Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the Advance Reader Copy!
Well, where to start? This had some really cool elements to it-dystopian, Hunger Games type of outline, sapphic romance, enemies to lovers.. you get the idea..
I thought it started out really strong and I had my guesses along the way, but boy was I wrong on all fronts of that.
The majority of the story focused on the budding romance between predator and prey (Angel and Lamb if you will), but there was some really great lead up to the actual gauntlet beginning and when they began to rely on each other for survival.
I get that it's an enemies to lovers, but it became very instalove- which it's a standalone so I guess it's to be expected. That's not what got me, it was the ending.
It was just very unsatisfying and not at all what I was expecting. I truly wish there was more to the story and we could find out what happens to Mel and Inesa, but I guess it up for interpretation.
Also, the dad situation.. what even was the point? I thought for sure at some point he'd make an appearance- even be the guy behind it all, but NO- he's just a run of the mill POS father that walked out on his kids and left them with little hope for a better future or survival. And even that hope was wiped away because it was all made up.. like he was just a red herring, and really served no purpose. They could have just said he died rather than skip out on them and it still would have driven the plot in the same way. Guys my brain hurts..

This delivered all the promised lesbian dystopian hunger games vibe wonderfully. It was so good. Especially reading it from the context of our current political climate. This was different than previous of Reid’s work, but it’s a welcomed change. The quality that I’ve come to expect from her is still there. So happy I got this early because it was such a good read!

This was phenomenal, this is so different from other Ava Reid books, but it still kept her high quality of writing. I need basically everyone to read this.

If you love dystopian novels and were deep into The Hunger Games and Divergent, you will love these. You can see the fingerprints of this time but Fable stands completely on its own. The world created in the book feels like it could truly happen, especially considering the current political climate - I read this and kept thinking to myself how prescient it could be. With the way that corporations take over and everything is commodified and stratified, this felt like the updated version of the Hunger Games districts done in a way that felt like it might be what we are quickly headed to in our own world. Everyone so engrossed in their tablets and everything is content rather than real life.

The discussion of how we break people down so simply in society and our quest for our own ability to move up is interesting and so intrinsic to this story. What happens when we try to remove every part of you that's human? Can we truly take away what ultimately makes you who you are? How do we strip away basic human behaviors like leaning on our neighbors and make each of us afraid of this? How do we make everything around us a commodity and kindness into a type of debt that can be exploited? Ava Reid explores this in a way that I thought was really engaging and new. It brings together all the best parts of the dystopian genre and brings it into our current day.

Ava Reid has such a knack for creating characters who are both hardened by their worlds but also "too soft" as well. Those characters who though they may be the heroine, they aren't the typical bad-ass with no feelings, they are softer and trying to understand how they could possibly fit into the world around them. I think the exploration of how this softness fits into the world and how can it exist within the parameters of their society is unique without verging into "not like the other girls" territory. It gives space to see how you can be strong without being the strongest physically and that you can endure without losing that part of you. I think that Inesa, and ultimately Melinoë, are part of this in ways that are unique to each of them and they learn from each other as well.

My only issue with the book was how quickly it felt like the romance happened. Ultimately, it felt like a believable romance, but I wish there had been longer for our characters to get to the point that they did. The pacing of this was the only thing that felt off, it felt both slow and natural while also being underscored in the text of how quickly time was passing. I think I just wanted them to have more time to fall into this.

I would highly recommend Fable. This is such a unique book in the space and I think it is going to be a favorite for many in 2025.

This book was like lesbian hunger games and I ate it up.

I really loved learning about Melinoë and her backstory. She kind of reminds me of Finnick in the way that her body is not her own. Her memories get wiped ever so often and she’s made to kill people. It really shows how everyone is a victim of Caerus and no one, even the ones who seem to have a “better life”, come out unscathed.

