For once, an apt comparison to The Hunger Games. The tone is about as bleak as it gets for a YA novel in many sections, and the social commentary pulls no punches. A handful of plot points feel unresolved or derivative, but this book paints a far more realistic portrait of survival in what feels like the end times than any one person rising up and overthrowing an entire oppressive system.

I am only 50% through, but I am LOVING this so far! Ava Reid has done it again folks! We are heading for a solid five star read! I will come back and edit this soon with my final review.

Ava Reid has done it again! This book was everything I hoped for and more. From the moment I read the premise—sapphic romance in a dystopian world dominated by a debt-fueled corporation—I knew I was in for a wild ride, but it exceeded all my expectations.

Inesa and Melinoë are unforgettable protagonists. Inesa’s grit and resilience as she navigates the wasteland made me root for her every step of the way, while Mel’s struggle with her own humanity tore my heart in two. Watching their dynamic evolve from hunter and prey to something deeper was breathtaking, especially through dual perspectives that added layers of complexity and tension.

The world-building is chillingly vivid. Caerus’s control over society through debt and spectacle feels disturbingly plausible, and the half-sunken towns and wasteland imagery create an atmosphere of relentless despair. The writing is so immersive that you can almost feel the weight of the oppressive society pressing down on you as you read.

And the romance! The push and pull between Inesa and Mel is electric, with moments of tenderness that contrast beautifully with the brutality of their world. Reid’s ability to write heart-stopping lines about love amidst chaos is unparalleled.

If you’re a fan of dystopian fiction, complex characters, or love stories that burn slow and deep, do yourself a favor and read this book. It’s impossible to put down, and you’ll be thinking about it long after you’ve turned the final page. Highly, highly recommend!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have to admit that I was a little bit hesitant about this one after my thoughts on Lady Macbeth, but I should NOT have been. Ava Reid absolutely delivers with Fable for the End of the World, a dystopian knockout that breathes fresh life into the genre! Hooray! Reid very clearly celebrates her predecessors with this one crafting a story that takes the best of The Hunger Games tension and stakes while still being completely new.

At the heart of the story are Melinoë and Inesa, two girls navigating a decaying society with relationships as messy and raw as the world around them. Inesa’s bond with her brother brims with love, loyalty, and just the right amount of sibling resentment, while her connection with Melinoë—tragic, tender, and deeply human—forms the emotional core of the novel. Their love feels like a quiet rebellion against the chaos, a reminder that even in dystopia, there’s room for beauty and connection.

The world-building is hauntingly believable, particularly Caerus’s rise to power, which hits a little too close to home. Reid trades her usual gothic aesthetic for something more brutal and barren while maintaining her knack for weaving settings that feel lived-in and utterly real.

If you’ve missed the pulse-pounding drama and emotional weight of a good dystopian novel, Fable for the End of the World is 👏🏾your 👏🏾answer. 👏🏾

4.5 stars

This book was absolutely amazing. Once I started reading I didn’t want to stop. The characters were absolutely phenomenal.

This is an incredibly special book. Ava Reid's love for The Hunger Games shows in every word, but Fable is also an entirely original take on YA dystopia. The gorgeous prose wonderfully pulls the reader through a story that is as devastating as it is hopeful.

First, I'd like to extend a thank you to the author, Ava Reid, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Fable For the End of the World. I will share my review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Barnes & Noble upon release. I was absolutely swept up into this YA dark/dystopian fantasy centered on the perspectives of two female main characters, Inesa and Melinoe. Considering the darker and more complex themes, I think readers aged 16 and over would get the most out of the story. Anyone who enjoys morally complex or gray character-driven stories, folklore elements, lovers of beautiful writing, and fans of Reid's past work will not be disappointed!

