Namesake (Fable, #2) By Adrienne Young

jessica

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! <3

↠ 4.5 stars

Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin

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 😉

All I can say is if you loved the first book, you will love this one even more. It’s total swashbuckling peeps! 😘

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 🖤🐶🐺🐾

BLOG:

https://melissa413readsalot.blogspot....

megs_bookrack

Namesake is the second book to Adrienne Young's Fable series; 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!

Mischenko

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

Phuong ✯

– 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.

˗ˏˋ

  UNPOPULAR OPINION

ˎˊ˗

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
━»•» «•«━━━━━━━━

➸ 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.

➸ 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.

➸ 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
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➸ 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."

➸ 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.

➸ 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.

━»•» «•«━━━━━━━━
IN CONCLUSION
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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.

┍━━━━━━━━━━━━━┑
FABLE SERIES

#1
Fable – 3.25 stars
#2 Namesake – 1.75 stars
┕━━━━━━━━━━━━━┙

✨ Helena ✨

I received this complimentary ARC from the publisher, courtesy of NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

description

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

Lucie V.

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.

✅ Gorgeous cover
✅ Pirates/sea adventure
✅ Great main character
✅ Atmosphere
✅ Plotting, scheming, and double-crossing
🆗 Romance and love interest
❗️❗️ 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.

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 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fanarts by Jackie Sullivan and Gabriella Bujdoso

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Booktastically Amazing

~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: 🌟🌟🌟🌟⭐ 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.

Sheyla ✎

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 🗡.

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 |
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Elle

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!

Danielle

It’s rare that a sequel lives up to the prequel… sadly, that’s indeed the case here. 😬 The second book feels a bit lagging. 🤔 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. 🤷🏼‍♀️ It’s still a decent story and worth the read! ❤️📚 and let’s face it, that cover is eye catching! 😍

Charlotte May

Another swashbuckling good time as expected 😁

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 😊

Paige ♠

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!

✅ 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

✅ 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

❌ 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

✅ SAINT! ❤️❤️❤️ 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... 🥰

🆗 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

✅ 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 😆 I definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a pirate themed novel with a really interesting world and awesome relationships between characters

Bhavya

“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 building

The 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 writing

I 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 thoughts

In 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.

Arini

#1
Fable — 3.5 stars
#2 Namesake — 3.75 stars

i 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.

❥ 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.

❥ 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.

❥ 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)

MissBecka Gee

My signed copy arrived!!!
🖤🖤🖤 I'm so excited to re-read this series with my physical copies. 🖤🖤🖤

For a pic of my Adrienne Young collection on insta click here.
Originally reviewed October 2020:
That was exactly what I was hoping for.

Adventure, secrets, and all my favourite characters returned for the fun.
These were my first Adrienne Young books, and I am all in with her!
Much love to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my DRC.

Rachel Reads Ravenously

4.5 stars!

“We were salt and sand and sea and storm.”

If you haven’t read Fable yet, please don’t read further because the beginning of this review has spoilers for the end of the first one.
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Okay here we go.

Fable ended with our heroine being kidnapped and placed on Zola’s boat. Separated from her father and from West and her crew, she must go along with what her captors want in order to survive. But pretty soon she realizes there’s more to what’s going on than she realized. And more mysteries involved in her own family than she ever expected.

“Because you and I have cursed ourselves, Fable. We will always have something to lose. I knew it that day in Tempest Snare when I kissed you. I knew it in Dern when I told you that I loved you.”

I think what I enjoyed most about this book was we were able to dive deeper into Fable’s family history and find out everything we wanted to know in the first book. I’m still sitting here wishing Adrienne Young would write a book about Fable’s parents, Saint and Isolde, because it really sounds like quite the love story.

This book was one that I read in almost one day, I sat curled up in my reading chair and I didn’t want to put this book down. I was in it until the end and it’s rare that you find a book like that nowadays. I picked up this duology on a whim and I’m glad I did. One of the more unique stories I’ve read in a long time.

“There are some things that can’t be carved from a person, no matter how far from home they’ve sailed.”

abthebooknerd

★ 4.5 / 5 ★

A beautiful sequel, just as visceral & raw as the first.

To check out my review on my blog, click here:
https://www.lovefangirl.com/blog/name...

After that cliffhanger from the first book in this duology, I knew I had to request an arc of this guy ASAP. Luckily, I snagged one and it did not disappoint!

We were salt and sand and sea and storm.

We were made in the Narrows.

It took a little bit for me to dip back into this one, but it wasn't long until I was utterly enthralled again. Everything that Adrienne set up in the first novel came to a head and just wrapped up so beautifully. West was staggering in his devotion, as well as Fable in her determination to fight to keep those she loved. And Saint...Oh, sweet Saint. Their entire dynamic in this book was just like a healing balm for the soul.