Ava Reid has done it again. Her books always leave me completely speechless. I’ve  never really read any sort of science fiction or dystopian book, and I truly wasn’t sure how I would feel about this one - but of course, Ava Reid is my favorite author, so I had to read it. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint in the slightest. Truly, Ava’s books are not just books, they are works of art. This book is no different. It was filled with so much softness and so much love and so much hope! I absolutely adored the two main characters. And oh! My gosh! The multiple POVs and first person narratives were just perfect! The second to last chapter had my jaw on the floor and the very final chapter just ripped me to shreds. I always know that I’m going to feel deeply while reading an Ava Reid book, and ugh, feel deeply I did. Ava is constantly pushing me out of my comfort zone and I am forever grateful for her and her writing. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for sending me this ARC!

Ava Reid is excellent at writing for atmosphere. She really pulls you into her stories and holds on tight. The bleak atmosphere of this particular story isn't something I'm usually craving, as I read for escape. But the author weaved such a beautiful, hopeful tale filled with impowering and inspiring characters. I didn't want to escape without them.

I would have appreciated more romance, but the plot makes up for it, and I usually don't expect a whole lot of romance out of YA titles. Overall this was a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys dystopian settings and sapphic romance.

Did I blindly request this on netgalley because it was Ava Reid and her Study in Drowning book has been all over booktok? Yes.

Did I have a sapphic hunger games book on my bingo card for 2025? No but I definitely enjoyed the ride.

Imagine living in a world where your own mother racks up enough debt to have to choose one of her own children to essentially be sacrificed for a TikTok/twitch live streamed hunger games.

I’d like to know how this is a standalone though because I have questions like.. Where is their father? Do the coordinates actually get you somewhere? Do her and Mel reunite eventually? I’m not thrilled at this open ending and I need answers 😅

Definitely check this one out on 4 March if you are having a hunger games hangover and while it doesn’t fully scratch the itch, I’d say it was worth giving it a chance!

“Kindness and mercy demand strength. Feeling nothing is true cowardice.”

Ava Reid has quickly become one of my favorite authors after a friend pointed me in her direction late last year. I am beyond grateful that I now get to ARC this book. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC received through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Let’s get into it.

This novel brought me back to my childhood, the one filled with dystopian worlds, rebellions lead by strong FMCs, and stories I couldn’t help but tear through. It’s true that The Hunger Games is gold and a story in its own right, but so is Fable for the End of the World. Whether it’s because I am older and more aware, or it is what we as a people have evolved into with the digital age that makes this story feel more relatable, I am not sure. But I do know the dystopian world Reid has created is one that is all too relatable, speaks to where we are as a society, and foreshadows a future that may be all too near. The consumption of media, consumer goods, and the perpetuation of a “me, myself, and I” mentality are the building blocks of what Caerus is. “There would be no Gauntlet without an audience.”

The story of Inesa and Melinoë, told in both of their POVs, was one of my easiest reads this year. The death game along with the tone of the world was obviously influenced by The Hunger Games, something Reid is very open about from the start. The representation of a sapphic love story unfolding, however, is something that 13 year old me never knew she needed. The yin-yang dynamic of the relationship between these two is sweet and deep as they tease out the best traits in one another. With the dual point of view I was not only able to appreciate the love these two share with one another, but I was able to relate to both of them. Inesa, who feels everything so deeply and empathizes even with the things undesired by society, shows that our caring does not make us weak. Every choice she made was out of respect for life and selflessness. She placed her trust in Melinoë’s humanity remaining intact rather than leave her for dead. Melinoë skepticism of people, and desire to forget and not feel, shows that we are not our worst days nor should we be faulted for doing what we must to survive. She stands as a reminder that, even when society aims to turn us cold and unfeeling, the best thing we can do is to keep going and not lose sight of who we are.

The ending of this book ruined me purely for the fact that it left me wanting their HEA so desperately. My heart shattered with Inesa reading the headlines as Melinoë was Wiped and married off. I have so many questions, and I want to see these two burn down Caerus from the inside out. I can only hope that these characters will appear in the world once more and we aren’t just left hoping with Inesa that she will see Melonë in the glass towers one day. But then again, maybe that’s the whole point? To wait and wonder what’s next.

“I wonder, and the wonder turns to hope.”

Ava Reid does it again! Fable for the End of the World is everything you want in a dystopian romance. It’s a poignant commentary on our current society, where money and insatiable greed rule the land. Where our own choices and actions are dooming our planet to a slow death of rising temperatures, flooded land, and poisoned waters. This story is indeed an homage to The Hunger Games, but with Reid’s signature spin of lyrical writing and immersive world building.

