Wtf 😅😅😅😅

A Fable for the End of the World is a sapphic dystopian YA that will resonate deeply with your teen-self. If you loved The Hunger Games and The Maze Runner, then this is the book for you.

Themes include:

-Dystopian Setting
-Enemies to Lovers
-Found Family
-Sapphic Romance
-Hunter vs the Hunted

I was captivated by this book from the start. Surprisingly fast-paced and easy to follow, I devoured it in just three sittings. Reid has quickly become an auto-buy author for me; her descriptions of the environment, surroundings and people are so vivid that I never struggle to picture her characters and worlds in my mind. Plus, she's an awesome human.

Reid's ability to weave together complex plots and multi-dimensional characters showcases her exceptional talent as a storyteller. The novel's pacing is well-crafted, balancing moments of intense action with quieter, more intimate passages that allow for deeper character connections.

The story centres around themes of hope and resilience, offering strong perspectives on the nature of humanity. These themes make it an emotionally impactful read that stays with you long after you've turned the final page.

Huge thanks to DelReyUK for the ARC

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

“And maybe that’s all it takes—at least at the beginning. Just a few people who care.”

The Last of Us meets Crier’s War meets The Hunger Games in Ava Reid’s new dystopian fantasy.

Fable for the End of the World is a standalone dystopian sapphic romance about survival, sacrifice, and love that risks everything.

I loved Reid’s atmospheric writing and thought that the book was very fast paced throughout and the tension constantly high. The story was beautiful yet horrifying and devastating at the same time.

Inesa and Melinoë are two really strong female characters each with their own story and motivations, which are brought together in the most brutal way.

Thank you @delrey for the proof

When I think back to YALC 2024 and the way I fought tooth and nail for this book. And for what? PAIN!!! Endless, torturous, slow, and debilitating pain.

And at this point I should expect no less from Ava.

This starts off with the most beautiful love letter to the hunger games. As a girl who was there for the OG dystopian novel high, it was beautiful to read and you can definitely see the influence that series has on this book. But my lord does it take on a life of its own.

I won’t go too much into the pain of the world itself, you should discover that for yourself but what I will say is the commentary on women in the media, consumerism, sexuality, love, gender (honestly I can go on forever) is, as always, so beautifully done.

And the romance, the spark of hope in a bleak and devastating world, had me physically grabbing my chest to stop me falling apart, the complex feelings of two very different souls, with struggles the other could never really understand, and the hope they give each other. I can’t put into words how they made me feel.

The end? You’ll have to read it to find out but keep the tissues (and junk food) close by.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to this early. Review has been posted on Waterstones and Amazon.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. - arc & monthly book box pick reviewer

This is one the most hyped books of 2025, and since it has a queer main couple, I was all grabby hands. I just needed to read it! I haven't read any f/f dystopia, so I was very excited for it! However, it just didn't do it for me.

We have chapters from both girls, of Inesa's and Mel's. You really feel for both of them, that's for sure. Inesa has a brother with whom she has an agreement not to talk about both elephants in the room namely the dad who abandoned them and a mother who is self-absorbed and who blames everything on Inesa while her brother is a golden boy who can do no wrong. She is imprisoned within her family and imprisoned by society, too. Their debts get higher and higher, and there is no way out.

Mel has been stripped of everything that makes her her. Her memories get wiped, her face altered, her body pumped with various substances. She is at the mercy of Azrael, her handler and creators of the atrocious Gauntlets. She is also a victim of her circumstances, of poverty, of lack of privilege. She is designed to be a weapon that kills at the Gauntlets. Anything else should not exist. But her feelings still exist. Her mind starts to push against the program's unspeakable "treatments" and I do believe that she will get out, at some point.

I rooted for both girls, and I liked both, but I didn't feel the romance at all. Each girl starts having feelings for the other because they're pretty? Their attraction, I can get. But actual feelings just like that when one of them is meant to kill the other? To me, it felt forced, and I couldn't get invested in their romance.

