User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
if you thought i was overreacting about how much i enjoyed
'fable,' you arent even ready for how i feel about this sequel. this duology is in a league of its own.
once again, AYs writing has transported me straight into my fantasy of living a stolen life on the open seas with the salty wind in my hair and a map in my hand, with a loyal crew by my side and the unknown on the horizon.
this sequel is just as daring, just as adventurous, and just as swashbuckling. and i do kind of wish this second half was just combined with the first book - i think it would have balanced out nicely to just have been one longer story, as i noticed there isnt as much world-building or character development in this sequel. its very plot focused, but its so fast-paced that its easy to overlook everything else.
but i absolutely love how this story is resolved. it has a perfect beginning with
‘fable’ and
‘namesake’ gives it a perfect ending.
an eternal thanks to st. martins press/wednesday books for the ARC! <3β 4.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Omg!!
Fable is back and still bad @ss in the sequel to the duology. I love these characters so much!! Fable is my spirit animal. She’s tough and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. She does have an inner soft side, I promise she does π
All I can say is if you loved the first book, you will love this one even more. It’s total swashbuckling peeps! π
We were salt and sand and sea and storm.
We were made in the Narrows.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for a digital copy of this book!
Mel π€πΆπΊπΎ
BLOG:
https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....
Rating: really liked it
Namesake is the concluding book to Adrienne Young's
Fable duology; a YA-Seafaring Fantasy story.
After the cliffhanger ending of
Fable, our protagonist finds herself once again, separated from the ones she loves. Additionally, she is being used as a pawn in a rival's scheme for power.
Just as Fable was beginning to find the place she felt she belonged, more challenges are thrown in her face; thwarting her happy ever after.
On the rival trader's ship, she runs into an old acquaintance, Clove. A close friend of her parents, who she thought was lost forever.
In her struggle to return to the
Marigold, and the handsome Captain she left behind, Fable ends up learning a lot more about her Mother, particularly her earlier life; some of it surprising, to say the least.
This story takes the plotting and scheming to a whole new level, as the different trading organizations in this world vie for power and position.
I really enjoyed watching Fable's evolution as a character over the course of these two books. Although she was always a fighter, she was fairly helpless in the beginning in a lot of ways.
She was used so often as a pawn in other people's games, but as she grew and discovered her own power, she became a force to be reckoned with. She became like the center of a whirlpool, sucking everyone in around her.
Overall, I am so satisfied with how this turned out. It was really a lot of fun. I enjoyed the complexity that Young brought to this one, which I felt was lacking a bit in the first novel.
In my opinion, Fable deserves the world. She discovered so much about herself that she didn't understand before. I feel like with that understanding, she was able to become who she was truly meant to be.
Y'all, my baby bird has left the nest.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy of this to read and review.
I really enjoyed it!
Rating: really liked it
After being swept off my feet with
Fable, the first book in this duology, I was compelled to immediately move on to
Namesake. This book picks up where
Fable left off.
At the end of the previous installment, Fable seemed to be in a good place with the
Marigold now free from control. This was a chance for her to settle with her newfound, chosen family. Unfortunately, she finds herself in a new predicament with a corrupt trader having plans of his own. Now Fable has to deal with a whole new set of risks and discern between truth and lies. As she navigates more high-stakes explorations, she has plenty to think about. Who can she trust?
This story may be more political than
Fable, which gave it a different feel, but it still turned out to be an excellent story. Learning the histories of the
Marigold crew was something I couldn't wait for; I
craved this after the first book. Many questions that I expected answers to were addressed in this installment, especially with Fable’s father (Saint) and her mother (Isolde). Fable remains my favorite character, and surprisingly, Koy grew on me. There were some interesting surprises with the characters this time around.
With that said, I grumbled about some small things. Just after a third of the book, the story didn’t feel as immersive, and it went in a different direction. I missed the fellowship and loyalty of the
Marigold crew members, which was so powerful in the first book. Also, the relationship between Fable and West felt different for much of this story. They were somewhat disconnected even. Learning more about West helped me through that, and seeing how much he cared for his loved ones is what drew me to him. I love his qualities; he’s always thinking about taking care of others. Some readers might find that too intense, but I adored that about him.
