Hi guys! Since I knew I’d be running around a lot this week since I’m out of town, I asked one of my friends to stop by with a guest post!
I met Lisa when we both worked together in Orlando and loved talking with her about books since she’s a reading machine and the author of a great book blog. She recommended that I read The Hunger Games and Divergent well before they both blew up into super-popular books and seems to have a knack for identifying fantastic novels.
I always trust Lisa’s recommendations and asked her to put together a post all about dystopian novels since I know many of you share my love for these books.
I hope some of the books mentioned below pop out at you! I know I am anxious to dig into Insurgent!
Guest Post: Read.Breathe.Relax.
Hello Peanut Butter Fingers Fans!
You may remember me from a guest post I wrote for Julie last year during her whirlwind vacation in Europe. If not, then hello! 🙂 I’m honored that Julie asked me to write for her awesome blog again!
She told me that many of you are fans of The Hunger Games and other dystopia-type books. I am in LOVE with this increasingly popular genre, and often review them on my young adult/fantasy book blog, Read.Breathe.Relax. So, if you’re pining away for something to sate your post-Hunger Games fix, I’m here to nudge you in the right direction.
There are some amazing young adult dystopias coming out this year and I’m going to share with you a few of my favorites that I’ve read and loved and my top picks that are coming out later this year.
Young Adult Dystopias Already Published in 2012
- Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
Publication date: January 3, 2012
Under the Never Sky is one of my favorite books of 2012 so far! It has everything I love in novels: action, romance and mystery. The story takes place in a futuristic setting – where a girl from the closed compound of Reverie faces the barren wasteland outside and meets a gruff “Savage” who helps her stay alive.
Although I definitely love a good story, if the romance in the book is absent or secondary, I quickly lose interest. I’m not proud of it – it’s just a fact. Fortunately, I absolutely didn’t have that problem in Under the Never Sky. The romance was slow but steady and totally swoon-worthy.
Besides that – there is a ton of meat to this book that will keep the pages turning.
- The Selection by Kiera Cass
Publication date: April 24, 2012
If you like The Bachelor at all (and I’m thinking you do if you read Julie’s blog 
), this book will definitely appeal to you.
In The Selection, the U.S. has reverted to a monarchy and caste system in order to hold itself together after so many wars (in this setting, a 4th World War took place). When the up-and-coming king, Prince Maxon, must select a wife, girls are picked from across the country to vie for his affections.
America Singer never thought she would be chosen, but she does and becomes one of 35 girls who will compete to become the new queen.
I honestly didn’t think I was going to like this book at all. I’d read some negative reviews and wasn’t really sure what to expect. Instead what I got was a book that I literally could not put down. A-flippin-mazing.
- Insurgent by Veronica Roth
Publication date: May 1, 2012
Hopefully, you’ve taken Julie’s suggestion and read Divergent! I absolutely adored this book, and almost liked it better than The Hunger Games…almost!
Insurgent picks up where Divergent left off and really digs into the different factions, hidden secrets and unanswered questions of the previous book. I don’t want to reveal any spoilers, so I’ll just leave it at this: this series is one of the most well-written and fully developed I’ve read in a long time and I highly, highly recommend it.
Young Adult Dystopias Coming Out Later This Year
- Masque of Red Death by Bethany Griffin
Publication date: April 24, 2012
The only thing Araby wants to live for are ways to forget. Her nightly adventures into the Debauchery Club help her forget the plague that wiped out the population and her fear of what the future may hold. But meeting Will, the owner of the club, and Elliot, a dashing aristocrat, just might change all of that and give her something to fight to remember.
- The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
Publication date: May 8, 2012
Gene is human and that’s a huge problem. As the beings around him have lightning-fast reflexes and a thirst for human blood, Gene knows he must keep his true identity a secret. When Gene is chosen to hunt the remaining humans, he must fight harder than ever to keep his humanity hidden… and avoid falling in love with a human girl that crosses his path.
- For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
Publication date: June 12, 2012
After failed genetic testing, an anti-technology caste system has taken root and created the Luddite nobility. Elliot is part of the elite, but she sees her world changing as a group of rebels forms and challenges the old class system. As she struggles to keep up her family estate, she must face her childhood sweetheart, Kai, who she once rejected and has now became a renowned explorer. (The book is based off Jane Austen’s Persuasion.)
- Glitch by Heather Anastasiu
Publication date: August 7, 2012
Zoe, along with the rest of humanity, has been implanted with a computer chip by The Community and has been wiped clean of emotion. When she starts to malfunction, or "glitch," she begins to have feelings and develops an identity. After she meets fellow "glitchers," Zoe and her new friends plan to free themselves from the The Community who fights to control them.
- Beta by Rachel Cohn
Publication date: October 16, 2012
The wealthiest people in the world live on the island paradise of Demesne. Everything is bio-engineered there — including servants like Elysia. She’s a 16-year-old clone who is an empty shell of a teenager with no experiences, feelings or personality. Despite the perfection of Demesne, Elysia and the servants seem discontent… a problem that only increases as Elysia begins to feel more and more emotions. Elysia must hide her emerging self and especially her increasing humanity in a world that doesn’t tolerate imperfection.
Agh! There are so many amazing books coming out this year! I hope you find some great reads.
If you ever want to chat about anything book-related, hit me up over at Read.Breathe.Relax.!
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I love this post and I’m printing it out to take to the library with me. THANKS!! 🙂
Thanks for all the reccs! Theres some in there I definitely want to read.
