DNF at 10%. I enjoyed Fable and Namesake picks up right where that ended. However I just couldn’t get into this one - I think it’s probably more me and my current reading slump than the book. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free advance reading copy.

Similar to Fable, there’s one story and goal for the first half of the book and then a secondary goal for the second half. I kind of like this because the blurb doesn’t mention the second goal at all, allowing a nice surprise whilst reading. It also makes the book feel like a fast read because certain aspects are concluded earlier on in the book to make way for new quests and places to explore.

I continued to love Fable as a character because of the nuance in how she acts and how she really feels. She’s still young and doesn’t know everything, but she picks up things easily and manages to outwit multiple people throughout the story. She’s learned from what happened in Fable that she can rely on West and his crew like family, and this pushes her to be better at reaching what she needs.

Fable had more interactions with her actual family in Namesake too which I thought was really well written. Saint and Fable don’t have the perfect father daughter relationship after what he did to her, but you can see it’s evolved and allowed Fable to be a better person for it. She learns to make the important decisions, and she takes care of her own crew of the Marigold.

Namesake starts where Fable ends, and we’re introduced to The Luna where Fable must dredge for her freedom. Her childhood adversary from Jevali, Koy, is also on the boat and this causes a lot of tension. It also shows off why he was an important name at the start of Fable, it’s so we know he’s sneaky and untrustworthy as soon as we re-meet him. I loved the development of this rivalry, and how it pushes Fable to mature and grow.

One aspect that was missing in Fable was the backstory and exploration of all members on the Marigold and Namesake delivered. We find out more about Auster and Paj, their relationship as well as the backstory there. I loved how this directly intersects with the storyline too, and their relationships from before Fable come in handy to help the Marigold get what they need.

We also can’t not talk about Willa in this book. She’s such a great character and has always been there for her brother West, and now Fable too. She has to make some tough decisions throughout to allow her to do what she wants with her life, and this sometimes means disagreeing with West. West also grows throughout the story, with adapting to what it’s like to love Fable and what that means for him and his family.

Namesake was beautifully written and we managed to explore many new places as well as being at sea a lot. It feels like Adrienne Young wrote a bit more around the world building, as if she was expanding outside of the “sheltered” life of a girl growing up on Jevali and we get to explore. I especially love the dredging scenes and being underwater, Fable was always in her element in these scenes.

Overall I loved Namesake and I’m quite sad that it’s only a duology. I’d love to see more of Fable, West and even Saint if Young wanted to write more books but I did find the ending to be a great ending for their stories too.

This was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021, and I was not disappointed! This is such a wonderful book with enough plot twists to keep me hook and guessing. I adore the characters and the setting.

I haven't read a book hat was this perfect in a long while. I read a good dose of YA but this one was like anew world for me. I was completely enamored with the characters from start to finish and this second book was a complete wild ride.

Fable was such strength and I truly can say that I hope my daughter grows up with female characters more like her in books. She was her own hero as much as other tried to save her and I loved every second of it. I hope that more books feature women like her because girl holds her own.

ALSO.

Namesake is just everything. It brings all the plot lines from Fable to a close and wraps it all up for you. I can't wait to see what Adrienne brings for us next and I can only hope it is as amazing as Fable and Namesake are.

This was such a great conclusion to a wonderful duology! Fast-paced with a cast of characters you're sure to fall in love with. I'd love to read more in this world!

Namesake is a very satisfying sequel to Fable, and an incredible conclusion to this high stakes duology. I love that we got to know more about the characters introduced in the first book, as well as their complicated relationships with each other. I adored how Young explored Fable and Saint's father-daughter relationship - this was by far my favorite dynamic of the book. I also enjoyed reading how Fable and West's romance played out, and I loved how their relationship was at the forefront of the story this time around.

This book is exquisitely written - it was realistic, yet atmospheric and whimsical at the same time. The story is very action-packed, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting to know what would happen next.

I was initially sad that this outing would be the last time that we would see this world, but thank goodness we have a standalone coming out later this year! I cannot wait to read it, and I just know I would love it just as much as I did Fable and Namesake!

Great squeal to the original book and I didn't think she could top that one! It is very rare I find a book I fall in love with this hard. Pirates and all that are my favorite and I feel like we don't see that enough in YA or just in general and it's a thing I love very much. Pirates has always been a very fun thing for me in my life and I can't believe she had me love it even more. The story continues so well in this novel and it shows how much she loves this universe and these characters!

I love ever second of this book! I couldn’t get enough of it! It was everything I have come to know and love about this author! Her stories will sleep you off your feet and transport you to a whole new world!

I saw many people’s reviews saying they liked Namesake better than Fable, but it’s the opposite for me. There was a lot more action and surprises in Fable and Namesake wasn’t that eventful. There wasn’t enough pirate action and I think it’s just a personal preference for me, but this book wasn’t as dark as I’m used to. That’s nothing against the author though because this is YA book and the events that happen in this book perfectly fit a YA book. I think I’m personally growing out of YA, which is sad.

NAMESAKE picks up right where FABLE’S brutal cliffhanger left off, but don’t count your blessings yet. Separated from her crew and in enemy hands, Fable is forced to work for yet another ruthless captain, and this particular job is filled with secrets, lies, and betrayal, all of which strangely seem to connect to Fable and her parents. Alone, Fable is facing her biggest adventure yet — finish the job, find her crew, and (hopefully) sail the Marigold off into the sunset where she can finally find some peace with West.

I can definitely count this duology as one of my very favorites. Where FABLE introduced readers to a fantastic set of characters and a lovely tale of found family, NAMESAKE builds on that and brings the story around full-circle. I don’t want to give too much away in terms of events that tie in to said circle, but suffice it to say that NAMESAKE is truly a fitting title for this sequel.

