Namesake Review

*SPOILER ALERT*

With the Marigold ship free of her father, Fable and the rest of the crew were set to start over. That freedom is short-lived when Fable becomes a pawn in a notorious thug’s scheme. In order to get to her intended destination, she must help him to secure a partnership with Holland, a powerful gem trader who is more than she seems.

Fable in this book just goes from one predicament to the next. I feel as though she is very much in over her head for the majority of the storyline, but she does manage to pull it together and ultimately get everything she wants, albeit at the expense of the other crew members of the Marigold. I appreciate that they called her out for her selfishness and she does acknowledge that.

We get to learn a lot more about the dredging in this book which I appreciated. Seeing the whole process of the diving and all the variables that go with it. I liked seeing how Fay and Koy establish a bit of a mutual respect as Jevalis even though they had their differences in the past. With that connection coming fill circle when they create a trade port in Jevali.

West really goes above and beyond the protective and loving boyfriend trope. He made some decisions in this book that were just too full on and should have been discussed with everyone beforehand. Especially when he wouldn’t let the crew vote on whether or not to join Fay to find Midnight and then signing Holland’s contract on Fay’s behalf. His heart is in the right place but he just keeps alienating everyone in an attempt to protect/save them which wasn’t really necessary.

The relationship between Fable and Saint is what bumped up my rating for sure! We are never really know what Saint’s motivations are throughout the course of the duology, does he actually love Fay or does he scorn her for being alive when Isolde perished? We are finally given all the answers to the questions that kept building up in the plot as to why he did what he did. Clove was a great source of information and made us realise that Saint was actually in the midst of running more schemes than what we initially thought. When everything came to a head at the meeting and he finally stood up and acknowledged Fable as his daughter was a beautiful moment that had me glassy eyed for sure!

⭐️ 3/5 stars Daring, adventurous and swashbuckling!

Fable Review

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.

I really like Fable’s character, though I feel she does need that little bit more growth and development. When we learn about her story and how she has had to stay alive for so long I definitely feel sympathy for her yet she does all the things she knows she shouldn’t do any has to flee from Jeval for her life. I am very curious about her powers and how her mother taught her, I wish we would have found out a bit more about that but hopefully in the next book all is revealed.

West is one of those broody male love interests in YA books that I just happen to love. He is rude and standoffish and lays down the law with Fable right from the start and yet he has a softer side that we learn about throughout the course of the plot that just makes you fall for him. He is very secretive and I am curious as to how he brokered the deal with Saint in the first place and what he will do next! The relationship did kind of feel a little rushed even though not a lot happens. There was a bit of tension between the two of them but not enough for me to quite believe the depth of their feelings.

I am very intrigued by the crew of the Marigold and how they all came together. West really seems to trust each of them with their lives and it is really shown in the plot. They were all so wary and untrusting of Fable at the start that I wonder how what happened with their previous dredger. I feel like they are so much more I want to learn about each of them and I really hope we delve more into their characters in the next book.

Overall I love the premise and tone of the story, it’s very cutthroat and unyielding. The stakes are continually raised and I was definitely reading with anticipation about what was going to happen next! There are still so many questions I have in regards to the world, the magic system and these characters and I am hopeful that the next book delivers!

⭐️4/5 stars I was taken on a journey and enjoyed every minute!

5 star reads of 2021 so far…

I thought it would be fun to keep tabs on all of my five star reads and since we are just over half way through 2021 now would be the perfect time to list all of my 5 star reads from the first half of the year. I won’t be including any rereads these are all books I read for the first time this year.

So the 6 books I rated 5 stars so far in 2021 are:

Lightbringer by Claire Legrand

A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir

Stormcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Deathcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Buzzword Reading Challenge

If you are unaware what the Buzzword Readathon/Challenge is see my prior post HERE. Last month the buzzword was LAST and unfortunately I didn’t get a chance to read anything with that word, so I will have to catch up in the coming months ! I am excited to continue on with this challenge and complete this months buzzword which is:

This month the buzzword theme is TIME OF DAY and here my options:

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