Fable was in my top 10 list of books for 2020 (out of the 174 I read), so I was more than a little excited to read this ARC of Namesake before my preorder copy arrives in March!

This is hard to write without any spoilers for either book, so I'll be brief and vague: The story picks up right where the first book left off, and it's a thrilling and gorgeous journey of self-discovery, tween-friendly romance, and adventure. I loved this book so much, and would happily read another book set in this world (or anything else Adrienne Young writes). Perfect for middle school +.


THANK YOU to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC for review.

All Fable wants is to sale the seas on the Marigold with West. But after West’s nemesis Zola kidnaps her, Fable is once again fighting for her life and freedom. As Fable is dragged deeper into a complicated web of secrets, lies, and ruthless business bargains, freedom, and West, seem to grow farther and farther away.

Fable was a pleasant surprise in a year when I badly needed pleasant surprises. It was exciting, adventure-packed, and genuinely thrilling. I’ve read a fair number of books set on ships, but Fable kept the setting fresh and unique, in part by throwing in some really interesting scenes about deep sea diving. Fable too was a great protagonist. She’s tough, desperate, and willing to throw herself bodily after what she wants, no matter the (usually slim) odds of success.

So it’s kind of a shame that Namesake isn’t very good.

Fable is an exciting high seas adventure. Namesake is primarily set on land and mainly focuses on boring contract negotiations. Young tries to keep contract negotiations interesting by throwing in a whole heap of secret family secrets, double-crossings, and political manipulations up the wazoo. But at the end of the day, contract negotiations are really boring and hard to dress up as anything else. The family secrets, double-crossings, etc. don’t add complexity; they add a lot of confusion.

Perhaps the real issue is the lack of tension that is inherent with boring contract negotiations. But obviously a YA fantasy novel needs tension, which means Young has to inject it in forcibly whether the actual plot points call for tension or not. So we get lots of
“Your mother was actually the second cousin of THIS important person!”
and
“I have a secret plan to betray my enemy, but I won’t explain it to the reader even though that means the next five chapters won’t make any sense!”
and
“You have presented me with a perfectly reasonably business proposal, but I REJECT it because otherwise this chapter will end six pages too early!”
and
“I am suddenly doubtful of my relationship to this person, but I will recover from those doubts next chapter with no explanation, and then unrecover the following chapter!”

The end result is a confusing, muddled mess with not a lot of character consistency or plot continuity. A lot of drama is shoved in for shock value, because the basic plot itself is dull and doesn’t provide shock or tension.

Which is such a shame, because Young is a talented writer with a skill for writing tense action scenes. Fable fleeing for her life from Jeval in the first book? Had me on the edge of my seat, got me immediately invested in this character and how the hell she was going to get out of that plot tangle. Young can write good YA fantasy. She just hasn’t here.

I adored this book!
It was such a fun read with lots of adventure and I mean who doesn’t love Pirates?
But now I’m sad because I need more Fable and West!

I loved this book, it was the perfect second half of the duology. I honestly thought it was even better than the first book, I could not put it down, I read the entire book in a day and I absolutely loved the ending. The ending really tied up all of the loose ends and was a very satisfying conclusion.

This is a duology I’d love to see grow into more books!

I enjoyed Fable but Namesake really got into a groove with its action and adventurous pacing. I loved the direction this story took and the setting is just as transportive and exciting as the first.

As much as I love Fable and West, I loved how Fable’s relationship developed with her father Saint even more. It’s very plot heavy so these bits of character development were much appreciated.

Namesake is the sequel to Fable and what a read it was. It was emotional, and very well written. This duology is now one of my favorites. Highly recommend to anyone for their next read!

wow.

she did it again. i started crying towards the end and it wasn't even because it was sad, just because it was ending. this duology has such a special place in my heart, even though I don't really know what it is about it that makes it so special. A full review will be up on my blog in a week!

but I'm still in shock over the fact that this series is over.

This duology is just so lovely.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous. It was easy to imagine myself adventuring with Fable and the Marigold crew.

I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first, but it was still great. I missed the Marigold crew so much in the first half.

Overall this was a great read though and I highly recommend.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this e-arc. I got to tell you I think I liked this book better than the first. It expanded on the world so much more and I really enjoyed meeting the new characters. One thing I was a bit disappointed with was there were parts that just left me wanting more. Like it is beautifully written but the story felt a little rushed at times. But overall i throughly enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to getting my hands on a physical copy.

I think I’m just not the right audience for this authors work. I thought this would be better than fable, but it’s just not for me. I find these books to be boring & the romance is just too unbelievable. There is no chemistry!

My review will be available on my blog closer to release date.

