Books from the Backlog #431

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks.

If you would like to join in, please feel free to enter your link, link back to this post, and then spend some time visiting some of the other posts.

This week’s neglected book

Fable for the End of the World by Ava Reid
Published by Harper Collins on March 4, 2025
Genres: Fiction / Fantasy / General
Length: 10 hours 48 minutes
Pages: 384
Source: Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

The epic standalone dystopian romance from the Sunday Time bestselling author of A Study in Drowning and Lady Macbeth. Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games and The Last of Us

SURVIVAL
SACRIFICE
A LOVE THAT RISKS EVERYTHING
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

'Stunning . . . Among the dystopian greats.' Chloe Gong
'Brilliant and devastating, Fable for the End of the World will arm you with the strongest tools we have- both anger and hope.' Allison Saft
'Knife-edged and tender-hearted, I will be thinking of the final line for years to come' Courtney Gould

------------------------------------------------------
By encouraging massive accumulations of debt, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society.

Inesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town, barely scraping a living from their taxidermy shop. But their mother has secretly accrued enormous debt - and the only way out is to offer her daughter up to be a sacrifice for Caerus's livestreamed assassination event- the Lamb's Gauntlet.

Melinoe is the assassin chosen for this spectacle. The product of years of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she's a living weapon, famous for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. But she's also haunted by her failure in the last gauntlet, when she broke down live on screen.

But as Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, each determined to claim victory, they begin to question what they've been taught. Could there be more to life than survival? Could they be capable of more than death?

Could they, against all the odds, be falling in love?

----------------------------------

PRAISE FOR AVA REID

'A gargantuan hit . . . Dark and brooding, skillful storytelling and intricate character development breathe new life into literature. Dripping in atmosphere . . . One to order immediately.' Glamour

'A bewitching read with prose like gold.' Tasha Suri

'A knife of a book- blood-stained, sharply beautiful, and necessary . . . I couldn't look away' Alix E. Harrow

'I was spellbound from the very first page.' Freya Marske

Why did I add Fable for the End of the World to my bookshelf?

I have really enjoyed Ava Reid’s writing in the past so I was very eager to get my hands on this book. Unfortunatly, I spent a lot of time in 2025 having difficulty reading due to eye problems and just didn’t get a chance to pick it up. I have read very little in the past few months due to moving 2 households and getting 2 home ready to sell but I am excited to get back to reading soon. I moved all of my books the other week and came across so many books that I still want to read as much as I ever did. Hopefully, I can get to this one before much longer.

I feel like I can finally see the finish line in regards to our move. Mom’s house is under contract and will close in about 2 weeks. Our house will hit the market this week and I hope we get a contract quickly. My husband and I have put in a lot of hours, especially this past week, to make all of this happen. I cannot wait for it to be over so that I can finally relax and enjoy our new home.

What are your thoughts? Have you read this book?  Would you recommend it?

Related Posts