So it’s time for Top Ten Tuesday, hosted by the wonderful blog at The Broke and the Bookish!
This week’s theme is: Top Ten Books For People Who Like X Book
And my choice is Ten Books for people who liked THE HUNGER GAMES.
I’m choosing this because it’s a well-known book that a lot of people have read, and I’ve picked up a lot of new books that I’ve loved all based on dystopian-type or post-apocalyptic worlds. That and it may be one book on which I can actually base 10 (or close to it) recommendations!
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore – “Graceling?” you say all skeptical. “But that’s a fantasy book, not dystopia.” Ah yes, you are correct sir, but I stand by it as my first recommendation! I found myself comparing Katsa in Graceling to Katniss many many times throughout my read – in strength, in ignorance of love, in kick-ass fighting bow & arrow skills (okay, so Katsa wins with kicking-ass-in-anything skills). It may be a stretch on other things, but I made comparisons throughout the book, however mild and I’m not normally a fantasy person in any way, shape, or form so if I loved (yes, loved) Graceling, then I’m recommending it first!
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner – Kids (well, all boys. And one girl). They’re in a closed in environment. Created just for them. They have to figure out how to live. How to survive each other. They try to escape. And well, there’s a maze. But I’m going with the Glade/Hunger Games arena comparison here! There’s a lot more to the story, but I really ended up liking this series a lot more than I thought I would!
- Delirium/Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver – So this is a bit more on the romantic side, a little less on the action side, but when I finished reading The Hunger Games (okay, when I finished devouring the whole series), I immediately began researching what other dystopian books I could get my hands on, and then this glorious book found its way into my house. I liked how this was more of an evolved utopia that slowly turns into a complete dystopia for Lena once she “sees the other side”. Like I said, much more mush than THG but I loved it!
- The Giver by Lois Lowry – This was dystopia before it was cool. A little younger age range, but I fell in love with it during English in 7th/8th grade. It was like I was destined to read dystopia all along!
- Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi – I think what I loved so much about this one was how much of the technologically advanced utopian world and the savage, primitive outside world clashed and blended so beautifully. The characters didn’t just grow from an experience, they helped each other grow through learning about each other.
- Monument 14by Emmy Laybourne – This is not too far into the future and a lot more on the realistic side, like if it happened tomorrow. Toxic chemicals released into the air, raging monster storms, and 14 kids trapped in a superstore (dream come true if it was not the semi-apocalypse…) – I like how we get to see the kids figure out how to be adults, how to handle responsibilities, and I thought it seemed very realistic to how kids would handle a real crisis like that. Very interesting take on it!
- Wither by Lauren DeStefano – Again, the love story is more the main focus here, but I like to compare Housemaster Vaughn as a President Snow from time to time. And Wither is more a place where disease now controls the world, but it’s still one of my favorite dystopian books!
- The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor – Even though this is essentially a retelling of Alice in Wonderland, it’s almost a dystopia in reverse in the sense that Alyss is really a part of Wonderland (yes, Wonderland is real!) and she gets trapped in the normal, boring human world where no magic exists. It’s almost a dystopia world for her. Plus there’s tons of action, fighting, and actually kind of violent at times. I really enjoyed it though!
- City of Bones by Cassandra Clare – Although I would rate this more along the lines of a HP read-alike, I think fans of The Hunger Games would still love it (hey, I did). It’s got elements of a brand new world that hides behind ordinary that only the supernaturals and shadowhunters can see. It’s a lot of adventure, a little bit of romance all rolling around in a very creative world.
- Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead – Okay, so this last one’s a little off but I was running out of dystopian books and I feel like this series is so underrated! I’m only two books in and I love it – And this was after I was already like, “I am sooo over vampire stories”. I think it’s definitely worth a shot, and I can say the second book is even better (and I’ve heard it gets even BETTER from there)!
In this week’s Freaky Friday, I will be switching places with KATNISS EVERDEEN from THE HUNGER GAMES