Again,
Namesake is written beautifully. I loved the descriptive writing and imagery which makes this installment just as atmospheric as the first. In the end, everything is wrapped up beautifully with a wonderful and unexpected scene that gave me a
massive sigh of relief. I can’t believe this book brought me to tears! The family themes get me every time. I'm ready to begin this journey all over again.
As far as content, there were a few descriptive romance scenes in this book, in addition to more violence. In contrast to the 7th to 9th grade reading age listed on Amazon, 9th to 12th grade seems to make more sense. Of course, this is my personal opinion.
4.5-stars
You can also see this review @www.readrantrockandroll.com
Rating: really liked it
–
1.75 stars Call me weird, but it physically hurts me to give a book with such a pretty cover a low rating. While the first book, Fable, wasn't anything mindblowing, it was still pretty enjoyable that I even requested an ARC for Namesake. I saw sooooo much potential, so it was sad that I didn't like it.
ΛΛΛ
UNPOPULAR OPINION
ΛΛΛ
Namesake picks up right after where Fable left off. Not going into details what that means, cause that's would be a spoiler for the previous book. Fable learns a lot more about her family and has to find her own place in this world.
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WHAT I LIKED β»•» «•«ββββββββ
βΈ
Fable, Clove and Saint. They were the only three characters that I cared about. I love that Fable is a badass, but not your typical kickass knife-wielding heroine. She's just a seventeen year old girl trying to survive whose greatest gift is being a gem sage.
Helmsman. Dredger. Trader. Orphan. Father.
Daughter.
βΈ
Fable & Saint's daughter-father relationship. Everyone is like loving Fable and West's romance, while i'm just here for Fable and Saint. I love a good daughter-father duo and Fable and Saint definitely have a very complicated relationship, because who would leave your only daughter alone on an island for years to fend for herself. I looove the evolution of their relationship and how we see how much Saint actually cares about Fable. They don't have many scenes together, but the ones at the end ugh my heart those scenes are my favorite scenes from the whole book.
We were salt and sand and sea and storm.
βΈ it's very
atmospheric. I love the whole setting of pirates and living on a ship. When reading this series I could feel the wind blowing through my hair, the salt from the sea on my tongue. Feeling that sticky feeling of sea water on your skin. It was like I was on the ship with the characters and Adrienne Young managed to convey that feeling.
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WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE β»•» «•«ββββββββ
βΈ in my review for Fable I said that the
characters felt flat. Instead of using those characters to give them backstory, the author went and introduced a bunch of new but not so new characters that were mentioned briefly in the first book but were irrelevant otherwise. Those characters become relevant in this book, but I already got used to the old crew and now I have to read about other characters that I couldn't care less. All I wanted was for Fable to reunited with the Marigold crew. When my wish finally came true and Fable reunited with West and the others, all they do is fight and be mad at each other.
"You can't keep trying to take control of everything. You can't save everyone, West."
βΈ I didn't care that much about
the romance in Fable and I even cared less about it in Namesake. West was a big reason why, he annoyed me a lot with his behaviour. He went behind his crew and decides to do things without regards to anyone's feeling. They were all done to help Fable, but the thing is, Fable didn't even ask for his help. She didn't want it and West still went through with it sometimes even behind her back and it felt like he made the problem worse with his help instead of making it better.
βΈ
the plot was extremely boooring. I can't tell you how boring it was. Namesake is a lot about the power play between all the big players in the sea trade. It was who can get the bigger hand and expand their their territory and it was the easiest thing for me to put the book down, cause zzzzzz what a snozefest.
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IN CONCLUSION β»•» «•«ββββββββ
pheww what a disappointment, but I'm proud to have finished it. I feel like it's 50% the book and 50% me why Namesake didn't work out. Since I've only seen great reviews so far, people who loved the first book will probably love this one too.
*ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.βββββββββββββββ
FABLE SERIES #1 Fable – 3.25 stars
#2
Namesake – 1.75 stars
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Rating: really liked it
I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
So, I have no idea why Fable and Namesake were both available as arcs so early (not that I’m complaining, mind you) but now, I’m sad that I have no more
piratey goodness to read.