A beautiful ending for a beautiful story.

Big thank you to Wednesday Books + Edelweiss for providing me with an ARC copy of this book!

Writing Quality: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Characterization: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Dialogue: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Plot: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Enjoyment Level: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

「 Overall: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 」

Nash (all too unwell)

~My review just went missing~

How fun :|

Cait Jacobs (Caitsbooks)

I left Fable feeling kind of meh. I liked it, but it wasn't super memorable and didn't stand out for me.
I feel like Namesake added more to the world and characters, and developed them and some relationships much more, which I really appreciated. It was also a really quick and easy read. However, the plot was fairly predictable and didn't have me hooked. In the end, Namesake didn't make me fall completely in love with the series, but I definitely think it rounded out the first book very well.

Overall review: 3.75/5
(Rounding up to a 4)

alaska

the more i think about this, the more conflicted i get. fable was such an amazing and comforting read for me and though adrienne young's writing still felt like coming home, the story was just not that strong.

the only thing i can really, really appreciate about this book, except for the writing, is fable's relationship with her father.

it's been a while since i read this, but i remember leaving fable thinking WEST AND FABLE and leaving namesake feeling west and fable hmm. i don't know, it just didn't feel right anymore??? i'm so confused don't mind me.

overall, this was just really underwhelming and kinda ruined some characters for me. giving it three stars for now because it did give me that comforting feeling.

thank you to the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review! this did not affect my opinions in any way.

Ari

So good. Such a satisfying ending. Such a good take-down of an antagonist. I'm saddened to have finished reading this world...for now.

Beatrice in Bookland

"Helmsman. Dredger. Trader. Orphan. Father.
Daughter."

1. Fable ★★★☆☆

What an awful sequel. Boring, rushed and with zero character development.

The only redeeming element of the book are Saint and Fable's father daughter moments: theirs is by far the most interesting bond of the duology and I wished the author had focused on that instead of on the lukewarm romance between Fable and West.

And West was the most annoying and useless character of the book, by far. All he did in this book - besides annoying me every time he was on the page - was making Fable's situation worse by doing shit no one asked him to do and being mysterious and a bad boy to add some relationship drama.

•❅Avery (Taylor's version)❅• Kishimoto-Brekker-Greenbriar-Whitethorn-Havilliard

“There are some things that can’t be carved from a person, no matter how far from home they’ve sailed.”

This was a really fun conclusion to the series! Greatly enjoyable, and I love all of these characters. We get to know them all individually and learn more information about their relationships!

I actually really liked Willa, and also, Fable is a great main character! She's smart, witty, and brave. West was irritating me at times, and I don't even know why, but the way he acted, and some choices he made, and the way he spoke to some people was just slightly annoying to me. He was too overprotective of Fable, and he should have let her do SOME things on her own. Though I did enjoy his and Fable's romance for the most part.

The plot was amazing! I love the involvement of Saint, and his and Fable's complicated relationship, and I just love pirates. I was transported to the salty seas and underwater, dredging alongside Fable.

Overall: Great characters, plot, romance, writing, but West was annoying.

4.5 stars

Niloa

⭐ 4,5 / 5 ⭐

Terminamos una de las bilogías que más me ha cautivado.

No suelen haber muchos libros inspirados en el mar, o al menos, que nos ofrezcan una historia parecida a la de Piratas del Caribe. Y aunque, la bilogia Fable de Adrienne Young no sea exactamente una historia protagonizada por piratas, sin duda, te deja con un buen sabor de boca.

Medianoche empieza inmediatamente después del final de Fable , y nos cuenta como la protagonista, Fable, se ve envuelta en una encrucijada mucho más compleja de lo que ella creería. Descrubrirá secretos, y como realmente funcionan los mares de este mundo ficticio.

Puntos positivos:

- Medianoche tiene una naturaleza y esencia muy distinta a la del primer libro, pero esto no hace que pierda calidad narrativa. Al contrario: Fable era un libro de personajes, y Medianoche lo sigue siendo, con el añadido de que el mundo se expande abriendo una infinidad de posibilidades. El pasado mes de noviembre, la autora publicó una precuela, titulada Saint , por lo que, no se descarta que en un futuro sepamos que pasa con Fable y compañía tras el desenlace de esta bilogía. Sin duda, yo estaré deseando ver como este mundo tan prometedor se expande.

- Los personajes sufren un cambio radical, y las verdaderas facetas salen a la luz, sobre todo con un personaje: West. Me ha gustado el giro que Adrienne nos ha dado con él y como lo ha presentado ha sido sorprendente.

Puntos "negativos":

- Me ha hecho falta un mapa con detalles para poder ver que rutas había. En la edición en inglés lo hay. Ojalá y Puck añada el mapa para futuras ediciones. Para este tipo de libros es necesario.

