Book Review: Fable & Namesake

Books #73 & 74 for 2025: Fable and Namesake by Adrienne Young
Fable – published September 2020 / 491 pages / available here, 4.5 ★
Namesake – published March 2021 / 368 pages / available here, 4 ★

Goodreads blurb: Fable – 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.

My review: What a ride! Fable is a fast-paced adventure story full of hard edges and saltwater. With a touch of romance and found family, this book really surprised me by just how fun it was to read. The characters are fun and colorful and the worldbuilding is delightfully colorful without crossing too far into pirate tropes that would make it feel silly. The only thing that kept it from being a 5-star for me was a little too much sailing/ship terminology.

I immediately picked up Namesake from the library and was drawn right back in to the world of the Narrows. Young continues the story with another twisted plot that, while not as fast-paced as book one, was still thoroughly enjoyable. I’m giving it a 4-star rating though because it didn’t quite live up to Fable and the shift to focusing more on the romance was a bit of a drag. All the characters seemed to develop more in this book…except West. His lack was overshined by the redemption arc with Saint though, so overall, I still really enjoyed the book.

There are additional works in this series, however, the rest shift to other characters, so for now, I’m content reading these two as a duology. It might be fun to come back to others later, but I also really like that readers have the choice and are given enough resolution to do so.