Review: Fable by Adrienne Young

Fable

Adrienne Young

(Fable #1)

Publication Date: September 1, 2020

Hardcover, 368 pages, Wednesday Books

Genres: YA, Fantasy

Goodreads

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.

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.

My Review

Do you like Pirates of the Caribbean? Or Six of Crows? How about a book that mashes elements of the two together? If so, I think this book will be for you, especially if you love stories that focus on the darker aspects of ships and piracy in fantasy lore.

I have to admit that it took a little bit of energy to get invested in Fable. The first few chapters are just following the main character, Fable, as she goes about her regular routine dredging. Dredging is basically the term that’s used for a ship’s diver. The dredger dives into the sea and searches for valuable items, like pyre or coins. While the process is interesting, it wasn’t a great way to introduce the reader to the world. I have to be honest, I was struggling to get through those first chapters because of how uninterested I became over the course of Fable's dredging explanation. Thankfully, though, the pace picked up and the plot started rolling right after those introductory pages.

So, like I said, Fable is a dredger. Now, the idea of a dredger in the world Young has created doesn’t seem super realistic when it comes to diving. As for as I know, humans can’t dive hundreds of feet without scuba gear, so I’m not entirely sure how “human” Young’s characters actually are. Besides some mention of small magics, there’s nothing that would indicate special lungs are a thing. Other than that quirk, Fable is an intriguing protagonist to follow. She’s had a rough life, and it’s entertaining to follow her on her journey to find her father and get her family back.

As for the other characters, we have West, Willa, Paj, Auster, and Hamish. West is the swoon-worthy captain. Willa is the only female crew member of the Marigold. Paj and Auster are harboring a secret romance. And Hamish counts the coins. Unfortunately, besides West and Willa, the other three characters don’t really get a lot of time in the spotlight. They’re all fun, and they have major Six of Crows crew vibes, but I wanted more development from each of them. I mean, we barely know anything about Hamish. I will say that Fable’s relationship with her father was fascinating to watch unfold, however. Every time I anticipated some sort of development between the two, Young would take the characters in a totally different direction. Super unpredictable.

All in all, despite some of my nitpicks, this was a gripping fantasy read. It gave me flashbacks to my teenage days obsessing over Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan, and it also had a major cliffhanger that means I’ll have to get my hands on book two somehow, someway. While Fable isn’t my favorite read of the year, it does provide exactly what it’s meant to: a sea adventure full of swashbuckling heroes, villains, and all types of people in between.

*Note: I received a copy of this book to review from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way affected my opinion/review.