Format: Hardback
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Page Length: 368 pages
Publisher: Wednesday Books (September 1, 2020)
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “You have bewitched me, body and soul.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
I originally purchased Fable from Amazon on the recommendation of a bookstagram friend, and I am so glad I did. This book is phenomenal!
Here’s a plot synopsis from GoodReads: For seventeen-year-old Fable, the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home she 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. Fable takes you on a spectacular journey filled with romance, intrigue, and adventure.
I've never been one for pirates, but boy, does Fable make me a pirate girl at heart. Between West and Saint, I don't know who I love more. (It's West, but I digress). This book is unique compared to any other young adult fantasy book I've read, and I think anyone who enjoys YA books will like this story. Even if you don't like fantasy books, this book is very fantasy-lite, and it doesn't really require you to dive deep into a fantasy world like other YA books do. I like that the book was easy to read from the first chapter, and I fell for both Fable and West early on. The characters in this story are written to perfection, and they endear themselves to the writer from the beginning.
Fable is headstrong and brave, and I think her resilience was admirable. She's gritty and scrappy, and I like that she'll do whatever it takes to get by and survive. Her chemistry with the crew of the Marigold is fun and engaging, and I really like her camaraderie with the crew. It isn't easy, but it is earned, and I like that their friendships were gradual. I also love that she thinks she can pull one over on West, but he's always one step ahead of her.
Her connection with West is...hot. It's hot without being inappropriate for a YA book, but I can read between the lines...I know what's up. While Fable is somewhat of an open book (with the exception of her connection to Saint), West is a closed book. His background and character are unveiled in layers, and I like the slow burn to their relationship. It gives their love gravity, and it hooked me for the long haul. West isn't perfect, and he has a past...a past that is dirty while he does Saint's dirty work. But, I don't mind because his love for Fable is unshakeable.
I also loved that this book kept me guessing from start to finish. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the story took another twist I didn't see coming. The plot teeters on dark and twisty at times, but it always circles around love, whether that be romantic or familial. It makes the relationships all the more endearing. By the end of this book, these characters felt like family to me, and I fell completely in love with them all.
Adrienne Young is a wordsmith, and everyone should read her books. She is now an auto buy author for me now!
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