*4.5

This book is so deep! The story is a little bit too dark for me, but it’s great. I like it a lot more than I expected, I was captured by all the themes and the substrates here.
I think I have to digest this story a little bit longer.

(ARC Review - thank you Netgalley!)
This book has such a compelling concept - it's sapphic dystopian Hunger Games, but the "tribute" - here called "Lambs" - are hunted by Cyberpunk'ed hot assassin girls - the "Angels". I found myself wanting to like it more, but there were some truly weird choices made in the world building that just didn't land in the way I think the author intended. It made it hard to trust the world or take it seriously, and it made a lot of the world seem half-baked conceptually (I'm sorry, but being a taxidermist when you can barely afford to survive makes absolutely no sense. And hunting the last remaining non-mutated animals to "preserve" them?? Is an absolute waste?? Why not ..idk, farm and breed them?).
A lot of this patchy world building made the first half of the book a bit of a struggle - I had to basically edit bits in my head to make the story make sense. Especially the moments that lead to our Lamb and Angel coming together, it was so quick/insta-lovey and the reasoning held together with string. One moment they are literally strangling each other, and the next they are like "well I guess we need to work together". I feel like this was missing a lot of the pressure and strain this kind of partnership deserved.

The last fourth or so of the book, though, nearly redeemed itself for me. The main characters fighting to survive and discovering more secrets to the world finally starts to feel compelling. ...and then the ending happens, which was not at all satisfying or logical. Bummer.

So overall, a cool concept with some entertainment value, but frustratingly falls flat in its world building. I do love Ava Reid's writing, but this isn't her best work.

I really liked this book overall. I have a soft spot for dystopian YA and I appreciated the call backs to books like the Hunger Games while still being a unique story with a unique world. The ending caught me by surprise but I like the direction the author took it. There was enough hope to keep the story from being bleak but not so much that it made the world u unrealistic. Overall, a very good book.

Let's get this out of the way: the premise of this book is exquisite. I'm not arguing about that. The bad part for me was the execution of the premise.

Plot holes. So many plot holes. It was incredibly difficult to enjoy this book when every few pages I was asking myself, "Why don't they just do..." or "But that doesn't fit in with the established worldbuilding..."

The romance was fairly mediocre. I like an enemies-to-lovers (and in fact, I have really loved it in Ava Reid's other book, The Wolf and the Woodsman). But neither of the "enemies" at any point actually hate/want to hurt the other, then they quickly fall into lust. It's disappointing, and I really struggled to root for them.

The ending. I'm not sure if it was trying to be "We're leaving this open for a sequel," or, "We're leaving this open to be tragically mysterious," but either way I didn't like it.

A video review including this book will be on my Youtube channel in the coming weeks, @ChloeFrizzle.

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The good: The premise of a sapphic dystopian novel had me excited. The beginning was a nice set up, and I liked the way that Reid introduced us to Inesa and her family. There were a lot of intriguing parts of this world, like the credit system and the role of Caerus. The romance had its moments, and I liked Melinoë and Inesa together. The enemies to lovers was fun to follow. I also enjoyed the way that Reid explored the reactions from the viewers and the themes of misogyny.

The not-so-good: I don’t know exactly what it was, but this book took me forever to get through. It felt slow and repetitive at times, and I did not feel invested. Maybe because it’s YA there were things that were left out and surface level? I’m not sure what felt like it was missing, but I needed more world building and background on how the world got to the point that it was in the book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All thoughts are my own!

Fable for the End of the World is an incredibly well written YA dystopian story about love, sacrifice, survival, and hope. (Very strong Hunger Games vibes).

Ava Reid is a tremendously talented storyteller. I thought the entire book's writing was so vivid, descriptive, and really pulled the reader in. I found myself truly immersed in the story and feeling connected to the two main characters, despite the setting being something straight out of my nightmares.

