FABLE, by Adrienne Young, Wednesday Books, Sept. 1, 2020, Hardcover, $18.99 (young adult)
I really enjoyed Adrienne Young’s Sky in the Deep, so I was very excited to read her latest novel, Fable.
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. —Synopsis provided by Wednesday Books
After fighting my way through some recent reads, I was happy to pick up Fable, which has a lot going for it.
Fable wouldn’t work if not for the title character. She is strong, determined and smart. Despite her feelings toward her father, she has to admit, he prepared her well for this moment. His rules are a large part of why she has been able to survive this long. And it’s his rules that she’s also rebelling against.
West is a bit more of a mystery. As his — and his crew’s — stories unfold, you gain a greater understanding as to how high the stakes are.
Young is an excellent world builder. I never once questioned the world in which her characters live. It’s lush and vibrant with colors, smells and entire scenes popping off the page.
Fable is a smooth read, with excellent pacing and a strong mix of tension, adventure and a little romance. I’m looking forward to the second book in this duology, Namesake, which is slated for publication March 16.