I haven't read any of the author's previous work, but many readers say that she is known for her atmospheric prose. This book didn't have it, in my opinion, and perhaps, it was by design. I don't know. I just felt like it was very wordy, paragraphs were long, and there were plenty instances of page after page of commentary and/or worldbuilding descriptions. I did feel the author's heart on the story, though. This book certainly means a lot to her, and I felt her devotion to it. However, for me, the worldbuilding didn't feel fresh, it felt like a natural devolvement of our society seeing the world's current state.

I'm not a fan of the ending, either. It felt very anticlimactic, an awkward bittersweet ending that had me sighing.

Suffice to say, this was def not for me, but others might feel different! I mean, we finally have a YA queer dystopia! This can open the path to so many other stories by authors of marginalized backgrounds.

It is the monthly pick for a YA March box, and I will skip.

Loved loved loved this, it's hunger games meets climate change but without a super happy ending. I would definitely love to read more, maybe an overthrow of the system

I’m afraid I will need to DNF this book. It’s truly nothing to do with the authors writing or the story, I’m just not the biggest fan of dystopian fiction I’m realising! (Which is okay!!!). Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it :)

Ava Reid is an instant buy author for me, and has been for a while. I’m also a HUGE lover of dystopian fantasies.

Fable for the End of the World is one of my most anticipated reads for 2025, and I’m thrilled that I have almost no notes - Ava Reid has done it again. I appreciate that Fable is a standalone novel, however, I do feel like there’s potential scope to go back to New Amsterdam.

I loved the juxtaposition of Mel and Inesa, our two FMCs, my only niggle would be to know more about Mel’s background in particular, how did she become an Angel?

This is a great step into dystopian fantasy for anyone who hasn’t ventured into the genre before, but also a welcomed familiar feeling for any dystopian lover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really wonderful sapphic dystopian I was eager for since 1) I’m a huge fan of dystopian fiction and 2) I’ve loved everything Ava Reid has ever published. Fable for the End of the World was no exception and I enjoyed it so much I might have to reread already.

🌧️ Fable For The End of The World • Ava Reid 🌧️
★★★.𝟱

Read if you enjoy:
🌧️ YA dystopian
🌧️ Sapphic romance
🌧️ Enemies to lovers
🌧️ Forced proximity
🌧️ Cyberpunk assassins
🌧️ Explores inequality of wealth
🌧️ Exposure of over-consumerism
🌧️ Survival in the Wild

Caerus is the people who sell things the impoverished cannot afford and then collect on the debt in the most grim way possible. Once a debt reaches 500,000 credits, the people in debt can offer up a family member to participate in the Gauntlet. For Inesa, it’s her mother that offers her up to be a Lamb in the Gauntlet which will be televised nationally. Melinoë is one of the assassin’s, or ‘Angel’s’, trained to kill Lamb’s, and she is desperately seeking redemption after her last Gauntlet. Inesa’s only option is to run, with Melinöe on her heels.

This was described as The Last of Us meets The Hunger Games. But it felt more teenage Terminator to me. I loved the cyberpunk assassins and was incredibly fascinated by their unique training. I also really enjoyed the depiction of a climate-ravaged world. One that is victim to biblical flooding and radiation, creating a drowned setting full of mutated creatures which both Inesa and Melinöe need to survive. The setting creates a fraught atmosphere which help Inesa and Melinöe to trauma bond. But whilst the ‘Fable’ in the title brings to mind a romance of fairytale-esque proportions, the forced proximity blossoming between the two teenagers did not work for me, particularly with the emphasis on ‘forced’.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. Although I don't read much YA these days, I was tempted to read this for two reasons, firstly because I have enjoyed most of the author's previous work but also because like the author, the hunger games was very influential to me. I was worried that it might be too close to the inspiration but actually I found that the characters were unique and I enjoyed both POVs, especially some of the more reflective moments in Melinoë's story. I think part of why the hunger games resonated with me so much is that it is easy to imagine how our society could transform into it's dystopian version, and I think that this book mostly succeeded in giving me that same feeling, as corporate greed and power is a very relevant topic to us today. I think that I just wanted a tiny bit more from the book, a more in depth look at the society (perhaps for example a POV of a city dweller watching the coverage), but overall recommend this book and find it worthy to be compared to the hunger games.

