#BookReview Fable by Adrienne Young @adriennebooks @wednesdaybooks #YA #FridayReads

Title: Fable

Author: Adrienne Young

Category: YA Fantasy

Publisher: Wednesday Books

My Rating: 5 Star

Book Blurb:

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.

My Review:

My reading rate has been shocking since the global pandemic arrived. My brain struggles to sort through the gazillion thoughts and emotions I’ve been experiencing while also keeping my family sane. Usually, losing myself in a fantasy novel would be just the thing, but not this year. Or so I thought!

Of course, the pandemic and subsequent brain mush haven’t stopped me from buying an abundance of new books – just in case! When I spotted the release date for Fable, it was an easy decision to hit the buy button even if my weary mind wouldn’t be able to read it for a while.

As it happens, I hunkered down on my sofa one wet and windy Saturday morning, and as the lamps began to flicker on around me, I realised I hadn’t moved from the sofa all day and read Fable in one sitting.

If you’ve read my reviews of the author’s other novels (Sky in the Deep and The Girl the Sea Gave Back), you’ll realise I’m a huge fan. Her books are packed with fast-paced adventure and action, incredible world-building, impeccable research, and engaging characters. Once that cover opened, I was hooked and drawn into the story.

Fable is a likeable character – a fighter! She’s got fire in her belly, and is savvy under the unfortunate circumstances she finds herself in. Her identity must remain a secret as she finds a way to escape the island her father abandoned her on years earlier. Young’s ability to craft strong female protagonists is just one of the things I love most about her books.  

The ship and crew Fable join in her quest to return to her father are a mixed bunch of characters, and yet they complement each other and build trust within the reader. The story follows the trade routes across the sea as the characters trade gems and coin when they reach port. There’s a strong pirate vibe to the story.

As with all of Young’s novels, they are effortless to read. You are swept along with ease and transported into the worlds of these incredible characters.

Ending on a cliff-hanger, Fable will delight any YA fantasy fan and leave them eager for more. I, for one, am looking forward to the conclusion of Fable’s story.

BUY your copy of Fable from Amazon UK or Amazon US

About the Author:

Adrienne Young is a born-and-bred Texan turned California girl. She is a foodie with a deep love of history and travel and a shameless addiction to coffee. When she’s not writing, you can find her on her yoga mat, scouring antique fairs for old books, sipping wine over long dinners, or disappearing into her favourite museums. She lives with her documentary filmmaker husband and their four little wildlings beneath the West Coast sun.