This book made me sob! I loved Mel and Inesa's story so much and it made me wish that we could live in their little world for a little longer.

On paper, this sounds like it should be really, really good. I can see the vision: a dystopian world with Hunger Games-style games that pit the two main characters against each other in an enemies-to-loves romance. Unfortunately, while there were moments of good writing and I think that what the author was trying to say was valid, there was too much going on to be really enjoyable. You've got criticisms on capitalism and consumerist culture; you've got criticisms on the kind of voyeurism that comes with being in the public eye; you've got commentary on climate change. And honestly that's just some of what's going on. Given that the comp title is the Hunger Games and the author herself cited the books as an inspiration, a lot of that is expected. However, the Hunger Games had multiple books to build on the commentary and the criticisms it was trying to make; this is a standalone that's essentially trying to do the same thing and it doesn't work.

Then, there's the romance. It's so under-baked and, while I can see how it could've worked, I don't think it worked the way the author wrote it. Inesa and Melinoe are, on the surface, interesting characters and foils for each other in certain aspects, but the author never really digs deep enough into either character before smashing them together. Even the author herself doesn't quite seem to buy into the romance, not when writing things like: "She didn't even know why she felt compelled to do this." I needed something a lot more concrete than hand-wavy descriptions about how the two of them were drawn to each other for inexplicably no good reason. Especially not when Melinoe literally tried to kill Inesa... multiple times. I think I would've liked the romance a bit more if Melinoe and Inesa had some connection in childhood that Melinoe was programmed to forget about. It would've amped up the angst and also given them a better foundation for a romance than just "because the author said so".

Lastly, no spoilers, but while I understand how the ending fits thematically with what the author was trying to do, I hated it. Doubly so knowing that this is a standalone. It didn't feel as hopeful as I think the author was intending and, instead, felt pretty cheap and frustrating as someone who struggled through the book, hoping that maybe the ending might redeem it.

Technically, I don't think this is a bad book, but it tried to do far too much with far too little space and didn't go much beyond surface level explorations of the topics it brought up. I'm not saying the book needed to get too deep into it, especially as a YA book. However, there needs to be more focus and depth than it currently has. I'm glad other people have and will continue to enjoy this. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me at all.

what happened to hi? hello? how are you? my name is??? ava reid you ruined my life. it’s midnight and i’m crying over melinöe and inessa. i care more about them than most other book characters out there. i can’t believe this is a stand-alone and making it a stand-alone with that ending is criminal. these two are going to haunt me for the rest of my life. do you know that ava reid? it’s important to me that you know that. if you are reading this review, read this book. apply for an arc, time travel to the future i don’t care how. just read it!!! oh and azrael is someone i have never hated more in my entire life. all the girls hate azrael.

“Sometimes love isn’t enough.”
“I think it is. I think it has to be.”

“You can hate the person who imprisons you, but you can’t hate the person who set you free. So what do you do when they’re one and the same?”

“What keeps me from sleeping at night is the knowledge that I gave everything I had, and it still wasn’t enough to save her.” Melinoe and Inessa destroy me 💔

“I’m grieving for the living.”

Moral of this review— read this book ASAP.

(thank you to netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review)

Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC!

Anytime I get to visit a world created by Ava Reid, it is a treat. This was such a departure from her normal books, and it was so interesting to read her spin on a the dystopian genre. While I do feel like this was lacking some of the depth that is usually present in her other novels, it certainly was not without her beautiful prose. I was fully engrossed in the story, although I wish we were able to go deeper into the characters and the world building.

This felt very nostalgic for the dystopian stories of the 2010s, and I think that anyone who is a fan of the hunger games, divergent, etc, will really enjoy this as well.

Thank you so much NetGalley for a copy of this beauty of a book 🥰

I’ve always loved Ava Reid’s writing and even if her style changed a little, it suits well the YA dystopian narrative she went for.
I loved the way she wrote this impossible love story between a hunter/killer and her prey.
I loved also the concept of an ultra capitalist society where everyone has debts and has to pay for it with the life of someone else (family member for exemple).

I had a wonderful time reading it 💞

I loved the main characters and the sapphic romance in this book, but wasn’t the biggest fan of the plot as some things didn’t 100% make sense to me. The writing style is vastly different from Ava Reid’s usual very lyrical writing, but it felt more fitting for a YA dystopian book. The ending of the book broke me and I hope it gets a sequel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“And maybe that’s all it takes—at least at the beginning. Just a few people who care. And that caring matters, even if it can’t cool the earth or lower sea levels or turn back time to before a nuclear blast.”

a love letter to dystopians (esp hunger games), reid has imagined us a (not-so-distant, more likely than not) future fully disrupted and firmly altered by climate change and oppressed by the staggering debt to the monopoly corporation, saerus. flooding storms are a regular occurrence, so have your raft on hand!

within the first 15% i was getting some minor but noticeable hints of terminator, blade runner, even ghost in the shell, handmaid's tale. animals have been disfigured and mutated by the chemical pollution in the air, land, and water. evil seagulls!!!