The story of Inesa and Melinoe is set in a grim, dystopian future, where the gravity of the Lamb's Gauntlet brings them together, on opposite sides of a deadly game. The game itself tests every bit of their mental and physical strength, pushing them beyond their own expectations and forcing them to deal with the commodification of violence and oppression in the most personal way. I found the main characters really relatable and easy to root for, as the reality existing around them seems so bleak. I loved how both characters represented the internal battle happening no matter which side you are on, and how that kind of society really only benefits very few people. Even though their world has been devastated by a multitude of interwoven factors, both characters find ways to use their own strengths and skills to work forward. The balance of retaining your humanity while doing what you can to survive is a classic struggle that I think most people will resonate with while reading this one. I know I did.

I really enjoyed the high stakes and fast-paced plotting. While the story was heart-pounding at times, I found myself wanting to snuggle into the beauty of the prose itself. I re-read some passages a few times just because of how pretty they were written. My only complaint is that I wish that some parts were more fleshed out and had more depth. I wish the relationship between the two girls could've been explored a bit more, because I thought there was some extra potential and I was craving more. I also really thought the world was so cool, and all of the little elements were so interesting, that I wanted even more world-building along the way.

The cover is gorgeous, and I think the digital pixel blurring is such a cool way to hint at the futuristic context of the novel, while still leaving some mystery. I love the color scheme and the depictions of the main characters feel true to how I pictured them based on the descriptions, so that is always a plus. I would definitely buy a copy of this for myself when it releases, as I loved the themes and can see myself rereading it again in the future. Hopefully there will be a sequel in order to explore the relationship between the two MCs a bit more. <3 Thanks again!

You'll love if you enjoyed: The Hunger Games, Divergent, Scythe, Shatter Me, An Ember in the Ashes

Major Tropes and Themes:

- Apocalyptic/End of the world/Dystopian
- Folklore/Mythology
- Religion & Faith (and its relationship to societal downfall)
- Systemic Oppression & Societal Collapse
- Commodification of Violence and Desensitization
- Complex, Morally Gray Characters
- Magical Realism
- Sapphic Romance
- Trauma, Grief, Loss, Healing
- Sacrifice and Free Will

4.75/5 Stars, rounded up!

Fable for the End of the World is a standalone dystopian romance about survival, sacrifice, and love that risks everything. As soon as I saw Ava's post about her newest novel, I knew I had to get my read it. Thank you SO much, Harper Collins, for providing me with this ARC.

What to expect:

☆ Dual-POV
☆ Dystopian
☆ Hunger Games-inspired yet still pretty unique
☆ Sapphic romance
☆ Enemies to Lovers


The title, the plot, the cover, the characters, and the twists have all the makings of a masterpiece! I was easily transported into this world and felt a deep connection to the characters. I loved Ava's writing style and her storytelling abilities. The action was subtle, yet gripping enough to keep me flipping through the pages. I was completely hooked.

This is very close to a five-star book. One of the only reasons I'm keeping it at four stars is that a part of me yearned for more. Simply put, I just wanted more!!! Some authors and readers enjoy ambiguity while reading, but I'm a fan of closure. Certain pieces of the puzzle along the way are never fully resolved, and although it didn't disrupt the storyline, I can't help but crave those answers. I will say the ending being a little open-ended does make sense due to the nature of the storyline.

If you haven't preordered this book, I highly recommend it. Be sure to add this to your TBR. The expected publication date is March 04, 2025. I already plan on giving this one a reread.

As always, all thoughts are my own.  ✨🖤

I’ve finished it and it’s bleak and sad and hopeful and romantic.

Rating: 4 ⭐️
"Maybe I’ve survived this long so I could know how it feels to hold her. Maybe all my life has been one long gauntlet, running, fighting, searching for her.”

Fable for the End of the World did it's inspiration The Hunger Games, and the 2010s dystopian genre, justice. It tells the story of Inesa, who is thrust into a Gauntlet by an uncaring mother to pay off her debts and Melinoë, who will be the one to kill her on live television.

