Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
4.5 stars over the sea on a clear moonless night
I’m often skeptical of nautical adventure books, pirates and sea farers and traders and such, and well treasure hunters, none of them do it for me. But I’m a sucker for beautiful writing, and Fable’s is exquisite. Haunting and lyrical, Young paints a stark picture of Fable’s life, of the deep, terrible, spectacular, dangerous beast that is the sea, in vivid literary watercolors. Fable herself is extraordinary, a girl more in tune with the sea than with humans, trader, fighter, survivor extraordinaire.
The adventure portion of the book picks up around 9% and it is hard to put down after. The romance itself is not the primary plot, and is a subtle, understated slow burn, not unlike the calm surface of the sea on a balmy, sunny day. Nevertheless, the story feels deeply romantic, not in small part because of the easy, almost wordless connection between Fable and West, riddled with hurdles but absolute in spite of them.
The star of the show though, is the painfully complex, frustrating, heartbreaking relationship between Fable and her father. It ebbs and flows, hurts and heals, and leaves you as conflicted as it does her. We’re left at a gut wrenching cliffhanger, and I’m looking forward to more adventures of Fay and her motley crew in Namesake.
I’m often skeptical of nautical adventure books, pirates and sea farers and traders and such, and well treasure hunters, none of them do it for me. But I’m a sucker for beautiful writing, and Fable’s is exquisite. Haunting and lyrical, Young paints a stark picture of Fable’s life, of the deep, terrible, spectacular, dangerous beast that is the sea, in vivid literary watercolors. Fable herself is extraordinary, a girl more in tune with the sea than with humans, trader, fighter, survivor extraordinaire.
The adventure portion of the book picks up around 9% and it is hard to put down after. The romance itself is not the primary plot, and is a subtle, understated slow burn, not unlike the calm surface of the sea on a balmy, sunny day. Nevertheless, the story feels deeply romantic, not in small part because of the easy, almost wordless connection between Fable and West, riddled with hurdles but absolute in spite of them.
The star of the show though, is the painfully complex, frustrating, heartbreaking relationship between Fable and her father. It ebbs and flows, hurts and heals, and leaves you as conflicted as it does her. We’re left at a gut wrenching cliffhanger, and I’m looking forward to more adventures of Fay and her motley crew in Namesake.
Well, it only took me two days to slam this. Thanks to Wednesday Books and Goodreads for providing a free copy!
Sometimes, A book burns in your soul, leaving it raw upon it's exit. Fable was that for me. If pirates and seafaring adventures are the next trend in YA, I won't complain about this one leading the charge.
Fable takes place in a merciless, unnamed world of low fantasy where life at sea is seemingly normal for most people. Fable, at 14, is abandoned by her successful trader father. After the tragic loss of the ship she grew up on, her father slashes her arms and leaves her on an island of nomadic criminals. She spends years growing up on this island, surviving with bare minimum against all odds working as a dredger (essentially, someone who finds precious stones and ore under the sea)
Evntually, she finally has enough coin to pay for passage off the island and search for her father.
Fable is what I would call a "grimdark YA"- another trend I am seeing emerge. The first 100 pages or so are some of the most stressed out i've ever felt reading a YA novel. Fable isn't just left on any island, but an island where men sleep in shanty camps and can sniff out coin and success. Any stroke of luck can lead to ambush, death, or fates far worse as the local population mercilessly hunts you. Adrienne Young is a masterful storyteller, and encourages a powerful sense of empathy in the reader as you feel men watching our main character from every corner.
In this universe, any sign of weakness can damn you, and I was surprised just how often I felt for Fable...this sense of fear never really leaves you through the book. When Fable has a stroke of luck, you are waiting for the other shoe to drop. When someone shows kindness, you are trained to question "why".
When Fable is taken upon the Marigold for passage to her father, you meet West and his crew- a team of ragtag, morally grey, and utterly brutal traders. They crew is hellbent on keeping their secrets and moving Fable off of their boat as quickly as possible.
Watching relationships develop in "Fable" is powerful, because every character is more guarded than the last...but ultimately, aside from being the epic heart pounding pirate style thriller you have dreamed up, "Fable" is about relationships, and the price you pay for opening your heart.
The primary source of conflict in this story does not revolve around a save the world, chosen one, or magical item plot. Really and truly, this is a grounded low fantasy about money, power, and conflicts between monopolized businesses that act like mobs. It 's a conflict between rich and poor, debts and debtors, and the impact of climbing up the ladder of power.
"Fable" is a slow churning story, having a few small climaxes, but not pushing for a lot of narrative moment as the few of the Marigold go on a number of smaller, but ultimately important adventures between sea and costal city. Despite this, these adventures are impactful and meaningful- any "filler" keeps you engaged and moves the plot along.