4.5 stars

What a beautiful story! This was my first book by Ava Reid, and I will absolutely be reading more. This dual POV story follows 'The Angel' and 'The Lamb' as they navigate a deadly game in a post-nuclear world.

I read somewhere that this wasn't supposed to be a big dystopian epic, and I agree that it wasn't. The world-building was quite light, and I had some questions at the end. However, I was totally okay with that. This snippet of time worked very well on its own and provided a window into this world of capitalism. I also really enjoyed the social commentary aspects that looked at climate change, femininity, consumerism, and more. Although these themes were used with a light touch, I enjoyed the deeper thoughts that they inspired while I was reading.

My favourite aspect was the writing because it was gorgeous. I found myself highlighting lots of passages throughout and noticing the subtle shifts in the way each character throughout as the story progressed. First-person dual POV can be a bit hit-or-miss for me, but it was the perfect way to tell this tale. I felt completely transported while reading.

I would suggest not comparing this book with other 2010s dystopians while reading. It is a fantastic story that deserves to be judged on its own merits!

This is my first book by Ava Reid but I don't think it will be my last!

I love dystopian YA books more than oxygen so I obviously enjoyed this.

I enjoyed Inesa's POV more than Melinoe's but I can't really put my finger on why. They both had their own voices and it was clear who was speaking during each chapter.

I do wish the romance was more of a slow build up as it went from attempted murder to love in a few steps, but then at 17 doesn't everyone just fall in love really easily?!

The way the Angels are treated as a commodity both during their active service and after (decommissioned) made me rage, especially where it touches on how little autonomy they have over their own bodies.

Overall, a really good YA dystopian novel that is set in the definitely not to distant future and it is bleak AF.

Ava Reid's writing never fails to captivate me so it's really no shock to me that I loved this book. The world sucks you in and keeps you wanting more and the romance? Swoonworthy!

"We all do what we have to do in order to survive." This book ouch! Inesa lives with her mother and brother, her dad disappeared one night and since then her and Luka do whatever they can to survive. Her mother has multiple problems, including her debt how to get out of debt well she choses to make Inesa a lamb in the gauntlet. The only way to survive is to win, but who is she up against? A girl who only knows how to kill. Melinoe has been trained and manufactured under Caerus Angel problem, her main job is to kill the lambs in the gauntlet only she's remembering more and more of her past. When challenged with Inesa who appears to be an easy kill with no father, an ill mother and a younger brother who is good with a riffle what will happen? I loves the sibling unity between Luka and Inesa trying to get a head start before the gauntlet they rack up favours that they may not make it back to repay. They fight together til they are separated and at that point Inesa is on her own to survive against Melinoe and al the other creatures out to get her. Only thats when Inesa and Melinoe end up together, the angel is struggling from a withdrawal when her lamb stumbles upon her only she's not alone. The two must team up to try and survive what hunts them both. We see them work together and locate a cabin only they are not as alone as they thought the whole world is still watching. A message letting her know her brother is still alive and giving her the reminder to follow the hope she had the last thing from her dad but was it worth trusting the man who left. The ending of this book, I was not expecting it at all. Just remember "Even a wolf can be gentle if it wants, but you should never forget its teeth."