This book is, at times, dark. Especially Melinoë's story. She is a Caerus assassin who has been conditioned and altered since she was a child to be the perfect weapon. Part of her conditioning is that she is regularly Wiped, where certain memories are taken away. This was one of the most heartbreaking and darkest parts of the book. She doesn't know who she is or how many memories she's lost and, consequently, her body is not her own.

For anyone wondering about my previous reading updates, I stick to what I said: Melinoë reminds me of Finnick. Her story is so similar to Finnick's - a person who, from an outside perspective, has it all. They are gorgeous, rich, ruthless, and arrogant. The "darling of the Capitol." Or so it seems. But they are maybe the biggest victims of them all.

Inesa is the sacrificial Lamb, forced to flee for her life with only the slightest hope that she might survive. Only one of them will make it out alive. So, of course, not the greatest circumstances to start a relationship.

It did take me a bit to get fully invested in the story. The second half was where it really shined. As with many books, the first half was an introduction to the world and the characters. It wasn't until the second half that the characters interacted and grew in meaningful ways. That's where all the most interesting parts of the story occurred.

If you grew up during the 2010s dystopian era and wanted to see a sapphic romance at the forefront, this book is for you ❤️

Tropes/Genre
☆ Sapphic romance
☆ Enemies to Lovers
☆ Dual-POV
☆ Dystopian
☆ Hunger Games-inspired

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Books for providing me early access to Fable for the End of the World in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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Reading updates:
I've started reading it!!!!!
I'm at 20% and I think this is gonna get reallllyyyy dark. There are a couple little one-off scenes that have made me go oh nooo. It's a totally different world but I can very much see the Hunger Games/dystopian 2010s influences. It's kinda like a Hunger Games retelling if Katniss and Prim were switched. And Melinoë is kinda remining me of Finnick 👀

Pre-read:
Someone said this is lesbian Hunger Games and I’m all for it!!!! Just got approved!

Throughout almost this entire book, I felt that it was a solid 4 star read, but something about the last 15% really disappointed me so I think I have to go with a 3 overall.

I want to start with the positive: I’m very impressed with Reid’s ability to imbue this book with all of the YA dystopian tropes I—we—grew up with while still making them fresh and interesting. I’ve been thinking of this book like if the Hunger Games was run by Amazon instead, and she even credits Suzanne Collins in the acknowledgements. This world is very well-crafted and interesting and the premise is very engaging. The characters are real and garnered real emotion from me, but I think this is where Reid started to lose me in the end.

My discussion of the cons will include SPOILERS. Something that really took me out of this book was Mel’s martial acumen—or lack thereof. I just couldn’t buy that this genetically modified supersoldier was taken down multiple times by some random/regular people. Yes, Luka is a master hunter, but this girl has TITANIUM in her bones. And at the end, Lethe (her fellow Angel) disables her in about .2 seconds. In a similar vein, i understood the emotional connection between Inesa and Mel but I just didn’t really *believe* their changes of heart. It obviously would’ve been hard work but I think Reid could have done more to make me really believe these aspects of the story.

All in all, this is a very solid development of the dystopian genre, and since that’s what I grew up with in the 2010’s, I got a lot from it. But I do think some things could’ve have been improved and I’ll keep my eye out for a sequel to see how they develop.

Ava Reid impresses again with Fable for the End of the World. Though the premise draws comparisons to The Hunger Games and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, the story finds its own unique rhythm once the Gauntlet begins. The world-building strikes a thoughtful balance—offering enough detail to feel immersive without overwhelming the reader.

Melinoe and Inesa, the central characters, are well-crafted and relatable, tackling themes of humanity in a way that avoids the clichés of "chosen one" stories. Their relationship forms the emotional core of the book, presenting a quiet yet powerful act of defiance against the norms of the genre. The narrative also weaves in sharp commentary on modern issues like the normalization of violence and the objectification of women, making it timely and thought-provoking.

While engaging, the novel’s brevity leaves some parts feeling underexplored, particularly the rushed ending. With more space for development, especially in the conclusion, the story could have reached even greater heights. A sequel might address these shortcomings, but the pacing of the finale still needed more depth.

