Jack here with this Monday’s post. Today I have a Reviews & Recommendations post about the glorious genre of dystopian. If you don’t know what dystopian is, it’s basically just stories that take place in a problematic futuristic society. You’ve probably heard of some popular dystopian book/movie series, such as The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner. In my opinion, it’s a very interesting genre. Often, dystopian books are fast-paced, somewhat violent (or extremely violent depending on the book), and pretty depressing. If you want to start reading young adult dystopian literature, here are five dystopian novels (most of which are series) to help ease you into the genre.
Oh, but before we begin, I want you all to keep in mind that the majority of these books do have mild to extreme violence and themes that are probably not suitable for kids 12 and under. These are young adult books after all. I will include what I think is a good age range for each one, but if you’re a parent, kid, or teen who doesn’t like this kind of stuff, proceed with caution.
This is the most popular dystopian trilogy out there. In fact, I recently made a discussion thread about it, which you can participate in here.
So the series takes place in a nation that was once North America but is now divided into twelve districts run by the Capitol. People in the districts are mistreated, poor, and run a specific industry for the Capitol. For instance, District 1 produces luxury items and District 2 deals with masonry and defense. Meanwhile, everyone in the Capitol lives in harmony and luxury. Anyway, every year, each district offers one boy and one girl as “tributes” for the Hunger Games, where the tributes will fight to the death in this elaborate arena as entertainment for the Capitol residents; those in the districts are forced to watch as well.
Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist, is a sixteen-year-old girl from District 12 who ends up being the district’s tribute in a way I will not spoil. So the entirety of book one revolves around her experience in the Hunger Games by herself and later with the male District 12 tribute named Peeta.
As expected, this series is extremely violent and fast-paced. It is told in first person present tense from Katniss’s point of view. Now, here’s some helpful information you should know before reading the series:
Author: Suzanne Collins
Recommended age range: 13+
Books in the series:
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (prequel)
Sunrise on the Reaping (releasing 2025)
GoodReads rating:
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 out of 5 stars
GoodReads summary (spoiler-free):
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
Overall, I really enjoyed this series. Every book is thrilling and suspenseful. The Hunger Games has come to represent the genre of dystopian, which is why I believe it is the perfect novel series to start with when you decide to begin reading dystopian literature.
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The Maze Runner is another popular YA dystopian trilogy. Though not as well-known as The Hunger Games series, it has also been adapted into a film series. I personally don’t recommend watching the movies for this series before reading the books (or even after since they’re so vastly different than them). Unlike the majority of dystopian literature, The Maze Runner features a male protagonist. Here’s a brief summary of the ser— Actually, I’m not very good at explaining things well, so here’s just some information you’ll find helpful before reading the series:
Author: James Dashner
Recommended age range: 12+ (13+ for The Kill Order)
POV + tense: Third person limited past tense
Books in the series:
The Maze Runner
The Scorch Trials
The Death Cure
The Kill Order (prequel)
The Fever Code (another prequel labeled “Book 5”)
Crank Palace (A Maze Runner Novel)
GoodReads rating:
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 out of 5 stars
GoodReads Summary (Book One):
If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers—boys whose memories are also gone.
Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run.
So the first book is all about Thomas’s and the other Runners’ (those who navigate the maze) attempt to escape the maze. I can’t really say anything about books 2 and 3 without spoiling, so you’ll have to go and read them for yourself to find out. I personally adored this trilogy as well as the prequels. Like most dystopian books, it’s very fast-paced from the start and a fair amount of violence. Whether you’re getting into the dystopian genre or are a big fan of dystopian but haven’t read this series yet, I’m sure you’ll enjoy The Maze Runner.
So this is the one series that I actually have not completed but feel qualified to recommend since I’ve read the first book and have many friends who’d highly recommend this dystopian quartet; I am reading Gathering Blue at the moment. Also, fun fact, The Giver was the book we read for the Controversial Book Club, which was hosted when this blog was on Blogger. In fact, reading the book together prompted some of the participants to complete the entire series
Anyway, The Giver Quartet is an older dystopian quartet written by esteemed author Lois Lowry; you may know her from her Newbery Award-winning novel Number the Stars, which is one of my favorite books. Here’s a little info about the Giver Quartet:
Recommended age range: 10+ (at least for book one)
POV + tense: Third person limited past tense
GoodReads rating:
My (and my friends’) rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 out of 5 stars
GoodReads summary:
At the age of twelve, Jonas, a young boy from a seemingly utopian, futuristic world, is singled out to receive special training from The Giver, who alone holds the memories of the true joys and pain of life.
