I will read anything @avasreid writes but this truly is one of her best and it became and instant favourite for me.

This YA dystopian sapphic enemies to lovers story is a love letter to the YA dystopian books of the early 2000s such as The Hunger Games but in reality it holds up well on its own amongst the titans of that era. Whilst clearly inspired by other works, Fable is uniquely insightful and haunting. It is a reflection on the current predicaments of our society and complex human and particularly familial relationships.

Inesa and Melinoe are two very different people with different experiences in life but when Melinoe is tasked with killing Inesa to redeem her reputation and clear Inesa’s mothers debt to the government the two cross paths and irrevocably change the way they each see the world.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I binged it in 5 hours. It made me cry and more importantly, it made me think.

As always Reid’s beautifully defined and individualistic prose shines through and adds an eeriness and truly atmospheric feel to this novel which takes her work to a whole other level.

Infinite stars. I would not have changed a thing. A perfect read.

Sapphic style hunger games, a dystopian romance i loved this so much and wish I had a physical copy so I can go through and tab/ annotate. The atmosphere i got reading this is so immersive and really one to add to your TBR. Pacing was good and I cant wait for release to get a physical copy!

Interesting book , I couldn’t fully get into it I don’t know if it was the pacing or the story itself it just didn’t seem to grip me.

But maybe it’s just the mood you are in when you choose to read certain books .

Hunger games-eque but in a different way completely! A great dystopian read and as always Ava Reid builds the world well and creates characters you want to know more about (Luka!). I can’t wait to read more :)

I was completely gripped basically throughout this whole book. It absolutely had Hunger Games vibes, in a climate change gone very bad kind of world. In a terrifying way. It’s poor vs rich. Surviving over kindness.

“The new replaces the old. The powerful replace the powerless.”

Humanity is turned completely upside down in a world of debt, and survival of the fittest. What they have to do to survive, and how they treat each other is a quite scary thought to have, but it’s done so well in this dystopian story.

“Land animals in a drowning world.”

“Expressing gratitude so openly feels strange. Because thank you implies debt, and you never want to owe anybody anything, not even your own family. Especially not your own family.”

I absolutely adored the characters. They were not so fierce and strong, in their own very different way. The mechanisms of how the angels work were so well thought out and I loved seeing how the cat and mouse hunt developed. The joy and the pain, they both went through.

“Still not much for words, my Angel. I wonder when I started thinking of her as mine.”

“Inesa laughs. It’s a clear sound, bright and somehow shining, almost visible in the air.”

“The stronger your faith, the more brutal its shattering. The more vivid your dreams, the more agonizing the knife-twist of reality. It’s a privilege, really, to desire, to imagine, to believe.”

I have debated for a long time about what rating I would give this book. There was a lot that I really enjoyed about this book. However, I think I went into this book with really high expectations, and for me, this book didn’t quite hit that bar.

What I liked
The World-building
The slightly-too-real-for-comfort dystopian world is excellent. It’s really well constructed, and the writing creates a sense of instability and struggle.

The two main characters
I thought Inesa and Melinoë were both great characters. They felt like complete people with strengths and flaws. I empathised with both characters and really wanted both of them to succeed.

The Nostalgia
By this, I really mean that it reminded me of my favourite YA dystopian novels of my teenage years!

The whole way through, I couldn’t stop thinking of and likening this story to books like The Hunger Games and Divergent.

What didn’t quite work for me?
It will always be more difficult for books that have a hype built up around them, as there’s more expectations attached to the book. So perhaps the rating I’ve given this book has suffered partly because I expected to love this book.

However, there was also something missing in the story for me. Although the world building was great, and the two main characters were great, the stakes of the main part of the story felt off. The beginning of the book was great, but the pace of the story really fell off for the middle section, and there was one point that I considered not finishing, as I had stopped enjoying the story. The pace picks back up again at the end, but for me, the conclusion felt a little rushed.

Overall
I’m glad I finished the book, as overall I did enjoy it.

As I said at the beginning, I do think this book has a lot of good things in it, and I think a lot of people will like it.

This is definitely a book that has a place amongst the YA Dystopia novels

Fable for the End of the World was fast-paced, easy to follow, and had well-explained world-building. I went in blind and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I really liked both main characters—especially Melinoë—but I do think their romance felt rushed.

Since this is a standalone, I feel like there could have been more page time to develop their relationship and certain key moments. And that ending? After everything, they’re not together? It makes me wonder— is this really a standalone, or is Ava leaving room for a potential sequel?

