3.25 stars
Representation: PTSD

Fable for the end of the world is a gripping, fast-paced climate dystopia. From the beginning, I flew through this book. The world was visceral and bleak, the characters were vivid and easy to root for.

There was so much in this book that was familiar and reminiscent for me, as someone who grew up in the height of the 2010s YA dystopia buzz, but it was unique, as well. I enjoyed the focus on the climate crisis and the ways in which nature had evolved. The descriptions of the mutant animals were morbidly fascinating.
The world building was, in my opinion, the most solid part of the book. Both the natural world and political world felt very fleshed out. Unfortunately, I do think that because this is such a short book, and so much of it was used to detail the world we were navigating, that the narrative arc felt quite rushed.
I wanted more time to sit with our characters in specific moments and navigate the emotion and fall out of what they were experiencing. It felt like so many threads of the narrative got lost in the rush of trying to squeeze so much into 380 pages, especially since the timeline, too, was so short. This book takes place over the span of only a couple days, and it was simply a case of too much in too little time. The relationship between Inesa and Mel fell so flat to me–they had only a couple of moments, in such a short period of time, that I couldn’t be convinced they felt more than the start of an attraction, let alone love.
I felt like I was rushing through the book, full steam ahead, and I kept wanting to slow down. Sit with the attraction. Sit with the trauma. Sit with the discussions of oligarchy and oppression. I never felt like I had time to connect to the characters or the theme.

I find myself struggling to settle on how I feel about this book. Despite feeling a bit too rushed, I did enjoy most of my experiences with the book. Until the ending, which really let me down. As far as I can tell, this book is a standalone novel, and at the end, it feels as if nothing has resolved. Yes, Inesa has survived, but Melinoe is basically a mind-wiped sex slave. The book lacked closure, and it lacked hope, and I am left feeling dissatisfied.

Fable for the End of the World is a Hunger Games' inspired book about climate change and having people fight for the death for entertainment. In this book, we follow Inesa, a girl whose mother is so in debt she puts her up for the Gauntlet, and Melinoe, the Angel hunter in the Gauntlet. This book speaks to wealth disparity, climate change, body image/modification, and trauma.

I really enjoyed the world building in this book. This is a world ravaged by climate change in which it often rains and floods the various cities. This world is bleak and the descriptions really make it come to life. I saw so many elements from 2010's dystopian and there was a realness to it that hit a little close to home - it felt like it could easily be our world.

While I really enjoyed the world building, some of the characters fell flat for me and the pacing felt off. I enjoyed the relationship between Inesa and her brother, Luka, and the complicating family systems. However, the relationship in this book felt forced to me and ultimately didn't land. I loved that the romance was queer and was not the typical hetero-normative "boy and girl fall in love because they happen to be around each other." However, the relationship didn't feel real to me, I didn't feel the chemistry between the two characters and it felt super rushed with both seemingly able to change long-standing beliefs they held about the other. The pacing also felt off, especially because it felt like the middle was a bit slower and the ending felt rushed. Events happen quickly and then a lot happens off-page to wrap up the book. The ending also made it seem like the author is leaving room for a potenial sequel.

Ultimately, this book was a fun read but left me wanting more in multiple areas. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

5 Stars
Absolutely amazing!! In my top books of the year so far and I have read some good ones! I devoured this book. Ava Reid describes this book as her love letter to The Hunger Games and it truly was. I am so bummed this is a stand alone because I want more!! This is a must read and I will be recommending it forever.

Thank you to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book

Fable is quite different than Reid’s other novels: climate dystopia, more pronounced queerness. However, everything that makes a Reid novel a Reid novel is still present: intricate family dynamics, dark and lush atmosphere, the main character yearning for happiness. I think Reid absolutely smashed it and I can say beyond a doubt this book is my favorite. I am beyond ecstatic with the opening for a sequel and am greatly anticipating that coming to fruition.

3.75 stars.

Ava Reid's Fable for the End of the World is a dystopian novel that is basically a love letter to the YA dystopian 2010s decade—i.e., The Hunger Games combined with a climate-ruined corporate nightmare. It's a dark, unputdownable, and sometimes heartbreaking survival story, resistance story, and dehumanizing tale of power.

It's set in a world devastated by climate disasters and ruled by corporate behemoth Caerus. Two protagonists are the young girl Inesa, a child forced into the deadly Gauntlet to service her mother's debts, and Melinoë, the hired assassin who's tasked with capturing her. Melinoë, an Angel produced by Caerus, has been conditioned and programmed since birth as the perfect killer and a consumer product to buy. Their bond—one of predator and victim, sacrifice and survival—fuels the book with relentless suspense.