Some of the story's pacing felt off, and though much of the dystopian setting is discussed, I would have loved for it to have been explored in more depth. Though I thought the ending was fitting, I was disappointed because I still wanted more and had questions left unresolved.

Overall, it's a really great book! Would love if there was a sequel.

At the beginning of the book, we meet Inesa, who runs a taxidermy shop, in a town that is half sunken especially when it rains - for instance, Inesa has to take a boat home after her workday. Her brother Luka does the hunting for the taxidermy shop while Inesa does all the stuffing and selling to the rich. Due to all the climate issues and mutations of animals, owning a taxidermy natural animal is rare, which is why mostly only the rich come to the shop to buy things with their credits. In Caerus, a credit system is the way things are run and when people, typically the poor, end up with 5,000 or greater credits in debt then they must volunteer someone to the Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is an event live streamed where one of the Angels of Caerus hunts the volunteered person to kill them. Unfortunately for Inesa, her mother ends up putting her up for the Gauntlet as she has been secretly using credits and is now 5,000 in debt. The angel assigned to this Gauntlet is Melinoe, who has recently been undergoing work as her last gauntlet caused her quite the trauma.

Ava Reid my girl. This is where you have truly shined. This is a nod to all of us who grew up reading books like the Hunger Games, Divergent, and other dystopian 2010s novels. This book was definitely dark at times - I still remained hopeful through the well written characters (Melinoe def gives Finnick Odair vibes from Hunger Games). I'm curious if there is going to be another book because the ending was kind of bleak and I think there is still so much more to explore in this world. The only other Ava Reid book I've read is a Study In Drowning and while I liked that, this was definitely better.

See my review on goodreads linked below and I will post closer to publish date on my instagram account: @the.bookish.dietitian

Ava Reid has created a fantastic dystopian world that carries similar vibes to The Hunger Games trilogy and the Uglies series. I enjoyed the world building and getting to know each of the characters as the story progressed.

A YA sapphic dystopian romance that's a cross between "The Last of Us" and "The Hunger Games," and what what? Doth I detect a hint of influence from Taylor Swift's "Ivy" in here? Don't speak another word, I am IN!

Whew, what a ride. I absolutely loved this hauntingly beautiful dystopian fable that's about - honestly, it's about a lot of things. The dangers of corporatocracy, how late-stage capitalism has transformed human connection into a transactional hell, the ubiquitousness of social media giving rise to a toxic and dehumanizing culture of spectacle, memory as identity, the things we'll do or won't do to survive, the limits of familial bonds and community, and possibly Yin and Yang. But mainly it asks about love - whether or not, like survival, it can be enough.

The love that unfolds between Melinoe and Inesa is just so pure and simple and so heart-achingly happy-sad. As I read about them slowly falling for the other, I kept recalling what Hayao Miyazaki said about love: "True love is two people inspiring each other to live."

I thought both girls were very well developed characters, so when they finally got together, it just made so much sense. Reid's writing is, as always, a great balance between efficiency and poetry. The pacing was pretty balanced as well, perhaps a bit fast or maybe I am just a fast reader. The concept is not wholly original - a brutal televised game to punish the poor and their children in a dystopian world with such gaping wealth inequality, def have seen that before. A couple times, perhaps. But the author calls out these similarities in her address to readers at the start of the book, and Fable's Hunger Games fanfiction origin is no secret. I think it rather makes me enjoy it a bit more actually, knowing that the book intentionally plays in the same sandbox as Suzanne Collins' beloved dystopian series, drawing inspiration from it but endeavoring to deliver a different, maybe slightly smaller-scaled but equally powerful and inspiring message about queer love.

Wavering around 2.5 stars

I feel the need to preface that I very much admire Ava Reid as an author and human being, and appreciate the way she speaks out about issues in real life, including many of the issues and themes touched upon in this book. This is a fast-paced, YA story based in a dystopian landscape, with some relevant themes on corporate -government takeovers, climate change and environmental disaster. While I have some major beefs with this book (see the rest of this review), this may still be a good story for younger readers as an introduction to the dystopian genre, and I think there are some poignant moments and thoughts sprinkled throughout.

