Fable: A Novel (The World of the Narrows, 1)

Fable was abandoned on an island by her trader father after her mother was killed in a shipwreck. After fighting to survive, Fable finds a way home 4 years later. After finding her father, she doesn't exactly get the reception she wants, but she is sent on a new adventure.Fable is quite the adventure on the high seas. She lives in a world where you have to always be aware because anyone could stab you in the back. It's also dangerous to show any kind of love or caring for anyone else or they could be used against you. The romance is a slow-burn, fade to black, but it was sweet and worth the wait. Fable is strong and fights for everything, and their is a great supporting cast surrounding her as Fable discovers her found family. The end is a cliffhanger. Thankfully I have the 2nd book ready to go, and I can't wait to dive in! A very enthusiastic 5 stars!

"There were only two things strictly forbidden on a ship because both could get you or your shipmates killed: love and drunkenness. Only on dry land could you find someone to warm your bed or empty a bottle of rye into your belly." - Chapter 11Fable is an early YA adventure set on the sea, with Fable being a young girl who is the daughter of an important man who dabbles in the trades business of over 30 ships in the Narrows. He abandons her when she was little and left to her own devices, she grows up fierce, independent, and headstrong. She gains passage on a ship with a motley crew helmed by a man named West, whom has many secrets of his own. The crew remain standoffish while Fable attempts to prove herself and find a way to reunite with her father.This was a really decent read. I love pirate adventures and ship stories, so this had a lot of key elements I liked. I however, wasn’t as wowed as I thought I would be. I believe if I’d read this at 12/13, I would have been blown away, but I found the story lacking many challenges or emotional depth. Overall, I still give it to Adrienne Young for sucking me in when I predicted a DNF in the first 20%.

It’s been a long time since a book had me hooked within the first few pages, but FABLE did just that. With its delightful mix of fantasy and adventure, the entire book had me so invested that I ended up doing nothing for 6 hours straight other than read this book.After being abandoned by her father on the ruthless island of Jeval, Fable has known nothing other than fear and how to survive. Working as a diver and a trader, she possesses a unique ability to feel gems and rare metals on the sea floor. Such an ability is useful for someone who needs coin, and she’s been working for 4 long years trying to save as much as she can. Her only goal in this rough life is to save enough to travel back the mainland and confront her father about why he so callously abandoned her. Though that presents a whole different set of challenges because no one can know who her father is. After experiencing yet another situation where her life is threatened, Fable has no choice but to flee, and is taken aboard a trading ship. Problem is, they don’t want her, and they make sure to remind her at every step along the journey to the mainland.I absolutely loved everything about this book from Fable’s hardscrabble beginnings on Jeval to her journey across oceans and islands and the subsequent new life she is navigating. But most of all, I loved the friendships she made along the way and her new place in the world alongside them. This story isn’t without heartache, but the characters and their camaraderie aboard the Marigold added such a bright spot in this otherwise bleak tale. And of course a little romance never hurts, and I really enjoyed the relationship between Fable and her new amour. Though it was almost a guarantee that I would because enemies to lovers will forever be my jam.The world that Young created was so fantastic and so palpable that the grittiness of the salt and the scent of the ocean and the reeking smell of the docks just leapt off the page. When you combine that kind of sensory-pleasing world-building with a story that just sucks you in, it’s destined to land on my favorites shelf. And this one definitely has. I’ve not read anything else by this author yet, but I’ll certainly be rectifying that awful mistake in the near future. I can’t wait to see how Fable’s story concludes in the sequel, NAMESAKE.*eARC received courtesy of NetGalley.

This book is the only vacation I took during this quarantine and exactly the escape I needed.It took EVERYTHING for me not to finish this book in one whole sitting. Instead, I wanted to savor each page as the plot unfolded. This was not your average pirates and mermaid fairytale, or damsel in distress storyline. It was creative and so original! The concept of dredging for beautiful gems in the sea was so unique and intriguing. And the ecosystem of how the pirate world worked was fascinating.Fable is an amazing protagonist and in some ways relatable. I found myself empathizing for her as she went on her journey of wanting to prove herself worthy and resilient. I appreciate how strong her character was and yet so accessible. Having a young crew on a ship was genius, it kept things interesting and entertaining. I found the slight bit of mystery surrounding the crew and especially Fable, very enjoyable as it kept me on my toes. The romance was a slow building burn and well thought out. Now, the ending left me speechless! I truly did not see it coming, and I'm so excited to see where it continues in Namesake.As for the way the book was written; it was perfection. One of the things I love most about the way Adrienne Young writes, is that everything truly comes to life. I could see myself on Jeval, diving down into the crystal blue sea. I was sailing in the Narrows and making trades with the locals of the city.I could hear the sounds of seagulls, smell the musty taverns, and feel the salty air breezing through the sails. These are just a few examples on how well this story was written. This is my second YA fantasy book that I have read, and Adrienne Young is making this my favorite genre one book at a time.I want to say more, but this is a book you truly have to experience for yourself.

It’s been a while since I got lost in a book like I did in Fable. It is such a great adventure! Pirates, a strong heroine, and a bit of family drama, what’s not to like?Fable has spent the last few years abandoned on an island full of thieves and criminals after her father left her there (because she needed to "learn how to survive" apparently) and now that she can finally pay her passage off of the island, she is on a mission to find her father and claim her place by his side. She boards onto The Marigold where she meets a small crew of five young and secretive men and women. After years of barely surviving on her own, she slowly learns to trust again and even to make friends. Plot twist, of course, things are not that easy! Fable needs to prove her worth and find her place in this world of crime and piracy.There is a little bit of romance in this book, but it is subtle at the beginning and it evolves in a sweet and somewhat realistic way considering the characters' situation. There is only the fact that West implies that he had had feelings for her for a while that seems strange since she was a dirty homeless girl for most of the two years that he had known her and they exchanged only a few sentences when they would do business together. He never did or say anything that would let her believe that he cared about her in the slightest, so that "revelation" was surprising.The author did a great job when writing the more emotional scenes and she also managed to weave a feeling of tension and underlying fear in every page of this book. Honestly, I just couldn’t put it down. The only reason I did not read it all in one sitting is that I had to get some sleep before I went to work.The world-building is simple so we can focus on the characters and their adventure, but we can still feel the pirate vibe and we definitely need more good pirate fantasy books!

This book was written so beautifully. This is my first ever pirate read and Ingrid not disappoint. The storyline had me hooked from page 1. The characters are great. The tension and drama throughout this book had me on the edge of my seat I cannot wait to get started on book 2 as the cliff hanger from book 1 left me shocked

Muy bonito, de tapa gruesa y en la portada del libro (sin su cubierta) tiene un diseño muy bonito azul metálico <3 Nada más me hubiera gustado que en su papel que lo cubre no tuviera el sello (al menos así de grande) de “Reese’s Book Club”

Adrienne Young's writing style and her way of storytelling is fluid and is driven by fascinating characters.It is amazing how much knowledge about ships and their construction is incorporated here. The author seems to know exactly what she’s talking about.In FABLE,Adrienne Young tells us a story about the various stages of survival, of being abandoned, neglected, and the importance of being at home. The love of a daughter for her father, father for daughter, between siblings, and about a boy and girl. Fable's world is so dark and brutal just like the deep sea on a stormy night.Fable, by Adrienne Young, is a quick and fun read! I can’t wait to read the second part NAMESAKE next.I absolutely loved it!Highly recommend!!!

Honestly amazing, opened it and woke up from a fantastic dream about pirates and badass-ness 4 hours later.Loved it.