Some cliffnotes on the hi lights of this amazing read:
- Enemies to lovers slow burn romance that does not take up much real-estate in the series
- Found family
- horror/grimdark elements
- emotional, high tension scenes
- A YA novel with adult characters
- a strong female character that survives largely on her brains/wits and doesn't represent strength in a masculine/feminine way.
- Some LGBT rep.
This has got to be one of- if not my favorite 2020 release and I can't wait for other people to go on the adventure I just got to experience. Bring on the angry swashbuckling trader boat wars!
Sometimes, A book burns in your soul, leaving it raw upon it's exit. Fable was that for me. If pirates and seafaring adventures are the next trend in YA, I won't complain about this one leading the charge.
Fable takes place in a merciless, unnamed world of low fantasy where life at sea is seemingly normal for most people. Fable, at 14, is abandoned by her successful trader father. After the tragic loss of the ship she grew up on, her father slashes her arms and leaves her on an island of nomadic criminals. She spends years growing up on this island, surviving with bare minimum against all odds working as a dredger (essentially, someone who finds precious stones and ore under the sea)
Evntually, she finally has enough coin to pay for passage off the island and search for her father.
Fable is what I would call a "grimdark YA"- another trend I am seeing emerge. The first 100 pages or so are some of the most stressed out i've ever felt reading a YA novel. Fable isn't just left on any island, but an island where men sleep in shanty camps and can sniff out coin and success. Any stroke of luck can lead to ambush, death, or fates far worse as the local population mercilessly hunts you. Adrienne Young is a masterful storyteller, and encourages a powerful sense of empathy in the reader as you feel men watching our main character from every corner.
In this universe, any sign of weakness can damn you, and I was surprised just how often I felt for Fable...this sense of fear never really leaves you through the book. When Fable has a stroke of luck, you are waiting for the other shoe to drop. When someone shows kindness, you are trained to question "why".
When Fable is taken upon the Marigold for passage to her father, you meet West and his crew- a team of ragtag, morally grey, and utterly brutal traders. They crew is hellbent on keeping their secrets and moving Fable off of their boat as quickly as possible.
Watching relationships develop in "Fable" is powerful, because every character is more guarded than the last...but ultimately, aside from being the epic heart pounding pirate style thriller you have dreamed up, "Fable" is about relationships, and the price you pay for opening your heart.
The primary source of conflict in this story does not revolve around a save the world, chosen one, or magical item plot. Really and truly, this is a grounded low fantasy about money, power, and conflicts between monopolized businesses that act like mobs. It 's a conflict between rich and poor, debts and debtors, and the impact of climbing up the ladder of power.
"Fable" is a slow churning story, having a few small climaxes, but not pushing for a lot of narrative moment as the few of the Marigold go on a number of smaller, but ultimately important adventures between sea and costal city. Despite this, these adventures are impactful and meaningful- any "filler" keeps you engaged and moves the plot along.
Some cliffnotes on the hi lights of this amazing read:
- Enemies to lovers slow burn romance that does not take up much real-estate in the series
- Found family
- horror/grimdark elements
- emotional, high tension scenes
- A YA novel with adult characters
- a strong female character that survives largely on her brains/wits and doesn't represent strength in a masculine/feminine way.
- Some LGBT rep.
This has got to be one of- if not my favorite 2020 release and I can't wait for other people to go on the adventure I just got to experience. Bring on the angry swashbuckling trader boat wars!
2,5.
"La quise como un amor que me destrozó."
Demasiado lenta en algunas partes, sobre todo para ser una historia tan corta. Los personajes no han llegado a causarme mucho interés, pero el mundo es precioso.
"La quise como un amor que me destrozó."
Demasiado lenta en algunas partes, sobre todo para ser una historia tan corta. Los personajes no han llegado a causarme mucho interés, pero el mundo es precioso.
I see a book enough times on my insta, I usually go in it without reading the reviews or the synopsis. That’s exactly what I did with Fable. I’m a sucker for pretty covers and when I started reading it… I still don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not what I got from here. It turned out to be even better. At first, I didn’t know what was going on or what was even the purpose of the story, but as I kept reading, I found myself loving Fable and all the other characters… except the bad guys. Hate those mother*******. The story, to me, turned out to be about strength, determination and courage. She was so brave. At some point I was just staring at the page wide eyed and had this little feeling of pride for her in my chest. It is beautifully written, kudos to the author for that and for the cliffhanger. I am now really looking forward to read Namesake.
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Oh Fable.
What can I say about this book?
I know it wasn’t a favorite of some people, but omg it was so good guys! I honestly didn’t think I would like it when @readinginfairyland and @readingmypages described it to me
What can I say about this book?
I know it wasn’t a favorite of some people, but omg it was so good guys! I honestly didn’t think I would like it when @readinginfairyland and @readingmypages described it to me
All the knife fighting wasn’t believable and she never shucked oysters or mussels. Life at sea is hard,