Reid constructs a hauntingly recognizable world of twisted wildlife, relentlessly rising sea levels, and voyeuristic, desensitised society in which suffering is entertainment. The Lamb's Gauntlet, a live-streamed blood sport of brutal violence, is both chilling and uncomfortably plausible in an era where digital spectacle has such sway. The novel also touches on questions of body autonomy, power, and resistance, particularly in Melinoë's struggle against her own programming.

While the idea of the book is good, the execution is somewhat lacking. It takes a while for the pace to quicken, and some of the secondary storylines are glossed over. The latter half of the book is where Inesa and Melinoë's romance truly gets going, but the cliffhanger ending can be infuriating.

For those who grew up on dystopian novels and want a sapphic romance at the center, Fable for the End of the World is an interesting, if predictable, tale. Though it fails to reach the level of Reid's previous works, its grim visions of the future and exploration of survival in a dying world make it worth reading.

This was an amazing read and put me in the mindset of the early release days of The Hunger Games! I loved the storyline and how the characters fell into place. Sacrificial ideation is an interesting injection that I've not found in any books like this, so it was a fun and new idea for me to roam through. I loved it so much and loved the beauty of the book so much that I ordered the hard copy as a pre-order and received on release day. So very worth it, and highly, highly recommend the read!

Thank you to HarperCollins Children's Books for the opportunity to read this lovely story in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Harpercollins for a copy of this book in exchange for my review.
I really enjoyed the dystopian world building and character set up of the world of New Amsterdam. It found myself wanting more background or maybe more scenes taking place in other parts of the world. The Gauntlet reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games but with the addition of modern technology and cat and mouse style game. The Angels were so intriguing and I found myself wanting to know more. I felt the building of Inessa and Melonie’s characters were done nicely especially with the dual POV. I was disappointed with how the story ended. It seems to set up for a sequel so hoping here’s more coming!

In a dystopian world where climate disaster has altered the earth with floods, mutated animals and more, the people of Esopus Creek struggle to stay afloat and survive, incurring debt that can only be erased by participating in the Gauntlet--a deadly battle to the death between a human "lamb" and an Angel: a special assassin created by Caerus to be a lethal humanistic machine that feels no pain or emotion, purely driven by killer instinct.
When Inessa is volunteered by her mother to participate in the Gauntlet, she feels any hope for survival is futile. But the games take an unexpected turn when Inessa and Mel, the Angel assigned to kill her, find themselves in a precarious situation where they are forced to rely on each other before both are killed by mutated beasts that roam the woods outside Esopus Creek.
Reminiscent of Hunger Games, Ava Reid blends mid 2000's dystopian with Science Fiction this high stakes enemies to lovers romance.
Reid is a talented writer building beautiful worlds you can dive into. Unfortunately, Fable for the End of the World fell flat, lacking depth. The romance felt unrealistic and "instant" solely based on looks and lust vs any real connection or shared interest. Even more disappointing, this plot had so much potential and wasted opportunity, specifically with Mel's origins, and the side plot with Inessa's father and secret society. While I can see that the lack of information and open-ended resolutions lend to a possible sequel, as a stand alone Fable overall was lackluster and dissatisfying, relying on tropes and nostalgia to carry it through.

Thank you HarperCollins and NetGalley for providing a free e-copy to review!

I ended up listening to the audiobook for this one and it was really well narrated.

Fable For the End of the World is a sapphic dystopian novel reminiscent of the Hunger Games, which explores the insidiousness of the overlap of capitalism and government, debt, the separation of society, and climate change.

This was my first Ava Reid novel, but I’ve heard such good things about her work that I was excited to grab this. And I was not disappointed! The world was well-defined and the action scenes were so cinematic that I felt like I was watching the story (which is very rare for me)!

The only reason I didn't DNF this book is because it had really short chapters and it was easy to get through. Nothing happening made any sense. It felt like things were happening out of convenience for the plot and the romance.

Beautifully constructed, Fable is an homage to the dystopian genre. It finds its niche in the genre and I never found myself overly comparing it to other works in the genre. The ending is absolutely heartbreaking, but there's hope for the future. I really enjoyed this one.

Ava did the dang thing with this one. A familiar yet unique premise. Excellent writing style. Love seeing dystopian novels back at the forefront.