“When we see flowers blooming or hear birds singing, we think it’s beautiful. But when people need each other, it seems so ugly.”
“Caerus has poisoned everything.”

capitalism destroys the idea of community, bc it needs us to rely on IT (buying things) rather than each other. it also allows more control to government/authority bc ppl are divided.

there's also a major theme of the dehumanizing voyeurism of trauma and entertainment brutality. the lamb's gauntlet itself is an apathetic bloodsport twitch/tiktok live, complete with watcher comments. people livestream their own reactions and cameras film 24/7.

there is definitely major commentary on women in media, the expectations of beauty, and objectifying commodification of them in online spaces.
slight spoilers: [
for melinoe as an assassin, this is a fight for temporary survival as well. as an "angel", she's commodified as a weapon, until she's run her course or someone offers enough money. then she would be rendered into a lobotomized concubine as other angels before her. they're altered w bionic enhancements for killing, but also must be the highest standard of beauty, receiving false lashes, lip injections, permanent makeup, face lifts, rhinoplasties, and more. they even have their individuals brands and market demographic of lambs. (hide spoiler)]

so, the set up and concept were very strong and intriguing to me, with clear parallels to what is currently happening rn and a cautionary tale of what could happen to us all.

however, i did feel the overall story execution was a bit underwhelming for me, as well as the ending. i thought the relationship between inesa and melinoë was well constructed for a YA, but i wanted more from the other characters and subplots/hints.

“Sometimes love isn’t enough.”
“I think it is. I think it has to be. Otherwise, it’s not really love. If the world can break it . . .”

the way this ends feels more open-ended then not with some loose ends. i v much suspect a sequel and hope for it bc there are many questions that i would like the answers to.

"I’ll always be able to find my way back to her."

an honest arc review ♡

Have you ever had such a bizarre dream that when you wake up, all you can think is “what the fuck was that?”

That was my reaction for the first 25% of Ava Reid’s latest book, Fable for the End of the World. It’s a dystopian romance that’s has mega-capitalist Hunger Games vibes, and it’s uniquely relatable AND far-fetched all at the same time. I loved it.

My only complaint is that it’s marketed as standalone novel when the ending could have easily led to a duology or even a trilogy. I’m not ready to leave the characters or the world yet, and it doesn’t feel like the story is even close to over.

As always, thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Fable for the End of the World is easily one of my favorite reads this year.

I don’t normally go for dystopian stories but I love Ava’s books and wanted to check it out, and I’m so glad I did! It was stunning and creepy and atmospheric and such great messaging on what our world could someday end up as if we don’t collectively “get it together”.

I truly believe this is going to be one of the standout books of 2025! *Fable for the End of the World* captures the essence of dystopian YA novels that many of us grew up with, reminiscent of *The Hunger Games* and *Divergent*. I couldn't put my Kindle down.

The story centers on Inesa, a protagonist chosen to fight in a deadly gauntlet, tasked with paying off her family's debt. Instead of multiple tributes, there’s just one—her. She faces off against Melinoë, an "angel," a genetically modified female fighter with superhero-like abilities. What makes the angels compelling is their tragic background; they have their memories wiped after each fight, adding depth and complexity to their character instead of merely portraying them as villains.

As the competition unfolds, a twist occurs: their communication goes down, prompting Inesa and Melinoë to form an unexpected alliance. With the threat of zombie-like creatures lurking in this dystopian world—where the wealthy thrive in the city while the poor struggle against debt and mutated wildlife—the stakes couldn't be higher.

There's also a subtle undercurrent of connection between the two female leads that hints at something more, which adds an intriguing layer to the narrative.

Overall, this book is a thrilling ride, combining action, emotion, and social commentary. I can’t recommend it highly enough!

I don’t quite know where to begin when talking about Fable for the End of the World. Do I tell you how it broke me five ways and put me back together again? Do I tell you how it made me despair, how it made me hope? Do I tell you how Inesa and Melinoë’s dystopia didn’t always feel so far away and fictional? Do I tell you all the things it made me think about love and humanity?

Even if I wrote all of this out, I still don’t think I’d do it justice.

What I will tell you is that Fable for the End of the World is beautiful and heart-wrenching and hopeful. It is a story of greed and fear and desire. Reid’s prose is effortless and evocative, as usual. It is a love story under the most unbearable of circumstances. It is a story of love enduring.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ava Reid has finally found her niche and its dystopian novels! This was the best book by far that I have read from Ava and I hope she writes more in this genre. The world building was so clever and very classic YA dystopian. It felt like coming home. The characters were well developed and easy to connect with, even the Angels. My one complaint is the romance did feel a little forced because there didn't seem to be any emotional connection in the build up. But other than that, in my opinion, this was Ava Reid's best work so far.

