well umm I actually kind of liked this like yeah it’s not never seen before worldbuilding which is okay. I’m fine with reading stories that are similar to others but sometimes we gotta admit we can’t even come close to a masterpiece. it’s very hard to write a story that gives hunger games vibes and then being able to hold a candle to this. this book doesn’t come very close. as I said I did like this but I feel like this story would’ve been told much better in multiple books with more plot. and don’t talk to me about the ending cause I can’t stand it.

3.5 stars 💫 | review posted on goodreads

I cannot write this review without spoilers, because I need to rant, I need to vent out what I read here. Because what the hell was that ENDING?! I'M UPSET. This was one of my most anticipated reads, and to say the least, it disappointed me so much. All that pent-up tension, that chemistry between Inesa & Melinoe, ALL OF IT was only for them not to end up together at the end?! The ending was rushed, there could've been more to the story. The pacing was slow, the story's direction was lacking. All I know is that ending left me hanging. I don't know if I will ever write a full review later after this book gets published, but for now, these are the only things I can say, or rather I could manage to say about this book.

what to expect:
🍃 Dual-POV
🍃 Dystopian
🍃 Enemies-to-Lovers
🍃 Sapphic romance
🍃 Forced Proximity
🍃 Hunger Games-inspired
🍃 Live streamed deadly game

Thank you to the Author, the Publisher, and Netgalley for providing me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

First of all, the world-building is incredible. Growing up on dystopian novels, I’ve come to appreciate a well-thought-out world, one that not only showcases the creative (and sometimes ugly) ways people choose to survive but also offers an in-depth look at how that society came to be. The depiction of class divisions and how they manifest in day-to-day life gave me the same feeling I had while reading The Hunger Games series. It delivered sharp commentary on injustices present in our world today without feeling heavy-handed or repetitive.
The unique dynamic between the main characters was another highlight. An enemies-to-lovers arc I did not see coming! It added an unexpected layer of tension and tenderness that kept me fully engaged. While a couple of twists were somewhat predictable, the journey to those moments was thoroughly enjoyable.
Overall, this was an immersive, thought-provoking read that I’d definitely recommend to fans of dystopian fiction and complex character-driven stories.

When I first heard of this book, I can’t say I was expecting a dystopian novel. I honestly haven’t read one in the longest time, but I ended up flying through this. I have only read one of her other stories and this is completely different in a good way. This story captivated me from the start. Both Inesa and Melinoë have such sad backstories. I was devastated reading about Mel’s past. Knowing you are missing so much of yourself… It’s no wonder she felt so lost.

I really enjoyed seeing their dynamic. Mel is actually so scary at first when the Gauntlet starts. I loved seeing how they understood each other and both began to see some hope for their own future. I found Caerus and their control over the world to be so interesting and felt the world building to be really well done.

Overall I really enjoyed the plot and pacing of this story. The angel and her lamb was a dynamic I really loved reading about. I will say the ending was not satisfying to me at all. I wish that the plot had gone a different direction at that point. I also wish this was longer. We were introduced to such a cool and corrupt world, I feel like so much more could have happened through a series or that some of the plot could have been fleshed out more.

I am so excited to read Ava’s other books as even though the ending wasn’t satisfying, I overall really liked the story.

I ate this up!! YA Dystopian is back baby!! Seriously what an excellent read that gave me all the 2010 dystopian vibes that I read in HS. And now we get to make them queer!! Seriously the mechanics of the Gauntlet were great, the villains were perfectly creepy but unfortunately realistic, I was rooting for the main characters. Would love to see this turned into a movie to complete all the hunger games feels. I hope we get sequels! Ava Reid is a gem!!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an arc of Fable for the End of the World!

I fell in love with Ava Reid’s writing last year. She has a gift for crafting stories that feel like dark, mesmerizing fairy tales. When I saw she had a dystopian novel coming out this year, I was eager to get my hands on it.

