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maregred's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Abandonment, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic relationship
camiclarkbooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
We jump right back in to the story, so abruptly it’s like we flipped to the next chapter of “Fable” rather than started the sequel. And, even more so than in the first book, the titular heroine finds herself in so many terrible situations—one right after the other. There were so many that it was difficult to stay invested, particularly when Fable didn’t seem all that concerned.
Fable’s constant internal monologue tells us exactly what she’s thinking and how she’s upset by the different strokes of bad luck, but ultimately she reacts very passively. She allows the situation to play out rather than doing much about it. Alternatively, she allows the other characters to steer her through these unfortunate events.
Since we learned in the first book that she had survived four years—alone—on the island of Jeval, it seems that Fable would be more of a fighter than she is. Her thoughts also don’t reveal that’s she’s given up after so many years of fighting and that she’s decided to go with the current either. Fable just doesn’t have much agency.
Although I was disappointed by the main character, there were several very interesting characters that were introduced. Holland, the feared gem merchant that was mentioned in the first book, appears about 1/3 of the way through the book. At her appearance, the book began to pick up and kept my interest more than the first few chapters had.
Other side characters from the first book appeared in “Namesake” and were ultimately more interesting than Fable and West, our main characters. Although we barely saw it, even the love story between Fable and West feels bland in comparison to the love story that potentially developed between Willa and Koy. We just glimpse a few brief allusions to something between them possibly developing. For our main love story between Fable and West, we spent a lot of time rehashing that he had done bad things for Saint, and that the darkness had a hold of him, which concerned Fable, but not enough to do anything about her concern.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the writing. Adrienne Young is a master at describing the different scenes the book takes us to. When Fable was dredging underwater, I would find myself stopping what I was doing to listen to the rich descriptions of the underwater world the character was in because the words were so beautiful and vibrant. Even simple description’s of a character’s clothes were beautifully detailed enough that I could picture the scenes perfectly.
Overall, I wanted to like this book more than I did. “Namesake” is very much a plot driven book rather than a character driven book. But the plot is constant, there’s no break between anything. We can’t catch a breath before Fable is pushed into another problem. Yet she reacts passively to almost every situation she finds herself in. She’s very astute and introspective, but lacks agency. The book is beautifully written, with every scene described in impeccable, rich details that help to insert the reader in to the story. But kt isn’t quite enough to mask how bland the characters have become since the first book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Death, Abandonment, and Murder
mimccub's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, and Murder
joricottone's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Kidnapping and Vomit
kbairbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I didn’t much care for the first 75% of this book. (Spoiler) with Fable getting kidnapped at the end of book one that left lots of opportunity for this book… but it just didn’t feel right. Her romance felt forced, and the timing of this book felt weird. I did like the creativity it took to come up with all the agendas and sneakiness and how everyone played everyone else but it felt like Fable was too naive and fell into things very easily and she felt like such a bystander with a bunch of things just happening to her. (Spoiler end)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Murder
chaoschali's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Kidnapping
Moderate: Murder
juliette_95's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Kidnapping
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Murder
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
oliviabrcka's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Namesake picks up right where Fable left off. Fable has been kidnapped by Zola to complete a job, and things are quickly turning out to be far more complicated than they initially seemed. Fable is now tasked with trying to play the games of experienced traders on her own; and not get killed in the process. I enjoyed the first book, and while Namesake was fine, I liked Fable better. However, I think it wrapped up Fable's story nicely and I don't regret reading it.
I did prefer Young's overall writing style in Namesake. It felt more tangible, like I could reach out and touch gems underwater. Her pacing was slower, but I see why it had to happen that way, so I am not too bothered by it.
As far as returning characters, they all stay the same. I liked the development in Fable's relationship with Saint, and I think that is one of the more powerful relationships in this duology. I was also LIVING for Koy and Willa's relationship but we didn't get to see very much of it:( The only new characters we really get are Holland and the Roths. I was pretty underwhelmed by both. I saw the "evil grandma" card coming from a mile away and we didn't get to know enough about the Roths for me to actually be invested in their part of the storyline.
The world of Fable expands to the Unnamed Sea, and more importantly, the opulent trading city of Bastian. I loved the contrast between the Narrows and Bastian. The grandeur and elegance of Bastian was so interesting, and I wish we could have explored that space more. I would be interested to see a novel in the same world as Fable, but set in the perspective of a rich girl from Bastian. That would be so fun! Namesake also delves more into the politics of the Fable universe; there is a lot less action and a lot more intrigue and political chess happening.
Namesake explores a few themes: loyalty, mourning, and tough parental relationships. Young doesn't really explore them in depth, so although I could see some readers connecting with them, I don't think everyone really will.
Namesake was worth reading and I think it wrapped up the duology nicely. I am interested to see what Adrienne Young writes next.
I did prefer Young's overall writing style in Namesake. It felt more tangible, like I could reach out and touch gems underwater. Her pacing was slower, but I see why it had to happen that way, so I am not too bothered by it.
As far as returning characters, they all stay the same. I liked the development in Fable's relationship with Saint, and I think that is one of the more powerful relationships in this duology. I was also LIVING for Koy and Willa's relationship but we didn't get to see very much of it:( The only new characters we really get are Holland and the Roths. I was pretty underwhelmed by both. I saw the "evil grandma" card coming from a mile away and we didn't get to know enough about the Roths for me to actually be invested in their part of the storyline.
The world of Fable expands to the Unnamed Sea, and more importantly, the opulent trading city of Bastian. I loved the contrast between the Narrows and Bastian. The grandeur and elegance of Bastian was so interesting, and I wish we could have explored that space more. I would be interested to see a novel in the same world as Fable, but set in the perspective of a rich girl from Bastian. That would be so fun! Namesake also delves more into the politics of the Fable universe; there is a lot less action and a lot more intrigue and political chess happening.
Namesake explores a few themes: loyalty, mourning, and tough parental relationships. Young doesn't really explore them in depth, so although I could see some readers connecting with them, I don't think everyone really will.
Namesake was worth reading and I think it wrapped up the duology nicely. I am interested to see what Adrienne Young writes next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Murder
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 😅.
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 😅.
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