Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.
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.
As Fable descends deeper into a world of betrayal and deception, she learns that the secrets her mother took to her grave are now putting the people Fable cares about in danger. If Fable is going to save them, then she must risk everything—including the boy she loves and the home she has finally found.
I didn’t re-read Fable before picking this up but I wish that I did –Namesake picks up right where the cliffhanger in the first book left off, and I can’t help but wonder if this duology would have functioned better as a single, long book.
Namesake was just as atmospheric as Fable, immersing you in high-stakes adventure on the open sea. It was much more political than its predecessor, though, with trade treaties and territorial disputes leading to scheming and manipulation at every turn. It’s fast-paced and mostly plot-driven, so there wasn’t much in the way of character development; Fable’s relationship with her father was beautifully executed, but her relationship with West left a lot to be desired.
Most of the lingering questions that I had after finishing Fable were resolved in Namesake. While I do wish that the big “mystery” that is answered in this book was more of a surprise, Namesake tied everything up nicely, providing a strong ending to Fable’s story.
