Thank you to Wednesday Books for sharing a copy in exchange for my honest review!
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. OH MY GOD. I read Fable in almost one sitting, over the course of six hours one night. This book is incredible and you’re never going to want to put it down. Personally, I dislike the ocean but love to read books about fanciful ships and sailing adventures, so this was perfect for me. Plus, it had been hyped by basically every other blogger I know, so my expectations were fairly high going in. I need you to know that they were far exceeded by the masterpiece that is this book. First, we have Fable—left to fend for herself on a cutthroat island after the shipwreck that left her mother dead, she works day and night to 1) not get murdered and 2) earn enough coppers to buy her way off the island. From the first line “That bastard was leaving me again” (I received an advanced copy so this quote may change) I was hooked. Fable’s grit and determination in combination with her desire to find a place where she’ll truly belong brings heart to the story that totally stuck with me. She’s just… *kisses fingers like an Italian chef* the perfect heroine. I can’t quite articulate what I love so much about her story, but if you read Fable you’ll agree with me, I guarantee it. On the subject of belonging… there is so much found family in this novel for all of you Gilded Wolves, Six of Crows fans! The stories are completely different but the moral is the same. Not only am I in love with Fable, I also adore the entire crew of the Marigold, the ship Fable boards to escape Jeval. Sure, they have their secrets, but discovering those is only half the fun. It’s about the FAMILY DYNAMICS!!! Obviously, there’s some initial mistrust of Fable because she’s new, but a little hazing solves that problem and I am sooo emotional about these guys’ journey together. I put off reading this ARC for ages, but when I finished I immediately went and preordered a finished copy! I’m going to need to read Fable again, if only so I can get a second helping of that “at first I disliked you, but now we’re good buds” bond that Fable finds with several crew members. Of course, none of this mentions the epic romance of the book! A solid 40% of my reason for preordering from Malaprops (which you still have 24 hours to do, it comes out tomorrow!) is the gorgeous art print they’ve included with all preorders featuring THAT KISS! Friends, if you want to know what I’m screaming about… you’ll have to read the book. Fable and West’s relationship is incredible—a mix between slow burn and solidly paced that had me turning every page hoping for more. I think the last time I felt this much over a fictional couple was Jorgen and Spensa from Skyward? (Let’s leave my Dark Artifices/Blackstairs obsession out of this for now). Anyways!! As we said earlier, West rescues Fable at a personal cost to himself. This in turn provides plenty of fodder for emotional scenes later in the book, which had me squealing loudly every other minute. They’re solidly on the same side of the book’s conflict, but the high stakes of their mission and the general danger surrounding their world gave the romance an extra edge. I really don’t know what else I can say about Fable except that it’s a nautical masterpiece. This is it. This is the ocean book to end all ocean books, to which I will forever compare every other boat book I read. Boat books, if you don’t know, are the only way I interact with the sea. I don’t like to swim, but I do love to read about kissing and killing on the high seas! 5/5 stars to this glorious novel.
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The BaronessHey, I'm Shreya! I love to read, write, travel, and drink tea. Disclosure: I am an affiliate of bookshop.org and I will earn a small commission if you click the above link and make a purchase.
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