"So what are land animals supposed to do," I ask, "when the sea levels rise?" "Survive," Inesa says. "Just survive."

Plot: ★★
Characters: ★★★

Fable for the End of the World was enjoyable, but I had to suspend a lot of belief related to the worldbuilding and plot, which pulled me out of the book again and again.

Ideal for lesbians and bisexual women who love The Hunger Games, Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid is set in a dystopian future after a nuclear war drastically changes the world. The society is based on debts, and once your debts reach a certain level, you are chosen as a sacrificial victim ("lamb") to be brutally killed by young girls, who are surgically altered to be mega hot.

The book definitely addresses many issues in our society, especially the harsh criticism of how young girls are sexualized and scrutinized online. I appreciated how Ava Reid used dystopian themes to criticize these problems. However, it was overshadowed by plot holes.

(view spoiler)

That being said, it wasn't a bad read. Ava Reid's writing was amazing, and I liked what she was trying to do. It just wasn't executed as well as I would have liked.

3/5 stars. Thank you Ava Reid, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this book did confirm my theory that my anxiety was birthed through the dystopian series era of my pre-teens yet somehow i was obsessed? i was ITCHING to go home and read it and stop everything and read it??? talk ab toxiC

v v V diff vibes from ms ava reid but she didn’t follow her usual plot points so slay queen !!! pls book some therapy tho <3<3<3 i felt both mc’s were fleshed out really well w/ their traumas — i mean BACKSTORIES and were just two girls against the horrible world. i do feel like there could’ve been more… SOMETHING, i don’t know. like if this was just a first in a trilogy i’d be like slay nice lil warm up but ~allegedly~ this is it? it basically felt like reading and getting really invested in a fanfic to see the author hasn’t posted a new chapter in over a year… ifykyk

ty netgalley for letting me read this!!!

Thank you to Ava Reid, HarperCollins, and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I found Fable for the End of the World to be a compelling dystopian tale that imagines a society controlled by debt and spectacle, where Inesa is forced into a lethal livestreamed competition and Melinoë is the engineered hunter tasked to kill her. The worldbuilding is vivid and haunting, and I appreciated how Reid frames their relationship as a nuanced queer romance set against a broken society—it's emotionally charged and thoughtfully imagined.

That said, while the premise intrigued me, the romance between hunting and hunted felt rushed at times, and the pacing could be uneven. I longed for deeper immersion into the societal mechanisms of Caerus and more space to breathe within the characters’ emotional journey. In the end, it felt like a bold, urgent idea that didn’t fully land—a thought-provoking read that left me wanting a bit more.

This book was such a fun adventure! From the minute I read the summary, I knew I would like this book, but I didn’t realize how much!

This book is the perfect YA dystopian fantasy. The twists and turns were perfectly placed and the pacing of the book was flawless. I never found myself bored or confused and I loved these characters and their character arcs.

I haven’t stopped thinking about this book since I read it and I don’t think I will for a while!

At this point Ava Reid could write anything and I'll read it because I avoided dystopian like the plague when it was at its peak in the 2010s and I still picked this book up. My anxiety was sky high the entire time and the parallels to our modern day predicament was too chilling to read about. This was so masterfully done!

3.75 stars rounded up!

Queen Ava has blessed us yet again, and this time with a dystopian sapphic romance story with deadly trials! I've seen Fable For the End of the World described as "lesbian Hunger Games" and I feel this is an apt comparison in many ways. This story is very different in setting and concept than Ava Reid's other books that have lived in that gothic/horror fantasy realm, but it still retains her signature style of writing and storytelling that we so adore.

In this dystopian world controlled by the nefarious corporation Caerus where debtors can fight in a televised bloodbath called the Gauntlet to have their family's debts forgiven. Inesa is a woman barely scraping by, whose debtor mother has offered her up for the Gauntlet. With the help of her hunter brother, she fights tooth and nail to survive, but this becomes even more difficult when something unexpected begins to stir between her and her rival Melinoe.

I really enjoyed this read! I thought the societal commentary was very interesting, as was the world Ava Reid created. I did, however, find that the development of the romance was a little oddly paced, and it did feel like the feelings went from enemies to lovers a little too abruptly. That being said, this was very enjoyable and I do recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Ava Reid for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own!

