Dystopia is a genre I hope to see revived eventually. It usually involves a group of young adults in a corrupt world where the government or other leaders control the population with an iron grip. The story usually ends with the teenagers overcoming the evil corporation or government through their intelligence, friendship, and hopeful dreams.
Even though the Hunger Games and Maze Runner craze is over, the books are still fun to read so I'm going to give you a list of personal recommendations.
(Who I am, so you know who's giving you these recs. My name is Jaysee Jewel and I am a reader/author. I specialize in romantic fantasy and horror, but I also read scifi, dystopian, and the occasional contemporary romance.)
Without further ado, let's go!
1. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
My Rating: B Tier (8/10)
Genres and Tropes: Fantasy / Romance / Politics / Magic / Competition / Love Triangle
After her sister dies, a girl joins the rebellion and infiltrates the royal family to overthrow them.
This book is definitely more angled toward teens (particularly girls). It has romance (a love triangle), a school situation, and teen leads. While there were a lot of cliches throughout, this is still an enjoyable read. It has some cool powers and family dynamics. I haven't read the rest of the series but my sister loved it!
2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
My Rating: C+ Tier (6/10)
Genres and Tropes: Science Fiction / Politics / Censorship / Mind Control
A "fire fighter" whose job it is to burn books in this dystopian society reads a book of his own and starts to question the government that enforces censorship.
I always find it cool when a book written years ago is able to predict society pretty well in a lot of areas. The topics of censorship, the murder of unwanted children, and addiction to televisions (and the people in them who don't actually know you) were handled pretty well in my opinion. The main reason the story is a 6/10 is because of the pacing and the ending not satisfying me. However, it's still a recommended read alongside 1984.
3. Wool by Hugh Howie
My Rating: B Tier (8/10)
Genres and Tropes: Science Fiction / Romance / Politics / Toxic environment
Humanity lives inside a single, massive Silo underground and the air outside is toxic...or is it?
This book has really stuck with me. The concept itself is fresh because it's set inside a Silo and utilizes technology in a really cool way. I love a mystery about the very fabric of reality and how leaders can lie to their citizens. The only issues I had with this book was the very slow pacing (you'll notice that's a specific preference of mine) and I didn't fall in love with the characters (though they are by no means bad).
4. Skyhunter by Marie Lu
My Rating: A Tier (9/10)
Genres and Tropes: Science Fiction / Romance / Politics / War / Child soldiers
After losing her partner in battle, the MC finds herself taking care of a captured member of the enemy side. However, his power might be enough to turn the tide of this war.
I might get in trouble for labeling this as dystopian but if there's a corrupt government to overcome, I throw it in. This story isn't anything crazy or new but it's well written and checks all the boxes of a good, action/adventure book. I liked the characters, the pacing was strong, and there were enough mysteries about society and technology to keep me hooked.
5. Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith
My Rating: A Tier (9/10)
Genres and Tropes: Science Fiction / Horror / Prison break / Scientific experiments
Set in a world where children are viewed as violent, a boy is framed for the murder of his friend and is sent to a horrific, dungeon prison.
The horror overshadows the dystopian aspects of this series but it's still there regardless. These books are set in a version of Earth where a disaster made society distrust children. In a world where children can serve life sentences, it's easy for the villains to experiment on these kids with zero repurcussions. I absolutely LOVED the first three books in this series. (However, be aware that I didn't enjoy Fugitives (Book 4) so I didn't read Execution. I loved the first three enough to put them on this list, though.)
6. Bioshock: Rapture by John Shirley
My Rating: A Tier (9/10)
Genres and Tropes: Science Fiction / Politics / Monsters / Mob bosses / Experiments / Powers / Horror
In the aftermath of the world wars and nuclear threats, Andrew Ryan uses his wealth to build an underwater city to hide from the rest of the world. However, running a city without laws or morality isn't as easy as it seems.
If you have played the Bioshock videogame series, you already know the plot of this book. It basically gives a more in-depth look at Bioshock 1 as a prequel. However, even if you've played the games, I loved how this story fleshed out the more forgettable characters and made everything feel more real (in terms of the politics and how the civilians got addicted to Adam).
If you aren't a fan of videogames but don't mind a very lore-heavy story about government corruption, mob bosses, and human addiction, you might enjoy this. My only warning is that it gets dark and there are a lot of characters to follow.
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My Rating: A Tier (9/10)
Genres and Tropes: Science Fiction / Romance / Politics / Death Games / Competition
Katniss volunteers for the death games so her sister doesn't have to die. Now she must survive despite all odds being against her.
This one is pretty obvious. However, if you're wary of a book that was so popular with teens and assume it's not good because of that, don't worry. Unlike a lot of stories that came out during the dystopian phase, these books do have a lot of depth to them. Characters are fleshed out and interesting and the government feels more nefarious than the children trying to murder each other.
So that's my list. If you want more, I made a Part 1 that can be found on my website (just scroll to the top of this page and click Book Recommendations). If you want more lists, you can sign up for my newsletter and get updates when new recommendations are posted. Thanks for reading!
If you love reading and are looking for more fantasy, romance, or science fiction books, you can check out my page on Amazon or my website here!
