Namesake
Adrienne Young

Namesake is the conclusion of the Fable duology, a young adult fantasy book I just really enjoyed reading. It is a continuation from the cliffhanger that was left from the first book Fable and I would recommend to read this in sequence order. The worldbuilding is fantastic and the characters are a joy to read. Lots of secrets and plot twists to this beautifully crafted atmospheric story that will captivate you and lose you into this world that the fantastic Adrienne Young has beautifully crafted.

The grip on my heart was so tight I was so emotional for the end. This is a really fun read I recommend.

Super cute YA duology! Would definitely reread it as it was super fun! Also after picking up the first book Fable and now Nakesake, I want to read Adrienne Young's previous works. I already purchased this duology but if I were. a teacher, it would go in my classroom library!

Thank you, NetGalley & the publisher for the advanced copy!

This book was so wonderful. I loved diving (pun intended) back into this world. Getting to learn more about the crew was one of my favorite parts about this book. I enjoyed the adventure and re-meeting characters from the first book. Fable's relationship arc with her father was another highlight. I could go on, but I don't want to spoil things. Just know there's tons of adventure on the high seas, love, hate, and redemption.

I'm sad that there's only two books because love this world and would willingly dive back in again and again.

I had very high expectations for this book after being blown away in Fable, and it did not disappoint! We got to understand each character on a greater level and better see the protective side of West, which was something I was very happy to see. The author paints a picture with her words, and it was so easy to feel everything Fable was feeling. I will forever pick up any book Adrienne Young puts down!

... And that cover? I mean come on! I was hooked before page one.

*I received an e-ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.*

Mild spoilers for Fable.

I really enjoyed Fable, so I was super excited to read this book. Especially with the way Fable ended. This book picks up just after the events of Fable and we find her on Zola’s ship and Clove is alive and well. Zola tells Fable he wants her to help him acquire enough gems to be able to pay off Holland and earn his way back to be in her favor. Little does Fable know that Zola has ulterior motives that will reunite her with family she didn’t know she had, and cause a lot of trouble with her crew on The Marigold. Tensions are high in this sequel where Fable, West and the crew race against time to gain their freedom.

The tone of this book seemed a tad darker than the first, but I still loved it. Overall I love this book and this series. I would highly recommend this book!

The second in the fable dulology did not disappoint. The cover was gorgeous and matched the first so well. Adrienne writing was descriptive and beauty to building this world. It will make a great addition to any collection.

In the second book in the Fable duology, Adrienne Young completes the series with plenty of intrigue, romance and adventure in the high seas of the Narrows and Unnamed Sea.

I will literally read anything Adrienne Young writes, give me her grocery lists and I will frame them. Fable and Namesake are two of my favourite books I've ever read because of my love for the characters, exciting plot and setting of the Narrows. Everything was tied up very well in this book, making me even more excited to return to this world with Young's next book! Give me more pirates and gem sages, I'm ready!

Wow, what an amazing conclusion to this duology. I loved the story and world the author created in these books. We meet a few new characters in this book but I can't elaborate on them without sharing possible spoilers. While I don't feel like the plot was as exciting as Fable, this book still left me satisfied with the way it concluded. The character development was really great as well. Fable is such a great character. Also I need a Saint spinoff book. I'd love to really get inside his head.
The sea faring atmosphere, the amazing writing with some really interesting characters, this duology is a must read.

I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for giving me access.

So happy to have received this because after Fable, I needed more. Namesake was even better than the first. And with the revelation that was given at the end, almost had me in tears - my heart was so happy! I just want to stay in this world.

I happened to see Fable, shared across the social media platforms and downloaded a sample of the audiobook and I was hooked! Bought the entire audiobook and ran to Netgalley and low and behold, there was Namesake, and I was approved for an advanced read! OMG! I am in love with this entire series and it will be one that I actually do read again. The writing, the storyline, the BADASS lead. Come on now! It gave me such a wonderful feeling reading this book! Kudos Adrienne! Well done! I love a book, a story that keeps me hooked and actually makes me go thru reader withdrawal upon finishing it. This series did it! Thanks so much for allowing me the opportunity to share my opinions! LOVED IT!

