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Fable thinks she is finally free of her father and set to start over among the crew of the Marigold. But when she becomes a pawn in a notorious thug’s scheme, she finds herself on her own once again, far from West, the crew, and the only life she wanted. If she ever hopes to get back to them, she’ll have to help her kidnapper secure a partnership with Holland, a powerful gem trader who controls the sea beyond the Narrows.
Holland is more than she seems, though, and as Fable descends deeper into the political game of the gem traders, she uncovers secrets about her mother and herself — secrets that put the people Fable cares about the most in danger.
Namesake picks up immediately after the events of Fable, and while it’s just as swashbuckling as the first book, political tension among the powers of the sea trade plays a larger role in shaping the story.
Strong family themes once again make an appearance, filling Fable’s tale with an emotional poignancy I’ve come to find in all of Adrienne Young’s stories thus far. I especially loved the family dynamics between Fable and her father. They don’t always know how to show their love, their interactions prickly and their emotions unexpressed through words, but it’s an unfailing love just the same, and that bond really shines in this story.
However, as in Fable, I found the Marigold crew — and even West — to fall flat and feel more like cardboard cutouts. I still don’t know much about them as characters, and I didn’t care for West’s unhealthy protective instincts, which lead to what feels — at least to me — like a disconnected romance.
While I didn’t enjoy Namesake as much as I did Fable, I still love Young’s writing style, and I would recommend the story to anyone looking for an atmospheric high-seas adventure.
Rated: Moderate. A character is forced to bathe on deck. (It’s a fleeting non-sexualized scene and it’s unclear if she was naked or partially clothed.) A character stands naked behind a curtain while a seamstress measures and fits her for a dress. Characters frequently share a bed, leading to at least one sex scene where characters undress and some description is included before fading to black. Characters — including a same-sex couple — kiss. Violence includes a man murdered offscreen, plotted assassination, attempted murder, and mention of a character torching ships out of revenge. There are around 14 uses of mild language and 3 uses of moderate language.