That said....I did not really enjoy this book. Even without seeing her notes on the inspirations, this is very obviously inspired by Hunger Games and I think the comparison lessens the impact of this book - it feels more like fanfiction than an original story in terms of plot points, background and characters.

Both Inesa and Melinoe have promise, but I feel like their character arcs stagnate as the book progresses. This characters feel a bit like the parodies of YA characters I've seen online before - "My name is Avocado Basket, and my parents are dead. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I have lush eyelashes and long hair, but I'm not beautiful". There is a lot of this sort of description - we are constantly reminded about how Melinoe is cold and calculating, the cool, calm, assassin, but nothing about what we learn here besides what we are told makes me believe that.

The relationship arc feels rushed - while I understand trauma bonding, these events take place over only a few days? Not nearly enough time to justify the way the relationship plays out, in my opinion. It again gives echoes of Katniss and Peeta, but in their case, they had known each other for years, if not well.

More nit-picky, but as wildlife biologist and evolutionary ecologist, I have major issues with the way Reid depicts and talks about the natural disasters and evolution of the forest animals. None of it makes any sense - I'm sorry, but deer cannot grow scales or webbed feet. At one point, Inesa finds a dead deer mutant, who's feet are "partly developed" - not how evolution or natural selection works. at. all. The world building feels lacking for a story that is supposed to be commentary on corporate development, pollution and climate change - was it climate change? was their nuclear war? The landmarks used in the story are real places in the US, but we have very little context for how they are positioned in this story. Why is New England an entire country? I'm not saying we need a full explainer (I hate infodumps), but it just feels like a disconnect.

Finally - this book is missing Reid's signature lush and thoughtful prose. I think in this case, the 1st person present tense does Reid no favors. While I can understand the reasoning of why that would be the choice, I feel like it stunts Reid's writing and doesn't let her play to her strengths as a writer.

Thank you to HarperCollins Books and NetGalley for an eARC of this story.

Thank you so much to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review!

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“She grows like ivy on the insides of my eyelids. The roots of her are in my rib cage, winding up around my heart.”

4 stars - a love letter to the YA dystopian books of a decade past, filled with nostalgia, fear and glimpses of light in between the action

“Nothing dooms you quicker than desire.”

I had a fun, and heartbreaking, time reading this. It’s relatively fast paced, with action and twists, with pockets of calm to process and somewhat get to know the characters. I do wish we’d gotten to know the characters even more, as I struggled to feel much of any emotional investment in the love story, but the world and plot were intriguing enough to keep me hooked through the whole book.
I would love to see more of the Angels though, as they were the most interesting part of the story by far for me and I’d love more of a look into their (inner) lives.

“As long as it’s always somebody else, it’s easy to blame them, easy, even, to cheer for their deaths.”

Vibes:
Badass killer influencer teenage girls
Strong sibling bonds
Complicated bonds with parental figures
Irradiated nature and animals
The… Latest stage of capitalism?
The internet will stay toxic to the end of the world and streamers will outlive us all

A song that reminded me of the book:
Hunter by Paris Paloma

Fable for the End of the World is a sapphic enemies to lovers dystopian romance that follows main character Inesa, a 17 year old taxidermist trying to make ends meet. Inesa and her younger brother Luka work hard to support their mentally unwell mother. They live in the drowning Esopus Creek where citizens are perpetually in poverty. The entire setting of this book was giving me full body chills because of how plausible it all is. The world is radioactive and there have been extreme mutations to most wildlife. A large corporation named Caerus basically bought out the government and its whole economy functions on debt.

To make a profitable spectacle, Caerus has an event called the Gauntlet. Once a person reaches 500,000 credits in debt, they have the option to nominate a family member (or themselves) for the Gauntlet. This event puts an Angel, surgically altered battle women that Azrael manages, against the Lamb in a live streamed fight to the death.

