Fable: A Novel (The World of the Narrows, 1)
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES
A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK
Filled with all of the action, emotion, and lyrical writing that brought readers to Sky in the Deep, New York Times bestselling author Adrienne Young returns with Fable, the first book in this new captivating duology.
Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.
As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn't who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they're going to stay alive.
Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue and adventure.
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Community Reviews
Fable’s steady pace and atmospheric tone put the reader on a ship, sailing on a gripping adventure.
Excellent Protagonist
I was a bit apprehensive reading Fable. When I read The Girl the Sea Gave back by Young; I was not impressed. The characterization there was lackluster and did not captivate me in the slightest.
However, I am happy to note that that is not the case here. Fable is a fantastic character, fierce, strong, a survivor through and through. However, her experiences, while they harden her, do not strip her of her humanity and empathy.
Abandoned by her father after their ship is destroyed by a storm, taking her mothers’ life with it, Fable was told to survive, challenged by her father to survive. Moreover, she survived on land in the middle of the ocean disconnected from the mainland for four years. The disconnected bleeds into her narrative, making her a compelling protagonist.
Fable’s journey is all about finding a home, finding a place to belong, something to anchor her so that she is not sailing alone through the wind. Finally, Fable finds that family on the Marigold. Family is not always defined by blood but rather by those dearest to you, blood or not. Nevertheless, she is ruthless; she understands what it means to be at sea, that loving someone is dangerous, and the best way to keep it alive and the heart safe is to keep it secret behind all locked doors.
Captivating Story
Fable is not a fast-paced story. It certainly has pirate aspects, with the ship and trader vessels functioning like pirate ships. However, the story does not fly by. However, neither is it slow.
Fable flows at a steady pace and is more character-driven than anything else. The story is one of survival, love, and keeping love secret and safe amidst the torrents and storms. Moreover, that is how the story evolves. Fable is atmospheric; it moves like the waves on the sea, capturing the storms, capturing the taste and clarity of the sea air.
Young’s writing is lyrical as well; the way Fable reminisces of her mother, her father, her time at sea both before and after her father’s abandonment. This writing style was something I think lacked from The Girl the Sea Gave Back; the writing lacked personality and atmosphere. Fable does not.
Young imbues every page with such an intense atmosphere, and the steady pace just makes the novel so incredibly captivating.
Final Thoughts
Fable is a fantastic novel, captivating from beginning to end. A character-driven story that drives the plot forward in an engaging way.
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I haven't had much luck with the last few young adult fantasy releases I've read by new-to-me authors. I was even starting to think maybe I'd grown beyond young adult fantasy. But within a few paragraphs of Fable, I knew I'd finally found the young adult fantasy I'd been searching for. This is my first book by Adrienne Young, and it won't be my last. I loved every word and every character. Especially our heroine, Fable. She’s wily—fully capable of taking care of herself—but yearning for a place in her world, leaving her heart open even after life has been so cruel to her, which makes her rather unique among the heroines of the genre.
I picked up Fable coming down from the high of a major book hangover, so it took me longer than usual to commit. And while it did take me a few chapters to get all the characters straight and understand this new world, once I had it down, I didn't want to stop reading. When I finished the book, I flipped back to the beginning so I could reread the first few chapters and what I hadn't fully understood the first time around.
Young does a splendid job of establishing the characters and the dangerous world they encompass so quickly and flawlessly. I slipped right into the story with ease, and with each new term, the author introduced things in a way that wasn't telling but revealing, cohesive with the story. But she only revealed what was necessary, keeping a few secrets to be answered in the next book, Namesake, which has promptly shot up to the top of my TBR for 2021! And with such gorgeous covers, I’ll be picking up physical copies to enjoy on my shelves.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy.
Full review available at abookwanderer.com
#popsugarreadingchallenge2020 (prompt #3)
I received an ebook copy from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and let me tell you, I was not disappointed! This is the first title I have read from Adrienne Young and will not be the last. I adored this book so much that I finished it in a day and today I preordered a signed copy! Action, adventure, and intrigue abound in this epic tale and while it does end with a cliff hanger I don't care because the sequel will be out in March and I have a feeling it will be well worth the wait. This YA, pirate romance is where it's at!
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