DNF @ 50%

Well, colour me disappointed. Even getting halfway through this was a struggle. You’d think at this point something would have actually happened, but it hasn’t. It’s just dragging. There’s been a few instances of something semi-cool happening for half a page, and then it hops back aboard the boring train.

Considering how fun and exciting I thought Fable was, this is a huge letdown.

I loved picking back up where Fable left off in the first book. I found this to be a solid ending for a duo. As much as I love the crew of the Marigold and Fable, West, Saint, this was a perfect ending to their story.

I love how it literally started right back from where Fable ended. We were able to see more with Coy and Clove as well as where Isolde comes from. While this is not a duology that I loved (Fable or Namesake), it was good. For YA, some scenes were a little sexually graphic (not ACOTAR level though), but the plot was enjoyable and fast paced.

I think it was 'annoying' how much Fable was willing to sacrifice for Saint, but it did make sense in the context of everything and with her personality. She was also very fixated on West and how everyone kept telling her that he is not who he seems, which I thought was a little dramatic, because honestly, her being a dredger, she had seen way worse.

Overall a good and quick read, with lots of events going on. The different deals they were all making seemed to overlap and confuse me some, but it all worked out in the end.

Considering the cliff-hanger the first book left me with, I devoured this book as soon as it hit my Netgalley shelf! I loved this duo and really liked the setting and characters. I have been recommending this book to everyone that Is looking for something fresh in YA literature.

So satisfying!!!! This two-part series came across my radar because I saw it in Netgalley and the cover totally caught my eye. Then I read the blurb and thought it was my kind of story. And I was totally right. The only irritating thing about the first book was that it left you on a total cliffhanger and the second book was not yet released, lol. So when I saw this available again, I jumped on it. What do I love about this? While it definitely follows some of the YA tropes, it's one of those that are done well and you can't help but get drawn into Fable's story and world. The world-building is definitely well done, and the minor magic that is involved is really a gift/talent that Fable has that she inherited from her mother. I also liked that even when Fable and West made decisions that made each other frustrated, it didn't make me like either of them any less. In many YA books, I often find myself yelling at someone for making a stupid decision, and with this book, I felt more like they were each between a rock and a hard place and they made the best decision they could under the circumstances. The ending was very satisfying and while it concludes this story, I feel that if the author ever wants to revisit, it easily allows more stories to be told. This is the first series I've read by this author, but I plan on reading her Sky in the Deep series now, which will cover Vikings!

I received an advance review copy from NetGalley for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I could have read about the group of misfits that make up the Marigold forever. After the cliffhanger that was Fable, Namesake was the perfect closure for this duology, with an ending that made me smile through happy tears.

Okay first things first. Here's the last bit from my review of <i>Fable</i>:

<i>Final Thoughts:
1--Soap Opera Rules apply here. If you don't see a body, or if someone says someone else is "gone" (and not "dead") -- they're not dead.
2--OBVIOUSLY the character of Holland is important and will probably be a major player in the sequel. You don't just drop breadcrumbs like that and leave them there to mold. I think this is why I'm okay with the amount of info we got about gem sages. If I remember correctly, these are they key bits of info for the sequel:
--Being a Gem Sage is a hereditary thing: Fable got it from Isolde, who clearly got it from her parents.
--(Is it matriarchal? IDK.)
--Holland is a Gem Sage (I think...) and this is how she made her fortune.
--Zola fled Bastian because he pissed off Holland.
--Isolde also fled Bastian because...something.
--Zola knows Isolde because Fable "reminds him of someone."
My hypothesis? Perhaps Isolde and Holland are related -- mother/daughter? -- and Zola is taking Fable to Bastian to appease Holland by giving her her granddaughter. And Holland will use Fable as leverage against Saint? IDK.

