Fable - Review

Book Review:
Title: Fable
Author: Adrienne Young
Publisher: Titan Books

“You want something in this life?" She came to stand over me. "You take it, Fable.”

Trader. Fighter. Survivor.
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 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 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.

I have discovered the thing I love most about books with pirates is that they usually serve me the found family trope, which is always so wholesome and hits me straight in the feels. I haven’t read many pirate books, but the ones I have read previously I’ve loved.

Fable was no different.

I read this book in two sittings. Two because I started reading it at night and by 2am when I hit 50% I forced myself to put the book away and sleep because I had to be up early for a uni lecture (even though I wanted to just continue reading and forgo sleep). It was the kind of book where you feel like you’ve only been reading for 10 minutes, but it has been 45 minutes and you’ve read a whole chunk. So basically, the kind of book I love.

Fable, the main character in this novel, is a fantastic MC. She’s vulnerable but doesn’t shy away from her emotions. She’s also headstrong and driven but can admit her faults. The combination of these traits made her feel so real and relatable, and therefore, extremely likeable. Throughout this novel I was rooting for her, wanting her to succeed in everything.

After being abandoned by her father 4 years ago, she has worked hard to survive and save up enough money to find passage and return to him, proving her worth. And she finds this passage through West and his crew: Willa, Paj, Auster and Hamish. These guys were just as likeable as Fable. Individually they weren’t fleshed out quite as much, but as a group I loved their dynamic and seeing them operate as a crew. I likewise enjoyed seeing their relationship with Fable grow from wariness and detachment to actual crewmates. Found family trope for the win!
West is the love interest in this book, and his romance with Fable was quite enticing. The romance was slow and subtle, but also fast in a way (you’ll probably have to read the book to understand what I mean). It’s the kind of romance that slowly creeps up until suddenly it’s right there, full force.
Very angsty, which I am 100% here for!

I think, apart from loving the characters, what made this book so bingeable was the storytelling and world. From the get-go we see Fable in this tense dangerous situation, and it carries throughout the whole book, so you’re constantly invested, needing to know what happens next and if she survives the next unfortunate situation. Furthermore, the world-building is kept pretty simple and straightforward, which actually worked really well for this book, as I very much see this as a character-driven story and I much preferred learning more about and understanding the characters.

A story of self-discovery, survival, friendship, family and pirate-y adventures – there is much to love about Fable, and I cannot wait to see what the sequel has in store for the Marigold crew.

4.5 Stars
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