3.25 stars

Representation: PTSD

Fable for the end of the world is a gripping, fast-paced climate dystopia. From the beginning, I flew through this book. The world was visceral and bleak, the characters were vivid and easy to root for.

There was so much in this book that was familiar and reminiscent for me, as someone who grew up in the height of the 2010s YA dystopia buzz, but it was unique, as well. I enjoyed the focus on the climate crisis and the ways in which nature had evolved. The descriptions of the mutant animals were morbidly fascinating.

The world building was, in my opinion, the most solid part of the book. Both the natural world and political world felt very fleshed out. Unfortunately, I do think that because this is such a short book, and so much of it was used to detail the world we were navigating, that the narrative arc felt quite rushed.

I wanted more time to sit with our characters in specific moments and navigate the emotion and fall out of what they were experiencing. It felt like so many threads of the narrative got lost in the rush of trying to squeeze so much into 380 pages, especially since the timeline, too, was so short. This book takes place over the span of only a couple days, and it was simply a case of too much in too little time. The relationship between Inesa and Mel fell so flat to me–they had only a couple of moments, in such a short period of time, that I couldn’t be convinced they felt more than the start of an attraction, let alone love.

I felt like I was rushing through the book, full steam ahead, and I kept wanting to slow down. Sit with the attraction. Sit with the trauma. Sit with the discussions of oligarchy and oppression. I never felt like I had time to connect to the characters or the theme. 

I find myself struggling to settle on how I feel about this book. Despite feeling a bit too rushed, I did enjoy most of my experiences with the book. Until the ending, which really let me down. As far as I can tell, this book is a standalone novel, and at the end, it feels as if nothing has resolved.

Yes, Inesa has survived, but Melinoe is basically a mind-wiped sex slave.

The book lacked closure, and it lacked hope, and I am left feeling dissatisfied.