But maybe we'll finally see some happy people in Bastian. Because the only places we've seen in this world have been very bleak -- and if there's that much money/gems floating around, someone's got to be enjoying it.</i>

Which means, <b>I</b> (mostly) <b>got it right</b>. Which never happens!
Yes, Holland was a major player.
(No, being a gem sage isn't matriarchal, since Isolde got it from her father. But still.)
No, Holland isn't the gem sage -- it was her husband -- but it *was* how she made her fortune.
Yes, Holland was Isolde's mother, thus making her Fable's grandmother.
Yes, Zola was taking Fable to Holland to appease her and pay off his debt. (Not the *whole* story, but I'm still right.)
Yes, Holland did have a plan for Fable and it did kinda relate to Saint.
And, yes, we did finally get to see rich, happy people enjoying the wealth because honestly? Someone had to. I'm not saying I needed to see Fable in fancy dresses or that I preferred here that way. (I didn't.) It was more that every place we seemed to visit in <i>Fable</i> was dirty and poor and full of people ekeing out a living, yet the pirates were part of a roaring gem trade. Where was the money going?!

So, yep. I (mostly) called it.

And I'm not mad about it. I suppose you *could* call that predictable, but I don't see it that way. To me, it's tight story-telling. In <i>Fable</i> Young laid the groundwork *and* crafted a fast-paced, engaging story. She introduced her characters, her conflict, and built her world (and y'all know I'm picky about world-building). And I remember reading some of the reviews and not understanding the complaints about world-building because I thought I could see where Young was going. Maybe, if I'd been massively wrong, I'd revise that stance, but as it is, I feel pretty justified/vindicated.

Then, in <i>Namesake</i>, Young picked up those threads that she had previously laid down and wove them into the story.

I'm a little fuzzy on the details because life + pandemic brain, but I don't usually rate 5-stars unless I love it. In the future, I think I'd like to re-read them back-to-back, as I think some of the smaller details would be connected better, but that's on me, not Young. (And I appreciate that <i>Namesake</i> picks right up after <i>Fable</i> and we don't have that "previously on..." exposition that you get in a lot of series. More of that please, editors. Because, yes, it puts the burden on me to read them back-to-back, which I'm probably going to do anyway. But then, when I do, the exposition doesn't jolt me out of the story.)

**I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. (less)

Namesake by Adrienne Young
I would give this title ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars! I really enjoyed the continuation of Fables story. There were many great things about this book that I really enjoyed; there was good action, adventure, romance and family relationships. I enjoyed seeing the progression of Fable and seeing how she changed and adapted throughout the book. I would love to get another book about her and more of her adventures. I liked how unexpected some parts of this books were. There were times I didn’t know what to expect and many unexpected surprises that kept me on the edge of my seat! I enjoyed the Fable duology and look forward to checking out more by this author!

This second book in the duology did not disappoint. Fable, West, and their crew captured my heart and being from the first page to the last.

One of the things I loved most about Fable in the first book was her strength and independence. She showed another, more vulnerable side in this book -- particularly in her interactions with her family. It was interesting to see her enigmatic family relationships uncovered. Although she showed vulnerability, her strength continued to shine through. I loved those moments when she was dredging -- the physicality and beauty of the dives, the songs of the gemstones.

I am a huge fan of West. He stuck with Fable through thick and thin, his faith in her unshakeable. The revelations about his background and his role in Fable's life built layers into their story.

I am completed satisfied with this duology with its mystery, love, friendship, and adventure. This is definitely a favorite. I'm excited to read more from this author.

Adrienne Young can do no wrong in my book. I adored Fable and was so excited for Namesake. I was not disappointed. Namesake brought together the story and I am excited now to learn more in the third book in the Fable world. I adore how these stories were both twisty and hard to guess where it was going, I adored Fable’s strength and I loved the balance of friendship and romance with the Marigold crew. A definite win for a fantastic author!

This is the sequel book in the Fable duology, and let me tell you, the author did right by this series! I love the characters and the setting and I think Fable is such a badass and I love her for it! I also loved the relationship development with her father. I am missed that in book one and love that the author focused more on that for this book. Overall the series is excellent and I would highly recommend anyone to read it!!