If Ava Reid writes it, I’m going to read it. This wasn’t my favorite of hers so far, but it was still good by all means.

Especially with the resurgence of discussion on Dystopia as a genre with the release of Silver Elite, FftEotW delivers on all aspects that you want from a dystopian world: commentary on climate change, social class, and greed to name a few. I like that we get two perspectives, one from each side of the class divide, and I think the timing of perspective change throughout the book was done really well.

Another thing that Reid does really well in this story is developing relationships and characters. It’s really easy to get to know the different players without feeling like it’s forced. One of my qualms is that even with how well-developed the characters are, they sometimes wouldn’t make full use of their skills. While I could understand their emotion reasons for making a decision, I couldn’t always understand capability limitations that created dilemmas which really didn’t end up being a factor in the end anyways.

(I’m sorry if that doesn’t make sense now, but I really try to have spoiler-free reviews)

This is a book I would have loved as a teen or young adult, and it’s one I would recommend to my teenage sister if she was looking for a book. I tend to avoid YA just because of the sometimes immaturity of the characters, but that wasn’t a problem in this story.

4.25 🌟 I actually thoroughly enjoyed this book & was surprised to see the goodreads rating for it. My first thought when I started this book was that it reminded me of a Black Mirror episode. Every aspect of this book feels very Black Mirror coded. This book is often described as a lesbian hunger games and honestly after finishing it I can see it 😂. I loved every aspect of this book & the romance subplot. I’m really loving the lesbian representation in this book and it makes me want to read more!!

If you’re looking for something fun and will keep your attention I def recommend this book! Inesa and Mel’s story was beautifully heartbreaking and it’s making me want a second book!! Seriously tho that ending broke my heart 💔

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for an eARC!

This was bleak in the best way possible. Dystopian novels are inherently depressing, but I truly loved seeing Ava Reid step into sci-fi, take the reality of our world and push it to the extreme in such a way that was so wonderfully done. Ava Reid is an incredible author, and I think she is so incredibly talented at enemies to lovers romances. The ending to this hit hard. While it's not the most satisfactory ending, it makes sense and felt like the natural conclusion for this book.

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid brought me back to the dystopian genre, and I loved every minute of it. Even though this book was written for a Young adult audience, Ava's writing always pulls me into the story, and her characters are well-written. I felt myself feeling the way I did when I read The Hunger Games back when I was a teenager so the nostalgia was a wonderful feeling.

unfortunately i did not get a chance to read this book when it was given to me. the cover is so beautiful and the story sounds so good, i am moving to my tbr for later this year! i will update my review once i have had the time to read it :)

3.5⭐️

***MILD SPOILERS***

I enjoyed this book! The story was very interesting and creative. I love dystopian books, so I was really excited to read this.

Inesa lives in a society that has been taken over by a single company called Caerus. When one incrues large amounts of debt to Caerus, you can volunteer someone to be a “Lamb” and be killed on a livestream event called The Gaunlet, to pay off that debt. When Inesa’s mother volunteers her, she has to survive the Angel (the skilled assassin who go after Lambs) who is assigned to her. But this Angel, named Melanoë, has her own battles to face.

This story was so interesting and I felt really immersed in the world. I didn’t really feel the connection between Inesa and Mel, but I can also believe in fast love between teenagers so it wasn’t that much of a problem haha I also felt like once Inesa and her brother got separated, like she has this whole romance thing while he’s missing and she thinks he could be dead. Like ??? Idk it felt weird to me lol but again, not that big of a problem

Good book to read if you’re a fan of dystopian books!

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for my review!

This novel had all of the same dystopian and teenage angst as The Hunger Games and Divergent which I didn't know that I had been missing so much. I think this novel took a lot of the tropes that we all grew up with from dystopian novels and came up with something pretty engaging. Since it's a YA novel the book moved really quick and was a fairly short read. I would have liked to see more world building to get a better feel for the world that they were in. But Melinoë and Inessa's presence in the novel made that seem like such a minor point. Both characters are strong females battling their own demons and trying, in their own ways. to stay alive in the process. The cat and mouse chase really amped up their storylines and kept me on the edge of my seat. This book definitely read like a YA novel and I felt as if the ending was rushed. I would have liked to have the story be longer to really end the novel properly instead of just glossing over points at the end.

Overall it was a really good read and I can't wait to read more by Ava Reid!

A Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid is well written and an exciting read for anyone who is a fan of dystopian worlds and The Hunger Games. The world building was fantastic and vivid however I felt that the characters felt a little flat and at some points too similar to The Hunger Games. I do think that the story has its own charm as Ava's writing leans towards a more fable and mythical quality. Overall I enjoyed it and think its a wonderful read for anyone interested in YA, queer, or dystopian novels.

REALLY promising start, however, by the halfway point this book fell through so so much. Loved the set up, and the initial potential of the characters.

If I had to describe the book in one word it would be “fine”.

I don’t regret reading it, but I probably won’t remember it. And that’s the most disappointing part—that I wanted to. I wanted to be more connected to the characters, to the story, to where it was all going. But any guesses or surprises or twists weren’t fruitful because the actual twist was lackluster.

