Fable for the End of the World is such a great read with a beautiful eye catching cover. I love it the color scheme is great the artist did a wonderful job. The plot of this story was wonderful and kept me wanting more. I definitely recommend reading it.

[arc review]
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Fable for the End of the World releases March 4, 2025

*contains spoilers*

Caerus has been built to thrive upon the wealthy capitalizing off of the debts of the impoverished. When the debt threshold is exceeded, engineered assassins in the form of AI bots threaded through the vessels of human bodies, target the sacrificed in a televised event called the Gauntlets.
Nominated individuals are given thirteen days to survive the Angels, though most fail to make it past even a few hours.

This dystopian novel left me with more questions than answers, and not in a good way.

The characters kept reiterating that it was unusual for the Gauntlet to last more than a few days because it was imperative to keep the audience’s interest, so why allot the Lambs thirteen days? What was the significance of such a number?
What actually happened to Inesa’s father? Where was the outrage or ramifications for publicly exploiting and livestreaming two underaged girls being intimate with each other? How were Inesa and Luka so painfully unaware of the debt their mother accrued?
Why does Caerus need the twelve hours preceding the gauntlets as a way to run ads and promote products, when their whole corporation has been built on the merits of consumers directly using credit that’s strictly for their products? Everything is already skewed in their favour, so the cyclical nature makes some of Reid’s worldbuilding extremely redundant.

The progression of Inesa and Mel’s romance was less than believable, and I lost interest pretty quickly once they formed a truce, but that really only makes up a small fraction of why this was such a poorly executed novel.

I get that Reid was trying to paint love and hope amidst survival as her core themes, but how can you in good conscious, specifically have a book dedication that says: “To the young queer girls—your love is going to save the world,” and then have the audacity to make the young queer protagonist repugnant to all of society due to her intimacy that was exploited, while wiping the memory of the other young queer girl and making her a corporate concubine of a rich old man? It comes across so obtuse and manipulative.

Fable for the End of the World achieves nothing. There are no positive character arcs. The capitalistic world stays the same. This “standalone [sapphic] dystopian romance” doesn’t even have a definitive HEA…

You’re better off reading the original Hunger Games series instead of this inspired world which lacks the necessary depth that would’ve made its attempts at commentating on complex issues worthwhile.

I really struggled with the is one. Like really struggled. The synopsis seemed right up my alley. Hunger Games? YES. Lesbians? WooHoo. I was really excited to get my hands on this book. However- this was my first time reading Ava Reid, and perhaps her writing style was just not for me. And maybe the tragic downfall was comparing it to the Hunger Games. Or that the voices of the protganists really annoyed me. The romance wasn’t particularly believable. I just didn’t feel it (I really do need to feel connected to the characters, and here I really didn’t). There definitely are plot holes, and the ending wasn’t satisfying. If I hadn’t received this arc, I definitely would have DNF’d it.
Thank you HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for providing the ARC.

This was my first book by Ava Reid and honestly, I couldn't get enough!
I loved the dystopian kind of hunger games feels it got, as well as the relationship trials and tribulations between Melinoe and Inesa.
I have 2 other books by Ava Reid on my shelf, and those just got bumped up way higher on my TBR list! <3

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!! I want to start off by saying I've loved everything I've read by Ava Reid, so it was an honor and a privilege to review a copy of her newest work.

This is a sapphic dystopian thriller set in a world with a death game called <i>The Lamb's Gauntlet</i>. Citzens who acrew too much debt are at risk of watching their relatives fight to the death, or rather run for their lives as they're hunted for sport. Debtors are expected to run and struggle for survival on livestream, while genetically modified hunters/assassins called Angels track them down for the slaughter.

<i>Squid Games</i> meets <i>The Deadliest Game</i> meets <i>The Hunger Games</i>.