NOW what am I going to do? :(
I truly loved everything about this series: from the sea-faring atmosphere to the dynamics between everyone on the
Marigold to most especially, how Fable's relationship with her father, Saint, evolved. That's what I wanted more of from the first instalment, and I'm so happy that Adrienne Young
delivered.
I
can't wait to see what Adrienne Young comes up with next!!! :D
Rating: really liked it
There was no way to undo it. No amount of coin or power could turn time back to that night in Tempest Snare, or the day Isolde showed up, asking for a place on Saint’s crew. It was one long series of tragically beautiful knots that bound us together.
β
Gorgeous cover
β
Pirates/sea adventure
β
Great main character
β
Atmosphere
β
Plotting, scheming, and double-crossing
π Romance and love interest
βοΈβοΈ Trigger warning: assault, drowning and kidnapping
4.5 stars
I was afraid to be disappointed by Namesake, because after reading and
LOVING Fable so much, my expectations were kind of high. But
I was not disappointed! Fable's world is still as tough and cutthroat in Namesake as it was in the first book. There is even more scheming and double-crossing than in the first book, and I loved it. Fable is in a dire situation, with no friends around her, and no idea what she has gotten dragged into. Now stuck aboard
The Luna with Zola, she has no choice but to dredge for him, while trying not to get killed by Zola's crew. We also got to see more of Koy, as he is hired by Zola to dredge with Fable, and let's not forget that he promised to kill Fable the next time he saw her. I really liked Koy and Fable's interactions in this book, Koy is more complex than the idiotic brute we saw briefly in the first part of Fable.
He shrugged. “You’re Jevali.”
“No, I’m not.”
His gaze was pinned to the sky. “I figure if you’ve ever fallen asleep on that island not sure if you’ll wake up again, that makes you a Jevali.”
I also absolutely adore how Fable and Saint's relationship had more depth and complexity in this book, and also how it evolved. I may or may not have almost cried near the end. I never thought after finishing Fable that I would care for Saint, but now I have to say that I kind of like him.
(view spoiler)
[ “I left you there because I have never loved anything in my life like I love you. Not Isolde. Not the trade. Nothing.”
(hide spoiler)]I loved this book as much as I loved the first one, but the vibe of the book was different. I am very happy with the way the plotline developed, and how the story just flowed. Fable is a great character, and she remains interesting throughout the whole adventure. I wish I could say the same about West and the rest of
The Marigold's crew, but I found that they didn't have much of a personality. I am a little sad that we didn't see more of them, and that we didn't get more backstories.
We were salt and sand and sea and storm.
We were made in the Narrows.
Koy was an unexpected addition to the crew, but one that I really enjoyed and I wouldn't mind seeing more of him in a future spinoff or novella.
The romance was not my favorite, and my opinion of West is not the highest. He didn't impress me in this book, and I am not a fan of his relationship with Fable, I don't know if it's meant to seem dysfunctional or if it's me looking for problems in their relationship though...
I definitely recommend this series to any fan of sea and pirate adventure!
Fable βββββ
Fanarts by Jackie Sullivan and Gabriella Bujdoso
Follow me on Instagram π
Rating: really liked it
~Happy Release Day, you beauty!~
~Special thanks to Netgalley and Wednesday Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!~
(I almost forgot that part. Oops. *snort*)
Actual rating: ππππβ 4.0
*looks at camera*
*clears throat*
*places hands in an evil person pyramid*
See, this wasn't bad. But it wasn't GREAT. And that hurts my heart. What's left of it, anyways.