If there is a sequel, I’d love to see more of Luka!

What to expect:
Dystopian
Hunger Games inspired
Sapphic Romance
Dual POV
Enemies to lovers
YA/NA?

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fable for the End of the World is a haunting and thought-provoking tale that blends lyrical prose with a deep, almost dreamlike atmosphere. The story’s themes of survival, hope, and humanity resonate strongly, and the world-building is both immersive and unsettling. While some parts may feel a bit abstract or slow, the emotional weight and unique storytelling make it a compelling read. A beautifully crafted, if somewhat melancholic, journey.

As always Ava Reid’s writing is stunning. I really enjoyed this, I can understand the hunger games comparisons but this is very different and that could have an impact on people’s expectations.
The world, the romance, the characters, I loved it all.

I feel like this book more than lives up to the expectations. Hunger games vibes? Check. Queer? Check. Enemies to lovers? Check!

This was everything I wanted it to be. I really loved it. I will continue to devour it every novel Ava writes. She’s yet to miss!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Ugh, where do I start?

In principle, I should have loved this. A YA dystopia with survival games and an enemies to lovers romance element? Yes. PLEASE. This novel was coined the new Hunger Games with the author herself saying that HG was a huge influence for this novel. Alas, this was no Hunger games.

I don't know if I'm just not a huge fan of Ava Reid's writing at this point but this just didn't work out for me at all. The basic premise sounded amazing, the 'Annihilation'-esque world should have been incredible and, c'mon, enemies to lovers is always a winner, but something about this book just did not resonate with me.

For someone living in a dystopian world, the character fighting for her life didn't seem particularly survival savvy at the beginning but then suddenly developed survival skills near the end. And she seemed to forget about her brother Luka really quickly! The so-called trained killer with mechanical body hacks came across as a weak, very human girl with no survival skills and no propensity to actually kill. The romance element had absolutely no heat to it whatsoever. I don't need spice, a slow tender romance is always good but this was tepid at best.

The world building had potential and was one of the better things about the story. Clearly based on capitalism, over-consumption and a clear divide between the classes, it was a world we can all resonate with and a frightening indictment as to the world we really live in and it's future. Whilst it was one if the better elements of the book, it was far from good.

I just really struggled getting through this book, I found it boring and badly paced with two dimensional characters and so nearly DNF'ed it many times. The only reason I continued was because I was intrigued about the ending so many people were appalled about. Honestly, it wasn't worth it.

I liked the Hunger Games vibes to this and the sapphic romance was really lovely but I also never really felt all that connected to the characters.

(Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review)

This book left me feeling a little unsettled—in the best possible way. The world Ava Reid has crafted feels eerily plausible, and with the way things are going in reality, I couldn’t help but think this dystopian future might not be too far off. It’s a chilling thought, but one that made the book feel even more impactful.

Having read two other books by Ava Reid, I noticed her writing style in this one felt a little different—less whimsical and flowery, but more stripped back and raw. Honestly, I think this suited the tone and themes of the story perfectly. Even with a more pared-down style, her talent for vivid descriptions still shines through; the world feels tangible, like you’re walking through the desolate streets and forest alongside the characters.

This book has everything dystopian fans love—gritty world-building, complex themes, and that haunting sense of inevitability. You can clearly see the influence of classic dystopian novels throughout, yet it still feels fresh and original. It’s almost like a love letter to the genre, blending familiar elements with a plot that feels entirely its own.

And that ending! Without giving anything away, I was completely shocked—I didn’t see it coming at all. It’s one of those conclusions that lingers with you long after you’ve finished the book.

Overall, Fable for the End of the World is a gripping, thought-provoking read that feels both timely and timeless. Ava Reid has once again proven her ability to craft unforgettable stories, and this one is sure to leave a lasting impression.

Fable for the End of the World follows Inesa, who lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. They live in a society controlled by a single corporation, Caerus, who encourage massive accumulations of debt from its underclass. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet. Inesa is thrust into the Gauntlet, pursued by Melinoë, a Caerus assassin who has something to prove after her last Gauntlet left her traumatised. As Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, both girls begin to question everything: Inesa wonders if there’s more to life than survival, while Mel wonders if she’s capable of more than killing. And both wonder if, against all odds, they might be falling in love. 

