Fable - Review

Fable (Fable, # 1)

By: Adrienne Young

Expected Publication: September 1st 2020 by Wednesday Books

368 pages

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Source: Publisher via NetGalley (Thank you!!)

( Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate link. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--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.

Like stories about mermaids, I've struggled to find a book about pirates that I have connected with. While Fable isn't exactly a pirate book, it is as close to one as I've read that I enjoyed. Adrienne Young has created a world that is unique and intriguing.

Fable grew up on her father's trading ship, the Lark. Her mother was a dredger and started teaching Fable the skill since she was 6 years old. When the Lark sinks killing Fable's mother, Saint leaves her on the island of Jeval and tells her to survive. If she finds her way off the island then he will give her what is rightfully hers. On Jeval Fable uses her dredging skills to mine for gems underwater. But competition is fierce. And she's completely alone. Everyone on the island is out for themselves and surviving is difficult. West has become a repeat customer trading coppers for the jewels Fable dredges. His consistent business has kept her alive. But as Fable's copper stash grows in hopes of buying her passage off the island and back to her father, enemies begin closing in and Fable finds herself desperate for escape sooner rather than later.

West is the helmsman of the Marigold. When Fable comes flying down the dock fleeing for her life, he makes the decision to allow her passage on his ship. His crew isn't happy because their agreement is to vote on decisions like that. Plus the last dredger they had on their ship stole from them. They're not feeling particularly welcoming of Fable. But Fable has a way of finding her way under their armor.

The entire world Adrienne Young created is a hard place. Not just Jeval. Fable has 5 rules that she's lived by, taught to her by her father. 1) Keep your knife where you can reach it. 2) Never, ever owe anyone anything. 3) Nothing is free. 4) Always construct a lie from a truth. 5) Never, under any circumstances, reveal what or who matters to you. These rules make it difficult to make connections with others. And until Fable meets the crew of the Marigold, she's been without family or friends or...anyone she could depend on since the night the Lark sank. And regardless of how much we might try to go through life alone, each of us craves connection with other human beings.

Of course for me, the drive behind my favorite books focus around the relationships. It was easy to see that West and Fable have a connection they, he especially, are trying to ignore. But this is a harsh world, and one of Fable's main rules is to never reveal who matters to you. It's dangerous to care about others. Doing so can get you killed much faster than anything else. And the Marigold crew has enough enemies as it is.

Favorite quotes:

-It was unnerving to see the sea asleep when I’d seen how bloodthirsty she could be.

-Nothing is free. He wasn’t just talking about food or passage or the clothes on your back. He was talking about respect. Safety. Protection. They were things no one owed you. And one way or another, you always paid.

-Anything given freely was probably a lie.

-“I’m not saying I don’t want you to love him. I’m only saying that if you get him killed, I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep myself from cutting your throat.”

Of course, my favorite quote would spoil too much. So I left it out.

Truly, I have barely touched the surface of the events of Fable. I got sucked into this book and these characters from the opening line of this book. I basically read it in 24 hours which is so rare these days. The copy I read did have a few typos that I imagine will be ironed out by the time the book is published. Things end in a cliffhanger that wasn't entirely unexpected but certainly did its job having me dying to get my hands on Namesake. Fable easily gets 4 Stars. Have you read Fable? What did you think? Let me know!