Fable for the End of the World gave me serious Hunger Games vibes, but I enjoyed this much more. In this world, citizens are manipulated into staggering amounts of debt, and every so often, one *lucky* individual is randomly chosen to fight in a deadly game. They’re hunted by what is essentially a superhuman assassin, and if by some miracle they survive, their debt is wiped clean (plus a little extra). But, of course, the odds are next to impossible, and the whole thing is just another way for a major tech company to rake in profit.

On top of the high-stakes tension, there’s a sweet sapphic romance woven in, which made me love it even more. I was hooked from start to finish!

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid is a standalone, dystopian fantasy that follows Inesa, a young woman trying to make ends meet as the world seems to sink around her. Due to circumstances beyond her control, she ends up being the unwilling participant in the Gauntlet, a televised program where she is being hunted. Will she escape?

I really enjoyed my time reading this book. I flew through it in less than a day and found it to be super intriguing and fast paced. This book is very inspired by The Hunger Games which is a comp I hesitate to make. Because of the social and political commentary in THG, it is hard to replicate and I don’t think this book does that so don’t go into it thinking it is super similar.

There is an oppressive government and people are being hunted down for entertainment so those elements are there. There is another perspective in the book as well as side characters that really fill out the story that I really enjoyed. I think the world itself was really interesting. I do wish this would have been an adult book because I feel like it was missing something.

There is a romance in this book that I really liked. I liked the way the two characters came together and how they chose to pursue their relationship. I also think the end was done very well. For an Ava Reid book, this was a little more straightforward than I was expecting but I had a good time. I think young adult audiences will really enjoy this one.

I loved this book. I was sold the moment I read “lesbian hunger games.” I really liked both Inesa and Melinoë. I felt emotionally invested in both characters and knew they had so much at stake, I wanted them both to be successful. But the only way for one to succeed was for the other to die.

But ugh what a well written slow burn. I loved how Inesa and Melinoë pulled back the layers and the way they started to lean on each other and trust one another. I know this is a standalone but I want another book! I liked the ending but I want to see what happens next.

Another excellent novel from Ava Reid! This fed my dystopian loving soul. I had high hopes and those hopes were met! I lowkey wish this wasn’t a standalone novel and that there was more to come.

firstly, thank you to the publisher for an arc!

this is by far my favorite read from ava reid, without a doubt!!

fable for the end of the world is a sapphic dystopian that is most certainly heavily influenced by the hunger games, although in this dystopian world, people are nominated into the gauntlet by those closest to them to repay their debts. these people are called the lambs, and they are hunted by angels who have been surgically and hormonally enhanced to put on a show for those streaming the gauntlet.

if you don’t know me, just know i am obsessed with the hunger games, and reid has done a phenomenal job with the “bread and circus” theme with the angle of people being allowed to go so far into debt before they must nominate a family member to be murdered on a live stream for the debt to be repaid. there is a lot of commentary about consumerism, both materialistically and with online content, and how perhaps we’ve become alarmingly desensitized. not to mention, i really found the “wiping” interesting, as it reminded me of when the capitol hijacked peeta.

also, i found a specific line to be VERY twilight coded, for all the twilight girlies out there: “…they are very interested in the narrative you’ve created. the angel who fell in love with the lamb.” UGH like hellooooo edward and bella anyone? ate it up.

overall, 10/10 world-building and character development. again, i personally feel this is reid’s best work, and i hope she explores the sapphic genre again!

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children's Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Interesting take on a dystopian future where one company controls all aspects of society. Inesa and her brother live in a half drowned neighborhood where they run a taxidermy shop and try to stay out of debt. However, their mother has a huge debt and offers Inesa as a tribute to a Hunger Game type show--Lamb's Gauntlet where a half cyborg assassin hunts the person to erase $500,000 of debt. Melinoe is the assassin who is questioning all she has been trained for. Great story .