Melinoë is the main Angel that we get to know, and we quickly learn about the abundance of shady behavior behind Azrael and Caerus. They continuously try Wipes to erase memories that trouble Angels. When Melinoë is sent on this Gauntlet, she discovers so much more about herself and the world that she lives in.

Ava Reid did a beautiful job of weaving this story into a gripping and captivating romance in an eerily plausible dystopian landscape. I was immediately hooked and could not put this book down!

Beautiful, imaginative & haunting, Ava Reid once again has crafted a gut wrenching tale that will leave readers even more obsessed with her writing than before!

I was excited to hear that Reid was writing a YA dystopian novel, because while her adult stuff has been a little hit or miss for me I enjoyed her previous YA book. While I did enjoy this one I'm not sure I enjoyed it quite as much as her other YA title, and I think that mostly came down to some plot holes and the ending. First off I'm sure there are going to be some people who say that this is just a Hunger Games rip off, and while there are certainly large Hunger Games elements (Reid herself even says in the introduction and acknowledgements that HG was a huge inspiration for this) I do think it's different enough that it's not really an issue. Now, as far as my issues with this book. First and foremost I think overall there were some rather large plot holes in the world building, enough so that it's bugging me more than it should. My main one being with the idea of the Gauntlet as a whole. I don't want to go into a ton of detail, because it's explained in the book, but basically if you rack up too much debt you can put up a family member to take your place in this game of assassin to erase said debt. It's an interesting idea, and I can see the social ideas at play behind it for the audience, but it seems a little...opaque to me exactly why this should be allowed. First, apparently you can offer up your kids at any point in their life. Like, what? I get the idea behind using kids in THG, but here why should kids have to pay for their parent's debt. And you can just use them at whatever point. So, babies? But also if they're like 35 and you don't even live with them anymore. Or I guess more accurately they don't live with you. Does that mean their kids could also be used in place of you? I just...I have so many questions about why this should be allowed. Sure, it's horrible, and I get that, but it also doesn't make a lot of sense. And apparently these Gauntlets happen like every week or so, but they're specially picked out. What about all the other people who read the limit but aren't picked? What happens to them? And why would killing someone else erase your debt? I just feel like there's more information I need for this to make a solid amount of sense when you really start thinking about it. My second, much slighter gripe, is about the ending. It just feels so abrupt and unfinished. If you told me there was a sequel that would make more sense, but this is billed as a standalone, and so it doesn't feel like it fulfils the requirements of a dystopian novel. You have the makings of one, but especially for a YA dystopian you then also kind of need that system of oppression to be brought down at the end, and that doesn't really happen. Maybe the seeds are there, but they've more or less just been planted. Like, they haven't even sprouted or taken root. They've just been put in the ground and left there to live or die. It's kind of like if THG stopped after book one. It would feel rather unfinished, based on the rest of the genre. I think it's also important to note that one of our main characters is supposed to be really good at survival (per the synopsis) but literally only survives because of other people. She has other good qualities, and her willingness to see the good in people is an important thing, but since she's billed at being good at survival I feel slightly misled since she's...really not. She's so bad at it. And sure, one could argue that's a nice change of pace for a book like this, but then why add that to the jacket copy? I did really like our other main character, the assassin. She was an interesting character to follow around, and I found her more compelling than the "Lamb". So while I did enjoy some aspects of this book, and as a whole enjoyed it, I can't rate it a full five stars, because I found it slightly lacking. That being said, I will still be happy to recommend it to teens and adults alike, because overall I think it says some important things, and I'll most likely end up writing a shelf talker for it as well.

Following Fable, a young girl navigating survival in a broken society, the book blends magic and harsh reality in a way that feels timeless. Reid's writing is lush, and while the pace can be slow at times, it allows the emotional depth and environmental themes to really sink in. The story makes you reflect on the choices we make and the stories we tell to cope with crises. If you love thought-provoking, lyrical fiction with a touch of magic, this one’s a must-read.