The comparisons between Caerus and our incoming administration are impossible to ignore. How these systems exist and thrive because we the people allow them to and because we always want another scapegoat to blame. I loved both Inesa’s and Melinöe’s POVs. They’re both so different and yet both more than their environments.

The plot had the perfect balance of action and character development. I couldn’t flip the pages fast enough, and though the ending was incredibly bitter, it was tinged with the slightest taste of hope. Lovers of Ava Reid’s previous works, dystopian fantasies, and sharp political commentary are sure to enjoy this novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

“Fable for the End of the World” is a perfectly adequate dystopian sci-fi adventure featuring a sapphic romance between Inesa, whose mother puts her up for a murder lottery, and Melinoe, the assassin sent to kill her. In this world, an all-powerful corporation called Caerus runs everything from entertainment to healthcare. Anyone who racks up sufficient debt with the company must enter in the Gauntlet lottery - or they can nominate a family member. During the Gauntlet, the victim (Lamb) is chased by an Angel, sent by Caerus and bent on killing them, and the whole thing is broadcast as live entertainment. Inesa is put forth for this event by her mother, who has accumulated significant debt from medical appointments. Melinoe is the Angel, and has received physical and psychological conditioning to make her the perfect killer, but she cannot forget her most recent Lamb, a twelve-year old girl, despite interventions to wipe away the memory. Sent prematurely in her recovery to chase Inesa, she is not exactly at the top of her game as she takes on the Gauntlet that is supposed to be her redemption. Within the pressure cooker of the Gauntlet, the two unexpectedly bond.
This book was fine, it wasn’t particularly groundbreaking or enjoyable. I think Reid ventured a little too far into the uncanny valley with her portrayal of Melinoe’s enhancements, as she seemed just far enough from being truly human to prevent me from really sympathizing with her. There also wasn’t quite enough difference in storytelling between the chapters from the two characters’ perspectives, so at times I forgot who I was following. A lot of the tropes used and moral conundrums presented felt pretty tired, and I feel I’ve seen them done better in other books (just read The Hunger Games).

Fable for the End of the World will keep you on the edge of your seat, just like all the other spectators who tune in daily to watch Inesa and Melinoë navigate their gauntlet. I could never have imagined the twists and turns this book took. I truly loved it and the intense, impactful scenes it delivered. I was so captivated by the story that I couldn’t tear myself away.

3.5⭐ rounded down because of how it ended. Thank you NetGalley & HarperCollins Children's Books for the ARC. When I first finished this book just short of 2025 coming along, I wasn't exactly sure just how MUCH I liked it. It's after further reflection that came with typing out this review that confirmed, okay, I had a pretty good enough time. Not amazing, but it did leave me wanting more.

Ava Reid mentions in her notes that she was directly inspired by <i>The Hunger Games</i> and those influences are therefore impossible to miss. The story beats of "impoverished and marginalized people forced to participate in a televised death match to the entertainment of the upper class" and "Sibling tries to keep Other Sibling alive when the latter has to participate" would mean it'll feel very familiar to many readers. Similar themes are explored. Regardless, that wasn't necessarily off-putting to me because of the Marvel Black Widow-esque element in the book, whereby cybernetically-modified girls known as Angels act as assassins to hunt and kill the "Lambs" forced to participate in this killing spectacle called the Gauntlet. <i>Fable</i> is thus like if <i>THG</i> gave a POV to one of the Capitol's mutations and Prim was the main character instead.

The story largely explores the abuse, control & commodifying of young girls. Their bodily autonomy is stripped away for the sole purpose of fulfilled the corporation Caerus' capitalistic needs. Caerus profits off people's deaths, and like <i>THG</i>'s Capitol, even spins a narrative around each Gauntlet like it's a soap opera and not merely murder. The Angel program further cements the horror—all the modifications it forces upon girls starting from their pre-teenhood, including ones for pure cosmetic reasons that encourage the objectification and sexualization by their audience. They're designed to kill, but they must look beautiful (and therefore eventually, marriage material for rich, sick men). Everything described as having done to Angels is so skin-crawling that it's hard to actually hate them, even the one Angel who's so indoctrinated that she acts like she believes in the system and relishes the violence. Because at the end of the day, these are teenage girls who never had a proper say. As we further along the story, <i>Fable</i> also brings up the disgusting voyeuristic lens that women, notably sapphic women, are subjected under. Nothing is sacred when you're put up for the consumption of an audience.