I really enjoyed the world-building in this book. Ava Reid painted a desolate picture of the world, and the commentary on climate change, the capitalisation of suffering, the desensitisation towards violence, and inequality, provided food for thought. It was scarily easy to compare this book to issues happening in the real world, and also wonder what our world will be like in the future. However, there were some plot holes that annoyed me - why are Inesa and her brother killing animals for decoration when food is scarce?

I was intrigued by Melinoë’s character, and her internal battle of being the machine that Caerus had designed her to be and holding onto her humanity was interesting to read. I found it hard to connect to Inesa, who was very bland, and not a FMC that I found myself rooting for. I did find it strange that she lived in such a dangerous world but hadn’t thought to learn any survival skills whatsoever.

The jump from adversaries to lovers felt far too quick in Melinoë and Inesa’s romance. Their exchanged declarations of love out of nowhere, and I wish their relationship had a little more time to develop organically.

The plot was fine, but felt very predictable. I wouldn’t say I was particularly invested in the story or what happened to the characters. I was very disappointed with the ending, and can only assume that there will be a sequel. Otherwise, I’m not sure why the author would leave the story feeling so unfinished.

Overall, this book was fine, but not very unique or memorable. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK/Del Rey for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Fable for the End of the World, Ava Reid creates a disturbingly plausible dystopian future in which one corporation controls society. This is a future full of debt, danger and death. After discovering that her mother has plunged them into debt, Inesa is offered up as a kind of sacrifice and entered into the Lamb’s Gauntlet- a kind of game or trial in which killings are livestreamed. With deadly assassin’s like Melinoe trying to track the sacrificial ‘Lambs’ down, there seems to be little hope. But the girls find that the situation gets much more complicated when they start falling in love.

First of all, I have to praise Ava Reid’s writing style and her characters. As always, she manages to evoke darkness, danger and horror whilst writing in a way that makes you hope for something better. Like in her earlier dark fairytales, Reid also creates a beautifully horrible setting. In this case, it is a world ravaged by climate change and corporate overrulers (is that a word?) that change the way people think -sometimes literally with neural reconditioning.

I also think that the way this dystopia operates is fundamentally different from other dystopias like The Hunger Games. I can see the comparisons and inspiration, but Reid manages to draw attention to different topics in her book. Mainly, she looks at how companies, rather than governments or leaders, can shape and destroy the world. Considering the immense power that billionaire CEO’s have within and outside of government at the moment, this feels like a book that we need to read right now.

That being said, I wasn’t absorbed by the Gauntlet and the actual action of the book. I think I’m quite tired of trials/competitions/death tournaments at the moment. But that is probably just because I have exhausted myself by reading too many. I can see the new spin that Reid puts on these tropes, but I can’t escape the similarities. Because of this, my favourite moments in the book were routed in the characters. I loved the queer relationship between Inesa and Melinoe. I also loved seeing them struggle with the fact that they have conflicting duties and responsibilities. Inesa has to try to save her family (and herself) whereas Melinoe is trained to be a living weapon and one of Caerus’s assassins.

Overall, this was a well-written and structured book with plenty to love. If you’re a fan of YA dystopia but crave more queer characters and commentary on climate change and corporate greed, this was tailor-made for you!

This review is for Fable for the End of The World by Ava Reid which released in the UK on the 4th March! Thanks so much to Netgalley and Del Rey for giving me an eArc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was a bit hesitant to request this one, due to the overhype I’ve seen on Booktok, as well as not getting on with this authors writing style in the past. However, it was actually one of my favourite books I’ve read so far this year, so I was really glad I got it!! It was described as lesbian Hunger Games vibes, so that was obviously the draw in for me.

First of all, I loved this because it was a standalone. It was an entire beautiful story fit into one book and not extended over a series which didn’t need to happen. It was concise, heartbreaking and perfect. It focuses on Inesa, thrown into the Gaunlet, when her mother decides to sacrifice her to pay off her debts. It has sacrifice, romance, and a dystopian society, honestly what more could you need. It was definitely a throwback to my teenage years of reading purely dystopian novels, yet scaled up a notch.

The characters and their developments were amazing, especially Melinoë. Shes basically a glorified assassin, who has been conditioned and altered since she was a child to be the perfect weapon for the Caerus, and kill the people who are thrown into the Gauntlet in the coldest way she can. Her romance with Inesa did feel a bit instalovey, which is mainly why the book isn’t a 5 star for me, as would have loved to see their relationship develop a bit more.

