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.

Ava Reid has yet to disappoint, and this is no exception.

The description of The Hunger Games meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes feels generally appropriate, but while the set-up feels incredibly reminiscent of THG, Reid's approach to the YA dystopian genre sets itself apart once the Gauntlet begins. The world is built out enough to generally understand it without getting needlessly bogged down in too many details or being too vague.

Reid's depiction of her protagonists, Melinoe and Inesa, feels generally in line with the way most YA novels approach characters in this age bracket. They're enough of a blank slate to be more relatable and to project bigger issues onto- at least at first. One of the things I loved about this book was that they weren't really trying to be revolutionary about any of this. There's not really a "chosen one" type of narrative.

At its core, Fable for the End of the World is about two people coming to terms with their own humanity as they stand at the precipice of coming of age. Melinoe struggles against the way her humanity has dug its roots into her like claws in spite of her (and Caerus') attempts to rid her of it. By contrast, Inesa grapples with preserving her own humanity even when the world (and Caerus) give her every good reason to abandon it. Witnessing the way these two meet each other in the middle of that is the rebellion that the genre demands, and Reid using two teenagers girls and their love for one another feels refreshing and different from the norm.

This novel also serves as a scathing and necessary commentary of the way social media and ease of access has desensitized the public to violence the and commoditization of women. It's topical, current and modern, and Reid's choice to showcase through the eyes of teenage girls is both apt and well done.

The only real things that kept me from giving this five stars were that it felt a little too short for me. It needed a little more development in certain places, and the ending, while I understood the point, did feel both rushed and like the wind had gone out of its sails. I don't know that the ending needed to be different so much as I think the pacing of it could have used a little more breathing room.

(That being said, it is entirely possible Reid is setting up for a sequel here and we just don't know it yet, so take that with a grain of salt.)

I love Ava Reid's work - her writing style is clear and just the right brand of poetic for me - and I'll definitely be picking this up for purchase upon release. If you're into YA dystopian novels and/or queer ladies, I'd definitely recommend you give this a try!

[NetGalley was kind enough to provide me with an ARC for this title.]

I loved this book so much. Ava Reid is already an autobuy/read author for me but this just solidified it. This was so beautifully devastating. I loved all of the themes and her writing style, there wasn't one part of this book where I wanted to put it down and stop reading. This was so amazing and I want more omg.


Thank you to Netgalley for this E-arc!!

Ava Reid’s sapphic dystopian enemies to lovers was a love letter to the dystopian books a lot of us grew up reading and loving (ie The Hunger Games). The world was a little crazy, but not entirely something I couldn’t see our world turning into. I wish the plot had a tiny bit *more* to it, but the book did a great job regarding conversations around how women are viewed/treated, capitalism, and violence.

Thank you to Harper Teen for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Look, Ava, please chill. I can’t keep falling in love with your characters and your world and have them not be real. This was no different. This was such a great nod to The Hunger Games while still being authentic to its own plot, story, and world. Melinoë and Inesa stole my heart and I don’t want it back.

The premise of the Lamb’s Gauntlet was so interesting. It gave me this incredible vibe of mixing The Hunger Games tributes and Ready Player One’s loyalty centers to pay debt, except this is a single person being hunter. It’s like the most dangerous game (if people know what that is still) and it keeps you on the edge-of-your-seat. When Inesa gets volunteered for this after her mom wants to get rid of her debt, all heck breaks loose.

Watching Melinoë try and hunt Inesa and the story play out was truly a treat. I love this book so much and there’s not a single thing I could do to make me stop. I loved it and wont’ stop recommending it.

Ava is five for five on releases. Get this one. You won’t regret it! Plus, it’s SAPPHIC!!! Nothing better!

Thank you Netgalley for this free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Fable for the End of the World left me deeply disappointed, especially since I'm such a huge fan of all of Ava Reid's previous works. I went into this YA dystopia expecting to love it, but found myself disengaged and trudging through the story.

The book follows Inesa and Melinoë, two girls on opposite sides of a debt-based society. Inesa is forced into a deadly game show where she must survive 13 days while being hunted by Melinoë, a genetically engineered assassin. However, despite this intriguing premise, I never felt connected to the characters or their struggles.

The themes here feel shallow and underdeveloped, and the characters lack nuance. Inesa is overly innocent and simplistic, while Melinoë has potential but doesn't undergo the deep internal transformation her character arc promised. I also found the writing style jarring. It seems very out of character from Ava Reid's other works. The ending was unsatisfying, leaving too many mysteries unresolved.

In the end, though, I couldn't connect with the story or characters. While Fable had some promising ideas, it didn’t deliver the experience I was hoping for.

This was an expertly done revisiting of the dystopian YA favorites of the 2010's. Eerily reflective of today's world and constantly dipping between desperate hope and despair in an apocalyptic world, each step taken in this book held immense weight. There were no consequences avoided or messages not highlighted, making for a poignant exploration of the impacts of climate change, late-stage capitalism, and the exploitation of teen girls. The Amazon-esque corporation in control of society was unsettling but also deeply realistic; this book pushes the reader to reflect on how consumption diminishes community, and profit-driven societies are the slowest, most brutal death.

