Review Detail

SAINT is a riveting and consuming YA fantasy, written as a prequel to FABLE and NAMESAKE. The story takes the reader to Saint and Isolde, telling the story of how they met in alternating perspectives. Isolde is the daughter of Holland, a wealthy gem magnate whose relationships are all about utility. After her father's death, Isolde knows she needs to escape her mother, no easy feat considering her far reach. She plans to hitch a ride on a ship to the Narrows, working as a dredger. She finds someone who makes the connection, using the fake name Eryss and signing a contract. However, she is soon to learn that the ride she thought she was getting comes with dangerous strings.

Saint has plans for the Narrows, and he wants to obtain a trading license, something that seems illusive and requires skirting the rules. He sails with his close friend and confidante, Clover, and they are closer than they have ever been to achieving what they have been working towards - and then they meet Isolde. As things get more complicated, Saint's carefully laid plans will need to change, potentially putting everything he he has worked for in jeopardy.

What I loved: The writing pulls the reader in immediately and keeps the pages turning quickly. The alternating perspectives immerse the reader in Saint and Isolde's stories. While the title and synopsis suggest that the story focuses on Saint, this story really felt like Isolde's. Isolde is learning about the broader world, the truth of her mother and her reach, and what she wants for her own future. She is clever, bold, and learning quickly. While her main goal has been to escape her mother's reach, she is redefining what that means for her and her own future. This path is complex and composed of small decisions, but Isolde begins to reach further and reconsider what her longer-term paths may include.

Saint has complex morality with rules mostly being flexible but some feeling sacred. His life was forever changed by his father's death and the responsibility he feels for it and the people close to him. He is shrewd in business and seems very regimented, but the reader also uncovers his passion for the people he cares about and for a feeling of justice. The Narrows are his, and he is determined to improve them, as well as his and Clover's own prospects.

While this seemed like an origin story for the person who was partially the villain in the original books, it's so much more than that, breathing life into these characters who seemed larger than life in Fable's story. This is really the start of a great love, self-discovery, and the plots that created the legend. This was a really quick and highly consuming read in part for the themes around poverty, morality, corruption, human trafficking, found family, and the way love changes everything.

Final verdict: With compelling characters and consuming prose, SAINT is a thrilling, can't-miss YA fantasy. Highly recommend picking up this enthralling read.