I really struggled with the romantic storyline in book one (Fable). It made Fable seem like a damsel in distress, when she very much is not. I liked Namesake much more than I did its predecessor. I do feel that Young's writing is strong, and she writes strong characters, but I just lost interest after Fable's ending and could never really find it again in book two.

If you read Fable and thought you loved it, just wait until you read Namesake!
I love everything about this book! Sailing on the open seas, diving for gems, the betrayal, the scheming, literally everything.

Absolutely brilliant!

The world biulding in this book is phenomenal, the characters are well rounded, and the plot is fast [aced and sucks you right in!

I thought this was a satisfying finish to a very good duology. All of the loose ends felt nicely tied up and the ending was wholly enjoyable. If I have any complaint it's that so much of this book felt like so much was happening. Nothing ever slowed down to allow for some development. It is a minor and personal complaint since some feel a slower pace may bog down a book.

That being said, the world needs more swashbuckling series like this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read this!

This is a great Book 2! I love series! This authors writing suits well with me! This book instantly drew me in, I got to explore through the eyes of our main character and this is always my favorite way to discover these details of the story and, it was done very well in this book. I really enjoyed this book and the plot. This author did amazing. I loved the writing style.

I didn't read the first book in this duology. Even so, the story was interesting and pulled me along fairly easily. It didn't take long to empathize with Fable and understand her priorities. The underwater scenes and the way in which Fable related to gems were interesting. Fable was a good guide when it came to knowing how to feel about most of the other characters. All in all, it was an enjoyable story.

Was so excited to receive this arc especially after the cliffhanger in the first book, so thank you to Netgalley, Adrienne Young, and Wednesday Books for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Normally I'm super weary of reading sequels, but this book starts off strong and doesn't stop until the end. This book is definitely more character driven and we get more background information of the characters as well as introductions to some new characters.

Overall, if you enjoyed Fable, then you'll definitely like the conclusion to this duology!

Namesake by Adrienne Young is a thrilling continuation of Fable’s story. This duology is compelling and well crafted, just like the first novel, the author doesn’t disappoint.

The world Young created is really cool. I loved the atmosphere and I did really like the character of Fable and a few of the others but the plot in this made basically NO sense. The characters' motivations made even less sense. Overall, it was boring and nonsensical which is such a shame because it really had the makings of a good story and the writing itself was really great. It just fell flat and the love story was just terrible and I didn't get it. I still don't understand why anyone ever even dealt with Fable to begin with considering she just led them from one problem to the next. Beautiful covers though!

I got this as an ARC and all opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Namesake is a squash buckling sequel to Fable!
This duology was an absolute delight to read! Pirates, dredging, romance, and high seas adventure… What more could you ask for?
Young transports you back to exactly where Fable left off; kidnapped on a ship!

I enjoyed reading about the dredging process, the treasure hunt, and the growing relationships between characters.
Fable’s family dynamics are fascinating. Her and Saint’s relationship really flourished in this book; which I appreciated.

The world building from ‘Fable’ set this book up nicely. Without the need for much world building, we were thrown into Fable’s adventure head first and able to ride the current to the very satisfying end.

Adrienne Young is the master of duologies! This pirate, seafaring adventure is a study in long form story telling without pushing to a full trilogy. Unfortunately, I feel like young still trips up on a good, fleshed out romance. There isn't enough build up and tension and the love interests always come together more quickly than I would like. She knows what she wants to do, but has a hard time getting her characters to be playful instead of intense and moody. Overall I thought this was a sturdy sequel that wrapped everything up, but there was still room for improvement. Four stars.

The setting is fun, the characters are lovable, and I really enjoyed it! Thank you for my copy of Namesake!

This was just as good if not better than the first book! Adrienne Young’s books never fail to amaze me!

I absolutely adored Fable. But I think it should have remained a standalone.

This book just felt like it was trying to do too much. The pacing was disjointed, and all of the things I loved about the relationship between West and Fable fell flat. The character arcs suffered because of the over-saturated plot and it didn't feel like there was any growth or evolution.

*posting on 9/7/21

This was such a great duology! Namesake was everything I wanted for a sequel and I'm really eager to check out more of Adrienne Young's works.

One of the things that really got me into this book was all the scheming that was going on with both Fable and her father. In a way, it reminded me of Six of Crows with all its moving parts. With all the secrets and behind-the-scenes planning, the pacing never felt slow and I always felt engaged with the story.

Another great plus for this book is that it explores the other half of Fable's parentage. The first book really focused on Fable's relationship with her father, Saint, but this one is all about Isolde and the Unnamed Sea. We learned more about Zola and why he wasn't allowed into the Unnamed Sea.

It wasn't just Fable we got to learn more about, we also got to know more about the other crew members that we knew less about in the first book. We got more backstory on side characters too (like the sailmaker) that added depth to the story and helped really connect the two books.

We were also able to learn more about the city of Bastian, which provided an interesting new setting for Fable. In the first book, the story takes place on the island of Jeval where you either learn to get ahead or get taken advantage of. Bastian, while cleaner and wealthier, is just a nicer version of Jeval. There are still plenty of dirty dealings behind closed doors and side businesses in the shadows--Bastian just hides its darker side better while pretending to be above it.

And we got to see more tension in the crew and their bonds tested when Fable gets caught in the war between her grandmother and father. She and West also have some bumps when each of them makes choices to save the other and end up putting the crew in bad situations. I actually really liked this because we saw new sides to Fable and West that ultimately forced them to address their relationship. In the end, I think they were stronger for it.

Aside from learning about Fable's maternal side of her family, the book also focused on the search for Midnight, a rare gemstone that Isolde had found just before she ran away and hadn't been seen since. For Fable, I think the search was also a bit emotional because it made her realize how little she knew about her mother and how she would never have the chance to really get to know her. Finding the Midnight was about more than trying to get rich, it was trying to find clues about who Isolde really was.

I think the ending was perfect for Fable and the crew. It gave each of the characters the ending they needed and still left it open as to what their future would look like. Overall, it was a great duology that I recommend to those who enjoy a good YA story set out on the sea.

I love this series so much. I was hooked from the very first page until the very last once again, and I'm so excited there will be another book, but this time focusing on new characters! I already like Ezra and I know we'll probably get to see our Marigold crew again. Plus the twists? omfg so intricately, seamlessly woven into the narrative, I'm jealous. The reason this isn't 5 stars is because I feel like the characters took second place to the plot this time around, and we didn't get enough development there, except on Fable's part. That being said, I'm such a huge fan of Adrienne Young's work. I can't wait to read whatever else she wants to write.

Ok so this one had me from the first pages. I loved that it picked up where book one left off and that I had it on hand after finishing Fable. Sadly, though about half way through to the end I felt that the story lost its luster. I think that these stories would have been much better if they would have been tossed together into one story which I turn would have sped up Namesake. I did finish it but parts of it were just so slow I found myself skimming. I will of course check out The Last Legacy because I am invested.

I'll never get enough of Adrienne's writing. It is so immersive and Namesake, the second book in this duology, does not disappoint. We pick up immediately where the first one ends and there are so many twists and turns. I also cried at one point in this book because the scene was so good. I don't want to say to much because I wouldn't want to give anything away. Everything is heightened in this book, the plot, the characters, the tension, and the final reveals. I loved it!

I loved this book, but not as much as Fable. The characters I fell in love with in the first book fell flat in this one.

After reading Fable, I really had high hopes for this book, but I struggled to stay focused on this story for some reason. I didn't live up to my expectations but I didn't totally dislike it. I just felt disappointed. Maybe it was because it was a sequel that was so hyped up.