{"product_id":"fable-for-the-end-of-the-world-isbn-9780063439733","title":"Fable for the End of the World","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Last of Us \u003c\/em\u003emeets \u003cem\u003eThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes \u003c\/em\u003ein this stand-alone dystopian romance about survival, sacrifice, and love that risks everything. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy encouraging massive accumulations of debt from its underclass, a single corporation, Caerus, controls all aspects of society.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInesa lives with her brother in a half-sunken town where they scrape by running a taxidermy shop. Unbeknownst to Inesa, their cruel and indolent mother has accrued an enormous debt—enough to qualify one of her children for Caerus’s livestreamed assassination spectacle: the Lamb’s Gauntlet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMelinoë is a Caerus assassin, trained to track and kill the sacrificial Lambs. The product of neural reconditioning and physiological alteration, she is a living weapon, known for her cold brutality and deadly beauty. She has never failed to assassinate one of her marks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen Inesa learns that her mother has offered her as a sacrifice, at first she despairs—the Gauntlet is always a bloodbath for the impoverished debtors. But she’s had years of practice surviving in the apocalyptic wastes, and with the help of her hunter brother she might stand a chance of staying alive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor Melinoë, this is a game she can’t afford to lose. Despite her reputation for mercilessness, she is haunted by painful flashbacks. After her last Gauntlet, where she broke down on livestream, she desperately needs redemption.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs Mel pursues Inesa across the wasteland, both girls begin to question everything: Inesa wonders if there’s more to life than survival, while Mel wonders if she’s capable of more than killing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd both wonder if, against all odds, they might be falling in love. \u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e“A dark and gripping feminist tale.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Lusciously evocative and dripping with verbal texture.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBulletin of the Center for Children’s Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Achingly atmospheric and beautifully sharp, \u003cem\u003eA Study in Drowning \u003c\/em\u003ewill draw you in from the first page. A spell-binding mix of magic, myth, and mystery.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRory Power, New York Times bestselling author of Wilder Girls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Haunting and elegantly rendered, \u003cem\u003eA Study in Drowning\u003c\/em\u003e is a lyrical examination of stories told, cherished myths, and an unraveling of truths held dear. Darkly romantic and unsettlingly eerie, I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come.”\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eErin A. Craig, New York Times bestselling author of House of Salt and Sorrows and Small Favors\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Stunningly crafted, Reid displays an eye for human connection with her enemies-to-lovers Sapphic romance and portrayal of complex familial relationships. Inesa and Mel are thoughtful foils to each other, their characteristics bleeding together as they survive the Gauntlet and the painfully realistic depiction of the ramifications of climate change. Fraught with social commentary as well, Reid's tale touches on the dangers of debt and late-stage capitalism, the addiction to screens and technology, and the realities of corporations buying out governments. Suzanne Collins fans, meet your new favorite dystopia.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An immersive setting rendered via descriptive prose ferries this invigorating story, which questions the nature of humanity, survival, and memory. . . . Reid deviates from the expected through the leisurely unspooling of Mel and Inesa’s dueling POVs and their heart-pounding sapphic romance.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Ava Reid’s latest hearkens back to the dystopias of yore: a world of highs and lows, haves and have-nots, a drowning underworld ruled over by a city of brittle, icy beauty. Reid’s observant, compelling prose makes this at once an homage to those classic tales, and something fresh and necessary, and all her own.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With her singular gift for metaphor, Reid has crafted a frighteningly prescient dystopia about the ravages of corporate greed—and also a beautiful love story between two girls determined to survive. Brilliant and devastating, Fable for the End of the World will arm you with the strongest tools we have: both anger and hope.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAllison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Knife-edged and tender-hearted, \u003cem\u003eFable for the End of the World \u003c\/em\u003ewill at once feel like your favorite classic dystopia and like nothing you’ve ever read. In a cruel, debt-driven world not vastly unlike our own, Reid explores the bravery of not just surviving, but learning to be truly alive. I will be thinking of the final line for years to come.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCourtney Gould, award-winning author of What the Woods Took\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Reid is well regarded for her lyrical writing and nuanced characters; here she paints a vivid portrait of a world fallen to climate change and capitalism, juxtaposed against the ways love is redemptive. VERDICT A dark dystopian novel for readers craving something more mature than \u003cem\u003eThe Hunger Games\u003c\/em\u003e. Perfect for high school collections.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Nobody balances sweetness with brutality, tenderness with violence, quite like Ava Reid. This hit all the nostalgic \u003cem\u003eHunger Games\u003c\/em\u003e notes while bringing fresh sapphic blood to the dystopian genre—I inhaled it!” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eL. K. Steven, Author of Silvercloak and Our Infinite Fates\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"In this brilliantly imagined work, the impoverished are terrorized not only by the environment but by the government, and women’s bodies are mutated to men’s ideals. This masterful queer narrative encourages readers to question messages around gender and sexuality. A thrilling, page-turning must-read: prescient and necessary, impressive and disturbing.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“As always, Ava Reid's worlds feel lived-in and rich in history. This one is also full of myth and superstition, and heavy rains that fall upon crumbling old houses. A rewarding, romantic read, with much to chew on.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKendare Blake, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Lyrical, moving, and sensitive, \u003cem\u003eA Study in Drowning\u003c\/em\u003e is a magically romantic tale, filled with writing that will sweep you into a whimsical and gothic world. I’ll recommend this beautiful and thoughtful book over and over again.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIsabel Ibañez, author of Together We Burn\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Incandescent, tender, and fierce. \u003cem\u003eA Study in Drowning\u003c\/em\u003e is a deftly woven mystery, brimming with lyrical writing and compelling characters who will steal your heart. This is a story that lingers, long after the last word.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eRebecca Ross, bestselling author of Divine Rivals\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"\u003cem\u003eA Study in Drowning \u003c\/em\u003eis everything: a dark fairytale, a tender romance, a haunting historical mystery, and a quietly furious tribute to the people whose stories have been stolen from them. I absolutely loved it.”  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of Once and Future Witches\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eA Study in Drowning\u003c\/em\u003e: “Reid wields lyricism, dark academia, and fairy-core elements to eloquently imbue the narrative with originality and depth that ferries themes surrounding grief, gender, and the value of folklore.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly (starred review)\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"A stunning exploration of an ailing society and the love that thrives anyway. \u003cem\u003eFable for the End of the World\u003c\/em\u003e entwines the harrowing with the poignant—and lands an ending that cements it high among the YA dystopian greats.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eChloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890894794981,"sku":"NP9780063439733","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063439733.jpg?v=1730234291","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/fable-for-the-end-of-the-world-isbn-9780063439733","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}