As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home 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 skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island and find her father. 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 storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive.
Fable Review
Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for sending me an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Fable knows that in order to survive she needs to follow five simple rules:
- Keep your knife where you can reach it.
- Never, ever owe anyone anything.
- Nothing is free.
- Always construct a lie from a truth.
- Never, under any circumstances, reveal what or who matters to you.
After being left by her father on Jeval, an island filled with thieves, Fable needs to survive one way or another. It has been four years since her father abandoned her but she has a plan.
Fable has been saving coins in order to leave the island and get what she’s owed, a place beside her father and his crew. But having a stash is dangerous in Jeval. Everyone’s looking out for themselves and would not hesitate to put a knife in your throat for a couple of coppers.
Fable needs three or four more weeks to have enough coin to barter passage out of Jeval. Unfortunately, people have been talking about the possible places where Fable could be hiding her coin.
When word got around, Fable was targeted and almost drowned. She barters passage to get off the island, losing all the coppers she saved.
Now Fable needs to earn coins fast to not show up empty handed when she sees her father again. Although it seems that coin isn’t what she needs to worry about.
Thoughts
Fable is about debts, riches and something more special than anything money can buy – family. It’s about relationships and the price you pay for them. About how people can grow to help each other and become something meaningful in life.
I loved how Adrienne wrote Fable’s character. She’s an excellent example of how it doesn’t matter how many times life knocks you down, you always need to pick yourself back up and try again.
Also, while you’re reading Fable, the writing is so descriptive that it makes you feel like it was you who was out at sea, diving deep or inside the ship.
The side characters are what sealed the deal in this amazing story. Their personalities and the way they connect and interact with Fable and each other are what truly enthralled me.
“I can’t decide if I like you or if I think you’re stupid.”
The cover is AWESOME! It was the first thing that really captivated me to request it in NetGalley and then I saw the reviews, which they didn’t disappoint.
The only downside is that I need to wait almost a year for the next book. I can’t wait that long with that ending.
Overall, Fable is a really great start of this duology and I can’t wait to see what happens with these characters that stole a little piece of my heart. If you’re looking for a fast-paced story, filled with emotions and high seas adventures, you just found it.
Fable comes out September 1st. Don’t forget to preorder from Malaprops Bookstore to receive a personalized copy and an exclusive art print from my favorite scene.
Retrieved from Adrienne Young’s Instagram. Art by @taratjah.
Looking for more great reviews?
Check out my review of The Lost City here.