This book truly is a love letter to the early days of YA dystopian.

The best way I can describe Fable for the End of the World is if The Hunger Games and Uglies were written by Marie Lu. It's one of those traditional dystopian novels that plays off of the ones that came before, but I just enjoyed the vibes in general. I've seen other reviews saying the social commentary was a little shallow, but I honestly enjoyed it - especially how the internet, AI, and climate change were highlighted.
Inesa is a taxidermist living in the slums and barely scraping by. Melinoë is an Angel, a living weapon created solely for assassinations and entertainment. When Inesa's mother signs her up for the Gauntlet - a televised bloodbath where Angels hunt down Lambs - to pay off her death, Inesa and her brother Luka must team up to survive. The story itself was fast-paced, and while there weren't any crazy plot twists, I really enjoyed learning about Melinoë's backstory and seeing the worldbuilding expanded out. I do think there could have been a better build-up for the main relationship and the climax. And I know it's a standalone...but I think the ending is going to live rent-free in my mind, and not in a good way.
I'd like to start my character rant by mentioning Inesa and Luka's mother...I can't remember the last time I had this much beef with a character. She's so hateable, it's insane. I liked Inesa's character and enjoyed seeing her resourcefulness mixing with her background to create a strong protagonist. Melinoë intrigued me as well because the lab-made living weapon trope is one of my all-time favorites, although her character arc felt a bit rushed. The romance between Inesa and Melinoë was fine. I thought it could have spent more time developing, but I grew to appreciate it very quickly. I also enjoyed how Luka's character was addressed (the criticisms on masculinity and conventional attractiveness), but I wish he got a bit more closure.
Fable for the End of the World is a YA standalone dystopian story that features the vibes that brought the dystopian genre to life with a sapphic twist.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free e-ARC!

4/5

I haven’t read many dystopian books, I was never a hunger games or maze runner girlie, and I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this book. Thankfully, I really enjoyed it.
I immediately felt connected to the characters and the world building was well done in my opinion. I wasn’t left with a million questions about how things were supposed to work in their society.
The ending did feel a little unsatisfying, but I think it makes sense for the genre and direction that the book was heading towards.

Sapphic dystopian is a genre I didn’t know I needed. Ava Reid’s writing is always stunning and her characters are always so well written. If I had this book as a teenager it would have influenced my personality in a huge way.

This is pitched as sapphic Hunger Games and it is… very much not that. The inspiration is clear, but this book lacks any of the substance that made the Hunger Games so special. From the beginning, there is a lack of narrative tension. The set-up is: in a dystopian world, anyone who falls into substantial debt is either entered into or can nominate a family member to be in the Gauntlet, a live-streamed event in which a cybernetically enhanced assassin known as an Angel hunts them down for sport. The game is so heavily rigged towards the Angel succeeding that I couldn’t understand why anyone, even in some weird dystopia, would find it entertaining. More so, the middle of the book sags so heavily. By some series of unlikely events, the Angel, Melinoë, and the girl she is meant to kill, Inesa, end up working together. Why? No idea. Towards what? That’s also unclear. They do very little besides blush and bite their lips at one another. There was no thoughtful commentary on the world, no meaningful character development, and no significant change from the beginning to the end. The only question I had once I finished the book was: what was the point?

My sincere thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Ava Reid for the opportunity to read an eARC of Fable for the End of the World. This review does contain spoilers!

The Gauntlet features a Lamb (someone to be sacrificed to repay one's debt) and an Angel (the one sent to kill the lamb). In this story Inesa is the Lamb, being chased by the a recently "reformed" Angel Melinoë. Each Angel has their own method of killing and their own type of targets; one is very maternal and peacefully kills the younger Lambs, one is a spitfire, always sent after the toughest and meanest. Melinoë was crafted to be the flawless cold and brutal killing machine.