While romance wasn't a driving feature in the first <i>THG</i> book, it is here. <i>Fable</i> is about Inesa & Melinoë finding new meaning in life through each other. The sapphic romance was an effective enough slowburn, and I appreciated that that Reid gave us a lot of essential quiet moments where the two opened up to each other of their traumas. Given that the girls' first encounter was through intense brutality, with violence inflicted on each other, it was necessary for empathy for the other's tragedy to sink in for any kind of meaningful bond to develop. Inesa & Melinoë come to see each other as kindred spirits—both are victims of a system that consume and spit out girls like them; both were abused by parental figures who should have protected them. They were raised to see the other as an animal and a mere killing machine respectively, but grew to recognize the humanity they shared. It is this humanity that they desperately try to cling to, with how they struggle with and ultimately reject having to kill the other despite their lives on the line. Inesa refuses to kill another human, and Melinoë is constantly being haunted by the blood on her hands.

Melinoë, despite being a victim herself, acknowledges she still holds some privilege over the impoverished Inesa and the power imbalance that thus exists between them. At the end of the day, it's people like Inesa who are supposed to die. Melinoë doesn't make excuses for it, and it's heartwarming to see her reject the comfortable fantasy crafted for her for the harsh and ugly reality ... because Inesa is part of it. Inesa being the first real thing she wants to fight for.

Meanwhile, Inesa's arc is about her finding the fire she has so long tampered out just to stay alive. There's an interesting reversal of roles when it comes to her character. To bring it back to <i>THG</i>, she is the older sibling (a la Katniss), but her personality and role defaults more to Prim. It is her younger brother Luka who hunts and tries to keep her alive with his superior outdoor wilderness skills. Her time with Melinoë ignites her formerly suppressed rage at the system; she did everything "right" and was still punished for it. By book's end, Inesa wants to DO something rather than keep her head down and merely survive.

The start was a bit of a slog to get through, but once it was just Inesa & Melinoë, I grew much more invested. I actually wished this was at least 50 pages longer because I eventually came to enjoy following these two. I rooted for them so hard and wanted them to finally be free to live meaningful lives. The ending did not leave me wholly satisfied, but it wasn't completely cynical either. Prior to <i>Fable</i>, I've never read an Ava Reid book and WANTED a sequel, so this was a first.

I’ll caveat this review by stating that I love Ava Reid. Ava Reid’s Fable for the End of the World is a stunning and deeply atmospheric novel that showcases her signature lyrical prose and masterful world-building. Reid has an incredible talent for creating richly imagined, immersive landscapes, and this book is no exception.

Set in a hauntingly beautiful world on the brink of collapse, Fable for the End of the World blends myth, folklore, and melancholic reflections on the human condition. Reid’s writing is poetic, weaving evocative imagery that captures both the vastness of the world and the intimacy of the characters’ emotions. The story is both epic and introspective, exploring themes of loss, survival, and the search for meaning amidst despair.

The characters are richly drawn, each struggling with their own sense of purpose in a world that seems to be unraveling. Reid’s prose captures their longing, fear, and resilience in a way that feels both timeless and haunting. The narrative has a quiet, meditative quality, but the moments of tension and discovery are intensely gripping.

While the pacing might be slow for some, it enhances the reflective and philosophical tone of the novel. Fans of Ava Reid will find much to love here, as the book showcases her gift for blending the ethereal with the human. Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC!

Rating: 5/5
Recommendation: A must-read for fans of Ava Reid’s previous works, as well as anyone who enjoys atmospheric, poetic fiction with deep exploration of humanity and survival.

The book begins with a foreward that mentions The Hunger Games which puts those books in the forefront of your mind, and thusly, you instantly start to compare Fable for the End of the World to it. Hunger Games it is not, which should be a good thing, but unfortunately for Fable, it's not. This book lacks the world building, political complexity, and heart of those books. And I'm not even a hardcore Hunger Games fan.

