The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is probably the most-anticipated new book coming out in March, but as excited as I am about Haymitch’s prequel, there’s another young adult dystopian novel that deserves attention this month. March is a big month for new fantasy books, and there are quite a few interesting thriller novels releasing over the next 30 days. While dystopian books aren’t nearly as numerous, March 2025 also marks an exciting period for the genre. And it’s not just because Suzanne Collins is returning us to the world of The Hunger Games.
Another much-anticipated dystopian release hit shelves this month, and it’s reminding readers why the genre saw a mᴀssive boom during the 2010s. Those missing the early days of The Hunger Games — and the other great YA dystopian stories that followed — will want to keep an eye out for this gripping new release. Pitched as “The Last of Us meets The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” it even draws inspiration from Collins’ series. But with a sapphic love story and climate commentary, Fable for the End of the World also stands on its own as a dystopian novel that can’t be missed.
Ava Reid’s Fable For The End Of The World Deserves More Love This March
This YA Dystopian Novel Is A Stunning Modern Addition To The Genre
Ava Reid is well-known for writing dark fantasy stories like The Wolf and the Woodsman, but the author’s first YA dystopian book came out on March 4 — and Fable for the End of the World seems certain to go down as one of their most memorable works yet. Set in a post-apocalyptic world afflicted by climate disaster, Fable for the End of the World sees a corporation called Caerus controlling its population through debt. And one of the book’s leads, Inesa, is offered up for Caerus’ televised ᴀssᴀssination event in order to pay off her mother’s.
Being entered into the Lamb’s Gauntlet offers little chance of survival, but Inesa remains determined to make it through the terrible spectacle all the same. The other POV character, Melinoë, is Caerus’ ᴀssᴀssin, and she’s just as committed to killing Inesa as Inesa is to surviving. The stakes are high for both, as Melinoë needs to make up for a mistake she made during her last Gauntlet. The girls offer two vastly different perspectives of Reid’s dystopian world, but they’re both sympathetic and compelling in their own right — and both victims of a greater system.
The book tackles deeply important topics like climate disaster, the dangers of oligarchy, and class inequality, and it weaves them into its dystopian narrative seamlessly.
Fable for the End of the World is getting overwhelmingly positive reviews on Goodreads, and it’s not difficult to see why. The book tackles deeply important topics like climate disaster, the dangers of oligarchy, and class inequality, and it weaves them into its dystopian narrative seamlessly. At the center of it all, it offers a beautifully written queer romance and offers poignant takeaways from each of the girls it follows. It’s an impressive modern addition to the dystopian genre, and it isn’t afraid to acknowledge its roots, making it perfect for Hunger Games fans.
Fans Of The Hunger Games Can’t Miss This Great New YA Dystopian Book
Ava Reid’s Latest Feels Like A Homage To Prior Hits Within The Genre
Those who enjoy The Hunger Games’ sharp political and social commentary will love those aspects of Fable for the End of the World, making it a must-read before or after Sunrise on the Reaping. It’s also clear that Reid pulls from prior dystopian stories, including The Hunger Games, allowing Fable for the End of the World to feel like a homage to everything that’s come before. Those who grew up reading The Hunger Games and its compeтιтors will enjoy noticing the nods in this story, cementing how much they need to read it this March.
