Member Reviews
First off, thank you to Wednesday Books, Adrienne Young, and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read Fable early. I'm incredibly grateful.
Secondly, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ENDING?!
Honestly, I kept scrolling to the next pages because there was no way Young would've done us dirty like that, but she did. Alas, I'm adding her to my list of cliffhanger queens like Leigh Bardugo and Sarah J. Maas.
From the beginning Fable captured my attention and I found myself dreading when I would have to stop reading (thus led to many late nights). I'm such a sucker for a band of misfits coming together to form. a family. Add that on top of a pirate-esque backdrop and you have me completely sold.
The story begins when Fable is abandoned on Jeval by her father and notorious trader, Saint. Before leaving her behind, he cuts into her arm leaving behind a scar that stretches from her elbow until her wrist (that comes into play later). During the four years on Jeval, Fable is left to fend for herself and try to survive on her own. In order to do that, Fable dives for gems and sells them to West, a helmsman for a small ship.
Fable eventually saves enough money to buy passage from West to find her father and to take back what she is owed. Along the way she has to prove herself to West's crew and gain their trust (or they'll probably throw her over the boat). On top of that she has to navigate her growing feelings for West while hiding her biggest secret - that she is Saint's daughter.
This book had everything from complex side characters - truly loved every character (even Saint). I'm excited to see what's in store for everyone in the sequel.
There’s no animals or moral story in this fable. Fable is actually the name of the main character. 4 years ago, her mother died and her father carved his knife in her arm and left her on an island. Fable is determined to get off the island and get back to her father and demand what he promised her. But the world she lives in is dangerous and love might be the most deadly thing of all.
A fast, compelling sail of a read with complex characters and fantastic world-building. Readers will definitely want to post passage on Fable’s next adventure.
It’s the perfect read for fans of DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING by Tricia Levenseller.
I had low expectations because I didn't enjoy Sky In the Deep, but Fable WOWed me. Young's writing has grown a lot; what was once a weed is now a flower. The story was great but sometimes predictable. The world building and character development were fantastic. Still overly dedescriptive at parts but it didn't drag down the pace that much. I must read book 2, especially after that cliffhanger!! A solid 4 stars and a favorite of the year.
Thank you to #netgalley for providing a copy to review.
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I think I physically ached when I finished this book. Each bit of personal information revealed about the characters had you putting the pieces together just as vehemently as the protagonist. While the author perfectly crafted the plot revealing key timelines, there is still so much left unsaid that I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book in the series to come out.
Fable completely captured my attention as one of the best protagonists I have come across this year. Each characters’ intricacies are spun to have the audience intrigued at every point of dialogue and introduction.
Once again, Adrienne Young strikes hard. If you thought nothing could top Sky In The Deep, think again! It’s no secret that I’ve been in love with her stories since Sky In The Deep, and this book is only there to prove me right. Fable is a young adult fantasy duology that is about to rock your boat.
What is Fable about? The story is about a girl, Fable, who was left stranded on an island by her own father, a powerful trader. The island is full of thieves, and morality and compassion are words that bear no meaning there. To free herself from the island and find her father, she enlists the help of West, a young trader, who also has secrets of his own. In her quest, she may find her father, but she will certainly meet his enemies.
Gaaah! Where do I start? I read this book in less than a day. This is a fast-paced story, a book close to impossible to put down. The author definitely has her ways with words. She gives us just the right amount of information. There are so many foes, opportunities, and mysteries, that guessing the ending is truly hard, but it is also nothing short of spectacular. I want to read the next book so badly now. :)
The world-building is well done. I could easily project myself in these places. The characters are also well crafted. Fable is a fierce protagonist with hopes and dreams. Life hardened her and she doesn’t back out when things get hard. She is relatable, which made me root for her since the very first pages. West is also an interesting character whose heart is too big for his own good. The crew is simply amazing. I loved every single one of the characters.
What I really enjoyed in this book is how strongly I felt for the characters. I could feel the tension seeping out of the pages as the stakes increased. I rooted for all of them, and I can’t wait to dive into the next book. I might have a major book hangover after this series. I highly recommend - This is one of Adrienne Young’s best work.
