.
We meet Ezra, the very skilled silversmith who works for Bryn's uncle Henrik, the head of the Roth family.
It had been long enough since I'd read Fable that I needing some reminders about the guild and the merchant's rings, but once I was up to speed I really enjoyed this book.

* I was given a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Every time I pick up a book written by Adrienne Young I am transported to another place and time. I just love getting lost in her writing! She has such a talent in world building. This book was so good and I enjoyed seeing behind the scenes of the Roth family.

Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

As the companion novel to Fable and Namesake, I definitely liked this one more. This novel follows the Roth family (Auster's family, producing false gems, helped take down Holland in exchange for a guild ring). Bryn Roth has lived outside of Bastian and been raised by her great aunt in a proper society. The deal was that on her eighteenth birthday, she would return to Bastian and work with the Roth family.

Returning to her uncle Henrik, her ultimate goal is to create her stake in the family by bringing in coin. Initially, she is considered an outsider and her two other uncles and the silversmith do not trust her or want anything to do with her. The only person who seems to be kind to her and on her side is her cousin, Murrow.

As Bryn tries to make a stake in her family, she realizes that her uncle has different plans for her. He intends to use her to gain another ring that would allow him to trade outside of the Narows. He needs her help to teach the family how to be proper gentleman of society in order to procure a patronage from one of the guild members. He also plans to marry her off in another attempt to secure his patronage. The more Bryn helps her uncle in his scheme to secure a ring, the more she realizes that her goals may not align with his. She does not like being used as a pawn. With the help of the brooding and confusing silversmith, Bryn must decide if she really wants to be a part of the Roth legacy, or create her own.

This book read a lot more quickly for me. I enjoyed the various plot lines. It does remind me a little of Namesake in that there is a lot of deception and different plays at hand. I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book more because of the set up in Namesake, but I feel like this is a worthy companion novel and a worthy read.

I loved both Fable and Namesake so it was a no-brainer for me to want to revisit this world again. True to Adrienne Young's style, this story takes a while to develop. Though the author has already has the world building established in her previous duology, she still takes the time to put more in this book, which I appreciate. I have to say, Ezra is my fave character and while I love the mystery that revolves around him, I do wish we would've learned more about him as a character. All in all a solid good read, but it lacks the wow factor that I found in her previous Sky in the Deep, and the slow satisfaction in Fable/Namesake. I will still recommend this to students as I know they would love to read the nearest installment in Young's newest universe.

Another satisfying story about falling in love and making your own destiny from Adrienne Young.

All in all, this offered the hallmarks of Young’s work. A fierce heroine, a swoon worthy love interest, a fascinating world, and lots of plots twists along the way. After loving Sky in the Deep and Fable so much, I think I wanted a little more from this book. At time it felt a little thinner, or sparser than I’ve come to expect with this author. The world felt a little less clear and atmospheric and quite a few beats covered similar emotions. All in all, I enjoyed this story, but it definitely felt more like a debut, than the fifth offering from a bestselling author.

Last Legacy follows Bryn Roth, a young woman who was kept sheltered from her family legacy.. only to be summoned to take her place when she turns 18.

A family she's fantasized about being a part of turns out to be much more sinister and ruthless than she ever imagined.

I adored this story, it was perfect and for me- Adrienne Young gets better with every book. I didn't expect the love story, and though it was one, it was much, much more. Its all about a woman finding her place in the world. She's trying to balance following her heart, while honoring her family's expectations. Except that her family may not have her best interests in mind after all.

A story that revisits the world of Fable and Namesake. Bryn has grown up with her Aunt, away from the rest of her family. She has never felt that she belongs and when she receives a letter from her Uncle asking her to come home she hopes she is about to take the place she was always meant to have. She soon finds that home is more of a feeling than a place and the one who makes her feel at home is forbidden to her. This story is about finding your place in the world and who you are meant to be in it.

This book was interesting, but compared to Fable and Namesake, it was a let-down. Maybe it's because the Fable books felt so action-packed, but this book felt slow and uneventful in comparison.

The characters in this book are what really shined. Bryn was a strong and intelligent main character. Watching Bryn learn how to navigate her family and try to out-wit other characters made for an interesting story. But where there was a lot of scheming happening in the book, I felt like there was very little actual action.

Ezra and Henrik made interesting characters, as well. Ezra was just mysterious enough that it kept me reading to learn more about him. Henrik was mysterious in his own way, where it was hard to anticipate his reactions to things. I felt like Bryn in the book, where I kept hoping to see a good guy under the ruthlessness.

As always, the Fable universe is a fascinating one, and it was great to get another book in the universe. But, I wish we had gotten to see more locations in this book, as it felt like most of the plot of the book took place in one particular location in Bastian. It seems a shame that such a beautiful universe was created but that the readers don't get to see much of it.

I'll just start of my saying that although this is a standalone and doesn't require you to have read the Fable duology, I would strongly recommend doing so before picking The Last Legacy up. All the worldbuilding that takes place in Fable and Namesake is lacking here in my opinion and not having read the Fable duology I think I would have been a bit confused about the structure of the world and trading system that are such a big part of these novels. Also the Roth family are first introduced in Namesake so having read it prior to The Last Legacy adds some much needed context to their current situation upon the opening of The Last Legacy and their "business".