Ava Reid is bringing a whole new definition to the "forced" in "forced proximity," and not in a good way. The previous books of Reid's that I've read, A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth, have all featured darkly atmospheric writing and a beautiful setting that pulls readers into the heart of the story. Unfortunately, all this was severely lacking in "Fable for the End of the World."

For what it's worth, I do believe there are aspects of this book that were salvageable. Melinoë's chapters were a fascinating dive into a cyborg's psyche as well as being insight into the worldbuilding Reid has crafted for her dystopian sci-fi world. The Angel enhancement technology was really intriguing and I wish Reid had dove deeper into the psychology of memory and being bred for the hunting of Lambs. With that being said, the reason this book does not work is due to its many plot holes, mainly attributed to poor research coupled with how the character decisions lacked any and all flow.

Inesa is a taxidermist; she lifts deer carcasses, she has experience with dead bodies. Ergo, one would think Inesa should know what a drowned body looks like (hint: bloated around the chest), and wouldn't automatically assume wet hair correlated to being drowned. One would also think that Inesa wouldn't be constantly described as weak, due to the heavy lifting she performs everyday for her line of work. And yet, both contradictions are made clear within the first few chapters.

The climate change described in this book singularly focuses on rising global temperatures, which felt like such a juvenile understanding of global warming, when year after year, populations across the world are experiencing *extreme* weather conditions due to global warming, that are not simply attributed to a few degrees shift in temperature. Where are the monstrous hurricanes, the searing blizzards, the overly humid and hot summers? Not to mention, the analysis of capitalism from start to finish felt so heavy handed while also lacking in understanding of the deeper reaching ramifications of settler colonialism that was so intrinsic to The Hunger Games. The poorly researched plot holes are disappointing on another level when you consider how well-researched Lady Macbeth had been, and experience how lifeless this book feels in comparison.

And of course, all these critiques pale in light of how completely forced the entire book feels. Inesa's hesitancy to kill, her drive to see the humanity in all living creatures, felt like such an abrupt shift. One moment she's down in the trenches in her hometown, and the next she's in the forest monologuing like a religious fanatic about how all of life is sacred, which ultimately felt like such convenient plot armor for Melinoë when they have their second big encounter. And following that, it feels so awfully convenient (see: forced) for ALL of Melinoë's systems to be "down" EXCEPT the tracker she has for Inesa. The plot is littered with all these "convenient exceptions" to situations the characters find themselves in; Inesa is trained in wilderness survival EXCEPT she doesn't understand basic fire starting, Luka is no longer a worry in Inesa's mind EXCEPT when he's being used as leverage, Melinoë has extreme third degree burns that need to be seen to EXCEPT she has plenty of time to kiss Inesa for 2 chapters, and so on and so forth.

And with enough of these exceptions that Reid makes in her story, the plot itself begins to be utterly predictable. The relationship between Inesa and Melinoë lacked chemistry and build-up, but the characters were forced together for the sake of the plot, with their dialogues telling ("I've wanted to kiss you for so long") instead of showing any sort of yearning. This in particular heavily ties back to how Reid's previous works flop the moment she adds romance, so a book entirely centered on romance was perhaps doomed from the start. Any conflict or obstacle these two encounter was solved within 2-3 paragraphs, simply in order to keep the story moving. Frankly the story is entirely flat and one-dimensional, it feels like nothing is happening throughout the entire story. This book was a flop for me but I will hold out hope that Reid's next book will be a return to her usually phenomenal writing.

“I’m sick of just surviving,” I whisper. “I want…more.”

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the e-ARC of Fable for the End of the World! I received an uncorrected proof, which means there may be changes before publication.

“[A]s much as Fable is about the horrors of climate change, wealth inequality, corporatocracy, and technology, it is also about love… If there’s one thing I wish for readers to take away from Fable, it’s that the bravest thing you can do in this challenging, frightening time is to choose love.” - Ava Reid

This is the fourth Ava Reid novel I've read (after the Wolf and the Woodsman, Juniper & Thorn, and A Study in Drowning), and she moves between genres flawlessly. Fable for the End of the World is a dystopian enemies-to-lovers in a setting reminiscent of The Hunger Games. In post-apocalyptic New Amsterdam, those in severe debt can wipe it out by sacrificing themselves (or a dependent) to The Gauntlet, a murderous game where the sacrificial Lamb is set upon by a murderous Angel. The Angels are like Bucky Barnes / the Winter Soldier from Marvel or Specials from the Uglies series; they’re genetically modified into hyper-resilient brutal killing machines that almost always come away victorious.

