I definitely loved this! It moved a little more slowly for me than Fable did, but it still had the same heart to it. A girl who fights fiercely for her survival and her new-found home? A lyrical writing style that includes the sea almost as an additional character? A story of a girl and her estranged father? YES!

A stunning conclusion to the Fable duology, Namesake took me on an absolute whirlwind ride from start to finish. While reading the first installment, I really fell in love with the setting and world-building Adrienne Young created for Fable’s story to take place. I got total pirate vibes, and this conclusion did not disappoint. I also enjoyed the play between blood family and found family. Fable’s relationship with her father is a complicated one, but when her crew asks her to choose them vs. her father, it’s not the easy choice one might imagine she would make. Saint may have left Fable stranded on an island, but something still pulls her to have faith that he does everything in order to protect and help her (even when it doesn’t seem like that’s the case).

In the end, I thought this was a great way to end an epic fantasy adventure story, and I recommend this for fans of pirates, complicated characters, and gorgeous fantasy world-building.

I love anything by this author! Fable was absolutely amazing and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Namesake! Happy to say that it was just as amazing as the first book!

I was super excited to get approved for this book because I enjoyed the first one. I love all the action, adventure, and piratey goodness packed into the story.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy for review.

Try as I might, I just couldn’t get into this series. I was hoping that book 2 would appeal more to me but unfortunately it did not. Apparently I’m in the minority though, this series has a dedicated fan base so if it sounds like it might appeal to you definitely give it a try.

The writing is good, I enjoyed the setting but the story and the characters just didn’t click with me. I would try another series by the author in the future though.

Namesake was the sequel to Fable which I absolutely loved. It has a little bit of everything you need to make a good book. There is adventure, danger, romance and survival just to name a few! I would whole-heartedly recommend both Fable and Namesake to readers. I was invested in the characters and rooted for their success. The relationships were real and the characters believable. Overall, a great read.

I loved Fable so I was very excited to jump right into the sequel to this duology, Namesake. Namesake starts right where Fable left off. Fable and her new chosen family are in a good place with the Marigold not being under control but end up in a predicament. Learning about the histories of the crew and figuring out who Fable can trust made for an interesting story. The book is definitely more political than book 1 so it was a bit of a slower read for me. Beautiful writing again and a great conclusion!

Namesake
By Adrienne young
Family secrets can haunt all of us. The idea that we can hide what we came from with out consequences is a misconception. The cost of learning our secrets may be everything.

4.5 stars.

A good followup/wrapup to the Fable duology. The great writing continues and the atmosphere is a lot of fun. I love the world and it's darkness, the pirate nature of things, and everyone conniving to win.

Fable is a great character and I love the strength that she has continued to develop. Her relationship with West does result in some internal conflict for her that I feel she works through quite well in this book, though I do wish that we had more of West's background. I'm not going to lie...more books from the backstories of several of these characters would be awesome.

The "bad guy" in this one is fantastic. I love the greed and the absolute determination of these characters to squash their rivals and take on everything. It's just such a brutal all-or-none situation that raises the stakes and makes these characters nicely dark and sometimes an even more intriguing morally gray. The plotting and scheming from every side, the attempts to use Fable in many situations as a pawn, the cutthroat interaction of the traders...ah...it's all just fantastic.

There is less seafaring action in this novel than in Fable, as it focuses more on political intrigue and strategy, but I still freaking loved it. It was admittedly a little less tense and had less in the action department than the first novel, but it still held it's own.

I craved more of the side characters and really wish that there was more exposition that looked at the crew of the Marigold. I feel like those characters had so much potential and I wanted to know more about them. They were left standing around like cardboard cut-outs for most of the narrative and that stung.

The ending. It was a mixed bag. And endings are always the hardest for me. I enjoyed the narrative and its exploration of the world, but I do wish that there had been more from the final scenes. Without being spoilery, I feel like Fable's understanding is not as quick or strong as it should be and that was somewhat frustrating. For as smart as she is, it feels like she totally misses the obvious. Because of this, the ending did lose a little bit of luster for me. However, I really loved the way everything wrapped up and that loose ends were pretty well managed.

I will say again...I would LOVE to see more of this world, with backstories for West, Saint, Koy, and the ENTIRE CREW of the Marigold. Adrienne Young...I am NOT above begging. I need more of this world.

* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *

Loved the first more, but a great read. Entertaining. Great character and world building. I love the authors books and can't wait for more.

***3.5 stars***

Even though I absolutely loved fable, it took me a really long time to actually finish this book. I can’t pinpoint exactly why, it could be because of the lack of her found-family, or because the book never really felt unpredictable enough for me -either way, it wasn’t the kind of story that blew me away the way I wanted it to.

Overall, the story was still good and I’m glad to have gotten a conclusion to this storyline -something I can genuinely appreciate so much. I also find Fable to be an awesome character, so it was such a joy to get another story from her perspective. It’s just that outside of that, I’m pretty sure that while I will probably read fable again, I’m okay not picking up namesake for a second time -a one sentence synopsis will be enough for me.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this digital e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

The second of a duology, I found that Namesake tied up a lot of loose ends and provided a fitting ending to the story.

I preferred Fable over Namesake, but I'm glad I read the conclusion to feel a sense of closure with the story.