A sapphic dystopian novel that unfortunately tries too hard to incorporate too many different points and stagnates in the middle to come to an uninspired ending.

The worldbuilding in this novel felt like it was trying to throw everything it could at the wall to see what would stick, and instead wound up falling flat. We are supposed to not only believe that people still remember the world before the one our main character lives in, but also that animals are evolving to have mutations and outcompeting the “normal” wildlife. This goes even further into unrealistic when we discover creatures called “the Wends” who are - apparently - humans who decided to live off the grid and ate too many mutated animals, somehow transforming them into gray-skinned mindless zombie-like monsters. Right.

This book also began in an extremely confusing way, simply throwing words and such at you and expecting you to catch up. Not to mention that it takes an uncomfortably long time before we even learn why and how our main characters can sustain themselves doing taxidermy in a world where people struggle to feed themselves. The reasoning also doesn’t make sense, but that’s a whole other deal.

The romance in this novel happens too quickly and makes absolutely no sense, starting with our main character who doesn’t have a single conviction in her body deciding to trust the very person assigned to murder her. And then the novel stagnates in the middle while they - unrealistically - bond in a cabin until suddenly they’re in love and willing to die for one another.

The worldbuilding was also flat and uninspired. The entire concept of the “Lamb’s Gauntlet” of having these highly engineered humans - called “Angels” - hunt down and kill those who have racked up too much debt, in a broadcast showing highly reminiscent of the Hunger Games, makes absolutely no sense the second you look into it a bit harder. Not only are we told that the “Lamb” has to survive for a total of 13 days, we are then also told that Mel, our “Angel,” had never had a Gauntlet last long enough to force her to know how to track someone in the woods. We are then also told that each Gauntlet is set up to maximize the entertainment value for those watching - but there is no coaching or planning for how each Gauntlet will go. The idea that people would love to watch a 2 hour killing of someone, where there isn’t any showmanship or a storyline (despite being told that there is a storyline), makes absolutely no sense. If the Gauntlet can last up to 13 days, then why is it not common to utilize those days to draw out the tension and increase viewership and sales? (Why am I better at creating a death game for entertainment than the author/book itself?)

If the creators of the Gauntlet spend so much time crafting a narrative for these “lambs” then why don’t the “angels” have a script to follow so that those who watch it can become invested? It makes absolutely no sense, much like the rest of the worldbuilding in this novel. I was super hopeful when I saw people compare this to Crier’s War, but unfortunately it fell very flat in comparison. Nothing that happens in this book has any impact, the worldbuilding makes no sense if you think about it for more than a few seconds, and the romance and characters are very flat and one-dimensional. The only character who was interesting was the brother, and the book very quickly removes him because he was the only one with any intelligence or integrity.

Thank you to Netgalley, and HarperCollins Children's Books for providing me this e-ARC.

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid is an absolutely stunning and unforgettable read. I was completely captivated by the beautifully immersive world, the richly layered characters, and the poetic, haunting prose. Every moment felt alive with magic, emotion, and heart, making it impossible to put down. This book is a triumph—dark, moving, and utterly mesmerizing.

ohhhh this hurt, so beautiful with a side a whimsy and murder. i loved the open ending that lets you decide if they end up together or not. Ava knows how to write a book.

In Fable for the End of the World, Ava Reid crafts an intriguing dystopian world. The inhabitants of Lower Esopus live in a flooded city where they must navigate by raft and take decontamination tablets to survive. Mutated wildlife roam the woods, and citizens who accumulate enough debt must participate in a deadly cat-and-mouse game called the Gauntlet.

I also adored Melinoë as a character. She's an Angel—an augmented cyborg who's raised to be a weapon. However, she must grapple with the guilt of killing people and repeatedly have her memories erased (think along the lines of Bucky or Caleb).

When she’s assigned to hunt a girl named Inesa in the Gauntlet, she becomes conflicted. However, it’s the relationship itself where the story falls apart for me. For someone who vehemently despises the government, I feel like Inesa is far too quick to trust her would-be assassin. Likewise, Melinoë is far too quick to discard all of her programming to protect Inesa. In essence, their enemies-to-lovers dynamics don’t actually feel earned or believable.