Overall, this is a beautifully written and meaningful novel. Readers who enjoy YA dystopias and LGBTQ+ representation will find much to love in this book.

Fable for the End of the World's comp titles are The Last of Us and The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes both of which I absolutely adore and the main reason why I picked this up, and Im so happy to say it absolutely lived up to both of those. I think it was a tall order to fill too so I was nervous.

This was my first of Ava Reid's books Ive read despite several of her previous ones becoming big internet favorites and I can definitely see why reading this one. It was easy to read despite discussing some heavier topics and kind of addicting because I just wanted to know more about the world and what was gonna happen next. These Gauntlets are incredibly horrid and the fact that they're live streamed and gawked over makes it even more so and it makes you so pissed off on behalf of the characters, even more so when you realize theres truly nothing Melinoe and Inesa can do about it besides keep on surviving. Honestly thats where the book mostly shines too, a lot of the commentary it makes about social issues and horrible things that happen in this fictional world deeply parallel ours in scary ways when you sit and think about it and I think thats important to put into YA books. And more importantly it did it in a way that was easy to read despite being tough topics and forces you to think about it.
Despite not a ton always happening plot wise I was always eager to pick it back up and read just a little more and watch Melinoe and Inesa change both individually and together. And I absolutely adored them too, they both grew so much from the start of the book to the end that they're entirely different characters, especially Melinoe. They were strong and did exactly what they needed to do to survive but didn't compromise their beliefs to do so, they stuck true to their hearts no matter what and it was admirable to see. I loved Inesa and Luka's sibling bond and honestly wish we got a little more of it but it was easy to see regardless that they would go to the ends of the earth for each other without ever asking twice.

It was left very open ended and honestly I think it was perfect for this story. When I was reading it was always hard for me to see how it would lead into a "happily ever after" and it made sense that there wasn't really one here. Left up to reader interpretation there could be though, and I like to believe there was one eventually. Not sure if theres enough content for a sequel but I would be happy to read one and expand on this world for sure. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What an amazing entry into a genre that I really thought had been dead for years. This is what we were missing in the genre that was overrun with books just trying to ride on the coattails of the success of the Hunger Games. I think part of what actually made Fable for the End of the World so good was that it wholeheartedly accepted the Hunger Games influence. The book begins with a note from Ava Reid who explicitly states that THG absolutely influences this book and she used a lot of the same elements. All the other books that followed THG at it's height of popularity almost tried too hard to separate itself and make it different from THG even though it was very obviously the same story, just different setting. Reid didn't have to stress so much about creating something entirely different because she wanted us to feel what we did with The Hunger Games. The dystopian genre is all about the collapse of society and there's only so much you can do with that.
After Lady Macbeth I was a little hesitant about Reid's next book, especially since it was something so different than what she normally writes. However, this proves that Lady Macbeth was just a once off. Reid is such a strong writer and it is really shown off in this book. Even though the setting is so different than her normal gothic setting, she still creates this really immersive world that is so easy to picture and put yourself in the story. I think the background of Caerus and how they gained so much power was incredibly realistic and unfortunately I can really see this progression in our real world.
The relationships were also very well done, both familial and romantic. Inesa's complicated relationships with both her brother and Melinoë were realistic and described in such a way that I felt every emotion they were feeling. I like how Inesa and her brother obviously loved each other very much and would do anything for each other, but you still felt some of that resentment that can build up when a family lives in such a shitty situation. And then Melinoë and Inesa's relationship was just so tragic and so sweet. They were just two young girls desperately trying to survive their shitty situations and somehow found some happiness and normality within each other.
Overall, this is just an amazing book and is back to what I normally expect from Ava Reid. And while I actually like how the ending definitely leaves room for a sequel, I think this is a very strong standalone as well.

This hit very close to home in so many ways. Such an immersive read, and I found myself feeling uncertain how it would end up until the very last page. Hoping for a sequel!

