Reviews with content warning for Violence - Namesake

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

vike's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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bookforthought's review

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adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I read the first book in this duology, Fable, last year and I loved it so much it easily found its way on my best of 2020 list. So as you can probably imagine, I was equal parts excited for Namesake and terrified to read it out of concern that it wouldn't meet my now very, very high expectations. But, while in a sense it didn't, I still ended up really enjoying Namesake as well.

Namesake picks up exactly where Fable left off, which would have been perfect if I'd read these straight after one another. Because obviously I didn't, despite knowing that my memory is just not good enough for me to try stunts like this, it took me a minute to actually remember who some of the secondary characters were and what their deal was. Once I'd caught up, Namesake started flowing as easily as Fable had, and I was soon immersed in this world again.

Without going into too much detail to avoid spoilers, this book shows a new side to Fable. Where in the previous book the focus was on Fable looking for (and finding) her family and her place in the world, this time it's all about holding on to what she has - and as such, the stakes have never been higher. There was a lot more politics as well, and plenty of discussions featuring trade routes and regulations. I actually appreciated this as it helped flesh out the world even more and added depth to most of what we'd learned in the previous book. But don't worry! There was still plenty of deviousness, treachery and backstabbing to keep me on my toes, as the characters continue being their usual murderous selves.

The characters were actually what let me down a bit in this book, sadly. I had loved the interactions and the Marigold crew in the previous book and was really looking forward to a greater development of those characters and their dynamics in the sequel. Unfortunately, this didn't really happen. For the most part, we actually followed a completely new set of characters (aside from Fable) and, when the Marigold crew finally made an appearance, all they did was argue, leaving me with close to zero new development.

West was probably the biggest letdown, as he displayed really horrible behaviour towards everyone, continuing in this even after he was called out on it and explicitly asked to stop. I did enjoy getting to know and re-evaluating some secondary characters from the previous book who had space to shine here, and to my surprise, previously horrible Koy and Saint actually became my new faves. As much as I love found family tropes, the father-daughter scenes in this book were hands down the best and absolutely unbeatable.

Keeping up with the ruthlessness and darkness of the previous book, Namesake was a highly satisfying conclusion to this duology. Even though some of the characters didn't quite live up to the previous book, there was plenty here to keep me entertained and turning the pages way into the night.

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sarahsbooklife's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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madsmcw_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Just like Fable, Namesake started out slow for me. It took me about halfway to fully get into the book. I wasn't a huge fan about Fable being away from her newfound family on the Marigold. I obviously know why this part was super important to the story so I can respect it, I just didn't like it all that much.

SAINT. My goodness. I was so ambivalent toward him in the first book. But dang did he show up in this one. I never expected his character to have the arc that he did and I seriously loved it.

I also really enjoyed getting more into the dynamic of Fable and West. They're guarded people with parts of themselves they want to hide, but the way they learn to love one another despite is all made me happy.

Koy was an unexpected spark in this part of the story! I liked getting to know him more and seeing who he really was.

I also loved that this story ended happily. I love my endings with a nice little now and I was a little nervous I wasn't going to get that here 😅.

Overall this is a very strong duology. I loved the adventure and the intrigue and I'm really glad I took the time to read them

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erniedresser's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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sfbookgirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Cue the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. I am obsessed with all things sea, pirates, and ships after reading Fable and Namesake. In case it wasn’t evident, these books go together and are best read back-to-back. The books tell the story of Fable, a seventeen-year-old girl who was dropped off on a mostly deserted island by her father after their family’s ship was destroyed during a storm. Fable wants to find her way back to her father with the hopes of finding a place on his crew. But she has to get there first…

These books are perfect for both young adult and adult readers. While it did take a bit of time for me to familiarize myself with the characters in Fable, I really enjoyed Namesake because it allowed me to spend time with Fable and her crew. The world is corrupt and dangerous, but nothing can stop Fable from achieving her dreams. The duology is perfect for those looking to get a taste of the seas from the comfort of their couch and the chance to explore a new world of trade and secrets.

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whatiskatelynreading's review against another edition

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adventurous fast-paced

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

4.0

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leahsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I really enjoyed Fable, and Namesake was the stunning conclusion to this duology. When there’s a situation in a book that leaves me with questions, I always want to have those questions answered. And the beautiful thing about this book is that it provided all the answers. However, it had some ups and downs along the way.

One of the things that I really liked was seeing how Fable’s relationships changed with the people around her. As she has to navigate her new circumstances, she learns a lot more about her mother’s past and how that relates to her own life. This new information affects her perception of the people she’s known the longest, and how she interacts with them.

“In only a night I’d learned more about my mother than I had in my entire life. Saint wasn’t the only one with secrets, and I couldn’t help but feel betrayed.”

While I liked seeing how Fable grew up over the course of the story, I felt like West just kind of faded. He was there, but his entire role just seemed to be to step in and play savior. Every time he did something, it was without the permission of the people he was “saving,” and it usually wasn’t appreciated. Also, the romance? I still wasn’t feeling it. In the last book, it wasn’t really well-developed, and in this book, it wasn’t really built up further. Honestly, it didn’t add much to the story. I felt that it could have worked just as well if they were close friends/found family.

The writing was absolutely beautiful, and I truly enjoyed the story. There was a sense of not really knowing everything that was going on, not knowing each character’s plan, and wondering whether you could trust anyone. Part of Fable’s journey was learning who she could trust and when to trust them, and relying on her instincts as she is taken on a journey through the Narrows and into the Unnamed Sea.

“The Unnamed Sea was a thing painted in my mind by the bright colors of my mother’s stories, but like the Narrows, it was filled with cutthroat traders, devious merchants, and powerful guilds.”

I’ve been a fan of Fable (the character) since page 1 of the first book, and I enjoyed seeing her claim her power and become a strong, kick-butt woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to get it. You know I love a strong female character, but this is a prime example of how not every book needs a romance in it. I really enjoyed the book for the most part, and would still recommend it. Plus, the covers for this duology are absolutely stunning, especially when placed side by side.

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