Fable tells the story of Fable, a girl who's been abandoned by her father in an island full of thieves and she makes tradings and diving hunts for a living. Four years later she embarks on a journey to search for his father aboard the Marigold, a trader ship full of misfits.
The book would've worked better as a larger book rather than a duology cause not much is going on and the author keeps on dragging on the plot with huge chapters of pretty much nothing. The characters end up being flat and the romance is unnecesary and out of the blue (sure, the characters have known each other for over two years but they really don't know a thing about them until they get stuck together on the Marigold). I'm not a big fan of romance but I do like it if it's logical and has a slow burn. This wasn't the case.
The plot itself is rather slow although it becames quick and enjoyable once you dive in the story halfway through. I know Adrienne is a popular author on bookstagram but this is my first time reading her books and I don't know if it makes a good impression for me to keep reading her stories.
I also got to point out that the cover and the title give the impression of being a fractured-fairytale-kind-of-story and maybe that's why I was drawn into it more than I should've.
So, if you like books set around the sea with a typical YA heroine you will probably love this book.
If you’ve read Adrienne Young’s books then you’ll know what kind of worlds she creates. With her words she transforms you into the scenes and you feel like you’re experiencing everything right along with them. I fell in love with the cover and I knew I would love the story. Honestly, I didn’t read the blurb til I finished the book.
Fable was abandoned by her father four years ago. She makes it her goal to somehow escape the island he left her at and find him in order to get what she’s owed. What she didn’t plan on was falling into a crew of throwaways and eventually becoming one of them.
I adored this book and couldn’t put it down. It’s been a long time since I felt like this while reading. There’s a very slow burn romance, which was written perfectly, which I was hoping for. There’s a sense of family, which made this story magnificent. To see these guys working together and willing to risk their lives for each other, it’s a beautiful thing.
I can’t wait to read book two!!
From the moment I started the first chapter of this book I was immediately drawn into Fable's world. The author does a great job building the world and depth of the characters. I enjoyed every minute spent reading this book and I cannot wait for part 2!
This was an enjoyable beautifully written story with an action-packed adventure set around the sea. I loved Fable, she is a strong, fierce, and determined character despite the hardships she faces. I also loved the crew of the Marigold, especially West! This story ends with a huge cliffhanger and I cannot wait to read Namesake to see what happens next!
This was a little bit of a slow start for me, but the character's motivation is clearly stated and she works hard to do what she needs to in order to achieve her goals. I love the unique character names and the progression of the story.
This is one of the prettiest covers I've ever seen, and the pages do not disappoint either. I'm a sucker for books that take place on ships, so this was exactly my jam. Add a side of angsty romance, and I'm in heaven. Can't wait for the sequel.
I received an ARC via NetGalley. I want to thank the publisher and author for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
<i>". . . this ship would become my home. This crew would become my family. And like the turn of the wind before the most unpredictable of storms, I could feel that everything was about to change."</i>
This was the perfect novel to escape into right now. This seafaring adventure was exactly the type of summer read I was looking for! It makes you long for an ocean breeze and the feel of diving into cool blue waters. Fable is a strong MC who teams up with a motley crew on her mission to get answers about her past and to find her place in the world. The author did a really good job creating her characters. I enjoyed learning all of their backstories. This book ends on a cliffhanger. I'm really interested to see if Saint reappears in book 2. His backstory and relationship with Fable was one of the most interesting to read about.
I really liked Adrienne Young's debut novel, Sky In the Deep. I gave it 4 stars. But Fable is a solid 5 in my book! This author may become a new auto-buy for me. Highly recommend!
*All quotations are subject to change with the finished copy.*
I loved Sky in the Deep! When I saw Fable available on NetGalley I jumped to get it. It didn’t disappoint, Fable is such a strong character and has such a wonderful gripping adventure (after all who doesn’t like a good pirate story). The cliffhanger has me wanting more. I can’t wait for the second book to find out what happens.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me review this book.
Fable is a fantastical tale of seafaring adventure. I am not sure if pirates are going to be the YA thing of 2020, but I am here for it.
This book was a bit slow in the beginning but once it took off I was wanting more. Fable is a head strong.
She is determined to get off the island Jeval that her father abandoned her on after their family ship sank and she lost her mother. She wants to take what she feels is her rightful place on his crew. Her trade by day is a dredger; one that finds metal and gems in the sea.
