Books to Read If You Liked The Hunger Games
I read the entire trilogy, listened to the audio, and still hold firm that The Hunger Games is unbelievably good. It’s one of my favorites, and I highly, highly recommend!
If you loved The Hunger Games, here are some other books you might enjoy too!
Books to Read If You Liked Hunger Games
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Bart and I both loved this YA series that is about two decades old, (in fact, Tally’s blog name is because of this book – Bart was gunning to name her that for real, but I had to draw the line somewhere).
Divergent by Veronica Roth
This dystopian novel was at the top of all the charts when it came out a decade ago and it’s still a fun read for teens and adults!
Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Fantasy is NOT my genre of choice but there are a few fantasy books that I just absolutely devoured and Graceling is one of them. This one is REALLY fun, where certain people, called Gracelings, have a specific special power. The companion book, Fire, is even better. (Full review here)
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
In this dystopian trilogy, “love” is considered a deadly disease known as delirium. At age 18 everyone undergoes a procedure to cure the disease. As Lena’s procedure date draws near, she ends up falling in love.
Cinder by Melissa Meyer
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Before there was Katniss there was Gregor. Bart sped through this entire middle-grade series in a few weeks on audio. I think my older girls will really enjoy it, but it can be a little intense. If you have easily scared kids, you might want to wait until they’re a bit on the older end of middle grade.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
This Newbery Winner is a classic (which makes me feel old because I remember when it came out), and it’s included on many school reading lists. I didn’t read this one until I was in college and then loved it so much I read it aloud to Bart a few years later. If you haven’t read the dystopian middle grade novel, it’s definitely worth a listen.
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer
Fantasy isn’t my normal genre, so for a fantasy book to snag a spot on my favorite books of 2021? You know it’s good. This one isn’t full-on fantasy – there’s no magic or powers – but it’s set in a fictional world where the kingdom is splintering under the pressure of a mysterious sickness that’s spreading through the kingdom and the only cure is in short supply. The king and his brother took over running the kingdom after their parents were assassinated and they’re holding the kingdom together basically by brute force. Naturally, there are those in the Wilds who are determined to undermine the king’s iron grip on the kingdom. (Full review here)
Legend by Marie Lu
I was amazed by how much I liked this one! North America has split into two warring nations. Fifteen-year-old June is a brilliant soldier hired to capture Day, a famous criminal, but in the process they find out they have a common enemy.
Birthmarked by Caragh M. O’Brien
This one is often described as The Hunger Games meets The Handmaid’s Tale. Strong heroine, dystopian world, mystery and intrigue, and a little romance. Of course I loved it. (Full review here)
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
A teenager named Thomas, awakens in a mysterious forest-like setting surrounded by walls. Having no knowledge of his life before then, Thomas is tasked with being a Maze Runner, and he and the other boys must work together to find a way out.
Scythe by Neal Schusterman
I think this one has such an interesting premise. Set in a future world where death has been conquered, people called Scythes are the only ones authorized to end lives in order to maintain population control.
Unwind by Neal Schusterman
I read this one all the way back in 2009, and one of the things I remember most is that it was extremely interesting and fast moving. After the second Civil War, parents are able to “unwind” their unwanted 13-18 year old children. Their bodies are surgically taken apart and all the organs and tissues are used in other people. This dystopian thriller tells the story of three teenagers sent to be unwound, ultimately escape, and are on the run.
Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson
My husband and now my two oldest daughters are HUGE Brandon Sanderson fans and I’ve never read a single book by him! In this fantasy series, the great hero of legend failed to stop the evil overlord, ensuring his rise to power. After enduring years of prison and torture, the hero escapes, creates a group of specialists, and frees the people of the oppressive regime.
Matched by Ally Condie
This YA dystopian novel was just begging me to like it. The Giver plus romance? Sign me up. Matched turned out to be even better than I’d expected. (I’ll admit the next two books in the trilogy were less impressive). (Full review here)
And if you’d like a printable copy of this list of books that are like The Hunger Games that you can take to your library or screenshot on your phone for easy access, just pop in your email address below and it’ll come right to your inbox!
if you liked this post about books that are like hunger games, you might also like these other posts:
- 20+ Books To Read If You Like Harry Potter
- 20+ Favorite Fantasy Books for Kids
- 30 Ways to Make Your Reading Life More Fun
I also like to recommend The Razorland series by Ann Aguirre. It’s another series I really enjoyed.
The Selection is really really good, its followed by the betrothed, i think its a quintet (5 books)