Fable tells its story through two POVs: Inesa, a taxidermist who lives in a waterlogged, podunk town along with her stoic brother and histrionic mother; and Melinoë, a corporation-created lethal cyborg (called Angels) who kills "lambs" during "Gauntlets".

So let's talk about these gauntlets. A giant corporation called Caerus essentially controls the country through a mega monopoly and is an obvious nod to Amazon. People rack up debt through Caerus and you're allowed to carry up to 500,000 in which then you can offer up somebody (or I suppose yourself) to pay off the debt. This...volunteer is thrust into a gauntlet, in which they have to survive for 11 days while one of the aforementioned Angels tries to off you.

I tried not to think too hard about the details of this, but the suspension of disbelief here is difficult. This gauntlet and its relationship to the classes feels very flimsy. There's frankly a lot of things you just have to try not to think about too much, or it stops making any sense. Why is Inesa and her brother surviving as taxidermists in a poor town?

Anyhow, the story starts off fine, and I actually really like the relationship between her and her brother Luka, and their shared grief with their father. When Inesa is inevitably thrown into the gauntlet, I was really enjoying her and her brother fending off Melinoë. (view spoiler)

The pacing of this book is all over the place. It really feels like the plot is just paused so that Inesa and Melinoë can talk. All the intensity is lost, and as a reader, you do not feel any stakes or suspense. Then there's the romance...sigh. It's so dry and forced and I felt zero chemistry between the two characters. I never felt like I really knew Inesa as a character, and Melinoë I knew a tiny bit more. I needed more depth to everything in this story, and in this world.

I gave it 3 stars, because I think the writing in general is good, though nowhere near as good as something like Juniper and Thorn which was beautifully written. I think there were some elements touched on here that worked, mainly with the Angels. I don't think it's necessarily a bad book, but just very shallow.

Hunger Games but make it sapphic. I love a dystopian YA, due in huge part to my love of Hunger Games in high school. Ava Reid writes beautifully and hauntingly, and you can tell she was inspired by those YA stories we grew up with.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you to Net Galley and HarperCollins for the ARC. Unfortunately this was not for me. The plot and characters were boring. The story was predictable.

Ava Reid is so completely chaotic- capable of pretty much writing anything, although I find her books are often a little controversial/taste specific. I do think Fable for the End of the World might be her most accessible and well received work.

In the future, everything is irradiated, corporations rule everything, city states reign supreme, and crippling inherited debt dominates the lives of most regular people. When you cant paid that debt, you can offer yourself or someone in the family into a murder gauntlet where an overpowered technologically advanced killing machine chases after you on livestream until you are dead.

Inesa lives a small life on the outskirts of town with her brother and mother, and is offered up to the gauntlet when her mothers debts become too much. She has no real hope of survival, but with the help of her brother, she hopes to escape into the wilderness that is often littered with Wends, monsters victim to radiation.

Melinoë is an angel- a genetically modified human with one purpose: to kill.

This premise borrows a lot of popular dystopias without being a boring copy and paste scifi- it heavily utilizes gaming and streaming culture in the narrative and addresses late stage capitalism surprisingly well for a young adult book. The scifi elements; particularly involving human modulation, are fascinating- and Reid manages to make a generally compelling world that will elevate your cortisol with anger and absolute anxiety.

All of the characters are pretty interesting, with Inesa being a bit closer to our baseline "relatable girl", though I find her internal monologue fascinating. As a bit of an outlier and raised by at least one rebel parent, she acts as a counterbalance to the world she lives in. Her relationship to her brother Luka is compelling- and in fact, her whole complex family dynamic opens up a lot of room for mystery and suspense.

Melinoë is the heavy hitter when it comes to pure story engagement as a modified human (known as an Angel) with no memories of her former life. She lives a dual life of comfort and wealth, however, she is completely under the thumb of her handler Azrael, and gives us some of our darkest glimpses to how capitalism is used to abused women in the "Fable" universe. The politics of Angels and how they are used as entertainment and enforcers to the system is fascinating. Her engagement is often with her handler or with other Angels, and its pretty much non stop uncomfortable.

