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A review by ladyoftheblade
Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Fable is one of those books where I wasn't sure I was going to like it. Fable is told through first-person, present tense. That style isn't really my jam. However, it does have dual narration and alternates each chapter or every other chapter...which is my jam. Overall, Fable is about a capitalist hellscape where people can rack up debt to a threshold before the corporation government asks them to pay up. OR to nominate a person to participate in the Gauntlet. The Gauntlet is basically a 1v1 televised death match where the chosen person (the lamb) is up against the corporation's assassin (they are called angels). The entire world-building was interesting and very reminiscent of early 2010s dystopian fiction.
Inesa is from a small town and is chosen by her mother to alleviate her mother's debt. Inesa comes with her own baggage. Her father is gone and her brother is her mother's favorite. Despite that, Inesa is not willing to go to the Gauntlet without a fight. Her brother decides to go with her and help her survive. After all, the Gauntlet is only supposed to last 13 days with either the Lamb's death, the Angel's death, or the timer running out. In contrast, Melinoe has been raised by the corporation since she was 8 years old. Her body was modified to be a perfect, unfeeling killing machine. Melinoe fully intends to kill Inesa without learning anything about her. Just another kill. But then...plot happens. And don't get me wrong. It is GOOD plot. It it plot that makes me nostalgic for the Hunger Games and Divergent and other dystopian novels.
The romance needed more time to develop. I liked the chemistry of Melinoe and Inesa (when they were not contemplating killing each other). But, I feel Reid needed more pages to fully flesh out why they fell for each other.
My biggest issue is that Fable starts out really strong and then just...ends. The ending was okay, but I wished there was more to it. It may be a cheeky call back to the corporations cameras and the fact that we (the reader) do not get to see and know everything once the cameras are off (in this case...the book ends). Overall, it was a worthwhile read that was heavily doused in nostalgia. I hope there is a sequel. Or a short story. Or something that follows up on what happens with Inesa and Melinoe.
Inesa is from a small town and is chosen by her mother to alleviate her mother's debt. Inesa comes with her own baggage. Her father is gone and her brother is her mother's favorite. Despite that, Inesa is not willing to go to the Gauntlet without a fight. Her brother decides to go with her and help her survive. After all, the Gauntlet is only supposed to last 13 days with either the Lamb's death, the Angel's death, or the timer running out. In contrast, Melinoe has been raised by the corporation since she was 8 years old. Her body was modified to be a perfect, unfeeling killing machine. Melinoe fully intends to kill Inesa without learning anything about her. Just another kill. But then...plot happens. And don't get me wrong. It is GOOD plot. It it plot that makes me nostalgic for the Hunger Games and Divergent and other dystopian novels.
The romance needed more time to develop. I liked the chemistry of Melinoe and Inesa (when they were not contemplating killing each other). But, I feel Reid needed more pages to fully flesh out why they fell for each other.
My biggest issue is that Fable starts out really strong and then just...ends. The ending was okay, but I wished there was more to it. It may be a cheeky call back to the corporations cameras and the fact that we (the reader) do not get to see and know everything once the cameras are off (in this case...the book ends). Overall, it was a worthwhile read that was heavily doused in nostalgia. I hope there is a sequel. Or a short story. Or something that follows up on what happens with Inesa and Melinoe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Blood, War