It had pirates, a strong female main character, and treason. Still, it didn't like... hm... it didn't leave me absolutely devastated and unable to continue life because SURPRISE, I couldn't find the will to move on with my frivolous reading existence. Which we alllll know, is the best thing that could happen in a book. #whyarereaderssuchmasochists
Y'all see why I concern myself? Okay, now that we got that out of the way (we literally got nothing out of the way, unless you count me explaining why I'm like I am), let's dive in headfirst into an ocean (hehe, get it? Dive, ocean, pirates? Hehehe) of mini spoiler-free rants that my 3:00 am self thought would be a good idea to write. And yes, I do have multiple self's, each one for a different time of day. The dawn self is the most... how shall I say it? Oh yes, mentally and emotionally unstable. *smiles for the camera*
Since it is physically demanding for me to write a spoiler- free review (as many of you know, but since I have the attention span of a blade of grass (blade? Piece? Strand?) I shall repeat so because OBVIOUSLY, it needs to be repeated. For myself, I mean. Like a mantra) I shall divide this as follows.
*adjusting lighting*
Hello, and welcome to Booksy Rants, at this moment we will be touching on the topic of the
writing in this novel. Okay, I will admit that Adrienne Young is an amazing writer, periodt. The way she describes things is not overly detailed, but it doesn't leave you hoping for more, it's there. And it is MAJESTIC. I enjoyed it, very much so. Unsurprising, since you know, one of the loves of my life is Sky In The Deep which halloooo, the sequel was a parody, and I'm over here waiting for the real thing. Will any future books of this author ever compare to that previous masterpiece? Not yet, no. It is not to mean her books since then have been BAD, per se, they just haven't been as GOOD as my bookish soul would've dreamed of.
Overall? Writing gets an 8.5 out of the scale of greatness.You know what wasn't great?
The secondary characters. I know, I know, nowadays, authors focus so much on the main tea that they forget to add the sugar (a LOT, if I may say so myself. Enough to give me a threat of Sugar crash porfavor) to it, and it ends being bittersweet. Which of course, is not the worst. Still, I want my tea to taste SWWEEEETTTT. You know? The fact that I only cared about oh, about... hm... four people in this book is a lot to say. Like, seriously, I needed FOUNDATION, needed someone to tear my soul out of its rusty hinges and stomp on it repeatedly in hopes of feeling SOMETHING.
Something like this, perhaps
Alas, two of those people were (I say two because if I say more I may spoil something and the only thing I want to 'spoil' is the romance in this book, teehee):
The
MC, Fable, which again, was gorgeous and amazing, and astounding, and so many more GOOD things. Until, you know, she would get together with the love interest. Interesting MC? Yes, absolutely. A little forgettable? That too, yes. And that's slightly depressing. Like, she was very much a kick butt female protagonist, she just lacked... personality. A concrete personality, I mean. Only thing I know? She had a mother, who died. (Which she let us know about in every page) and her love for the sea was insurmountable, immeasurable, in- introverted? The fuel to my boat of synonyms has depleted itself, forgive me (the amount of puns I'll subtly throw here will make waves across my sanity).
Which brings me unto the NEXT character, dear
love interest. West, y'all! *Automated applause with shrieks added for emphasis*
He was quite the specimen *giggle giggle* Also? He was too protective, and felt the need to save everyone, go figure! Any time the MC tried to do something on her own, he would stop her and force her to accept help. Like, BRUH, I believe the chick can hold a napkin to clean the tea spilled by moi. You don't have to get the mop. And geez Louise, did he make me angry when he made a certain decision like oh, (and this is not a spoiler, it legit happens in every book) SACRIFICE EVERYTHING FOR HER. I wouldn't sacrifice a french fry unless, UNLESS, someone was in peril of starvation. And even that depends.
(I was low-key jealous, but we won't talk about that). His personality only got better because he was a 'pirate', with a 'conscience'. Ew.
The
romance~ *nod* *stares at camera* It was there. I appreciated that it tried. It was just... there.
The
world building was absolutely pretty good (between decent and AMAZING), the way things worked and THE DREDGERS???? I need a moment.
I also needed a moment with the 'plot twists', so okay, I wasn't exactly in the state of mind to want to unravel anything so yes, they mildly took me by surprise. My eyes widened slightly (kind of like that fish who messed up the fish formation and all of them got caught in the net because that puny little fish couldn't contain it's craving of 'UP THERE ON LAND, THEY UNDERSTAAANNDDD, AND THEY DON'T REPRIMAND THEIR DAUGHTER-' I'll stop now) and I became a squealing mess. Once. I repeat, ONCE.