I am providing my fair and honest review (finally) in exchange for a free e-ARC from netgalley and McMillan Publishers.
I really loved Fable, so when I received the e-ARC, I couldn’t be more thrilled. This second novel continues right where we left off and doesn’t really give you a recap, so if you forgot what happened at the end of the first one, I’d reread it.
This second book really dives more into the backstory of the main characters and how they came to be where they are. There are shocking twists and revelations but nothing too out there. The “action” revolves more around business and politics than it does on the high-seas.
Overall, it was a fun read and I enjoyed it immensely.

We were salt and sand and sea and storm.
Namesake by Adrienne Young is the final installment of the Fable Duology that picks up right where the cliffhanger in Fable Left off. The covers of these books have been the talk of social media since they were revealed and luckily for all of us, they are not just a pretty face. This is a fast paced Young-Adult fantasy that would appeal to readers of any age.

We are immediately transported back to the sea-faring world where Fable is struggling to find her place among ruthless merchants and dangerous seas. She finds herself at the mercy of yet another grand scheme against her will as she struggles to get back to the ship she has come to know as home and the few people she has learned to trust. I normally try to provide a little more of a detailed summary but I fear that too many details would diminish a new reader’s experience. There are so many twists and turns as Fable attempts to navigate her way through rough waters and devious plots that I would hate to ruin any plot points for both Fable and Namesake.

Adrienne Young’s world building was genius in that it felt simultaneously genuine and fantasy. While there were a few nods to magical abilities this was absolutely somewhere that we could be referring to in lore to future generations. I was also impressed with her ability to make me go between loving and hating a character and then back again within just a few pages. Each character is playing a long game that is known to no one but themselves so as you turn each page it is impossible to know if the events unfolding are chance, or are a small piece of a much bigger puzzle. Even as we reach the end of the book the revelations are enough to make you question everything and everyone.

I sincerely hope that this was just a starting off point for Ms. Young and that we will be receiving many more stories from this world. I don’t think we have learned all the secrets or met all of the players in what is assuredly a tangled web with mysteries still to be revealed.

I have only recently started venturing into Young Adult books but this duology was enough to encourage more exploration of the genre. Even if a pirate-y feeling Young Adult adventure does not seem like your normal cup-of-tea I would challenge you to dive into this world and leave without gaining your sea legs. Congratulations on a brilliant conclusion to Fable’s story!

Full review to be posted soonish.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really love Adrienne Young’s writing. She has a way of just totally immersing you into the world that she creates and feeling a connection to her characters. Unfortunately, this wasn’t my favorite of hers. It definitely could have just been bad timing for me to read this one, but I enjoyed Fable more and found it easier to get into. I do think that if you liked Fable then you’ll want to continue on with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press (Wednesday Books) for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

I got an ARC of "Namesake" by Adrienne Young by Netgalley for an honest review.

Absolutely love this series. It's hard to predict what will happen, only a few elements did I predict, but I got surprised on the way. So pretty thrilling and nerving to read.

The only thing that bugs me is the magic part, like where does it come from, no explanation on this.

I can absolutely recoment to read this serie, it's a litle diffrent then the regular fantasy.

Fable is free of her father, but starting over with a crew of her own is far more difficult than she thought. She becomes the pawn of others, and must partner with Holland the notorious gem trader. Fable soon discovers that her mother's secrets are leading to danger for everyone she loves.

This is the second half of the duology. We start out right away after the conclusion of the first book. Fable was kidnapped by Zola, who hates her father Saint and wants to use her in a plot to clear his own debts. Things go downhill from there, largely because of things Fable doesn't know. She's never known or been interested in her mother's family, and it never occurred to her to care about who else would want Saint dead. Her focus was only on West and getting back to the Marigold; unfortunately, nothing goes according to plan.

As big a bad guy that Saint seems in book one, Holland isn't any better. She's building an empire and wants to extend into the Narrows, and doesn't care who she uses along the way. She has her sights set on Fable, and Fable is once again caught up in others' plans. This makes sense on one hand, because she's not well versed in the bigger world and trade conspiracies after being marooned for four years. On the other, she's being manipulated and in turn manipulates others. No one is an especially good character, and it doesn't quite sit right with me in this book.

The end was fast and neat, tying up a lot of loose ends for Fable. She helped, and it was certainly fun to read, but ultimately I felt like something was missing. Maybe because the tension and violence of the first book and the beginning of this one ended in relatively quiet means, but it felt almost anticlimactic. It isn't, it's more that the end is a whimper rather than a bang. The quiet and cold menace that Holland presents is magnified by how much everyone is afraid of her. The soft, gentle ending is quite different from what I expected. Fable definitely deserves that, though. She had such a hard life, a little safety will go a long way.

I won't say too much since this is a sequel, but if you liked Fable, you are sure to enjoy Namesake! I think I liked Fable a bit more, but this a strong sequel that will leave you feeling satisfied!

I love the YA adventure tales of Adrienne Young and this sequel to Fable, was definitely one of my most anticipated reads of this year. Nothing beats a tale of the high seas with a lot of backstabbing, murder and romance.



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Publication Date 16/03/21
Goodreads Review 02/05/21