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

Fable is set in a near future corporatocracy plagued by climate change, mutated animals, and nuclear fallout. Inesa ekes out a meager existence until her mother offers Inesa up for a Hunger Games-like gauntlet where she must survive for 13 days while being hunted by Melinoë, a cyborg “angel”. Melinoë’s evil corporate overlords with two things : hunting down Lambs like Inesa and making it a good show to the millions of people who watch in real time. Failure will be met with a dire punishment: being memory wiped and sold off as a corporate concubine. As Mel pursues Inesa, lines between hunter and hunted get muddled as both young women struggle for survival.

I think Fable can be read on two levels. On the surface, it’s a quick, standalone read about two girls falling in love under dangerous circumstances. "Lesbian Hunger Games" sounds pretty rad, though as a lot of reviewers mention, the worldbuilding is minimal (how do deers grow webbed feet??) and the romance happens too quickly.

But. While I don’t think fictional stories have any obligation to be didactic, I think we as readers owe ourselves to think seriously about the media we consume and how it impacts us.

The more I thought about Fable after finishing the book, the more distressed I was. Reid acknowledges in her introduction that this book was heavily inspired by The Hunger Games. That’s clear in the gauntlet event, the characters’ understanding of how their actions will be spun in the media, and so on. I don’t begrudge anyone their tribute to a beloved series, but I struggle with why this one exists and what it adds other than a remarkable dark pessimism.

Let me explain. I think a key theme of YA dystopia is how one person (with a combination of dumb luck, skill, loved ones, an attractive love interest or two, and more dumb luck) can change the world for the better, even if it’s at great cost to themselves. Without spoilers, the end of this book is a thorough letdown in that respect. There’s a tiny bit of hope, but it’s at a personal level, and the world functionally remains unchanged. In this real political climate, in this world where so many have been conditioned to think only of themselves and their loved ones, I think that’s profoundly sad. It’s like the passion of 2010s YA dystopia, with all of its youthful zeal, is no longer even a spark and there’s no hope of getting it back. While I don’t think a 2010-style novel would hit all that well today (see, for example, the reception to the movie adaptation of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies), this novel hit me like a baseball bat filled with despair rather than an invitation to probe the genre and its origins. It’s not dissimilar to critiques I read about the same author’s novel Lady Macbeth, which claims to be a feminist retelling but strips the Lady Macbeth of the agency that made her such a compelling character. Yes, play with the genre conventions, but do something interesting deliberately. This felt rudderless.

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid

First thoughts: Raw, dystopian and almost too close home; a love letter to Hunger Games.

Summary: By encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society. Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet.

Melinoë is a Caerus assassin, trained to track and kill the sacrificial Lambs. The product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she is a living weapon, known for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. When Inesa learns that her mother has offered her as a sacrifice, at first she despairs but she’s had years of practice surviving in the apocalyptic wastes, and with the help of her hunter brother she might stand a chance of staying alive.

For Melinoë, this is a game she can’t afford to lose. Despite her reputation for mercilessness, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on livestream, she desperately needs redemption. 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.

Review: Let me tell you something. This is Reid's best book to date, and I'm pretty sure this is the one that we will remember her for. It was yummy as in I wanted MORE and MORE. World building is top notch, and that first 30% of the book you get so much info and jaw dropping details. And the pacing of that first half? Chef's kiss. Once we get to the actual Gauntlet things change, and you have NO IDEA of what's gonna happen. Melinoë give serious Hannah vibes, and the Masks (and again Melinoë) have some resemblance in my head to Mother from "Raised by Wolves". Deliciously dystopic, and Caerus (AKA the Tyrell Corporation, IYKYK) feels almost too real. Let this be a cautionary tale.

#FablefortheEndoftheWorld #NetGalley

Reid crafts a chilling world dominated by the corporation Caerus, where debt is a weapon and the ultimate entertainment is the Lamb's Gauntlet, a televised bloodbath where debtors are hunted and killed. This premise alone sets the stage for a tense and emotionally charged narrative. We're immediately drawn to Inesa, a young woman struggling to survive in a half-sunken town, and Melinoë, the seemingly heartless assassin tasked with hunting her.