The
plot was okay, I enjoyed it. It didn't blow my socks out of the water *smirk*, but it left me satisfied in how it all came together at the end. (Ugh, such a basic description, alas, my brain cannot do spoiler free mode anymore)
On a closing note, multiple someone's should've died (not because they were villains just because of convenience and like, time), the plot could've been a little more... intense. And the MC should've punched West in his face and make his ego go South real fast. With Hades, if you will. Ooo! How about you eliminate the whole romance??? See, that is a very nice idea.
I would
recommend this to people who have obviously read book one and know where the deepest end of the pond is (at this point, I'm throwing random water related things out there. I'm so sorry), to readers who want a strong female character and a love interest that is swoony once in a while. Oh! And those other two characters I didn't mention back there? You should just read it for them. And the ship related puns. Those are a definite must.
*shuts down camera*
Oh crap, GUYS I DON'T THINK I RECORDED ALL THAT.
GRRRRRR
( I have actually been practicing my growl because somehow, all these characters know how to growl. I want to growl tooooo)
P.S: Please ignore those last few sentences. 3:00 am self took the reins again.
Rating: really liked it
This was the perfect conclusion!
Can I say that I love Saint? I won't give you more, I don't want to spoil it for you.
Before you read this book you have to know this is a duology and you must read Fable to understand Namesake.
At the end of Fable, our heroine was in dire straits, Wasn't she?
Onboard in the Luna, Fable doesn't have a friend. The crew wants to kill her and the man she thought was a friend has betrayed her and Saint. Worse, she has no clue if West knows what happened to her.
Fable is given an ultimatum. She must dredge for her freedom. Then, things get worse, Koy is in the same boat and the last time they parted ways, he promised to kill her π‘.
Worse, a new adversary will give them all a run for their money.
~~
I'm really glad about how the story developed. I loved how the narrative just flowed. Fable remains an interesting character throughout, same with West and the rest of the crew. Koy was an unexpected addition but one that was welcome.
I'm sad this story is over. It was an interesting world. Cutthroat to say the least. Would I join them? Hmm, not sure if I can live in a boat despite the hammock sounding very appealing.
Lastly, I want to say how lucky is Adrienne Young with her covers. This one is gorgeous!
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Wednesday Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Rating: really liked it
Now a Goodreads Choice nominee in Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction! I was obviously super excited to start this one after loving Fable so much. But though
Namesake was still a decent YA fantasy, I think there was some of the magic of the first book missing in its follow-up. Like I feel full after finishing it, but a little unsatisfied.
This will be a spoiler-free review for both books, if you’re worried about not having read either and still might like to down the road. As far as the plot,
Namesake picks up with the main character Fable (her name as well as the title) and a good amount of the book is her separate from the rest of her crew. While I understood why this happened within the story, it wasn’t as engaging as when they were all working together. Portions of the book ended up dragging, and the sense of adventure threaded throughout the previous novel was not present here.
I get it, sequels are hard. And so are endings. That’s probably why Young ended
Fable with such an intense cliffhanger.
Namesake might have stuck the landing with wrapping things up, but not without wobbling a little first. It was all a little too neat and easy to see where it was all going. It’s not a mystery novel so I don’t need to be surprised every chapter, but there’s a supposed ‘big reveal’ or two at the end and neither were the plot twist that I think Young was hoping for.
Also, why was so much of the book about contract negotiations and trade treaties? What happened to all the cool pirate stuff? I don’t know, maybe I’m being to hard on it, because I did get through the book quickly, but I think I was hoping for something a little more fantastical. Maybe something with a little more tension. If you were a fan of
Fable I wouldn’t say skip this. But if you’re deciding whether this is a *
must read* fantasy duology, I think you can afford to wait on it.
**
For more book talk & reviews, follow me on Instagram at @elle_mentbooks!