During her last Gauntlet, Melinoë was sent to kill a young innocent girl, Sanne, who was only paying for her father's debts. This was unusual for Melinoë and she suffered severe PTSD from killing Sanne. After time off, being reprogrammed by her handler Azrael, it is determined that sending Melinoë after Inesa will make for the most entertaining show. Melinoë is threatened that things must go perfectly or she will be decommissioned; her memories will be wiped and she'll become a trophy wife for a Caerus executive. Melinoë is passionate to prove herself and remain an Angel; it is the only place she feels she truly belongs after Caerus and Azrael had her body and mind altered to become the Angel of Death.

However, what she doesn't account for is Inesa's ability to survive. Inesa comes from a very poor village that's almost always flooded. She and her brother run a taxidermy shop to keep themselves from drowning; they can't afford electricity most days and both the house and the shop are constantly leaking rainwater. Her mother believes that she is sick and does nothing but shop and spend money they don't have. One day, as Inesa is working, she is informed her mother has put her up as a Lamb to pay off 500,000 credits of debt. Inesa isn't as surprised as she should be; she's always been her mom's least favorite and she views her brother Luka as "more worth saving" than her. Luka is furious and decides to help Inesa get as far away from civilization as possible. He credits their deadbeat dad for survival skills that he believes can save Inesa. She's still resigned to die, believing that she isn't possibly strong enough, fast enough, smart enough, to survive.

Luka and Inesa set off into the unknown, and hope to get to someplace where Caerus and the Angels don't exist. They are so close when Melinoë finally catches up to them. The rules of the Gauntlet restricts her from killing anyone but the Lamb, and he definitely uses this to his advantage and is able to shoot Melinoë in the shoulder, buying them just a bit more time before Inesa's demise. Eventually Melinoë catches up to the siblings again and uses a knife to pin Luka to a tree as she starts strangling Inesa. While Inesa is on the brink of death, it starts to rain catching Melinoë off guard and her trauma from Sanne comes back, releasing Inesa. For good measure, Luka slams the butt of his hunting rifle against her head, knocking her out. Unfortunately, it also knocks out all of Melinoë's comms, isolating her from Azrael and Caerus.

While on the run, the pair come across Wends (people who ate mutated animals and thus started mutating themselves). While fighting the Wends, Luka is separated from Inesa. Inesa runs, stumbling across Melinoë. She decides that in order to survive the Wends, she needs the lethal expertise of Melinoë and resolves to survive the Wends and then kill her in order to save herself.

Both girls are in rough shape, so a truce is formed because they decide dying at one another's hand is a lot nicer than being torn apart from the Wends. They come across a small shack where they can both recover and regain strength, both under the impression that with Melinoë disconnected from Caerus the Gauntlet is currently on pause and the cameras are off (the rules state that any death while the cameras are off are simply murder and that is still frowned upon in this society). With the cameras off, the two girls learn more and more about each other and wonder what life would be like if society was different. Unfortunately, reality comes crashing down and the debt needs to be paid with either Inesa's life or Melinoë's.

I loved this book even though then ending made me mad; it felt incomplete especially after everything that was so carefully thought through throughout the story. The themes of government corruption and climate change and the effects of media explored throughout this book really paralleled not just the Hunger Games which Reid draws inspiration from, but also real world situations happening now. Both girls touch on how AI is always used to create lewd images/videos of the Angels and the young female Lambs and how disgusting it is that those are shared all over the internet. There's no sense of privacy or security; someone is always watching and figuring out ways to monetize.

Ava Reid is always an author that I look forward to reading because she perfectly encapsulates feminine rage and how women are constantly underestimated. She is also a great world builder, every story she tells has a great immersive atmosphere. I do think Fable for the End of the World could have benefited from just a bit more world-building and history as to how we ended up with the Gauntlet.