Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - Fable

I know everyone loves this, and I felt the first half was excellent. Great set-up and great description that really sucks you into this world. But towards the end, it felt like the plot lost itself a bit. I know there's going to be a second book, so I'll hold out hope for that. Great characters and great setting, though!

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booksnbeesofbea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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girlonbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

💰💰💰💰 (four stars, as rated in bags of loot because PIRATES! ARRRR!)

Fable has spent four long years on a trading island; dredging the treacherous waters and plotting her escape. Since her father abandoned her the night after her mother's tragic death, Fable has thought of little besides how she plans to get back to him. He made her a promise and she plans to hold him to it. When offered a chance at passage off the island, Fable joins a rag-tag crew of traders by concealing her relation to one of the most powerful men on The Narrows. But this crew has secrets of their own. And when faced with an opportunity that could change all their lives, Fable must decide of her loyalties lie with her newly found family on the sea, or the man that once promised her the world.

“What he was saying—the things he told me—was his way of showing me he trusted me. It was also his way of giving me the match. If I wanted to, I could burn him down. But if we were going to do this, I would have to be his safe harbor and he would have to be mine.”

Oh this book is a slow burn! I really wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into here, but did I ever enjoy the hell out of it! There is so much build up to the first 60% of this story that I was honestly worried I was going to be let down by the end. But, ALAS, I was not! Not in the slightest! I can genuinely say that I feel fully satisfied with the way the plot knotted itself together in the end while still leaving enough possibility hanging about for the next book. Consider me fully invested in this character, this series, and, frankly, this author. She has crafted a magnificent cast of characters, all equally flawed and yet dripping with charm, while still maintaining their believability. Young's writing flowed serenely and from page to page. And, while I have absolutely no idea what a nautical life of “dredging” would legitimately entail, I never felt out of my depth (pun intended) as full chapters of diving jargon were thrown around me like cannon fire. My one hope for the second book is that the hints at the supernatural which graced the subplot of this first installment are explored further in its sequel. There is so much potential there that would be a shame to waste! Fingers crossed!

✨ Rep in this book: n/a
✨ Content warnings for this book: child abandonment, death of a parent, abuse, general violence, kidnapping, murder

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