The themes of this book were more poignant than their execution. Caerus’s unflinching capitalism felt very real and the desperation of those under its thumb was palpable, but somehow it didn’t click through the characters for me.

Thank you to Harper Collins and Netgalley for this ARC. I rate this a 3.5 but will round up to 4 - the dystopian themes and plot line of this book are so, so good. There is a lot going on with climate change , capitalism, mental health, abuse, trauma bonds, misogyny (whew the misogyny!), and corporate towns - but it’s not overwhelming, it shows how our reality is not the result of just one misstep, it’s a myriad of issues the oppressions, all of them playing off one another.

The issue I had was with the romantic element - it was lackluster and I felt like Inesa and Melinoë’s relationship would have made more sense as one that developed into mutual respect or an alliance - I would have even accepted their relationship growing more in a second book (I love sapphic), but in a standalone, it seemed a bit rushed and forced. However, I did like how their relationship in itself was an act of rebellion that continued to follow Inesa even if Melinoë could not. The side characters seem to be there to move Inesa’s or Melinoë’s story along in one way or another, but all of them are in and out so fast, even Luka (although I also have the trad hardcover of this book and there is extra content with Luka’s POV).

There is one part in the book at the end that pissed me off but honestly, I wasn’t shocked - and also couldn’t really be shocked because the character had such a small part but I wasn’t giving them the benefit of the doubt based on glimpses of their character. Overall, the book is evenly paced with a worthy climax (although disappointing emotionally), but it didn’t need to strive for dystopian romance.

I have already ordered this book for my library and I am excited to start recommending it at our teen programs. Many of them love other books by Ava Reid

I think those new to the genre or die-hard fans of dystopian in all its forms will enjoy this one. It has a drowning world, wrecked by ecological disaster, with mutated creatures and near zombie humans to contend with. I enjoyed the setting and found Inesa's background particularly interesting. The idea that she and her younger brother run a taxidermy shop to preserve the unmutated animals that are going extinct was an interesting idea, and my favorite part of the whole book. I found the relationship between Inesa and her brother and their trauma around dealing with their father leaving to be the most interesting plot point. Unfortunately this was a minor part of the book. The deadly trials in which an indebted citizen is picked at random and can volunteer a family member in their stead was tough for me to swallow. In the case of Inesa's mother, who volunteers Inesa for the Gauntlet, it worked, but in general the concept of the Gauntlet didn't work for me. Inesa and Melinoë Gauntlet was fairly standard and didn't really draw me in. What was supposed to be an enemies-to-lovers romance just came across as two traumatized teens clinging to each other in a terrible situation. Again, you have all of your standard dystopian tropes but in this case, it just didn't really come together for me.

AVA REID CAN DO ZERO WRONG WHY IS SHE SO AMAZING and enjoyed this how beautiful this was and so epic with Picasso on the characters atmosphere.

While I’m not much of a dystopian reader, I enjoyed this book immensely! As a science teacher, I loved the commentary on environmental destruction and the economic and environmental cost of greed. The impacts of pollution and climate change are a very real challenge we’re facing, and looking at it through the lens of this book was both daunting and eye-opening. I think if this story was written for a new adult audience over YA, it could be 5 stars. Some of the subplots were a little underwhelming, and a little boost into a slightly darker, more intense frame could have resulted in something truly fantastic.

This was absolutely incredible! From start to finish I felt like my brain was in a race to figure out how this could possibly end. A true love letter to The Hunger Games dystopian YA that we love. Now that's not to say this is a replica of The Hunger Games, it truly has what I believe is a fresh take on dystopian novels, and I hope to see more of these in the publishing world! Ava Reid's prose is always so beautiful, the way she explains the world makes you truly feel like you're right there with the characters. Ava also has a knack for connecting you to the main characters almost immediately, and it makes for such an emotional read. I could not put this one down!

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was my favorite read of 2024 (this review comes late… sorry!) Been in a reading and review slump. But from the second I started reading this book, I couldn’t put it down. Ava cites this story being inspired by The Hunger Games which she grew up reading, and I totally see that in this book. A heart stopping fight for your life story that includes enemies to lovers in the best way. There is so much detail and emotion in this book and it is really well written. I’d recommend this to anyone and everyone. Super easy 5/5 stars!

Maybe I read it at the wrong time or it just wasn't for me, but something didn't work for me personally. I eat upppp some ya dystopian and was so excited for this one too! The premise and characters were so intriguing and I do love Ava's writing style. I might re-read in the future because I think I'd like it more upon re-read, but it was a pretty fun time.

.5 stars

Melinoë was created to hunt Lambs. Inesa is just trying to survive. What happens when Melinoë and Inesa meet in the Gauntlet, knowing only one could come out of this alive?

I enjoyed this. If you are a fan of Hunger Games, you will like this.

Ava Reid's books are always so tough for me to rate. I loved the start and ending of this, but the middle lost me a little. Fable for the End of the World is very clearly Hunger Games inspired, which I can both appreciate and roll my eyes at (some similarities are <i>very</i> similar).
Overall, this was a quick, fun read, but I wasn't quite sold on the romance (an issue I have with all of Ava's books). It was a solid 3 stars until the ending brought it up to a 4. I absolutely loved it.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for the ARC.