I do think that Adrienne Young is a talented writer and I very much enjoyed her writing in The Last Legacy as well as being back in the Fable world. That is, however, where my enjoyment ended. For such a short novel that is also a standalone I would this to be extremely slow and dull, most of the entertainment for me was in the last 15-20% of the book. I also noticed some commonalities between The Last Legacy and Fable in terms of how the story progressed and the romance. Adrienne Young seems to write her romances the same way - the characters don't have any obvious interest in having any semblance of a relationship for a good chunk of the book to being so in love that they would do anything including sacrifice their wellbeing. Where in Fable this worked because there was a minor backstory between love interests and higher stakes, here I just couldn't buy it. There wasn't enough written on the page to justify such a major shift in emotional feelings, the romance was sorely lacking.

A character I really enjoyed, even upon meeting him in Namesake, was Ezra. I was really excited to get the opportunity to learn more about him as he is a character that is dark and mysterious (my favourite) . Unfortunately he remains a mystery because not enough was revealed about him to leave me satisfied, although I am still curious about him if he were to appear in a future novel.

Perhaps if The Last Legacy was longer, had more cohesive pacing throughout and explored character development and relationships I would have been able to enjoy it. In the end it was a disappointment especially when compared to its predecessors, Fable and Namesake, that take place in the same world.

The Last Legacy was a nice standalone novel that expanded on a family that left a lot of interest after Fable. The story was a nice, quick, easy read and very enjoyable. It lacked the spark that Fable had but this book is worth the read to return back to the world of Fable.

I have loved all of Young’s book (Fable, Namesake, Sky in the Deep) and this was is no exception. This story takes place in the same world as Fable, but the time period after Namesake with all new characters (for the most part). I love how Young creates characters that you both love and hate. Bryn has been destined to be a Roth for her entire life, and it was not until her 18th birthday that she found out what that entailed. As she joins her notable family, she must make a choice, to stay true to her family or true to herself. Such a beautiful story that I hope is not over!!

Set in the same world as the Fable series, this standalone novel explores the merchant side of things while following the notorious Roth family.

When Bryn turns eighteen she is sent to live with her Uncle in Bastian where she is meant to take her place in the Roth family. Bryn is eager to earn her place, but little does she know the her Uncle has plans for her fate. As Bryn learns the lengths that her Uncle will go to gain what he desires she has to decide how much she wants to be apart of this family and what she will do to make her own path.

Bryn was a bit naïve in the beginning, but as the book progresses she grows stronger and learns to fight for what she wants. The romance had a bit of a slow burn, while the characters were attracted to one another in the beginning, it took a while for things to develop between Ezra and Bryn.

This was a quick read that was filled with adventure and betrayal. A fun and enjoyable read.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I was given an advanced copy of this book by the publisher in return for an honest review.

I have loved every one of Adrienne Young's books so far, and this one is no exception. Taking place in the same world as Fable, we follow Bryn as she rejoins the Roth family after being raised away from them for safety. She has to find a way to earn her way into the family and their trust, which proves to not only be harder, but much different than she anticipated.

This book did not have as much action as the Fable books, but it was no less entertaining. I really liked Bryn's character and I liked getting to know the Roth family a lot more after hearing so much about them in Namesake. I was happy to see Ezra in this book again and see his character development. I really love how Adrienne blends good and bad in these books. I feel like the trials and tribulations that the characters have had to overcome are not only original, but more reality based, and truly traumatic, which makes their redemption and bids for freedom so much more meaningful. There were times that I did find the book a little slow, and I still prefer the Fable series, I did really enjoy this :)

The Last Legacy was a great story! The main character Bryn is faced with a family with a shady background. She must decide if she will accept this fate for her own or right her own destiny. I was brought quickly into Bryn’s world. My only complaint was how quickly it ended! I hope her story will continue in a sequel!

Wow!!!!!!! I love this pirate world that Adrienne Young has created. I also love that she is doing duologies/stand alone novels. I have the worst memory and have a hard time investing in new series I can’t read all at once because I have to reread every time a new book comes out.

Anyways I am obsessed with the themes of this one. The concept of being about to take the reigns and control your own destiny hits hard. So happy I got a chance to review this one.

This book was a slow burn for me. I struggled (like, REALLY struggled) with the pacing until about the halfway mark, at which point I finally felt sufficiently invested and interested in the characters to keep chugging without checking Olympics news every seven minutes.

My issues with TLL boil down to this: I read Fable less than two weeks ago. Why does that matter? In my view Bryn is basically Fable, just swapped at birth into an entirely different family and set of circumstances. The characters, in many ways, are indistinguishable: fiercely independent young women with absent parents who form tenuous alliances with unsavory characters, and are forced to scheme to change their financial and material status. Don't get me wrong, I like all of these elements in a young adult fantasy, but this felt formulaic so close on the heels of Fable. Personality-wise, there is little to differentiate Bryn from Fable. And if I'm going to read what feels like an alternative reality version of something I just read, I'd prefer the pacing/excitement/high seas pirate-y adventure/more believable romance of Fable. Also, something about the timeline of the Last Legacy felt confusing and off to me (I'd be giving away some spoilers if I elaborated on this, so I won't).

Were I better able to overlook the obvious similarities between Bryn and Fable, I think I would have appreciated much of The Last Legacy: the scheming, the character development, the slow-burn romance (which is not often my thing, but this was better than some). And in general, I enjoy Young's descriptive writing, albeit less so when it's applied to clothing/proper table manners/food. 3 stars for me, but I think anyone who loved Fable/Namesake will appreciate this one.