Inesa is used to struggle and fighting for survival—growing up in the slums of her sinking town—yet never did she expect her mother would offer her up to the Gauntlet. They're in considerable debt sure and the taxidermy shop could only provide so much income, but this betrayal isn't one she sees coming. She refuses to die like this—on screen for the titulation of the wealthy—and with the help of her hunter brother Luka she may just survive.

Her hunter Melinöe has to succeed this year, lest her genetic and neural modifications be brought into question. While she's never failed to slay her mark, the breakdown she suffered during her last Gauntlet had long-lasting consequences. She must return to her ruthless prime, avoiding being made into a living doll, mind wiped and sold to the highest bidder as a lobotomized consort. A terrified fear for survival now runs through her veins pushing her forward, where modifications alone could not.

This is a tale of enemies falling in love while realizing they have far more in common than those in power wish for them to see. If one digs a little deeper, it's a glimpse into two different lives held in the tight clutches of a cruel and imposing society. Two sides of the same coin. Neither young woman wants this life, yet they can't seem to escape it. Poverty and the constant eyes of the ruling class keep everyone smiling in the role forced upon them lest they suffer the consequences.

Others may disagree, but I believe reading <i>The Hunger Games</i> is vital to appreciating this plot. It's a tribute work and wasn't created in a bubble. Whereas war destroyed the land and class inequality rules the replacement society with an iron fist, here environmental disasters destroyed what was and debt slavery rules what's left. Combining a more evil form of e-commerce with debt offers a unique glimpse into a not so farfetched future state.

Just as Ava Reid said in her author's note, this is a love story in all its forms from familial to romatic. The world may be horrible and full of horrors but together it's survivable... and perhaps even a catalyst for change. If I were capable of tears, that ending would have made me sob uncontrollably, instead I lay here feeling a myriad of things all at once.

I did not realize this was sapphic - I should have the cover is pretty telling, but for some reason I did not pick up on that at all. So it's an enemies-to-lovers sapphic fantasy novel. I will say that I felt like the book was sort of all over the place. And the end felt super rushed and thrown together. This is not an HEA - so if that's what you want then you wont get it. This all being said - typically I enjoy Reid's books.

I sat with this for awhile and it deserves 1 star. Thank you again to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

I wish I had enjoyed this one a lot more than I did. I think The Hunger Games pitch definitely pulled me in and while it definitely had a lot of similarities to The Hunger Games I think that that is mostly what it had going for me. I also didn't love how unsatisfying the ending was which made me reevaluate any of the joy I had during reading it.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book early!

As a huge fan of Ava Reid’s work, I was so excited to dive into this new dark world. The story was tight and enchanting at equal turns, keeping me engrossed until late into the night. Books with trials have become popular recently, but Fable has still managed to flip the script.

Perfect for fans of forbidden love stories, dystopian futures, and social commentary weaves into their novels.

This was such a fun read. I will read anything Ava Teid writes. This was immersive and fast paced and I could not put it down. I love these characters so much and I’m so glad I read this. This is 100 percent worth the read.

Fable for the End of the World was such an exciting concept, but unfortunately the execution fell flat for me. There were too many things about the system that felt shallow to me, plus a few details that were unrealistic enough to completely pull me out of the story. (ex: a bottle of kerosene gets shot, causing a giant explosion that tears apart---and partially melts?---metal robots). The idea was so fun, but I felt it needed more work or time to simmer to make the plot and characters feel more fully developed.

I love Ava Reid’s writing, and I LOVE THESE CHARACTERS! This dual POV is done exceptionally well, and I felt every single emotion with these characters. This is a different type of dystopian future, in which corporations control everything and which almost feels a bit too real.

Although I did read my own physical copy of this book, I did receive an eARC so thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing it to me in exchange for an honest review.

Ava Reid does it again! A great YA enemies to lovers story & sapphic dystopia romance. Although I felt as though it was not as atmospheric as her other books and the relationship felt a bit flat, this is a YA book and as a YA book, I would recommend it to the younger crowd.

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!