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jolietjane 's review for:
Fable
by Adrienne Young
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!