Rating: really liked it
It’s rare that a sequel lives up to the prequel… sadly, that’s indeed the case here. π¬ The second book feels a bit lagging. π€ The first was amazingly fast paced and this one felt a bit flat. I didn’t feel that pull to finish, that need to know what would happen next. π€·πΌβοΈ It’s still a decent story and worth the read! β€οΈπ and let’s face it, that cover is eye catching! π
Rating: really liked it
Another swashbuckling good time as expected π
I enjoyed this final instalment of the Fable duology.
We return with Fable kidnapped and on the ship of one of her enemies. Meanwhile West and his crew try to find her.
We learn more about Fable’s family, particularly on her mother’s side. With lots of piracy and trickery, you never know where the plot will take you next.
And when Fable becomes trapped in a high stakes game, it will take all she has to make it through in one piece.
**************************
Today is a good day.
Had my second Covid jab on Sunday and felt awful yesterday.
But I’m better now and some of my anticipated library books have just come in.
Positive vibes π
Rating: really liked it
Ahh I'm so happy that this sequel was as good as the first book. I loved Fable, so Namesake had a lot to live up to but I was
not disappointed!
β
THE PIRATE VIBES were still strong in this one. Most of the story took place on a boat or at Sea, which I really liked! While the rest of the ship crew was less prominent in Namesake, we got to see a lot more action from the Dredgers, which was cool
β
I LIKED HOLLAND'S CHARACTER and I felt like she was a good contrast to the ruggedness of the other pirates. Plus, I'm all for strong female characters, even if they're playing the villain
β
SOO THE ROMANCE was not my favorite. Honestly, my opinion of West just kept getting worse and worse as the book went on. It seemed like their relationship was meant to be dysfunctional (?) but I'm not a fan of dysfunctional relationships so it wasn't for me
β
SAINT! β€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ Seriously, this was one of my favorite father/daughter dynamics
ever. The author did such a great job of showing not telling with their relationship. And that ending... π₯°
π
THERE WAS A LOT of scheming and manipulation, which I definitely liked and found interesting. The only problem I had was that even though things would go wrong for the characters, I never truly felt like the stakes were that high because I knew it would all work out in the end
β
I LOVED THE JEVALI character that was brought back from the first book. It was fun seeing his and Fable's interactions and bond grow, which added closure to the story
Overall, I really enjoyed Namesake! I usually place a lot of value on the romance in a book, so the fact that I was able to enjoy this without liking the romance says a lot π I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a pirate themed novel with a really interesting world and awesome relationships between characters
Rating: really liked it
“Helmsman. Dredger. Trader. Orphan. Father.
Daughter.”
~ Rating- 3.5 stars ~
Content/ Trigger Warnings- Murder & attempted murder, Kidnapping, Fire, Drowning, Biting Lip and drawing blood
-No mention of these in the review-Namesake, by Adrienne Young, is the second book in the
Fable series. I personally didn't like
Fable as much as I had hoped I would, but
Namesake was a lot better and a much better sequel.
*Spoiler alert for Fable*
The plot “There was no way to undo it. No amount of coin or power could turn time back to that night in Tempest Snare, or the day Isolde showed up, asking for a place on Saint’s crew. It was one long series of tragically beautiful knots that bound us together.”
Fable and the rest of the crew were set to start over, with the Marigold finally free of Saint. That freedom is short-lived when
Fable becomes a pawn in a notorious thug Zola's scheme and she must she must help him to secure a partnership with Holland in order to get to her intended destination.
As Fable descends deeper into a world of betrayal and deception, she learns that the secrets her mother took to her grave are now putting the people Fable cares about in danger.
Fable must risk everything to save them—including the boy she loves and the home she has finally found. “I’d been a fool. I’d let myself believe, even if it was just for a moment, that I was safe. That I’d found a home and a family. And in the time it took to draw a single breath, it was all torn away.”
The plot of
Namesake was definitely a lot better than
Fable, and the short chapters makes it more easy to read, but it takes a long time for the things in the blurb to actually start happening.
I felt that Fable finally got her moment to shine here, the primary reason for that being that West wasn't in the picture for most of the book.West and Fable have a terrible insta-love relationship, and whenever West is there Fable becomes this lovey-dovey character. Fable isn't like Fable when she's with West. It feels like she isn't living up to her full potential, which is how I felt while I reading the first book, but I didn't feel that way in this book, which was a relief.