It’s a shame, really, because the story’s initial pitch of being a sapphic Hunger Games sounded so good to me.

I finally found an Ava Reid book that I enjoyed enough to keep. The two main characters exist in a dystopian earth that has become kind of a swamp due to rising sea levels and some sort of radiation. (Some of the details escape me because I read this book way past my normal bedtime during a 24 hour readathon.) These characters end up in a twistedly popular "reality" show where specially designed "angels" aka hunters track down and kill the prey - people with insurmountable debt who hope to outlast the angel and have their debt forgiven. Obviously our main characters are one of each and a love story develops between the two of them. Reid does a remarkable job making this scenario not only possible but believable. The dystopian setting also provides the possibility of challenging one's beliefs about the world and how it works. And then that ending comes. I cannot really say anything about it because just about anything would spoil it. I think Reid did a really good job with the ending unlike the other two books I have read written b y her. Quite the way to end a 24 hour readathon.

I do enjoy the departure from typical Ava Reid horror into climate horror. This was a very enjoyable read.

The one good thing about the times we are living through is YA dystopian novels are sooooo back. And honestly, we desperately need them. Is it wrong to think the reason why Gen Z & Alpha are turning out more conservative than millennials is a major lack of this content?

Anyways onto the book, I fucking loved it. But I NEED a second one. The characters and how they fell in love and found a way to understand each other and break down societal barriers was beautiful. It’s a look at the world should we allow one major corporation to take over and it’s bleak. Because what does happen if we fall further and further into debt and allow a corporation to purchase it in an effort to make things better? What if the answer to debt is a match to the death and we allow children to be sold by their parents into it?

Here are some favorite quotes:

“I think individuals are capable of compassion. Actually, I know they are. And maybe that’s all it takes—at least at the beginning. Just a few people who care. And that caring matters, even if it can’t cool the earth or lower sea levels or turn back time to before a nuclear blast.”

“It’s funny, though,” Inesa goes on, “because if we didn’t need each other, we’d have nothing. Society wouldn’t work. So it’s a burden and a blessing at once. Even nature is the same. The plants drink the rainwater and the animals eat the plants and each other. Nothing is created without need. When we see flowers blooming or hear birds singing, we think it’s beautiful. But when people need each other, it seems so ugly.”

I was hooked with the thought of Hunger Games, meets Last of Us, and am always down for enemies to lovers. There were parts that felt kind of rushed, but I enjoyed the world building we got and watching Mel and Inesa's relationship unfold. The only thing I really didn't like was the ending, but I don't count it against the author because it was the only ending that did make sense with how the story was going. Overall a really good dystopian story, a tragic romance, and I will be keeping an eye out for more of Reid's stories.

I really wanted to love this. I’m a diehard hunger games fan and was so excited to hear about a sapphic speculative fiction. Unfortunately the story was not original enough, it was lacking depth and connection. The love story was also rushed and unbelievable. I do think the author is a good writer and would pick up another book of theirs.

In the post-apocalyptic northeast, the Cairos Corporation runs all aspects of life: the government, all commerce, medicine, education. Most people are in debt to Cairos, carefully tracked by their Cairos assigned ID numbers. But not Inesa and her brother Luca. Their survivalist father imparted the importance of staying out of debt very firmly before his disappearance, leaving them with their hypochondriac mother who can't work. Luca hunts and Inesa taxidermies what he brings in, in a way preserving the old world as more and more animals mutate beyond recognition. Their work should keep them out of debt, so when a mask finds Inesa and tells her that she has been put up for a Lamb's Gauntlet, it comes as quite a shock. The Lamb's Gauntlet is a periodic live-streamed event, in which a person who is a certain amount in debt--or one of their dependents--is hunted by an Angel, a Cairos-created, modified superhuman designed to kill, all in view of the live stream. Luca and Inesa set out to get a head start in the woods, infested with dangerous mutations. Meanwhile, the Angel assigned to the case, Melinoe must be perfect on this latest hunt to recover from the PR disaster that was her last gauntlet. However, when multiple things go horrifically wrong, it ends up with the two girls fighting to survive the wilds together, and growing dangerously close for two people who can't both survive this gauntlet.
This was honestly maybe the first book that was compared to the Hunger Games that actually stood up in quality. It's like a Hunger Games updated to our world of streaming and megacorporations. I was skeptical about the idea of a relationship between Inesa and Melinoe, but I was sold. This book is both romantic and devastating. The first dystopian in ages that I really, genuinely enjoyed. My only complaint was that ending. Do I have any suggestions for what would have made it to my liking? Unfortunately, no, because Reid took the only route she could have, and it was the ending the book needed, I'm just salty.

