Take a photo of a barcode or cover
lezreadalot 's review for:
Fable for the End of the World
by Ava Reid
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Nothing dooms you quicker than desire.
REREAD 2025. 3.75 stars. Like I said, I started rereading this almost right after finishing. I liked this a lot, and while it wasn't my favourite, I felt that maybe I read it too quickly, and a slower read might benefit me. And it did! While my rating remains the same, I feel like I absorbed more of the story details and the world. My critiques remain the same, especially when it comes to the occasional repetitiveness, and certain details not making sense. But I still really loved Inessa and Melinoë, and the darkness and melancholy and hope really worked for me.
I will say, I just noticed that some of the blurbs describe this as a romance, and that's a little annoying. Because it isn't a romance. I wish publishing would be more careful of things like this. And if it's described as a romance, it's not surprising that some people are disappointed with it.
I again listened to the audiobook, and liked it just as much. I haven't been interested in Reid's other books, but I'm glad I tried this.
--
You can hate the person who imprisons you, but you can’t hate the person who sets you free. So what do you do when they’re one and the same?
3.75 stars, perhaps 4 stars. Since finishing this book almost a week ago, I've actually started slowly reading it, and I'm almost finished with my reread. So this review sort of encapsulates my thoughts from both reads. Even though this wasn't a favourite the first time I read it, I just felt like maybe I had read it a bit too quickly, and this time I do think I'm enjoying it just a little bit more. I don't think it's doing anything new, but it's a YA sapphic dystopia that honestly really touched my heart.
There have been a lot of comparisons to the Hunger Games with this book, and while that's not really accurate, I get why that's what most people would think of when they read this. This is a far future dystopia, where there's been a lot of geopolitical upheaval. The story takes place somewhere in the restructured United States, in New Amsterdam, where a company called Caerus controls all systems of society, by encouraging all citizens to incur massive amounts of debt from them. One form of gruesome entertainment is the Lamb's Gauntlet, where someone who has incurred a lot of debt is hunted and stalked and killed in a live stream spectacle by Angels, trained, enhanced assassins. Debtors can also nominate someone else to be in the gauntlet on their behalf, which is exactly what happens to our main character, Inessa. She is forced to participate in the gauntlet because of her mother's debt, and Melinoë is the Angel sent out to kill her. They're obviously enemies at first, but they're both outsiders in different ways, and against all odds, a bond begins to form.
This just works, in most of the ways it set out to. Perhaps not a lot of subtlety, but I didn't think that handicapped the story in any way. There's a lot of obvious commentary on capitalism and greed, the wealth and class divide, and how those in power use every means possible to make sure that that divide remains in place. There's the commodification of violence and death, the spectacle of it, no matter if adults or children. It's a horrific world, and the opening scene does a good job of dropping you into the ruthlessness, the perversity, the horror of it. I was also touched by the ways this was about the commodification of girls' bodies, the constant shame and hypervigilance we're supposed to have about our appearance, and the ways we're judged for it. I really loved Melinoë's side of the story, her history as an angel, and the things she's been forced to endure. At the start of the story she isn't completely brainwashed; she does seem to understand the injustice in what's been done to her and what she has to do to others. But she HAS been indoctrinated, and continues to be indoctrinated through memory wipe procedures, and it's all very quietly devastating.
The world building is interesting. We're in a time where the changing climate and the state of nature has forced evolution to move along in unexpected ways, and a lot of animals are adapting and mutating in unexpected ways. We've got birds with scales, deer with multiple eyes and webbed feet, and humans who transform into mindless mutants because of drinking tainted water or eating tainted meat. Inessa is actually a taxidermist; she and her brother make a living by killing and mounting unmutated animals like deer and birds and rabbits. Which does seem kind of counterproductive from a conservation point of view, and it did beggar belief, that they could make an actual living from this. Like, are non-mutated animals really that much in demand? Oh well. It was an interesting detail and a unique job for a protagonist in a dystopia.
The romance really worked for me, because I love opposites attract, and I really enjoy enemies to lovers in this way. Melinoë is this cold, genetically enhanced, ruthless killer, trying hard to resist the emotions and the memories that keep clawing at her. Inessa is a survivor, really soft in a lot of ways, not a fighter, and seemingly incapable of hate. I honestly love that. Inessa isn't a complete pushover, and even when weak, she fights and she does what she has to do. But I really loved her softness and her sweetness in the face of what the world has thrown at her. There are moments where she has the chance to fight back and kill Melinoë, and she can't bring herself to do it. It does seem very naïve in the moment, but it works because of the character. And the author did a good job of building that instant connection, even when they were enemies. It was totally believable that she would hesitate, and totally believable that they would form a bond. I really loved Melinoë's protectiveness of Inessa, just the ways they each brought out a truer and more sincere version of themselves. Queer love as rebellion; I loved it.
I liked the writing a lot for the most part. This was my first read by Ava Reid and the prose was often beautiful or touching in some way. I did find that there was a lot of repetitiveness, just moments where we would be told a certain world-building detail over again, when it wasn't really needed. It felt like, I don't know, a lack of trust in the reader to absorb or remember certain things, but IDK, maybe it was necessary. There were some moments where the characters made a bunch of really naïve assumptions or logical leaps, and I really didn't understand why they would think certain things. Like when Inessa and her brother discussed a certain topic, they assume that the cameras would get turned off because Caerus doesn't want the audience to see. But obviously, even if Caerus turns off the cameras, they themselves (the producers of the show) would still be watching. But I guess because these characters are teenagers, I have to give some leeway for that. Perhaps I might have enjoyed this even more if it were adult, but I do think the youth of these girls is part of what makes this even more horrifying, and makes certain aspects of it work.
The ending is probably divisive, and for good reason. I know there's a version of myself who would have probably hated it. But I think I actually kind of love it instead. It works perfectly for the world that this is. And that just made me feel so much, you know? Like (spoilers if you follow the link) this song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woLfAvD5iXI&t=133s) was playing in my head for the entirety of the last chapter. ;;
Listened to the audiobook as read by Gail Shalan and Emily Lawrence, and I really liked it. This did have that one problem, in that both narrators had very distinct voices, and sounded nothing like each other, and it didn't seem as if they made any attempt to sound like each other. So in Inessa's chapters, Inessa had a very distinct voice, as did Melinoë. But then in Melinoë's chapters, Melinoë's voice sounded way different, as did Inessa's. That wasn't really much of a hurdle, because both narrators had great voices, and the emotion and tension and action were really well performed. So it was still a really enjoyable experience. My fingers are crossed that perhaps one day this will get a sequel. There's definitely room for it. But if not, this works as a stand-alone and I really enjoyed it.
Content warnings:
Maybe all my life has been one long gauntlet, running, fighting, searching for her.