The setting was beautifully written, and I felt like I could see everything play out like a film in my head. I definitely see why people get the Hunger Games vibes from it. The only negative is that I really wanted more!! There’s a few plot points along the way that don’t get fully resolved and I would have loved to have seen it all come together. Basically, overall, you all need to read this. The end.

other people a hug. There’s a bunch that need a kick in the shin and Lego under their bare feet, too.

This book was a really great look at climate change and how suffering is capitalised. This is something we are seeing all around us. We see homes destroyed by disasters and big companies swooping in to buy land or to cancel home insurance. We see people in other countries suffer the worst effects of climate change, all due to the climate pollution of countries like the US. The rich create the problem, but the rich don’t suffer from it.

Suffering has too often became entertainment as well. We make entertainment out of kids working hard to earn money to keep their families afloat, praising them for their work effort without questioning why they should be doing this in the first place.

Reid takes all this and creates a world where poor people are preyed upon, getting in to debt with a corporation who later comes to collect. They collect in the form of asking the person in debt to either put up themselves, or someone within their family like a child, to participate in a gauntlet. This is a to show where sport is made of someone running for their lives.

We see the commodification of bodies too with Mel, whose body and mind are constantly altered and adjusted so she can serve the men in charge and be of entertainment. The second she falters, she’s wiped or sent to another surgery.

I really like how Reid explored all these themes as they are very timely. While the climate change effects in this book aren’t as dire as we currently experience now, it’s not a far flung future.

Mel and Inesa had great chemistry and their whole relationship was pulling at my heartstrings. I was rooting for them so badly.

I won’t spoil how the book goes, but I thought plotting and pacing was great with some good twists and reveals. I did think the story began to fall apart a bit at the end, and while I understood the point Reid was making with the ending (and leaving it open) I do wish it was a happier one with more definitive answers and changes. But then that’s life isn’t it! It sometimes just continues to suck!

And on that cheerful note, that’s the end of my review!

HOLY.COW.
I won this proof back in November when I was at @yalc_uk but only picked it up when it arrived at the store, and boy do I kick myself for taking this long to pick it up!

This book is absolutely brilliant! I'm not one for Sci-Fi but I just couldn't put it down. The characters are so attached, and the plot absolutely twisted and intriguing. There are so many twists and turns, the book is an emotional rollercoaster and the ending was absolutely mind-blowing, I did not see it coming.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

A dystopian book that is inspired by Hunger Games and has sapphic relationship? Count me in! Ava Reid created an amazing (but horrible) world that also reflects our society today, sprinkled messed up family dynamics on top, and wrote one of my top books of the year!

Gripping dystopian book, but left me wanting more!

🪽🐑🪽🐑

Premise:
In a world, where debt controls the lower class, Inesa lives in a flooded town running a taxidermy shop with her brother.

Unknown to her, her cruel and mentally sick mother, enters her into the gauntlet, a live-streamed event, where one citizen ‘the lamb’ is hunted down by a trained assassin, ‘the angel’ to forgive their families debt.

Mel, has been trained as an assassin since she was a child, but is now haunted by her recent kill. Hunting Inesa is the only thing that will redeem her, but when she’s thrown into an unknown, suddenly she needs Inesa’s help to survive!

🪽🐑🪽🐑

To start, the set up of the world feels eerily realistic. A dystopian world is caused by global warming and consumerism. And a large corporate slowly edging its way into government… All feels rather apt… We are quite quickly thrown into the world and it’s easy to get up to speed, allowing the book to get on with the action.

And I loved Ava’s author’s note at the start, saying this is a love letter to the dystopian books we love like the Hunger Games. I worried when I read that, that the book will feel like a roadmap we have seen before, but she managed to create something really unique and new! The one on one lamb x angel dynamic felt very new to me!

Inesa and Mel were strong characters. Mel in particular really goes through a story of growth, overcoming her brainwashing she’s had since she was 8! Their relationship develops quickly, and is insta-attraction, but I liked them together! They feel like what each other needs. I wouldn’t say it’s an HEA, it’s more open ended, left for interpretation.

However, I was left with so many question:
- What happens next for Mel and Inesa?
- Do we ever learn more about Mel’s family?
- What was that between Luka and Lethe at the helicopter!?
- Will Caerus ever be taken down?
- What about Keres?
- What about the dad??
It really feels set up for more books and a wider world. And part of me is like, you can’t just create this evil government and not even hint that it eventually will fall apart. Especially now, us readers need some hope 😅

I can’t find anything online to hint at a sequel but I will read it if there is one!