And a book recommendation along those lines I wanted to share was for the Pretty series by Scott Westerfield. It is SUCH a great series!
Sorry its called the Uglies Trilogy. Pretties is the second book and Specials is the third. 🙂
I am reading this series right now. I finished Uglies and have Pretties and Specials from the library. So far, it is a great series!
This is so helpful! I love dystopian books and tend to get almost all my suggestions from Julie’s blog. I have way too many books on my “to read” list now! I really want to read The Selection… I’m a huge Bachelor fan and not ashamed!
Thanks so much for all the great reads. I am an avid reader, when I have the time and I am always looking for great books that I can get lost in. I am also passing this on to my sister who is always asking me for book recommendations. Thank!
LOOOVVEEE this post!! Thank YOU 🙂 So going to check out those first two (plus need to finish DIvergent before Insurgent.)
THank YOU!
Bookmarking this!!! Thanks for all the great suggestions!
I also really like Delirium/Pandemonium, The Handmaid’s Tale and Matched/Crossed
Very cool! I’m definitely interested in reading “The Selection!” I love The Bachelor, so that book sounds right up my alley! 🙂
Love your blog Lisa!!!
Thanks!! 😀
I think I loved Divergent series better than Hunger Games. I just finished Insurgent and can not wait for the next one! I also really have liked Matched/Crossed and can’t wait for the next. I will be looking at the books you reccomended! Thanks so much for a todo reading list!
Great suggestions and great guest post, thank you! I’ll have to check out your blog, I’m always searching for a good read!
Thanks for the list! I am hoping to get a lot of reading in this summer while my girls are away visiting family.
Just added EVERY book to my to-read list =D! Can’t waaaitttt! I’m already reading Insurgent and it’s great. I got it ASAP when I found out that it was out haha.
Thanks for this guest post…I love hearing about books that other people enjoy, especially when we have similar tastes 🙂 Now i just have to get my hands on some of these books!!
Want to read these books.
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cosplay costume
Thank you so much! I loveee this post!!!
Okay, I agree with a lot of these books, though I haven’t read all of them, but I’m going to have to object to the inclusion of The Selection.
First off, the author is a bully who attacked a reviewer for giving her a bad review. (review here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/231455953) Google Kiera Cass + Wendy Darling and see for yourself. That sort of behavior is despicable.
Second off, that book is honestly terrible. This review is a pretty good rundown: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/324812156
I would be curious to see a defense of Cass’s worldbuilding, because I personally believe it to be indefensible and inexcusably dumb (if you don’t mind very slightly spoilers, check out the stuff about China and Russia. If you don’t find it ridiculous, I’d love to know why. I will just say that with my understanding of how the world works, that would NEVER happen, and it’s representative of the general failure of the plot and characterization).
Also, Julie, if you film a video of yourself twirling your fork menacingly, well, I would love you forever.
My bar for lowbrow literature is EXTREMELY low. I read some exquisitely terrible romance novels. I read comic books, scifi, fantasy featuring half naked women with bog breasts on the cover. I just ask for a good story and consistent characterization. The Selection does NOT meet that criteria.
(That said, I agree with the second reviewer I linked to on Goodreads and will say that it’s entertaining. But for all the wrong reasons.)
*slight spoilers, big breasts. I’m blind and inept at typing, apparently.
Thanks for the reccomendation. Just ordered both divergent and insurgent so I’m hoping I will enjoy it as much as i did the hunger games!
Janiek – I really hope you love these books. Divergent was seriously my favorite book of 2011!!
This is so great…Insurgent is next up on my must-read list but then I will definitely use this to help pick my next book! I actually read Divergent and Wither after seeing Julie’s reviews, and it looks like Lisa was the one who recommended them to her. Loooove dystopian novels!
Awesome! I love great book recommendations and I really love YA fantasy/scifi books. Although lately it seems like so many books are written in series form when really they shouldn’t be. Do you agree?
Katie – I definitely think that there are a TON of series out there. It’s refreshing to read a stand-alone book…but then I think…wait, there’s nothing more to look forward too? lol
But seriously, I’ve definitely felt that some series drag on and one forever with no conclusion in sight. It’s killer.
So happy for the recommendations on this list. I am in the process of reading Divergent…from Julie’s review…and really enjoying it!
I will be passing this list (and the link to your blog, Lisa) to my grade 10 students. We finished reading The Hunger Games a few weeks ago and they all loved it, so I am sure that many will like these books as well. I am always looking for ways to get my students excited about reading and looking for titles to recommend to them.
Thanks for the post!
Thank you so much for this post. I am going to have to bookmark it. I loved the Hunger Games and I’m always looking for more good books!
I love youth dystopian novels, but I actually like it when it’s more about survival than romance. I think that’s one of the reasons I liked Divergent more than The Hunger Games. It was also a more interesting story!
The Maze Runner series is awesome! Everyone I recommended it to LOVES it!
The Giver by Lois Lowry is a great book! I read it several years ago and just recently read it again. There are rumors that it is being made into a movie that will be coming out next year.
I recently found out that there are three more books in the series, two already out and one more comes out this year. I am reading the second book now, it is not as good as The Giver but I am hoping the other two will be.
Wow! I’m putting most of these on my summer reading list! Thank you so much for all these fantastic suggestions 🙂
Thanks for sharing this list. I added a bunch to my Amazon wish list.
Also, I am a huge sucker for books with pretty covers.
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