The dual perspectives of Inesa and Melinoë are masterfully handled. Inesa's desperation and resilience are palpable. She's not just a victim; she's a survivor, resourceful and determined to protect her brother. Melinoë, on the other hand, is a complex character grappling with her past and the conditioning that has turned her into a killing machine. Reid skillfully peels back the layers of her icy exterior, revealing a vulnerable and conflicted individual. The contrast between their worlds – Inesa's fight for survival in the wastes and Melinoë's life within the corporation – adds depth and intrigue to their inevitable collision.

The romance that blossoms between Inesa and Melinoë is a slow burn, born out of necessity, respect, and a shared understanding of their harsh realities. It's a delicate flower pushing through the cracked concrete of their dystopian world. Their connection feels genuine and earned, adding a layer of hope to an otherwise bleak landscape.

While the action and suspense are expertly woven throughout the narrative, it's Reid's exploration of themes like class disparity, corporate control, and the human cost of entertainment that truly elevates Fable for the End of the World. The world-building is immersive and detailed, making the stakes feel incredibly real.

Fable for the End of the World is a powerful and thought-provoking read. It's a story that will stay with you long after you turn the final page, leaving you pondering the nature of survival, the power of love, and the potential for hope even in the darkest of times. Highly recommended for fans of dystopian fiction, romance, and stories that explore the complexities of the human spirit.

This was a mixed bag of feelings?
The characters were great and the YA dystopian atmosphere gets 100% but that was where it fell apart
I wish the world building was more intense. I felt this book glossed over the world building by trying to make the reader think it's a typical dystopian world and few details would be enough. It isn't. Who is the Caerus CEO? Why mention them so much if you're not going to give a bigger story?

But I still liked the writing and I enjoyed reading it. The ending was not what I was expecting so that was a surprise

3.5 Stars

This book delivers everything I look for in a dystopian novel—intense stakes, compelling characters, and a world that feels eerily plausible. The story follows Inesa, a taxidermist barely scraping by in the slums, and Melinoë, a genetically engineered Angel trained for assassination and spectacle. When Inesa’s mother forces her into the Gauntlet—a brutal, televised competition where Lambs must evade Angels—she and her brother Luka must fight to survive. What follows is a fast-paced, tension-filled journey through a dystopian world that feels disturbingly close to reality.

One of the book’s strongest aspects is its setting. Rather than leaning on the familiar “government as the villain” trope, this story shifts its focus to corporate control, making its themes of power and exploitation hit especially hard. The social commentary is woven naturally into the plot, particularly through its take on AI, climate change, and digital surveillance. While some might find these themes a little surface-level, they still add to the story’s relevance and urgency.

The characters are another highlight. Inesa is a scrappy, determined protagonist, and her relationship with Luka brings a heartfelt sibling dynamic to the narrative. Melinoë, as a lab-engineered weapon, provides an intriguing contrast, though I do wish her character arc had been explored more deeply. The romance between her and Inesa had potential, but it could have used more development to make their connection feel stronger.

The book’s pacing kept me hooked from start to finish, though I did feel the climax and resolution could have been given more time to breathe. The ending, in particular, left me with mixed feelings—not necessarily in a bad way, but it’s the kind that lingers in your mind long after turning the last page.

Overall, this novel is a great addition to the dystopian genre. It embraces the elements that made early YA dystopians so compelling while introducing fresh ideas and perspectives. If you’re looking for a standalone that blends action, tension, and thought-provoking themes, this is worth picking up. Just be prepared for some brutal moments along the way. 4 stars!

I don't know if I can find the words to express everything this book made me feel. The anger, hope, grief, fear, loss, and love that I felt alongside these characters was so palpable and real. It's like this book came along to remind me why I love reading so much in the first place.