So I know I haven’t completed the whole quartet, but I trust my friends and I absolutely adored the first book. Unlike most dystopian books, this series is actually written well, as one would expect from a Newbery-winning author. I can’t wait to finish this series and I am positive you’ll enjoy it as well.
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This glorious trilogy is my all-time favorite dystopian trilogy of all time. The author, though not as well known as those of the previous three novel series, has written a vast array of award-winning novels and series, including a winner of the National Book Award.
Author: Neal Shusterman
Recommendedage range (both by me and the internet): 14+
POV + tense: Third person plural past tense
GoodReads rating:
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
10 out of 5 stars
GoodReads summary (book one):
Thou shalt kill.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
Everything about this series is perfect and amazing. The plot, the dialogue, the characters, the concept, the description. All three books are written beautifully, but are quite violent (probably more than The Hunger Games) which is why I wouldn’t recommend anyone under the age of 14 read this series without parental consent. Also, a note to Christian readers: there is some language and one genderfluid side character in book three The Toll. However, besides these, there really isn’t anything wrong with this series. It’s truly fabulous.
Side note, if you follow me on Substack you may have seen this note:
See that book on the right?? That book, titled Gleanings, is a compilation of tales by the author that revolve around the series and take place in the Arc of a Scythe universe. I’m halfway done with it and, like the original trilogy, it is absolutely incredible.
I highly recommend this trilogy to readers trying out dystopian for the first time and just to anyone in general. The Arc of a Scythe series is pretty different from other dystopian books because of its unusually outstanding writing quality, creative universe concept, and because it is extremely underrated. So don’t hesitate to read these books as soon as possible!
This book is rather unique in comparison to the other books on this list. For starters, it’s the mildest in terms of violence and dark themes (not to say these aren’t present, however). Also, it is a standalone novel rather than a series. Nevertheless, these things don’t diminish the amazing literary quality of The Last Book in the Universe.
Author: Rodman Philbrick
Recommended age range: 11 - 19
POV + tense: First person limited present tense
GoodReads rating:
My rating:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
5 out of 5 stars
GoodReads summary:
Nobody around here reads anymore. Why bother, when you can just shoot all the images and excitement straight into your brain? I've heard of books, but they were long before I was born, in the backtimes before the Big Shake...
In a world where people only use mindprobes for entertainment, a teenaged boy is one of the rare human beings who can see life for what is really is. Cruelly nicknamed “Spaz”, he is subject to random seizures that make it impossible for him to use the brain-drain tech. But what sets him apart eventually becomes his salvation.After meeting an old man called Ryter, Spaz begins to learn about how the world used to be before the catastrophic earthquake that changed everything. There is a story of a promised land, rich in its bounties, that can cure any ailment and more beautiful than any place left in the desolate wasteland humanity calls home. The two set off to find Eden in the hopes of saving Spaz's dying sister, and together, seek to bring some good back to the world. Fahrenheit 451 meets The Giver in this action-packed thriller from the author of the bestselling novel Freak the Mighty.
Despite the measly GoodReads rating, I strongly believe that The Last Book in the Universe fully deserves my rating. I read this book for a creative writing class last year all in one sitting, it was so good. This book is a complete embodiment of the dystopian genre. It’s fast-paced, fairly violent, futuristic, and somewhat depressing yet suitable for readers as young as eleven, in my opinion.
Overall, this book is a masterpiece, a dystopian work of art, and I would highly recommend not only to those diving into dystopian for the first time but for all readers, regardless of preferred genre.
And those are five dystopian novels/series to get you started with YA dystopian! I really hope you’ll consider reading these books if you haven’t already. Dystopian is such an amazing genre, and once you read all these, you can go even further to explore the myriad of outstanding books this genre has to offer.
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Anyways, I’ll see you in my next post (which will be in August!).
I've read the Arc of a Scythe trilogy, and it was pretty cool. You're right about the violence and swearing--but you also might want to mention that it has romantic stuff in it. (Like when Scythe Anastasia and Lucifer were in the big safe memorial thing for the Founding Scythes, in The Toll there's suggestive things. And with Grayson in The Thunderhead)
I've only read the Giver Quartet and The Hunger Games but I'd agree with your ratings for both of those.
I've read the Arc of a Scythe trilogy, and it was pretty cool. You're right about the violence and swearing--but you also might want to mention that it has romantic stuff in it. (Like when Scythe Anastasia and Lucifer were in the big safe memorial thing for the Founding Scythes, in The Toll there's suggestive things. And with Grayson in The Thunderhead)