“I wasn’t just some Jevali dredger or a pawn in Zola’s feud with West. I was Saint’s daughter. And before I left the Luna, every bastard on this crew was going to know it.”
The world buildingThe world of Fable, is my favourite part of this series. In
Fable, it wasn't entirely developed, but we see a lot more of it here.
“There was a lifeblood that connected the people who were born on those shores. The ones who sailed those waters. The people of the Narrows couldn’t be bought.”
It was interesting to read about the world in
Namesake, and we see aspects of the world we hadn't seen in Fable.
The writingI hadn't enjoyed Adrienne Young's writing in Fable, but its a lot better here. The pacing is a lot faster, and we don't spend much time on unnecessary descriptions.
We do have some sentences that made me angry like-
“and I let out the breath I’d been holding (...)”
But the writing was alright apart from that.
The characters Fable “I remembered I wasn’t the girl who’d leapt for the ladder of the Marigold anymore. The one who’d begged and scraped to survive the years on Jeval so she could go searching for the man who didn’t want her. Now I was the girl who’d found her own way. And I also had something to lose.”
Fable is the best character in this series, and she's also the most well-developed. Fable thankfully lived up to her full potential in this book, which made it a great sequel.
“Whether I liked it or not, there were pieces of me that had been carved by those years on Jeval. It had changed me. In a way, it had made me.”
I liked the fact that she truly accepted herself,
all the parts of herself and had a lot of character development. I loved reading about her.
Saint Saint is one of the best morally grey characters I've read.
“Saint was a bastard, but he was mine. He belonged to me. And even more unbelievable, I really did love him.”
I loved his love-hate-father-daughter relationship with Fable, and his dynamic was very entertaining.
West West is the character I like the least. He is a bland piece of cardboard, Koy has more of a personality than him. There was an attempt to give him a tragic backstory to make him more ~relatable~ and ~likable~ but it only make me dislike him more. I already expressed my opinion on how I don't think Fable and West have a good relationship, and I wish they'd remained friends.
The side-characters were completely irrelevant, and I had forgotten everything about them. The crew needed more development, and overall everyone except Fable and Saint needed a personality.
“That I’d loved him with the same fire that I’d hated him. That if anything happened to Saint, a part of me would be taken with him.”
Why did I rate this book 3 stars & Final thoughtsIn short,
Namesake was a much better read than
Fable and it was a great sequel. However, it was not outstanding and there were some elements lacking in this series. The characters needed more depth and the book really needed some humor and lighter moments, but otherwise it was a fun read.
Buddy Read with Maddie. Thank you for reading it with me! “We were salt and sand and sea and storm.
We were made in the Narrows.”
My ratings and reviews for other books in this series-Fable- 3 stars
Review written on 12th September, 2021. DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-1 star- Hardly liked anything/ was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/ was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/ was average / Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/ new favourite
..............................................................
3.5 stars. Review to come.
Rating: really liked it
#1 Fable — 3.5 stars
#2 Namesake — 3.75 starsi love that AYs heroines are so cool and a born badass. i mean, theyre emotionally vulnerable and not without their soft spots but theyre also just so resilient and overall very
capable women.
β₯ this book was just as atmospheric but at the same time better than its predecessor. so PLOT FOCUSED and there was more scheming, manipulation, people trying to kill off our heroine, pirates fighting over who ruled what territory, and other sea adventures.
β₯ the RELATIONSHIP between Fable and her father was what made this book for me. it was just so heartbreakingly beautiful. i wish there was more, but the one on one chapter between the two of them said it all.
β₯ the ROMANCE aahhh. i should probably chastise West because him being so whipped for Fable turned him into an incompetent crew leader, but i loved that he’d do anything for Fable even when it was unasked for and only created more problems lol.
not many YA fantasy books impressed me lately. im excited for what AY comes up with next. in the meantime, if youre looking for some ocean escapade or quest, the Marigold will take you on.
(read as an audiobook)