Personajes:

- Sorprendentemente, en este libro ha habido tres personajes que me han dejado sorprendida: Saint, Koy y Willa. Saint es alguien con unas dimensiones las cuales estoy deseando descubrir en su precuela; por otro lado, que ojalá Adrienne se anime a escribir.

- Fable. Ha habido un cambio brutal en la segunda novela, y se nota que, debido a las circunstancias en las que se ha visto envuelta, ha tenido que cambiar y madurar y pensar como lo haría por ejemplo Saint.

- West. Que vuelta de tuerca y que versión tan oscura. Me ha encantado. No diré mucho más, pero: o lo que ha hecho Adrienne con él te gusta o no.

En conclusión: leeros esta biología. Adentrados en este mundo. Navegad entre sus páginas. Sin duda, desearéis navegar por los Estrechos sobre el Marigold.

Nancy

This cover is equally as gorgeous as Fable’s and I LOVE how when placed side by side, the two covers combine to create a full picture of her face. Without missing a beat, Namesake picked up right where Fable left off. The nautical, pirate vibe drew me in again as did the action and scheming. Adrienne Young’s writing flows beautifully and is so descriptive especially the diving scenes. I do wish there was more of Saint in the book since I think he is a very enigmatic and interesting character. Other than that, the only real issue was that I missed the Marigold crew and their camaraderie in the first part of the book. Overall, 4 enjoyable stars!

Joleen (starlightbooktales)

This was fantastic!

Jackie ϟ Bookseller

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Fable: 4/5 stars ★★★★☆

Namesake: 4/5 stars ★★★★☆

This duology came to me completely unexpectedly (thank you Edelweiss) and I ended up absolutely loving it. In this conclusion, getting more of Fable, West, and everyone's backstories, in addition to more action with even higher stakes, was an amazing ride. I said it about the first book, but this duology feels like a lovechild between
Daughter of the Pirate King and
Six of Crows.

Full review to come for this one later, since it doesn't release until 2021.

Lauren

Amazing! This series is beautiful written. I want more sadly! But I love west and saint ( Is that bad) 😉 I would 100% recommend this series!

Sandra Hoover

Finishing the Fable duology left me with dueling emotions churning inside like a choppy sea. I'm captivated by this fantastic story, amazing world and dynamic characters. And yet, I hated reading the last page knowing it was The End. Now I'm mourning the loss of Fable, West, Willow, Saint and the rest of the motley crew I've come to love. Young does an incredible job of weaving everything together and bringing plot lines to a satisfying closure in Namesake. I'm just not ready to give these characters up, and I don't think you'll be either. You MUST read Fable, book one first and avoid all spoilers for both books. If you do, this story will sweep you away like a riptide.

The Fable duology is hands down one of the best young adult fantasy stories I've ever read - that includes both books! Like a siren's song, this tale lured me in with rich, expressive sights, sounds, smells, and oh so many feels. Namesake continues where Fable left off. If you've read Fable, you know that Fable (the protagonist) is blindsided at the end of book one by a notorious foe using her as a pawn in a complex power game. Stormy seas are ahead for Fable as she calls upon her strength and special talents to persevere and survive against all odds. And just when she and readers think she's worked her way through all the deceit and betrayals, a storm of secrets unravel inundating her with more shocking truths. What will Fable have to sacrifice to protect loved ones? Will she lose everything?

Namesake is a majestic tale of courage, power, betrayal, sacrifice, secrets and risking it all for love. The characters are bigger than life - potent and colorful and flawed and real. I want more stories about this heart-stealing cast. The setting and world building are unbelievably good - magnificent, overwhelming, unexpected and ever changing like the sea. Fast paced action drives the story and readers forward as plot lines tangle and twist. I planned to read Namesake over a long weekend . . . talk about famous last words. I started reading page one Friday night and finished the book in the wee hours of Saturday morn. There's no stopping once you begin, my friends. Beware and set some time aside because you won't be able to put this one down. Namesake is an epic tale of survival, sacrifice, and the search for truth - the search for "home". I highly recommend both books - Fable & Namesake to readers everywhere. This is a journey you don't want to miss, my friends.

A special thank you to Mary Moates @ Wednesday Books for an arc of this book! You guys are killing it right now!
Review posted at:
Cross My Heart Reviews

Title	:	Namesake (Fable, #2)
Author	:	Adrienne Young
Rating	:
ISBN	:	-
Language	:	English
Format Type	:	Hardcover
Number of Pages	:	360
Publication	:	First published March 16, 2021
Awards	:	Goodreads Choice Award Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction (2021)

Namesake (Fable, #2) by Adrienne Young

Namesake (Fable, #2) Reviews

Namesake (Fable, #2) Reviews

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