Fable for the End of the World is a sapphic, YA dystopian set in a society ravaged by climate change and controlled by a powerful, shady corporation who encourage indebting yourself to them. In the foreword, the author describes it as a love letter to the dystopian YA fiction they grew up with in the 2010s, and as a massive fan of that era of dystopian stories, this rings true. There are lots of parallels to The Hunger Games in particular. Innocent young people are forced into a survival situation through no fault of their own. It's all live streamed and turned into entertainment as the 'lambs' are hunted down.

It is fast paced throughout and the tension is constantly high. I almost wished for a bit more time to understand this fascinating society. A bleak, but weirdly believable future. The ending is pretty shocking but ultimately fitting. It left a few question marks that could hint at a sequel, but I've only seen this advertised as a standalone so far. I would happily learn more about this world and what happens next to Inesa and Melinoë if I could, but for now I will just have to speculate!

Recommended for fans of classic YA dystopian from the 2000s/2010s. This story is so reminiscent of that, but thankfully more queer!

fable for the end of the world is an exciting new dystopian by ava reid. compared to the likes of a study in drowning, fable is wildly different. as someone who used to love and adore dystopians (it was all i used to read), i was so ready to devour fable for the end of the world.

as with most books, i was definitely hooked by the start. i loved the similarities to various other dystopians and it made me feel really nostalgic. the worldbuilding is fun and exciting. it mirrors our current world in a haunting way that makes you realise this could be our future.

the characters were quite interesting but something fell flat for me. one thing i really liked about inesa was her lack of training and ability to do much. she wasn't proficient with a gun or hand to hand combat, she's an unlikely hero and i really liked that about her. mel, on the other hand, was an 'angel'. i won't go into details as i don't want to accidentally spoil anything, but i found her background and situation unique and fascinating. i also liked the realistic future/retirement that these girls had (it's not nice, but it's something that i can believe to happen in real life).

the romance, being sapphic, was something i was really excited for. i always love a good sapphic romance. unfortunately, i didn't actually like this one that much. i don't know if it was the characters or their situation, but i didn't get their connection. it felt forced. because of this, i didn't like the last third of the book. the climax became underwhelming because i wasn't rooting for their success as strongly as i was in the beginning.

as far as dystopians go, fable doesn't bring anything new to the table (except maybe the sapphic romance), but it was still a fun and entertaining read.

Wow. This book was incredible. I am a huge fan of Reid's work so i have been super excited to pick this one up and my excitement was definitely not misplaced.

This book was so perfectly written from start to finish and the story was beautiful yet horrifying at the same time - the angel falling for the sacrificial lamb. Both women have had completely different lives - one barely scraping through life in the slums and one pulled apart and put back together again - but ultimately they want the same thing, freedom.

This was a beautiful and devastating story, one i will definitely be thinking about for a while. The only reason this is not a five star read for me is simply the fact it wasn't longer, i want more of this world and i'm hoping that maybe with that ending there could possibly be another book written in the future.

4/5

I really enjoyed this book. It is so vastly innovative, I adored everything about the world and the themes it explored. It's a brilliant ode to dystopian books like The Hunger Games, whilst still undoubtedly being its own unique story.

Slowly, we uncover the threads that make up the society of New Amsterdam. The threads that enable and direct the dreaded Gauntlet—a livestreamed game where people are encouraged to offer up a life in exchange for their debts, a game where the surgically-altered assassins hunt down and kill the sacrificial Lambs.
This is a world ravaged by the after effects of nuclear war, struggling to survive an irradiated landscape and the rising sea levels. It is a world that is drowning, and where Caerus—the corporation in charge—gets to decide who will sink and who will swim.

Caerus have offered the citizens a system in which they can spend whilst accumulating massive amounts of debt, a system that encourages them to dig themselves deeper and deeper until they have no options left. It is a system utilised to divert blame. How can it be Caerus' fault that you've spent yourself to death? How can it be their fault if you go hungry, refusing to indebt yourself? Either way, the fault cannot lie with them. It is the false appearance of a choice. And if you are the one making the decision, how can the blame be put on another? It is an incredibly clever system that is only steps removed from a reality we recognise.
When this debt builds and builds and eventually reaches its limits, there are ways to make it go away. Another false choice is presented to you. A life for a debt. A pretence given of a chance of surviving the Gauntlet, another system Caerus have expertly crafted in order to control.