NAMESAKE also expands the world a bit and gives readers a better glimpse into how the trading works and the politics that go along with it. There are so many aspects to this super-interesting world and I’m so thrilled that there’s going to be another book (books?) set within this universe. I’m secretly hoping that Young has a prequel in the works that goes back to Saint meeting Isolde because that book would be my everything.

Bottom line — NAMESAKE is a fantastic sequel to the equally fantastic FABLE, and brings this story to a fitting conclusion. I adore both of these books and I can’t wait to be back in this world when THE LAST LEGACY is released.


*eARC received courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.

Nice story but not quite as exciting as the first book. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this book.

This review has taken me a long time to get to, and I actually read this book quite a while ago, but here was my original review!

This book absolutely blew me away. I finished Fable in two days. I really enjoyed the story, but I wasn't as amazed as I had hoped to be. Still, I was excited to read Namesake, especially considering it was my first ARC. Boy am I glad that I didn't have to wait for March! It's not common for a sequel to be better than the first, but Namesake manages to do just that and beyond. This book had everything you could possibly ask for and it all was so perfect. I don't want to give anything away, so I'm going to leave it at that. This duology has easily climbed into one of my favorite books ever.

Namesake was everything I wanted from a sequel. I loved Fable and West from the first book and wanted more to their story. You get to watch her grow more this book and go for what she wants and put an end to her being used as a pawn in Saint's game. There were quite a few twists to this book that I was not sure how it was going to end. Part of me wishes this was made into a trilogy and not a duology.

This was a satisfying confusion to this duology! There was more character work in this book than the previous book, which I liked a lot. Fable and West are messy, which is honestly refreshing in a fictional relationship, especially in YA.

Namesake is YA fantasy full of adventure, deception, and lot of twists and is the second book in the Fable duology. The first book ended on quite a cliffhanger and Namesake picked up right where the story left off. Fable finds herself in the middle of a power struggle between the big traders of the Narrows and the Unnamed Sea and doesn’t know who to trust. She must uncover long-hidden secrets from her mother’s past and learn even more about herself and what she is capable of.

It’s so hard to write this review without giving away any spoilers, but it was so captivating and I absolutely loved it! Adrienne Young’s writing is so beautiful and I dove head first into the world that she created and didn’t want to come back to reality. I really connected with Fable as I had a very complicated relationship with my own father before he passed away a few years ago and I loved the exploration of Fable and Saint’s relationship. It was like putting salve on a healing wound.

“Saint was a bastard, but he was mine. He belonged to me.” #bookquote

The story also had a focus on Fable’s connection to her mother and I truly felt Fable’s growth from a strong young girl to a strong woman. I did feel like the romance between Fable and West that was so powerful in the first book was lacking in this book which was a little disappointing. I think instead of a duology I would have preferred a three-book series so Fable and West’s relationship could have been fleshed out more, but that is just me being hypercritical and wanting even more from these books.

Well now I am running out of room and there is so much I still want to say but basically, Fable and Namesake are books that I will continue to recommend to everyone and I highly recommend the audiobooks for each of them. Be prepared to be swept away to sea.

Thank you so much to Wednesday Books, Netgalley, and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies in exchange for my honest review.

The story starts off where the first book ends. Fable has been kidnapped by another ship’s crew and is used as a pawn to barter with Holland, the woman who runs the gem trade. However, West and Fable make their own plans. This book delves deeper into the backstory of Fable’s mother and father. The focus was more on character development and relationships for this book. I found this book just as enjoyable as the first book and would have continued the series had there been more books. A special thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sharing this eARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

Again, this author and this duology!
Such amazing stuff.
Loved the characters.
Loved the setting.
Loved the writing!!
I could have stayed with this story for so many more books.

Namesake is a beautiful continuation of Fable, and Adrienne Young continues to be a master story-teller. In Namesake, Fable continues to be a flawed, bold and brave heroine in her sea-faring escapades to save the ones she loves.

Thanks for the free ARC.

Fable just couldn't not get involved in more treacherous tasks could she? But then being her father's daughter and finding out more of her family history who even is surprised? Certainly not I. Namesake takes us on an adventure again and what a treat that is.
Adrienne Young is a master story teller and you can't help but fall in love with her characters over and over again. If book seemed to have a slow start soon you'll find yourself completely gripped by it on the edge of your seat.
Fantastic.

Cannot wait for the next one

Where do I even begin with this book? I didn't think I would love this book as much as I loved Fable, but I did. This book does not have nearly as much of the adventure and sea aspect as Fable did, but I didn't mind because what it did do was give us a much bigger glimpse into Fable's world.

We were able to explore past The Narrows and see how this world works as a cohesive unit, which made it all that more real. I loved being able to get to know more about Fable's family especially Saint and Isolde. In the first book I was slightly mad at Saint and the way he had treated Fable, but in Namesake, I grew to adore him and his relationship with her.

And then of course we have the crew of the Marigold. I loved being able to get back to them and their family (even if they were mad at Fable for most of the book). They were like visiting old friends and feeling as if nothing had changed. To see Fable's relationships with them grow tense and then resolve and grow stronger was incredible. We also got to see Fable and West grow closer despite them both not really wanting it to. I absolutely love West and everything he does. I love him as a character. I love his relationship with Fable. I love his relationship with the Marigold crew. I just love him.

I know a lot of people won't love this book as much as Fable because it is a tad bit more focused on politics, but I think it revealed a layer that needed to be shed in order to appreciate Fable (the book not the character) so much more. This is definitely a series I think if read multiple times, we'll always learn more with each read.