In Fable, the Angel Melinoe is assigned Inesa as a Lamb. Inesa, who has done nothing wrong but whose mother is both indebted and spiteful, Inesa who is vulnerable and kind in a world that punishes both. And though Melinoe has been trained to kill Lambs who haven’t done anything, her last Gauntlet tested that to its limits. A young child, dying slowly and painfully. And now, besieged by flashbacks, Melinoe is facing her inner demons as she and Inesa are forced to depend on each other to survive.

I would highly recommend this to fans of dystopian novels along the lines of The Hunger Games or Uglies. Please keep in mind that this is not a kind of just world. The depictions within are bloody, violent, and distressing and there are various issues around consent, control, and autonomy. Happy (and safe!) reading to you all.

Ava Reid, i am in your walls. what the fuck was this??? what happened to hello???? i am sick to my stomach after finishing this book. i genuinely cannot form words for how i feel. you are cruel for writing this book and having people read it. Inesa and Melinoë’s story has shaken me to my core. i will never be the same. if you are reading this review, go read this book. i do not care that at the time you are reading this, the book isn’t even out yet. go invent time travel, go to the future, read the book, and come back. that’s when you can talk to me. in the meantime, i will be forwarding a bill for $500,000 to Ava Reid for emotional damages.

Amazing. Ava Reid is a talented writer who paints such vivid atmosphere and compelling characters. I wasn’t sure if I’d like the dystopian elements as I usually prefer fantasy, but I really enjoyed it and they were executed seamlessly. The romance was enjoyable to read as well, though it was missing that spark and emotional depth that creates a 5 star read for me.

Everything Ava Reid produces is so beautifully written. As a teenager during The Hunger Games this one really hit the spot. Also, as a queer woman I was transfixed!! Ugh.

Reading this so soon after Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton was super impactful too. Very easy to picture her hometown. The dystopian aspects of it were perfect, and the way it incorporated current-day troubles like AI. Very unsettling and real.

I love Melinoë and Inesa. I read this all in one sitting. It was heartbreaking, hopeful, and touching. I hope it’s not a stand-alone! I need more.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

This book was absolutely amazing. Ava Reid never fails to amaze me with her beautiful prose and heartbreakingly real characters. This book is probably the closest I have ever read to The Hunger Games, and it's clear that Reid drew a lot of inspiration from the series. However, she's also injected the plot with even more timely concerns, such as inflation and debt, which are the things that ultimately led to the Gauntlet. Similar to The Hunger Games, the Gauntlet is televised and most people turn a blind eye to the reality of killing children as well as keeping the majority of citizens in poverty. The romance between our two main characters, Melinoe and Inesa, was beautifully crafted and didn't seem at all out of place despite the fact that Melinoe was hunting Inesa to the death.

"We're not uniquely weak or uniquely indulgent or uniquely stupid, no matter what Caerus would have us believe"

I am once again blown away by Ava Reid's writing. I enjoyed A Study in Drowning immensely, though that likely has more to do perhaps with my propensity for dark academia than any true difference between the quality of these two novels.

I know that the book was written based on Reid's experience with Hurricane Sandy, but reading as someone whose community was affected, though not as greatly as others, by Hurricane Helene, the book was especially harrowing at times, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since finishing.

As I walked into the dentist's office this morning to be quoted a prohibitive cost for necessary dental work, I thought about the Caerus credit system, about the people I had walked past on the street moments ago for whom even the greatly lessened cost my insurance provided broken down into the monthly financing fee would make the operation an impossibility.

As I turn on the news, or open my social media accounts in the morning to see the horrors occurring daily in Gaza, I think about the quote included at the top of this review. I do agree with Reid's opening letter about the impacts of The Hunger Games on this story, but I think moreso than The Hunger Games, this book felt as though it was speaking to the right now. I think the only way people are able to separate themselves from what occurs elsewhere in the world or in their cities is to pretend that it would not happen to them, or that when it is happening to them, it is a temporary setback, on their way to climb the corporate ladder, to achieve the unachievable American dream. They do not fault the billionaires because they hope that one day when they found Amazon, they too will be awarded the tax cuts, etc.

I truly think this might have been a perfect book at a perfect time. I thought that the platonic love between Inesa and her brother, the romantic love between Inesa and Melinoë, the discussions of the weight of please and thank you in a society built around debt. This book is a masterpiece and will be joining the twelve books that worm their way into my mind, framing the way that I think about society.

Please let her write for as long as she wants to about whatever she wants to. I'll buy ten copies of each book if I need to.

I really liked this book. The tone was set early, and the suspense kept me reading. I loved the character development. I do wish we had more exploration of the characters' feelings about each other earlier on. It felt like it all came on a little too quickly. Some of the world building felt a little heavy handed. There were sections that over explained how capitalism and climate change got us to this point. I think the reader had gotten that prior, and didn't need it spelled out for them. Overall, a great read.