This is the first book that is described as being for fans of the Hunger Games where I actually feel the similarity without it feeling like a poorly written copy. This was a very good sci-fi, dystopian novel about a world where a corporation has taken control of the government, keeps people in line through debt. and runs a gauntlet to keep them entertained. It was very well written, which made it easy for me to keep turning the pages. It felt like a love letter to the distopian YA genre.

My one complaint is the length. I think this could have afforded to be a bit longer, with more time for our two main characters to develop their relationship. That would have made the impact of the end have a bit more feeling for readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing an eARC of this book.

"Kindness and mercy demand strength. Feeling nothing is true cowardice."

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book reminded me so much of The Hunger Games and I ended up really enjoying this story. At first, I wasn't vibing with the pace and writing style, but then it picked up and I liked it. The story is set in a dystopian world where a single corporation controls all of society due to the accumulation of debt from the underclass. When Inesa's mother (who has built up a lot of debt) surrenders her to the society's livestreamed assassination spectacle, Inesa is forced to fight for her life. Mel is an assassin, trained and perfected to track and kill the victims of these spectacles. She's known for her brutality and beauty. Inesa's gauntlet is the redemption she needs. As Mel pursues Inesa, they both begin to question everything, and wonder if they are possibly falling in love in spite of it all.

Overall, this was a great book. Up until the gauntlet started, this book seemed slow and not super interesting. The world itself didn't grip me the way most fantasy worlds do, so I wasn't super invested in the story until the romance subplot started. The romance story was beautiful, but there were some things I still didn't like. I have mixed reactions towards the open ending, but right now I think I liked it.

Lgbtq+
Dystopia
Hunger game vibes

Inesa gets shoved into the gauntlet to pay off her mother's debt.

Wow, this had me feeling a lot of emotions. Bleak yet hopeful, the story follows Inesa, who is unwillingly thrown into a Hunger Games-esque gauntlet to fight for her life against someone set out to kill her—live-streamed so millions can watch her die.

Ava Reid explores themes of control, women’s rights, government regulation, and media censorship, woven into an enemies-to-lovers story that has you rooting for them from the very beginning.

I love Ava Reid’s storytelling—she always drags me into the world she’s portraying with her words, and I feel completely immersed. Her world-building is incredible, making me feel like a part of the story, walking alongside the characters I’m reading about.

Our two female main characters are strong women who have been through so much and will continue to endure. They’re not afraid to show their fear or their tears, portraying vulnerability while remaining fierce.

I do think the pacing of the book was a bit quick. The world-building was great, but I feel this book could have been 100 pages longer to flesh out certain scenes or to slow down the romance between the two main characters.

Overall, I loved the nods to the 2010s dystopia craze and how some of the themes remain relevant in today’s society. Chills. Literal chills.

If you love:

Dystopia
Sapphic romance
Enemies to lovers
Dual POV
Then this is the read for you.

☆꧁༒”ᴡᴇ ᴀʟʟ ᴅᴏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴡᴇ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ɪɴ ᴏʀᴅᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ꜱᴜʀᴠɪᴠᴇ.”༒꧂☆


𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗟𝗗 𝗕𝗨𝗜𝗟𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: I really loved Ava’s take on what a dystopian future for us would look like. She uses the right amount of scientific theories and civil unrest from our world (global warming, survival of the fittest, corporate money in politics, nuclear fall outs, pollution) to create a world that could be eerily possible.

𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦: Both Inesa and Melinoë are compelling characters. Well written and beautifully scripted to have story arcs that really tug on your heart strings. I absolutely loved them.

𝗣𝗟𝗢𝗧: Beautiful. No notes.

𝗩𝗜𝗕𝗘𝗦: Its got great classic “end of the world” dystopian vibes. Really reminds me of all the YA dystopian novels we were obsessed with in the early 2000s.

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★★

*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄𝐒, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐒, 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐏𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐒:
☆ Sapphic Romance
☆ Dystopian, post-nuclear world
☆ Enemies to Lovers
☆ Forced Proximity
☆ Only One Bed
☆ Feminine Rage
☆ 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘜𝘴 meets 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘳 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴
*ੈ✩‧₊˚༺☆༻*ੈ✩‧₊˚

SAPPHIC DYSTOPIAN ENEMIES TO LOVERS!