Mild spoilers here for any fellow reviewers: What I have found to sit with me the longest with this book is the standalone format. I am accustomed to YA dystopian books being series, allowing for continued hope and the prospect of taking down entire systems to look forward to. I do however know that Reid's writing style does not hold punches, and even though I long of perfect endings, ambiguity and drawn-out revolution are honest to the story and its messaging. I would absolutely read a continuation of Inesa and Mel's story, but I see the necessity to leave it as-is and allow the reader to consider who is let down in a capitalistic society every day. The losses are much, much more common than the wins.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read the ARC!

I think back to when I was in high school and what reading Fable for the End of the World would’ve meant to me. For teenager me to read what other’s are dubbing the “lesbian Hinger Games”, I would’ve felt so seen and felt heard. I’m so happy this dystopian YA exists. The heteronormativity of our country and world makes it hard for queer youth to see themselves in popular books. We need more Twilights, Harry Potters, Hunger Games etc that not only feature but star in the stories.

I was afraid that the author would make the novel too close to the series that inspired her. But Ava Reid has created a universe of her own! The pacing was amazing and the story behind the world was impactful. Like most dystopian novels, A Fable for the End of the World depicts classism, homophobia, climate change, government control, etc.

I feel like the pacing was good, but I do feel like I wanted a little more on the middle and a little more towards the end.

I’m not sure how I feel about it being a stand alone novel with how it ended(my brain must have skipped over that part when I read the synopsis). I need more of a concrete ending then. A final answer. I really wish this would be a series!!

Fable For the End of the World by Ava Reid

This Sapphic, Hunger Games-esque book was everything I could have asked for in a stand alone dystopian novel.

Careus controls everything. By ensuing a debt system for its underclass population nobody can escape Careus’s grip. Inesa runs a taxidermy shop with her twin brother Luka. Living in a half-sunken town, Inesa and Luka do everything they can to survive. So when Inesa’s mother accrues a massive amount of debt that qualifies one of her children for The Lamb’s Gauntlet - a live streamed assassination event - Inesa must do everything she can to survive even if that means making an alliance with one of Careus' killer angels. Melione was made to be an Angel. Through cosmetic procedures and Careus technology Melione has become a highly trained killer. After her last Gauntlet Melione is looking for a chance to redeem herself. After all, killing is what she was created to do. What she doesn’t expect is Inesa and her brother to fight back much less to fall for her Lamb. Together Inesa and Melione must team up to fight for justice, the future of the world and for each other.

For a standalone dystopian novel I thought this was really well done. We get enough set up about the world and characters to understand what is going on. Our main characters Inesa and Melione were very fleshed out. I think the dual point of views in this story made my reading experience more enjoyable. Though, I loved Inesa and her story the most. I always wanted to know what happened next. Careus was cruel and evil - I loved hating them with our main characters. The cruel and unjust treatment of Melione broke my heart. I loved her character development the most. By the end of this book I just wanted to cry. I’ve grown so attached to these characters and I only want the best for them.

While I enjoyed this story immensely I just think this would make such a good series. You can tell right away this book was heavily inspired by The Hunger Games and I love that. I think there is so much world building that would have made me love this book even more. I wanted to know more about Careus and how they came into existence. I wanted to see more of the underclass society and more of the city full of the elite. I think seeing more of Careus technology would have been a nice edition as well. I secretly do hope there will be a sequel announced. After that cliffhanger of an ending I have to know what happens!

Overall, this brought me back to my dystopian roots. I loved the setting and chemistry between the characters. I just want more of this world. I would recommend to Hunger Games fans, If you love the Enemies to Lovers trope, and to those that always wanted more Sapphic dystopian novels growing up.

Thank you to Harpercollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

thank you to netgalley, author ava reid, and harper collin’s for this advanced copy epub of this book.
this book was a fun and exciting homage to the dystopian fiction we grew up reading, like the hunger games, but with its own merit and story to tell.
in this world you can acquire debt and can offer family to be hunted by the angels which are cybernetically inhanced to catch their prey on a recorded show.
the lgbtq+ love story was built up very well and was endearing. i liked watching their relationship grow on the page.
-sapphic dystopian hunger games homage-

When Inesa's mother acquires an incredible amount of debt, she offers her daughter to be hunted by an angel - women cybernetically enhanced to hunt down their prey.

Reid has described this book as an homage to the Hunger Games and the dystopian fiction which made her want to be a writer. The influence is clear - the woods Inesa tries to hide in, the relationship with her brother Luka, but the book is its own. Inesa and angel Melinoe fall in love and have to deal with the complexities of being pitted against each other.

Like all Reid books, it's melancholy and reflective, with even side characters like Luka being given their own interior lives. I would recommend for any YA reader, especially girls who can see their own LGBT relationships reflected.