The romance is the beating heart of this story, but not because of time spent. The first long leg of the novel really focuses on worldbuilding and setting up the plot. The positive to this is the world feels very lived in by the time our heroines meet. The negatives are that when they do meet, apparently not a single author is contractually allowed to have their romance burn into the next book because the romance goes fairly fast. Not offensively insta love fast, but the timeline feels really abridged. I was still deeply engaged, but a lot has to happen very fast in order to ensure both characters fall in love effectively.

The romance is friends to enemies to lovers on an accelerated timeline, but watching the two characters team up to survive is a ton of fun.

Fable for the End of the World borrows a little bit from The Hunger Game and The Grace Year with possibly some Wilder Girls mixed in. Its a adventure and romance and scifi goodness in a classic YA Dystopia package.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for accepting my request for an ACR of this book!
4.5/5
Even a wolf can be gentle if it wants, but you should never forget its teeth
I was so ecstatic to find the acceptance email in my inbox. I am a sucker for dystopian novels so when there are any new books I will always read them. I loved the different POVs of Mel and Inesa. The worldbuilding was incredibly immersive, I loved certain creative liberties that took place. I will say, I can see the ending being discussed on if it was the right way to end it that way, but I personally really enjoyed it. My only complaint about the plot is that I wish there was more of Lukas, because I felt like the character wasn’t really fleshed out as much as he could have been

I don’t even know where to begin with Fable for the End of the World, because this book is honestly just a vibe, and I’m fully in my feels about it. It’s like if you took an apocalypse, a broken world, and just added some seriously amazing writing, and then shook it up with a whole lot of emotional chaos. And somehow, Ava Reid just makes it work.

Inesa? She’s out here surviving, and I mean really surviving. The world’s fallen apart, and she’s constantly on the run, hunted by Melinoë—who, let’s be real, is like the dystopian version of a cat playing with its prey. Think The Hunger Games, but with immortal, god-like beings who don’t play by the usual rules. Inesa can’t catch a break. She's running for her life while also trying to hold onto whatever’s left of her humanity, and you really feel that constant tension as the story goes on. Every step she takes, you know there’s someone just behind her, always waiting for the chance to catch her.

And then there’s Melinoë. Ugh. Melinoë is the type of character you love to hate (or maybe hate to love?). She’s this perfect mix of calculating and cold, a deadly force that plays her own game in a world where rules don’t exist. She’s hunting Inesa, sure, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a power struggle, a dance of survival and control, and it makes every interaction between the two of them so tense. The way Melinoë toys with Inesa, manipulates her... it was hard to put the book down because I couldn’t wait to see how their dynamic would unfold. It’s one of those love-hate relationships that makes you question whether you’re rooting for the villain or the hero—or both.

What I loved most about this book, though, was how Inesa and Melinoë’s interactions were never simple. They start off as complete opposites, but as things progress, you realize they’re both just trying to survive in a world that doesn’t give them the luxury of peace. There’s a push and pull between them that’s so beautifully written, and their interactions had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

As for the world-building, wow. Ava Reid really brings this broken world to life in a way that feels both dangerous and mesmerizing. The stakes are high, the world feels alive, and every page made me feel like I was caught in this chaotic, ever-shifting landscape. It's a place where nothing is guaranteed, and everyone’s out for their own survival.

The pacing of the book is just right. There’s always something happening, and you’re never quite sure where the next twist will come from. It’s got that Hunger Games vibe where you’re constantly wondering who’s going to be left standing and what it’ll cost them to make it to the end.

The relationship between Inesa and Melinoë? It’s everything I didn’t know I needed. The way they play off each other, the constant friction—it’s not just about survival, it’s about power, trust, and who can get the upper hand. And while there’s no neat, happily-ever-after here, the ending felt right for the story. It’s raw, messy, and earned. I can’t say much more without spoilers, but trust me, it’s worth the emotional rollercoaster.

Overall, Fable for the End of the World was a whirlwind of survival, betrayal, and complex relationships. It’s gritty, it’s intense, and it had me hooked from the start. If you’re into books that make you question everything, push you to your emotional limits, and leave you with no choice but to turn the page, then this one’s for you.