Y’all there’s so much dang ANGST! This is partially due to the duo constantly disagreeing about what to do throughout the story, but then there’s the whole subplot of Fay wondering if her father was right about West being a super dark dude, and it just… didn’t work for me. We all know this and yet, I was still disappointed by the lack of chemistry between West and Fable in Namesake. Once two characters have finally gotten together, it’s really tricky to keep those flames burning.

I obviously had nothing to do with that but it didn’t stop me from feeling immensely proud as I watched her take charge of her life and fight for what (and who) she believes in. Girl is determined AF! Which, yes, sometimes drives me crazy, like seriously don’t kill yourself holding your breath just trying to find some rocks, a gem is not worth your life my risk of a heart attack!! If you were impressed by her endurance in the first book, prepare to be slain by her boldness in this one she’s gained confidence, and it shows. I’ll keep things vague beyond that so you can enjoy the twists and turns for yourself, but I will say we get to meet some fascinating new faces (including Holland, mentioned in Fable as the most powerful gem trader in the Unnamed Sea) and reexamine existing characters in a different light.Įven though she’s stubborn as all get out, I remain in awe of Fay’s tenacity and strength, as well as her passion for the people she loves. Zola’s schemes aren’t clear to Fable, but when the ship lands at Jeval and he begins recruiting dredgers, including our ole pal Koy (whom you’ll recall tried to kill our heroine in the previous book), she starts to see that his plan is much bigger than she imagined-and that she’s at the center of it all.

Oh yeah, and Clove, Saint’s former navigator, isn’t dead and is in fact working on the Luna! Cool cool cool. I think we all remember the cliffhanger from Fable since it was so goddamn egregious but in case you weren’t as incensed as I was, Namesake picks up right where its predecessor left off: Fable is being held captive on Zola’s ship (the Luna) after she decided to just, you know, sneak into town to get West’s mom’s ring like what could possibly go wrong?! And right before she was kidnapped, she ran into Saint (her dad), who tells her that West isn’t who she thinks he is. Our girl is moving up in the world (but she’ll always look like Bryce Dallas Howard to me). I particularly like the details in the artwork that show how her life has changed since the first book: the gorgeous earrings, the make-up. If you put the cover of Fable next to this cover, you get Fable’s whole face! Nice one, designers.

Warning, there be spoilers ahead! If you haven’t read Fable, turn back now or you’ll ruin a great read for yourself. Relationship Status: The Wind In My Sails

Namesake by adrienne young