This was my first Ava Reid novel and it did not disappoint. I think the blurb of it being Hungers Games meets The Last of Us to be accurate. I thought the world was well built and it was a believable dystopian setting. I would have liked more info about the like the rebels beyond but I still enjoyed this story. I enjoyed the characters and though the dual POV was well executed. Definitely one I will recommend.

The Hunger Games is my favourite book series of all time so how could I resist reading a book that was compared to what was my entire personality as a kid?

Fable For The End of The World was not what I expected. If I’d compare this to any of the Hunger Games books, I’d choose the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Specifically for that final scene in the woods. This book has a similar predator versus prey vibe.

The world-building was brilliant and I was intrigued by Caerus and Inesa’s taxidermy shop. The atmosphere was incredible. The fact that the Gauntlets were live streamed to millions was so thrilling. It felt like a unique take on the reality television death match concept. The little cameras that followed their journey throughout the Gauntlet were interesting but I would have liked more of an explanation for how they worked. I had similar feelings on a lot of the technology in this book. I really loved the inclusion, but wanted more information. Not because it didn’t work or felt out of place, but because it did, and I felt a desire to know more.

Melinoe was my favourite character. Her backstory was heartbreaking and I really enjoyed the progression of her character. The relationships in this book were brilliant and complex. Inesa’s relationship with her mother was infuriating. I enjoyed the portrayal of complicated family dynamics, and I was really rooting for Insea to straight up disown her mother. You do not owe your family anything. Especially if they are the cause of your trauma. I loved how the strained mother-daughter dynamic was contrasted by a loving sibling relationship. The mystery around their father was a big plot point throughout, and I hope it will have a decent payoff in the next instalment.

It was wonderful to see a sapphic romance at the helm of a dystopian novel, and I enjoyed their enemies to lovers dynamic. I came for the romance, but ultimately enjoyed the book because of the world-building and excellent characterisation. The romance was a lovely edition, but I felt the progression of their relationship would have benefitted from more of a slow-burn. I’m looking forward to seeing their romance become more of a focus in the future, and I hope it is fully fleshed out and developed.

I loved this book, and I know I would have especially adored it if I’d read it as a teen. We need more queer dystopian and science fiction books. There have been some really good ones published recently, and Fable For the End of the World definitely carves a place for itself within the genre. I’d recommend this for anyone who loves those genres and is looking for a thrilling sapphic romance.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I keep changing my mind about this book and I apologize to the readers who keep seeing my different reviews. At the core, I adore the characters and think they're well thought out. On the other hand, the world needed more building and the ending is insanely unsatisfying. Ava Reid is still one of my fave authors of all time and it is totally okay that I didn't love it. Thank you again to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I should thank net galley for letting me have an e arc for this book!
Something about the way Ava Reid writes feels very academic to me. Like you would read this book for a class. I would guess high school. And I don’t mean that to be insulting I actually enjoy it and do plan to read more of her books. I have read two so far so take the academic aspect with a grain of salt.
This book is very much a love letter to YA dystopian novels. I got very strong hunger games vibes despite never having read the series, so it’s more I imagine there’s similarities. One’s and Melinoe were fantastic main characters and I loved their relationship. I did feel like the ending felt a little rushed but did kind of like how it ended (I won’t go into how it ended even though I really do want to!). I tend to avoid dystopian novels (they just aren’t normally what I reach for) but I really did enjoy this one.