Caerus choose the Lambs, the sacrificed debtors, and they choose the Angels, the merciless killers. They construct and delicately place the bricks of the narrative, and let the citizens of New Amsterdam watch as it all plays out. It's a fair chance, they say, a hunter and a hunted. But Caerus has altered their Angels to become the perfect creations, the most ruthless killing machines.

In these robes, we meet our main characters. Inesa—the Lamb, and Melinoë—the Angel.
Inesa has lived in Lower Esopus her entire life, making a living off of preserving a memory of the past in her taxidermy shop. Her brother, Luka, hunts the animals—the ones that spark comfort and remind people of the world before, the deer with only two eyes and no webbed feet—and Inesa stuffs them. Together they work for food and for warmth, desperate never to accumulate debt, fighting to survive every day in a world that would drown them. But their mother has no such qualms, she amounts more and more debt every day, and she offers up Inesa to clear it.
Melinoë is an Angel, a Caerus assassin. She has been outfitted with machine parts, enhanced to become the perfect weapon, and altered aesthetically to look exactly how they want. She was made to be remorseless, but the last time she was sent out to kill a Lamb something went wrong. The memory stuck and no amount of Caerus' Wipes could erase it. The sound of the rain, the feeling of water on her skin, all of it brings her back to that moment. The one she cannot forget. But this Gauntlet will be different, this Gauntlet she will prove herself, she won't falter and then she won't be made empty of who she is. She won't be decommissioned.

Melinoë is the hunter and Inesa is the hunted. Caerus want the audience to believe Inesa has a chance. Melinoë knows she must perform well. All Inesa wants is to survive. But there are more things out there in the wild than just the two of them. There is pain and grief, there is endless fear, but there is also hope.

I adored learning everything about this world, it holds so many amazing concepts and ideas. I loved every morsel of worldbuilding we were fed, I only wished we could've seen more of it. Because of this personal preference, the beginning of the book was my favourite part as I wanted to do nothing but soak in all the different elements of this society and this dilapidating world. It was so well constructed and I hope we get to see more of it in another book, if possible!
I enjoyed watching the character's relationships as they developed, although I think I needed more time to grow properly attached to them and to the romance.

The ending is another matter. (Don't worry, no spoilers!) I'm very conflicted about how I feel about the ending and I think it might make for some quite polarising opinions. I'm at once a little underwhelmed, as I think it's a tad anticlimactic, yet I also understand the messaging behind it and entirely adore what it's trying to say.
I think it is an important thing to remember that change does not happen all at once and that even small revolutions mean something. Change is difficult and it is slow, but it is worth fighting for, over and over again. It does not take only one spark to rewrite the world as we know it, not in actuality. It starts with the smallest of revolutions, inside one person and then another. It grows and it shifts and it builds until those sparks become a flame, until each individual has felt those embers and has let it change them. There is no easy, utopian solution to our dystopia. Change is difficult and maybe we won't change the world, but it is a place to start.

I think this is a very fresh and intriguing take on a subgenre that most will have experienced before. It is born of a love of fandom and of the dystopian genre, and I'm very happy to have read it. I immensely enjoyed it and I think that so many others will as well.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this story! Perfect for fans of futuristic dystopian stories; think hunger games meets ex-machina. We follow our protagonist as she’s thrusted against her will into a gauntlet, essentially being hunted by a modified human with robotic features to pay off her mothers debts in society, which is also used as an entertainment piece.
The world building felt so fresh and original and I was completely immersed, the themes of floods, water and magic were so engaging, and I loved how these line up with themes within the author’s other works.
Would highly recommend to any fantasy dystopian fans this was a 5 star read for me and I wish there was more!