Someone described this as the lesbian hunger games, and I'd say that's just about right. This does follow a "Hunger Games" type road, and the author even mentions Suzanne Collins in the acknowledgments. She does, however, add her own twists to the story.

The gauntlet replaces the hunger games, and it's one and one versus a whole group. For this book, Inesa is our chosen Lamb and Mel is our Angels. Angels have been surgically altered, raised, and perfected to become killing machines. I do wish a little more time had been taken to watch the shift in the relationship between Inesa and Mel, because it did feel a little rushed, although I understand why.

This book had me hooked from the very beginning and I kind of hope that this is a series because it just kind of ends in a really unfulfilling way. So many loose ends, practically nothing tied up nicely.

But, there was still so much to love about this book. The shifting brother/sister relationship with Inesa and Luka was amazing. Nas there was just so much available space to open up their backgrounds and futures that I do really hope for another book. I loved getting an inside look at Azrael's angel program and would love some more information about city life/government life.

Overall 4/5 because I just wanted MORE.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Collins, and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow wow wow wow!! This was so good!! Dystopia, Sapphic, enemies to lovers, and Ava Reid!! I'll officially read anything by her! I know it says that this is a stand alone, but I really hope that changes! I'd love to see more of Inesa and Mel and see what happens next. This drew me in from the first chapter and I couldn't put it down!! So so so good! Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for my digital ARC!!

Wow! Another hit from Ava Reid!

I love this book! You can really feel the Hunger Games' influence while it still being its own story, there were so many nods that made me feel nostalgic for 2008-2010 ish, when I read the Hunger Games.

I was really curious to see how Ava was going to get us from point A to point B, and I think she did it wonderfully. I really hope there is a book 2, and if Ava wasn't already solidified as my favorite author she would be now!

This is the third book by Ava Reid I've read, and once again she shows how versatile of an author she is, with her prose and overall writing style unique to each book. Fable was entirely immersive with its survival, Hunger Games-esque plot and dystopian (not so unrealistic) apocalyptic setting. The story was the perfect mix of character development/relationships and pacey plot that made for an easy, bingeable read.

Both Melinoe and Inesa had extremely compelling backstories that had me hurting and rooting for them from the very beginning. I only wish that their romance had been explored more, but the timeframe of the story was very short so it's understandable. (Maybe more in a sequel?)

One thing to note is that this is a fairly dark YA book. There isn't much explicit content on the page, but there is plenty implied that doesn't require much imagination.

!! spoilers for the ending ahead !!

For a standalone, the ending was (in my opinion) quite a cliffhanger, implying some dark events. As I neared the end I was really surprised this was a standalone / there is no mention of a sequel at this time. The story's themes are a lot about hope, but the concrete events at the end are really bleak. I'm giving five stars with the assumption there will be a sequel. Fingers crossed!

Thank you to NetGalley for an early copy!

I thoroughly enjoy reading anything by Ava Reid. Her writing is so beautiful. I loved the darkness of “A Study in Drowning” and while “Lady Macbeth” was not my favorite of her novels, it was still wonderfully written. I was so excited to be approved for this ARC of FFTEOTW!

Once again, Ava takes us to new vividly imagined futures and teases us with beautiful, multidimensional characters. The ending left me shook and I HAVE to believe there will be a sequel. If you grew up in the Hunger Games era, then this book is for you!

4.75 stars, rounded up | Oh this was devastating

I absolutely love Ava Reid’s writing, and, like all her other books, “Fable for the End of the World” kept me on the edge of my seat. This is such a timely story, and it can be argued that the world our characters live in is a character in itself. Melinöe and Inesa are such human characters, something that is only highlighted when the readers are confronted with the degradation that they face in their very different situations. Faced with disrespect for the natural world and all it’s inhabitants, the characters of “Fable for the End of the World” are the perfect products of the dystopian they live in, and the humanity that still remains.