Fable is able to secure enough coin from her dredging to purchase passage off this island so that she may go in search of her father. The cast of characters aboard the Marigold; the ship she purchases passage on are a interesting bunch. I loved the diversity in the characters and I think Willa is an interesting character and I wouldn't mind reading more about her. Once Fable is upon the Marigold the pace of the story really picks up and you do get a touch of romance, albeit this book was not all about the romance.
I did have to utilize my kindles dictionary several times to understand some of the sailing terms, but I found it enjoyable and I think this may be the best book read in 2020. I loved it.
I appreciate Wednesday books and Netgalley for providing an ARC copy for review.
I have voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this title given to me via NetGalley. This book was just amazing. I just lost myself in this story and didn’t want it to end. It was really well written and just drew in you into these characters lives. I look forward to seeing what’s next from this author.
Between the setting, characters, style, and pacing, Adrienne Young's Fable is a work of nautical art. Fable is exactly the kind of seafaring experience I adore, and Adrienne Young perfectly captures everything both romantic and terrifying about a life at sea. I am already dying to get my hands on the second half of this duology.
Let me get this out of the way before I dive (pun intended) into all the praise I have for this book: I desperately hope we get a map in the official version because, as skilled as Young is with painting her worlds for us, the Narrows and it's port cities are exactly the kind of setting that would benefit from a bit of visual bearings on where all of these locations sit in relation to each other (and I'm just plain certain it would make for a gorgeous piece of cartographic art).
I started out my review notes as a list of pros and cons, and I am happy to admit that the "cons" section was completely empty outside of the fact that Fable is told in the first-person and that's never my preference. And honestly, I found myself forgetting why I even feel that way about first-person POVs because there was absolutely no dragging or "pausing" for our heroine to have an inner monologue in the midst of everything. Young's poetic writing and extremely well-researched grasp on the details of nautical life couple perfectly to put the reader right into Fable's boots (or lack thereof) and paints a vivid picture of everything both above the ocean's surface and below. There is absolutely no mincing of terms or dumbing down for the sake of base accessibility and it does wonders for the immersion.
That said, for all the detail and accuracy, there is no infodumping or tedious exposition to be found in Fable. None. Young excels at Show Don't Tell, giving us what we need, when we need it, and giving enough to keep the imagery alive without falling into a trap of rambling detail vomit. The pacing is incredibly well balanced. She had me on the edge of my seat with action flows smoothly from beginning to cliffhanger end (view spoiler). Like the deep diving she writes about, Young only lets us come up for a quick breathe of air when we need it most before she pulls us back under and into the action, mystery, and high stakes. Her storytelling momentum will leave you breathless and longing for more before you even know what hit you.
All the foreshadowing is so seamlessly woven in that it's available without being blatant or in-your-face, while simultaneously being easy enough to miss (like Fable herself does, in some cases) while you're swept up in the tide of this story.
I read five books the week that I read Fable, and this was by FAR my favorite book. The pacing was perfect. The romance was swoony. I loved Fable and her story so much that now I want to go back and read ALL of Adrienne Young's books. And that cover? C'mon. It's FANTASTIC.
I really loved Sky in the Deep so much! One of my favorite books ever! While the writing in Fable was beautiful and flowed well, I just couldn't get into the stories or the characters. Yet I do love the ship aspects!
This was one of my most anticipated releases and I was so excited to get to read it early.
This book was way outside of my comfort zone for reading but I loved every moment of it. This book left me wanting to read every pirate book I could get my hands on.
The cast of characters is lively and the writing makes you forget where you are in the real world.
Fable is the heroine we all need and should learn from she fights to survive and will do whatever it takes to get what she's owed
West will leaving you wishing you had your own pirate man and wanting more of his sassy hard a** attitude.
The ending was a massive cliffhanger and I can't believe I have to wait till next spring for this! I'm going to have to go read Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back just to hold me over.
If you want a book that will make you swoon with romance, leave you breathless with close calls, and leaving you desperate for a sequel grab Fable the moment it comes out.
I literally can't wait to have this on my shelf and read it again and again.
Love love love this book it was so good and now I have a reading hangover which I haven't had in years.