14 Books Like ‘The Hunger Games’ for When You Need Another Dystopian Fix

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You ever wish you could forget reading a book so that you can experience it all over again for the very first time? Well, The Hunger Games is definitely one of those books (same with the sequels and prequel, ofc). But since we sadly don't have that mind wiping technology yet, the best thing we can do is try to find other books that give us that same kind of "this premise is horrifying but the story is so good I can't stop reading" feeling.

Luckily for us, there are plenty of page-turning dystopian books out there that—no shade to Katniss or Peta—you'll love just as much if not more than the Hunger Games series. They may not involve children being forced to fight to the death (although, some of them do) but a lot of them do involve the idea of a sinister ruling class and make you question exactly what humanity is capable of in its attempts to keep "order."

So, once you're done with the Hunger Games series, here are 14 other must-read books you need to check out.

"Red Queen," by Victoria Aveyard

In Mare's world, everyone is divided into the Reds (her fellow commoners) and the Silvers (the elite magical rulers). But when she gets a job working in the Silver Palace, Mare soon discovers that despite her lineage, she possesses strong powers of her own. Scared of what they've seen, the Silvers claim her as a long-lost Silver princess and arrange for her to marry a Silver prince. Oh, and did I mention Mare is secretly trying to help a resistance group take down the Silvers? This book is non-stop and you won't want to put it down.

"Divergent," by Veronica Roth

When it comes to books similar to The Hunger Games, Divergent is usually what springs to mind right away. Set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, humans are divided into five different factions based on their core characteristics. Sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior is getting ready to take her aptitude test before finding out which faction she should stay in for the rest of her life. But she soon learns that when the test can't put you into just one faction, you're considered a problem that needs to be dealt with.

"Scythe," by Neal Shusterman

In a world where humanity has conquered death, trained Scythes are the only ones who can take a life, and they're ordered to do so to keep the population in check. Citra and Rowan have been chosen to be trained as Scythes (even though neither of them want to be responsible for culling the fellow humans) and they soon learn there are a lot more politics in death than you may think.

"The Handmaid's Tale," by Margaret Atwood

The Handmaid's Tale is the scariest kind of dystopia because it's not all that hard to imagine happening. Set in the not-too-distant future, a patriarchal, religious, totalitarian regime has overthrown the US government and formed the Republic of Gilead. The book is told from the perspective of Offred, one of Gilead's handmaids (the women who are forced to produce children for the ruling class). It's an amazing (and heavy) dive into what happens when women lose their power and the right to their own bodies.

"Battle Royale," by Koushun Takami

Battle Royale walked so The Hunger Games could run. In this Japanese dystopia, a class of 42 junior high students are taken to a deserted island, equipped with deadly weapons, and forced to kill one another until there's one survivor left. They're given collars that track their movements, and the organizers can hear everything they're saying. Sound familiar? It's definitely a violent book, but the characters' stories pull you in and make it even more heartbreaking.

"Lord of the Flies," by William Golding

Speaking of books that paved the way for The Hunger Games, The Lord of the Flies is a total classic. It tells the story of a group of pre-teen boys whose plane crashes near a deserted island. With no adult survivors, they try to govern themselves but things deteriorate pretty quickly. They start to turn on each other and it has some deadly consequences.

"Uglies," by Scott Westerfeld

Tally is just a few weeks away from her 16th birthday, which means it's almost time for her operation to make her stunningly beautiful. Her new friend Shay, though, isn't so down with the idea of being turned pretty and flees to the woods where a group of people are living a free life as "uglies." But it's Tally who's given a crushing choice: turn in her friend or risk never turning pretty.

"The Giver," by Lois Lowry

Twelve-year-old Jonas has grown up in what seems to him like an ideal world. Children (produced by designated birthmothers) are assigned to families, partners are assigned to each other, and jobs are handed out to every citizen. No one has to think or ask any questions. Amazing! But when Jonas is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory, he starts to see the darkness behind his community.

"Brave New World," by Aldous Huxley

Set in the year 2540 where humans are genetically bred and then medically anesthetized to keep them under the control of an authoritarian regime, Brave New World is even more relevant today than when it was written over 90 years ago. It's a gripping story about what happens when we try to strip all the things that make us human out of humanity.

"Red Rising," by Pierce Brown

Let's get off this planet and take a little trip to Mars 'cause that's where Red Rising is set. Seven-hundred years in the future, well after man has colonized other planets, 16-year-old Darrow is enslaved as a miner along with his fellow low-ranking Reds. Seeking justice for his people's years of work as the ruling class lives luxuriously above ground, he infiltrates the Gold caste, wanting to take it down from the inside.

"Wool," by Hugh Howey

This is the first book in the Silo trilogy, so there are plenty of pages to be devoured once you finish with Wool. The premise is that the outside world has grown so toxic that any humans who are left have to live in an underground silo. No talk of the outside world is allowed, and if you slip up you'll get exactly what you asked for: you'll have to go outside.

"Fahrenheit 451," by Ray Bradbury

Set in a future (and totally not-at-all-too-close-to-home) society, books are completely banned. Firemen are tasked with burning any that are found, along with the houses they're found in. Guy Montag is one of those firemen, but after encountering a woman who'd rather die in the fire than give up her collection of books, he starts to question his job and his blind loyalty to the state.

"The Maze Runner," by James Dashner

If you like your dystopia with a bit of sci-fi, this is the book for you. Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up in a metal elevator with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He's one of the new boys who's brought every month to the Glade, an area surrounded by stone walls that make up an ever-changing maze. Getting through it is the only way out, but no one's ever made it out alive.

"Legend," by Marie Lu

June was born into one of the wealthiest districts of the Republic (what now makes up the western part of the United States). She's a prodigy being trained for the highest ranks of the military and all is well until her brother, Metias, is murdered. The number one suspect is 15-year-old Day, a boy from the slums, and June has made it her mission to avenge her brother's death. But as they soon learn, they've been brought together for a reason: the uncover the dark truths about their country.

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