Thank you to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for this ARC,

I loved this story; it added some great insight into the world of the Narrows and the Saints' rise to power!

The narrators were a perfect fit, however, I would've preferred that in scenes when the main characters are talking with each other, they used both voices instead of whoever was narrating that chapter/POV. I think it would've helped with the immersion, I found it a bit jarring when the narrator for Isolde would put on a voice for Saint and vice-versa.

I really enjoyed fable and namesake. So getting to go back to the narrows was such a joy, especially as we get to see saints beginings. And there was a OOOHHH moment which I loved.
I hope we get more of saint as he's definitely a character which hidden depths and can see plenty of trouble brewing.

Rating : 4,5 stars (rounded up to 5 stars here)

I really love the world of the Narrows. There's just something about Adrienne Young's writing that gets you and keeps you interested, I really loved Fable and Namesake. Saint was one of my favorite character of the series, so of course I jumped at the opportuniy to read his book,

I'm glad to say this book did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed diving back into this world. I love that we got Saint's backstory and how he became the man we see in Fable.
Plus, the love story between Saint and Isolde, and their personal growth were amazing to listen to.

I only did the audiobooks for this series so far, and I am not disappointed. Once again, the narrator was excellent and I was truly immersed in my read.

Thank you NetGalley, Bolinda Audio and the author for this ALC, in exchange for an honest review.

Having loved the story of Fable & Namesake I was curious to discover what Saint's story would be like.

Suffice to say, I was pleasantly surprised as we get the backstory of the parental generation.

It is very well conceived & written and adds also more layers to Fable's story.

Loved it.

As an introduction to this author's writing, characterisation and world building, this was not bad. Possibly it lost a bit of the dynamism it would have possessed if I'd actually read the series before reading this prequel, but in any case, here we are.

Saint, or Elias as he is known to those most intimate to him, is a trader in a part of the world that is only just catching up in terms of rights for those who trade by sea. Right now, Saint is doing his best to earn his official trader's license. He has a ship he's been commissioning for some time ready to go as soon as that happens and he can be viewed as both reputable AND able to make money.

At the same time, Isolde is running away from her mother, and making stupid decisions in her haste to do so. All she knows is that she can't keep lending the power and knowledge she possesses to making her mother powerful enough that no one will eventually be able to overcome her.

Of course these two meet, and of course they fall in love. Isolde's past decisions come back to haunt them both but, thankfully, Saint doesn't have to pay too badly in order to set her free.

Near the very end, a somewhat patron to Saint has a son that he asks Saint to look out for in his absence. That boy's name is West and, I suspect, is the lead character in other novels in this universe.

This story had some serious pacing issues that meant it took me a great deal longer to keep coming back to than it would have otherwise but the world and set up left me intrigued enough to read more books in this world after all.

A huge thank you to Netgalley, Adrienne Young and Bolinda Audio for allowing me an audio-arc copy of Saint!

Having read both Fable and Namesake I immediately fell in love with the world of Narrow Seas and also Adrienne Youngs writing.

I loved Saint and Isolde's forbidden love and also slow burn romance and what made it absolute top tier for me was the connection between Saint and West! Everything that confused me a little during Fable Duology made complete sense after listening to Saints story.

The narrator for this book was brilliant, cohesive and also very fluent in their accents when portraying the different characters.

4.5/5 stars

Saint's book! This book was everything you wanted, it gave us the more in-depth knowledge that we wanted from him during Fable. I loved the narration, it was perfect.

Really brilliant prequel to the Fable duology! I absolutely adored getting more from Saint and Isolde and hearing more about how she came to know him.

The audio book was brilliant, both voice actors suited the role perfectly and I found it really immersive!

Definitely buying the physical copy of this for my shelves!

his book is a prequel to Fable, based in the same world of narrows. Saint has always been given difficult cards in life, but he has dealt with them in the best possible way. Years after his father's death, his dream is about to come true! A ship, a cure and a trader's license - but his paths have crossed with an unknown dredger and in the blink of an eye, everything is up in a toss.

The forbidden pull between the two protagonists is layered beautifully in the waves of the Narrows. There were a few familiar names in here like the ship Luna and a few characters, but my favourite part was when the book drew the connection from Saint to West. It all made sense in my head once the story was completed, but earlier I was constantly confusing Fable and Isolde due to the similarities. This was such a wonderful read, though I do recommend my fellow readers to reread Fable, so it is easier to make the connections.

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, YA
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

It was interesting to learn about Saint and Isolde from the tale of how their paths crossed and the dangers they faced together, particularly with the way Saint’s character behaves in Fable. To better understand the animosity between Saint and Zola, as well as the success story that is Saint’s business and how it began. I didn’t find that Saint and Isolde’s relationship, or their feelings for each other, seemed to have enough time or interaction to develop. It felt more like an instant love, without the chemistry and emotional connection I’d have liked to see but I enjoyed seeing their story all the same. The narrators for the audiobook made for a pleasant read and I liked that different narrators were used for Saint and Isolde.

I received a free copy of this book. All views are my own.

