#inesa

Sofia Wylie!

Melinoë describes her as having “…dark brown hair, wavy and casually messy. Full lips and thick brows.”

Lesbian Hunger Games meets The Last of Us!!

“Fable for the End of the World” by Ava Reid is a post-apocalyptic and dystopian story in the same vein as “The Hunger Games” but with zombie-like creatures called Wends. In the place of New Amsterdam (located in current New York), a single corporation, Caerus, controls every aspect of society, including debt. Once a person goes beyond 500,000 credits of debt, they are nominated for a televised spectacle called the Gauntlet. The debtors can appoint a family member to compete in the Gauntlet instead. Caerus raises and trains “Angels,” young killers, to hunt down those nominated in the Gauntlet, called Lambs. The book is split between the POV of an Angel, Melinoë, and the Lamb, Inesa. Inesa’s mother secretly racked up debt and then gave up her daughter to the Gauntlet.

The setting and world of “Fable for the End of the World” is fascinating. A frightening outlook that feels all too real for our own world to fall into. The real-world references in lakes and places underscore how close we are to falling into the same world of despair due to selfish corporations, a growing divide between classes, and a landscape marred by climate change. Inesa and Mel are on opposite ends of the divide, but we will learn that despite having credits and recognition, Mel is just as oppressed as Inesa. Having both POVs grants the reader the ability to be with each character as they discover themselves through each other and learn to disregard the prejudice taught to them through their life circumstances. Despite the gloomy setting and plot, moments of sweetness and hope squeeze through. The longing and yearning between Inesa and Mel is lovely to read through. Ava Reid does a great job of encapsulating the thoughts and feelings of the characters as they go from enemies to lovers.

Another aspect of the book I enjoyed was how the people and place names were well thought out and often referred to Greek mythology. Of course, interspersed with enough real-world references to make it jarring and unsettling.

As I often feel with good books, I wish this one was longer. The setup was intriguing and I would love to read more about other people in the world and to dive deeper into the corporation and the world, such as more about the Wends. I hope a sequel is in the works!

Even though this book is YA, I think any adult could find value in reading this. The story is engrossing and complex. I loved the sapphic aspect as well, and I think anyone interested in sapphic novels would enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for this ARC!

POV: 1st person, present tense, two POVs

Spice: 0/3

Inesa and Marta By Jeff Stanford, 2023

rules: ans the ques then tag 9 people

i was tagged by my babey @jessparaguss ilysm !! 😌💗💗

1. Relationship status

taken by inesa 🙆🏻‍♀️🤧

[single]

2. Fav colour

bluee

3. Top 3 ships

lewy + reus , serge + kimmich ,

4. Lipstick or chapstick

lipstick

5. Last song you listened to

cant rmmb :((

6. Last movie u watched

endgame :”