When I read Fable last year I really enjoyed it. The book was very good, and the parts of it I liked, I really liked. Even the parts that I wasn’t as wild about, I enjoyed. I was really excited therefore when I got the chance to read Namesake before it was published. I was quite excited to get back to this world, because it was left on a bit of a cliffhanger, and I wondered what was going to happen in the next book and how many of the loose ends would be wrapped up. I feel overall that this book was an extremely satisfying conclusion to the first book.

In this book Fable is a “captive” of Zola. And from there things 100% absolutely do not get better for Fable. They only get worse. And while in another book this might feel contrived, in this one I liked it. I think that how Fable gets from point a to point b to point c is done very successfully in this book. The plot of this book focuses on Fable and her ambitions and family. One thing that continued through from the first book to this, is the underlying message of family, and what family means.

Much of the book had the tone of family is not just blood, but is the people that you meet along the way. There were other parts too, that stood out. It didn’t feel like Young was beating you over the head with it either. Family was a huge plot point in this book, and I’m afraid to go in depth about it because so much of it is better read and not spoiled. Suffice to say, I think the plot of this book was exemplary.

Partially, I think, because the plot revolves around the characters. Fable’s character arc is much of what pushes the plot forward. Fable generally, is the main character in this book. There are other characters that appear from the previous book, but they don’t nearly play the part they had. Auster and Paj make an appearance, but they have very limited page time. Even Willa isn’t in it as much. The only other character that really I think almost matches Fable is West.

We have quite a few new characters in this one, Clove and Holland who take up page time. I loved Clove. I loved Fable and Clove’s interactions throughout the book. And Holland was an interesting antagonist.

Saint of course was back in this, but much like the first he didn’t play a huge roll. He was in it, but wasn’t like West or Fable. Speaking of West and Fable I want to talk a bit about the relationship. While it felt a little insta-love like in the first book (I don’t mind that) in this one they are a bit more settled. I appreciate that Young at some points had them talk some issues out. West and Fable’s relationship is an interesting point in the book, and Young was successful in depicting it.

I will say there was one part of the plot that felt contrived. I didn’t love that part, but overall, I felt it didn’t detract too much from the book.

This book, much like the first, maybe even more so, was absolutely action packed. We jump from one event to the next with very little downtime. You’re always wondering what is coming next because Young does such an excellent job with the pacing in this book. Some parts of it could be boring, but they are most definitely not. I was engrossed from beginning to end, and I really enjoyed every moment that I was reading the book. To that point, Young is a great writer, and I was sucked in by her writing style and the cadence of it. I felt that it was stupendous. I was drawn into this world she crafted and I didn’t want to leave it.

This is (if you’re worried) a great wrap up. I felt it was a satisfying ending and I was overall happy with it. I’d take a novella now – something more than the epilogue. I would love to see some of the other character’s stories as well.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and it was fantastic. What a great ending to the duology!

Namesake follows in the sails of its predecessor. Fable and her crew must face more hardships before they can have happy lives.

The end of Fable left me needing more and this novel delivered. The stakes are even higher in this one (which is so hard to believe!). Each character gains more depth with every page turn.

I cannot even express the full extent of my feelings without spoiling everything! But just know that I will be rereading both of these in the years to come. That's how good this duology is

5 Stars

Format | eBook/ARC

STORY

Characters | 5 stars
Fable, West, Saint, Clove, Koy, Willa, Auster...we know about everyone by the end and I cared about all of their fates.

Plot | 4 stars
It’s a simple plot, but it has the right twists and nothing I guessed too early. It didn’t need to be complicated to be excellent.

Setting | 5 stars
I felt as if I were out on the ship sailing open waters with the crew, stopping in ports with all their rough and polished edges.



TECHNICAL

Writing | 5 stars
I love Adrienne Young’s writing and how it’s evolved. She writes with feeling.

Editing | N/A
As an ARC, this is not a final version and editing will not be rated.

Execution | 5 stars
Perfect pacing, swift-moving, there were never any lulls. I feel battered like the Marigold after a storm 😄

EMOTIONAL

Engagement | 5 stars
Could not put it down. The characters are so intriguing and genuine.

Emotional Connection | 5 stars
”I have never loved anything the way I love you.” Gut me right now 😭❤️


Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced copy!

Let me start with saying I absolutely loved Fable, so when I got the chance to read this so soon after I finished it, I was ecstatic. This book did not disappoint either! We had some major things answered as well as some confrontations what were a long time coming. The relationship between Fable and Saint fills you with a sense of longing, but without giving too much away, I will say that I was happy with how their relationship was resolved. And of course there's West who is my favorite, especially when you pull back his layers and get to the bottom of why he is the way he is. This was such a satisfying ending and I love the way that Adrienne tells a story. It's so beautiful and it makes me want to hop on a ship and sail away from this mess of a year. I would definitely recommend to anyone who wants an adventure with a strong female lead and a group of seafaring misfits.

The Quick Cut: The final book in a duology, a girl who finally has the deed to her ship finds it back in trouble. Forced to help a thug get an important partnership with a big time trader, she finds that not all is what it seems.

A Real Review:
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Life often comes with these seminal moments that stand out as important times when life changed in a significant way. Sometimes, these moments are anticipated while others come when you least expect it. For Fable, she thought that the most important moment was past her when more trouble came to challenge her again.

Fable finally has ownership of the Marigold when she finds her boat and crew being held hostage once again. A thug pulls Fable into his scheme to get a partnership with a powerful gem trader named Holland. Can she find a way through this latest situation and get her people free again? Or will this latest situation cost her everything she's worked so hard for?

Once again, I have to say that the cover artwork for this series is amazing! All of the details that are on the cover and how they tie into the story written on the pages? That takes some serious forethought and as a reader, I appreciate the detail. It speaks to how the author truly considered the entire book and how it came together as a whole. That being said, the story itself picks up right where book one ended and quickly takes off on an adventure. This is definitely one of those stories where you need to remember the storyline from the previous book to enjoy the current one.

Just like the cover, this book features some truly spectacular detailing. The worldbuilding is so solid that its hard not to be able to imagine every moment of the adventure on the seas. It such strong work that you can't help but wish you were there yourself to experience the waves and the reef. While the worldbuilding is next level, I did find it difficult to follow the litany of characters in this one. There's so many connections and unless the previous book is fresh in your mind, it is easy to get lost in who connects where.

The ending of this story is very satisfying while also providing plenty of drama right up to the moment where the final action comes. While some plot points you can see coming, that final moment is certainly surprising and I enjoyed the way it all came together.

An enjoyable end to a vibrant sea-faring world.

My rating: 4 out of 5

An epic conclusion to this seafaring adventure. There were a couple of different twists and turns that were unexpected! I love when an author isn't super predictable. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed/wasn't perfectly wrapped up, but it was still incredible. I highly recommend this duology.

I have thoroughly enjoyed Fable's journey! These books are short yet so well written. The story is told concisely yet still thoroughly enough to not feel rushed. I love these characters, especially Fable and Saint. Their development throughout the first book but especially this one has been impressive. Fable coming to terms with her mother's death was also a really well-done part of this book. I also really enjoyed getting to see West and Fable face the reality of their situation and come to terms with it. This was one of my most enjoyable reads of 2020. The story leaps off the page and I couldn't put it down.

Honestly, I couldn't tell by the end if there would be more books because it wrapped up pretty nicely. But I would certainly love if these adventures continued!!!

**Free Arc provided by NetGalley**. Where to begin? The continuation of Fables story was something I was most anticipating however I found the my expectation to fall a bit flat. Although there were many movements and developments in the story, the characters didn’t seems to develop much from the first book. We didn’t learn or see more about these characters and I felt it was more about what is happening rather than how the characters see and feel about it happening. It just felt a bit detached. Overall, I loved the story and loved how it progressed. I am sad it’s at the end, as I want more from the characters but I am content with what I got.

This is Book two and the final book in the “Fable” duology.
There is no doubt that I was drawn to this great cover!
Although I didn’t read “Fable” Book One, I did read reviews so felt I was okay with moving to “Namesake’.

Story starts where “Fable’ left off. The ship Marigold is set out to start over with Fable and the crew. However, Fable gets caught in a scheme to help the bad guys’ partner with a powerful gem trader.
There are some bad and good relationship, some enjoyable qualities and no doubt there is a following who will just love this story

Want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this eGalley. This file has been made available to me before publication in an early form for professional review purposes only. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for March 16, 2021

Fable #2. Lets give this beautiful cover its moment. The sun kissed, fiery, freckled, fierce exotic beauty on the cover jig sawed together with Book 1 is striking! With the promise of pirates, revenge and betrayal, how could this be any more captivating?
'Namesake' continues with Fable's story. She no longer is alone in the world and has gained family connections, a measure of wealth and an intriguing supply of enemies. We get to understand a little more why Fable was abandoned and who she is. The past, particularly Fable's mother's story is a strong theme in this book, driving the plot. What had me coming back for more is closure. I think the author was counting on this with this second book. Powerful people are now at play and Fable must be decisive in who she trusts.
There were so many agendas at play that at times I got lost in small plots. The strong connections that were forged in the first book were pushed to the back of the room in the second. Filling in the gaps of her backstory was so satisfying. However moving forward as to what Fable's story will become was lacking for me. The characters we were so drawn to, in this edition seem merely as fillers, this was disappointing because the character building was so strong, I wanted more!
Overall this was an exciting Young Adult Fantasy in an amazing world of mariners, pirates, free divers and treasure hunters. I ate it up, as I typically do with this author.