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sarahsbooklife's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, Murder, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content
madsmcw_reads's review against another edition
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 š .
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
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 š .
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content
erniedresser's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Kidnapping, and Violence
Moderate: Blood and Death of parent
madamepincers's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
kenziewol's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
āWe were salt and sand and sea and the storm. We were made in the Narrows.ā
I enjoyed this book even more than the last. I was hooked and kept telling myself just one more chapter ā I ended up reading it in one sitting staying up till 3am to do so (Iāll regret this later). I feel like thatās one of the authors strong suits, she know how to keep you wanting to read the next chapter. I loved continuing Fables journey and learning more about her and her family. I love west, last book I still felt unsure but by the end of this one I loved him and their love story. Overall this was just a really enjoyable read for me and I loved the direction the author decided to take it in!
I enjoyed this book even more than the last. I was hooked and kept telling myself just one more chapter ā I ended up reading it in one sitting staying up till 3am to do so (Iāll regret this later). I feel like thatās one of the authors strong suits, she know how to keep you wanting to read the next chapter. I loved continuing Fables journey and learning more about her and her family. I love west, last book I still felt unsure but by the end of this one I loved him and their love story. Overall this was just a really enjoyable read for me and I loved the direction the author decided to take it in!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Kidnapping, Murder, and Violence
gem114's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Sooooo satisfying!
Adventure! Love! Betrayal! Father/daughter relationships! Magic! Justice! Redemption!
Fable and Namesake have it all. I really loved this duology (are duologies my new thing in 2021?) and highly recommend it.
Adventure! Love! Betrayal! Father/daughter relationships! Magic! Justice! Redemption!
Fable and Namesake have it all. I really loved this duology (are duologies my new thing in 2021?) and highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Trafficking, Murder, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Death
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from NetGalley and St. Martinās Press in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Namesake was, in a word, underwhelming.
I loved the atmosphere and the edge of adventure in Fable ā itās what made the book such a winner for me in 2020. Namesake suffered from a lot of quick turns and shallow plot lines. I got the overall sense that there was a lot of different things that Young wanted to do in this book, and rather than just pick one, she tried them all. I suppose for some perspectives the shifting plot direction could be categorized as a twist, but for me, they were too anticlimactic for that.
We start with one of our baddies from Fable who kidnaps our girl for some nefarious purpose. His treatment of her super casual, like āhey, thanks for being on my ship, now youāre in charge of a thing!ā. This whole introductory bit is quickly shown as irrelevant as its a vehicle to get us to the real villain of Namesake, but for me, it felt like a lot of wasted time. Once we get to real purpose, thereās still a dance between goals, and most of the plotting happens off the page. While I understand this is intended so Young could do a grand reveal later in the book, for the reader, it felt a little all over the place. I knew things were happening behind the scenes, but I felt like nothing was happening on the page, and I got bored.
Our characters havenāt grown since Fable, either. The ways they have changed are abrupt and awkward ā displayed as announcements or rambling intentions. The romance really fumbles for me, too. I know much of the community really enjoys this aspect of the duology, but I thought the romance was barely present in Fable (which I liked). In Namesake, romance takes up a lot more space, and I still donāt feel the chemistry between the two characters. Certainly not at a level that explains some of their choices.
My favorite part of this book was the repaired relationship between two of the characters near the end, although that, too, stumbled and felt awkward. Overall, Namesake lacked the elements that made Fable special ā focusing too much on trade routes and maritime politics and grand gestures than the intimacy of the sea and the Marigoldās crew. Iām sure my take on this book will be an unpopular one, but I think Namesake is overhyped and under-delivered.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping
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