So I have only read Fable and didn't really enjoy it BUT I was intrigued when I saw that this book existed because it promised to be devastating and spoiler: it wasn't. I still liked it a lot, you can tell that Young loves her characters and it quenched my pirate thirst. 4 stars

It was good to get a bit of back story on the parents of Fable - I always enjoy a prequel but wonder if there is much that can be added when you know how the story ends! Well in this case the end of the story wasn't the beginning of Fable so there is still more story to tell!! Getting background on Saint and Isolde's pasts was helpful in understanding more of the actions later on and explain why some of the characters behaved the way they did down the line. A solid addition to the series. The narration was really good - I especially liked the male narrations accent turning from American to English everytime they voiced Isolde!

This prequel to the Fable duology delves into the backstory of Elias, a fearless fisherman’s son known as Saint, and Isolde, a gem sage fleeing her powerful mother. Elias aims to become the first trader from the Narrows, while Isolde joins a struggling ship’s crew to escape her past.

As their lives and attraction intertwine, they face a high-stakes game of power and love, shaping the future of the Narrows. This immersive, slow-paced tale focuses on poetic prose and deep character development. Both blue-eyed Saint and red-haired Isolde have olive skin.

Fans of the original series and newcomers will find much to love in this beautifully written prequel.

The World of the Narrows series has been a sold 5 star read for me, and Saint kept up with the trend.
I adored Saint and knew I was going to love his back story to the grump we see in Fable and Namesake. His friendship with Clove is just so darn heartwarming, and I loved his slow burn with Isolde.
The words Adrienne writes are so beautiful and engaging, so thus was a other fast read for me.
I listened to the audio book, narrated by Ell Potter and Will Damron. They did such a fantastic job and I eagerly listed to every second.

A massive thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda Audio for the gifted copy.

This is definitely a YA genre. I was remiss to notice it is a prequel to other books as Fable and Namesake, both of which I've not read or listened to.

Some books do well as a stand alone however for me, I found this one a little difficult to connect with the characters fully, and when I realised that this was a prequel, it made sense why. I'm finding this one a little more difficult to review than others based on this lack of full connection to the characters.

The story itself is one of movies and definitely gives that feel that you can envisage Saint throughout his journey, I do feel this was more a me thing and timing for this book and not having read the other 2 otherwise may have enjoyed it more.

Narration was done very well both narrators spoke eloquently, with tone being delivered appropriately.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the opportunity to listen to this novel in return for my own opinions and honest review.

So this is the 2nd book by this author I have read and I think I can say they aren't for me.
I havent read Fable or any books connected to this one. I feel like this isn't a standalone within a series as I felt lost listening to the story. I felt bored listening to this book and my mind was wondering while listening. I had to literally force myself to listen.
I was hoping for a captivating sea adventure (something I don't read often) with some romance thrown in. But that wasn't what I got at all.
I think I will cut my ties with this author and wont be reading anymore of her books.
Received ALC from Netgalley.

I really enjoyed going back to the Fable universe and meeting a much younger version of Saint trying to make his way in the Narrows. We learn about his hopes and dreams, what he’s been up to in order to achieve them and something that happened in his past and has fueled his determination to get where he’s going, and it all makes sense. But meeting Isolde was not in his plans and will set in motion a series of events that might change the course of events that he had in mind.

Apart from Saint and Isolde, we get to see younger versions of quite a few characters from the other books in this universe and where they are at this point in time. And knowing what will become of them in the future, it was really interesting to meet their past selves and see how they differed or not from their future selves. It also gave the reading experience a sense of familiarity. Besides, there are a few hints to future events too that I think everyone who has read and liked Fable, Namesake and The Last Legacy will enjoy.

The narrators of the audiobook did a great job setting the perfect tone for this book and giving it that nostalgic and evocative feeling. Saint’s narration was fantastic, really spot on. Isolde’s was also good, maybe a bit too slow at times, but this is something personal and nothing that setting the speed to 1.25x wouldn’t solve. All in all, I really enjoyed the listening experience and totally recommend this audiobook.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

I was so excited to return to the world of the narrows as the Fable duology (which this book is a prequel for) is one of my favourite series. The world and atmosphere of these books are great and I love the world-building with the trade councils and different groups you get to see throughout the series, this book included.

The plot had a great pace and a good mix of action and romance whilst also diving into the backgrounds of the main characters. It was so interesting to read more about the characters we saw briefly in the Fable duology and I love learning more about Saint and how he created the trading empire we see him have in Fable. I also thought the romance (whilst a little insta-lovey) was very cute and worked well in the book.

I listened to the audiobook of this and both narrators did a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life and really made you feel as though you were there on the boat with them.

Having enjoyed the salty seafaring adventures in Fable and Namesake, I was pretty sure that I’d enjoy this prequel, and I absolutely was not disappointed. I listened to the audio version of Saint and thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of Fable’s origin story. It feels like this might be a two-parter too, and I very much hope so. Although the ending was rounded off nicely, there’s still a gap between the end of this story and the start of Fable’s that feels like it needs filling.
I’ll definitely be picking up the next one if it appears!
Five stars for Adrienne Young’s Saint, with thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda audio for the opportunity to listen to the ARC.

I really enjoyed this story. Going back to learn about Fables mum and dad. And to see where they came from and how they got together. It really all came full circle.
The narration was great really helped the story.