As far as dystopian books go (particularly modern, YA dystopian), I am always a little reluctant. The Hunger Games is one of my favorite series' of all time, but it often feels like other books in the genre are trying too hard to focus on the formula of what makes a profitable dystopian rather than the message that makes a meaningful dystopian. This one felt like it did well at not falling into that trap. While it's true that there were moments where it felt like the love story might be overshadowing the dystopian hellscape of it all but honestly... at this point, we live in a dystopian hellscape, and we all would love for things like love and romance and hope to overshadow it, so I'm okay with it.

This was also unique as far as modern YA dystopians go because the oppressor wasn't the government, but a corporation, and honestly... in today's society here in America, it really hit. It was genuinely scary at times.

The book was also just beautifully written. The prose was lovely, and there were lines that truly felt like a punch to the gut in the best way possible. The characters were all not only complex and flawed and real, but also deeply lovable. For a book pretty heavy on the sci-fi aspect it felt so grounded in reality.

There were moments where the book did feel a bit derivative of The Hunger Games, but in a way where it felt more like a love letter than a copy. I wasn't terribly bothered by it, but if you are the kind of person who would take issues with that then this might not be the book for you.

I think it was an incredibly important read though, and I would highly recommend giving it a try. Just go in prepared for it to be gruesome and gory and know you're probably gonna get your heart crushed at some point.

4.5 stars (lost just a bit for being derivative and also because the ending wasn't what I wanted, but I don't want to discuss that here because spoilers) but rounded up to 5 because it deserves that more than a 4!

A MASSIVE thank you to NetGalley and the folks at HarperCollins for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! It was an honor to get to read such a beautiful and important book.

In this dystopian society, the Caerus corporation controls everything and uses their influence to encourage the underclass to rack up massive amounts of debt and force them to participate in the Gauntlet, or send someone in their stead. The Gauntlet is a game of life-or-death where the debtor is hunted by an Angel, a physiologically altered assassin and it is broadcast for entertainment. Inesa was volunteered for the Gauntlet by her mother. Melinoë, the Angel, is trying to right her reputation after a mishap with her last Lamb. Both are fighting for their future. Both want something more than this life. Can they fight together or is Caerus’s influence too great?
I am a huge fan of the Hunger Games series so I was hooked from the beginning! It was fast paced and action packed. The reluctant allies to star-crossed lovers was tragic and beautiful. I cannot stop thinking about the ending and I am recommending this to everyone I know.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Children’s Books for the e-ARC!

3.5⭐️

A lot of aspects of this story felt very timely; a world full of AI, capitalism, corruption, pollution, and class divides felt really relatable as an American in 2025. I do wish this corruption was explored more, though. With this being a standalone book, there wasn't time to really dig into what lead to the Caerus corporation really controlling everything. I did find the world building during the first 25-50% of the book to be a lot more interesting than the Lamb's Gauntlet. I did like how this looked at how people take the anonymity of the internet for granted and are willing to to do and say the nastiest things from the safety of their living room.

I can see where the comparison of Lesbian Hunger Games came from for this book, but ultimately the relationship between Melinoe and Inesa didn't work for me. Overall it felt rushed. I could understand Melinoe being able to override her programing to avoid killing Inesa, but the jump from saving her to the romantic relationship didn't flow as nicely. The pacing of the whole book was a bit odd for me as well. There was a lot of loose world building, followed by the beginning of the Lamb's Gauntlet that seemed to go a little too smoothly and then the last bit of the book was just jam packed with action that could have been spread more evenly throughout the book.

Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing this ARC to me!

I received an arc of this book through Netgalley

Reading this book was a bit surreal for me- I started my copy the night of the Eaton Fire in LA and ultimately picked it up and put it down for the next month after evacuating and while moving from place to place (we’re all safe thankfully). The climate change themes hit particularly hard and I felt a connection to the characters.

This is the second book of Ava Reid’s that I’ve read and I am simply amazed by their work again. A sapphic love story wrapped within a stunning critique on where the intersection of corporate greed and climate change can lead while being reminiscent of the ya dystopia books I read while growing up. It’s hard not to love.
I am very very excited to make my way through their other books soon 🖤