I feel like I am re-entering my dystopian book era and I'm not unhappy about it. This one was very Hunger Games-esque and scratched the itch I've had for something to fill that genre void. The chemistry between the two MCs was perfect (though I feel like they became lovers a bit too quickly?) I feel that with stories with such high stakes such as this one, there should be more of a slow burn between characters because it's just more believable.
The first half of the book was perfectly paced with compelling world-building- the second half seemed to slow a bit. Overall, I really liked this book, and Ava Reid is an amazing writer.

HOWEVER-

I am so, so frustrated about the ending. And I honestly don't know what to say other than that. Just... why.

dnf’d ~

i really respect ava reid as an author because i have heard endless good things about her from a lot of people on here and a lot of the booktubers that i really trust and love <3 but this just fell flat for me, i ended up dnf’ing at like 30% but i tried picking this up a few times and just couldn’t get into it. maybe my mood influenced it as well, but i’m not sure.

i also wish authors stopped describing books as the hunger games. in general, i have never been a dystopian fan (minus a FEW outliers) and never seek them out. i think they are often flawed structurally and what it seems like they’re trying to accomplish, especially ones that brand themselves as being similar to the hunger games.

still, i an interested in seeing more books from ava reid in the future and possibly picking up one of her other books! thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book (:

**Review for *Fable for the End of the World* by Ava Reid**

Ava Reid's *Fable for the End of the World* is a stunning, dystopian romance that captivates with its beautifully bleak world, complex characters, and a heart-pounding journey of survival, sacrifice, and love. A gripping combination of high stakes and emotional depth, this stand-alone novel weaves together survival instincts with the raw emotions of two people on opposite sides of a cruel system.

The story is set in a decaying, post-apocalyptic world controlled by the powerful corporation Caerus, which has forced the impoverished underclass into a cycle of debt they cannot escape. Inesa, a strong and resourceful young woman, lives in a town half-sunken by time and tragedy, running a modest taxidermy shop with her brother. Life is tough, but they survive. When Inesa learns that her estranged mother has offered her as a sacrifice to Caerus’ deadly and televised spectacle known as the Lamb’s Gauntlet, her world shatters. The Gauntlet is a brutal event in which the corporation forces the debt-ridden to offer their children for public slaughter. It’s a game of life and death that leaves no room for mercy.

Inesa, though initially despairing, is not one to give up. She’s spent her life learning how to survive in the wastes, and now she’ll fight to the bitter end with the help of her brother. On the other side of this deadly spectacle is Melinoë, the cold and calculating assassin, who has been conditioned by Caerus to hunt and kill the sacrificial Lambs. Trained from a young age, Mel is the perfect weapon—deadly, efficient, and emotionally distant. However, following a particularly traumatic Gauntlet, she finds herself questioning everything, torn between her brutal training and the desire for redemption.

What follows is a riveting, high-stakes chase through a world full of broken landscapes and broken lives, where survival means more than just staying alive—it means retaining your humanity. Inesa’s fight for survival is juxtaposed with Melinoë’s internal battle to reconcile her role as an assassin with her growing doubts and her longing for something more than just violence. These two characters—one running for her life, the other hunting her—are richly drawn, with complex emotional arcs that elevate the story beyond its dystopian framework.

Reid masterfully develops the relationship between Inesa and Mel. The slow-burn romance between these two women is as tender as it is fraught with tension. At first, their connection seems impossible—one is a victim and the other a weapon—but as the story unfolds, the deep emotional resonance of their bond emerges. The themes of survival, guilt, and redemption intertwine with their growing feelings for each other, making their romance not just believable but inevitable. It’s a love story that is as much about healing and self-discovery as it is about the forbidden connection between two people who should be enemies.

Reid’s world-building is beautifully crafted, with a vivid and haunting atmosphere that makes the dystopian setting feel both alien and painfully familiar. The portrayal of the corporation Caerus as a ruthless force is chilling, but it's the way that Reid draws attention to the personal cost of living under such a system that hits hardest. The characters are not just fighting against an external enemy—they are also grappling with their own fears, traumas, and the choices that define them. This adds a layer of emotional complexity that makes the story resonate on a deeper level.

In essence, *Fable for the End of the World* is a stunning exploration of survival, sacrifice, love, and redemption. Ava Reid delivers a narrative that keeps you on the edge of your seat, while also pulling at your heartstrings with its nuanced, layered characters and its compelling romance. It’s a dystopian story that transcends its genre, offering a deeply emotional journey that will stay with you long after you turn the final page.