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A review by alysbookclub
Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Themes:
🖤 Dystopian
🖤 Sapphic Romance
🖤 Assassin & Target
🖤 Big Brother-style Corporation
🖤 Knife to the throat
🖤 Biohacking
🖤 Hunger Games-style Gauntlet
🖤 Surviving to Thriving
🖤 Lush Mutated Wilderness
Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they make ends meet by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt, meaning that Melinoë, an assassin (or 'Angel', as dubbed by Caerus, the company to whom Inesa's mother is indebted) who is the product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, is sent after Inesa after Inesa's mother offers her as a sacrifice. Despite Mel's reputation for cold brutality and deadly beauty, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on live stream, she desperately needs redemption.
!! Very light spoilers below !!
As Mel chases Inesa and her brother Luka across the apocalyptic wilderness filled with animal (and human) mutations, we see each young woman evolve. I found Mel's internal growth the most interesting as she has so far to come from. The connection between Inesa and her brother was so heart wrenching and intimately beautiful. Mel and Inesa's romance is so sweet and innocent - and because of that, also heart wrenching.
As usual, Ava Reid does a gorgeous job of creating this contrastingly lush wasteland and placing us right in her dystopian world. The world she built was extremely seamless and I loved living in it.
I truly loved the first scene in the novel, which really sets the tone of this world and the novel. It was hard to read at times, but handled very well and again, just so beautifully written.
This book did end with semi-unfinished storylines and suggestions of further plotlines, so though nothing has been announced, I'm assuming/hoping there will be a sequel.
🖤 Dystopian
🖤 Sapphic Romance
🖤 Assassin & Target
🖤 Big Brother-style Corporation
🖤 Knife to the throat
🖤 Biohacking
🖤 Hunger Games-style Gauntlet
🖤 Surviving to Thriving
🖤 Lush Mutated Wilderness
Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they make ends meet by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt, meaning that Melinoë, an assassin (or 'Angel', as dubbed by Caerus, the company to whom Inesa's mother is indebted) who is the product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, is sent after Inesa after Inesa's mother offers her as a sacrifice. Despite Mel's reputation for cold brutality and deadly beauty, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on live stream, she desperately needs redemption.
!! Very light spoilers below !!
As Mel chases Inesa and her brother Luka across the apocalyptic wilderness filled with animal (and human) mutations, we see each young woman evolve. I found Mel's internal growth the most interesting as she has so far to come from. The connection between Inesa and her brother was so heart wrenching and intimately beautiful. Mel and Inesa's romance is so sweet and innocent - and because of that, also heart wrenching.
As usual, Ava Reid does a gorgeous job of creating this contrastingly lush wasteland and placing us right in her dystopian world. The world she built was extremely seamless and I loved living in it.
I truly loved the first scene in the novel, which really sets the tone of this world and the novel. It was hard to read at times, but handled very well and again, just so beautifully written.
This book did end with semi-unfinished storylines and suggestions of further plotlines, so though nothing has been announced, I'm assuming/hoping there will be a sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail