I will stand firm in the belief that the Hunger Games is a modern day classic. It helped launch the careers of hundreds, if not thousands of YA authors, and captivated millions of readers. The YA genre owes a lot to this series and now readers WANT MORE!!!
So here we have a list of book recommendations that are similar to the Hunger Games for both the YA genre and for Adult books.
ALSO, side note, but have you watched Squid Game? Because this show gives major Hunger Games vibes and you won’t be able to stop watching. It is extremely heart wrenching and incredibly brutal.
Red Rising
What happens when people are segregated into a caste system and the elite control the rest of the population, and it all happens in space? Rebellion happens!
This series is absolutely brutal and the battle and war scenes are truly some of the most intricate and intense that I have ever read. This falls into the science fiction genre but there are elements of dystopian as well, and you will fall in love with both the main characters and the side characters.
If you liked the competitiveness of The Hunger Games then try Red Rising.
Influencer Island
Taking inspiration from the Fyre Festival, this book shows the dangers of social media. An artist invites the worlds top influencers and celebrities to an island to live in Paradise and to have a chance to gain millions of new followers…when they arrive at the island they realize that his motives are much darker. Not everyone will leave the island alive.
If you liked the twisted themes of The Hunger Games then try Influencer Island.
The Running Man
Stephen King sets the stage with creating a game show about hunting criminals that is broadcasted on television. Criminals are essentially set loose into the city and the world watches as they are retrieved and killed in the process. You might also want to watch Arnold Swartzenegger in the movie adaptation.
If you liked the idea of The Hunger Games being based on reality tv shows and game shows, then try The Running Man.
Battle Royale
A Japanese thriller where a group of junior high school kids are dropped onto an Island, given a bunch of weapons and told that only one person can survive. As you can probably imagine, it is brutal and very intense.
If you liked the high stakes dog eat dog competition of The Hunger Games then read Battle Royale
The Institute
Children with special abilities are stolen in the middle of the night and taken to the institute to undergo testing. No one has ever escaped the Institute, “You can check in but you can’t check out.”
If you liked the adrenaline that you felt while reading The Hunger Games and want something with a Stephen King twist then read The Institute
The Handmaid’s Tale
The world has run into a fertility crisis and the government takes measures into their own hands by essentially stripping women of their rights and using fertile women as breeding machines. It is one of the best non Sci-Fi adult dystopian fiction books around.
If you are looking for a dystopian society run by an extreme government like The Hunger Games then read The Handmaid’s Tale
Divergent
In a futuristic society people are placed into factions based on their dominating personality traits. This seems to be the best way to keep peace, but it soon becomes apparent that the world may not be as peaceful as it seems.
If you liked the districts and the war against the capital in The Hunger Games then read Divergent
The Maze Runner
A group of children are dropped into a controlled environment one by one with all of their memories erased. They quickly realise that they must figure out a way to escape if they want to survive. This is a fast paced action packed YA dystopian novel and it’s easy to binge the series in a couple days.
If you liked the high stakes moments of the Hunger Games then read The Maze Runner
Murder Trending
Criminals are sent to an island to be hunted and murdered. The events are then televised and
broadcasted through social media. It is a harrowing look at what humanity is capable of, and the dangers of wanting to be constantly entertained through social media. This is a short and very quick read.
If you liked the “game” aspect of the Hunger Games then read Murder Trending
UGLIES
This was one of my favorite YA dystopian series when I was in highschool. Society has a special transformation when you turn sixteen that will turn you from an “Ugly” into a “Pretty”. Kids think that they are simply being transformed into a more beautiful version of themselves, but Tally begins to notice that her friends are never the same after they undergo the transformation. There is something much darker happening.
If you liked the unique futuristic world that The Hunger Games provided then read UGLIES
All of Us Villains
This one is basically marketed as “The Hunger Games but with villains” and this is absolutely correct. The town basically puts a group of teens into a game to fight to the death and compete for the rights to become “Champion”. The Champions family will then have control over magic until the next tournament. I personally loved this book and can’t wait for the second!
If you liked the games aspect of The Hunger Games but want magic added in, then read All of Us Villains
*Related Article: All of Us Villains book review
Iron Widow
Girls are paired up with boys to pilot Chrysalises, which are essentially giant war robots that can fight against the aliens that threaten them. The problem is that every girl who helps pilot the chrysalises is sacrificed in the process. When Zetian’s sister is killed in the process she offers herself up to become a concubine in the hopes of assassinating the boy who killed her. Bonus: An amazing take down of toxic masculinity!
If you are looking for a book just as intense as The Hunger Games but science fiction instead of Dystopian then read Iron Widow
The Lord of the Flies
You probably read this in high school, or at least pretended to read it in highschool, but this is a classic. A group of children are left unsupervised on an island and they are forced to create their own society with their own rules. At first they are excited about this prospect, but fear and greed soon take over and it becomes a fight for survival.
If you are looking for another book where children are pitted against each other then read The Lord of the Flies
Unwind
In this insane dystopian world parents now have the right to “unwind” their children between the ages of 13-18. This means that anyone who causes any trouble will most likely be unwound. This process includes having all of their children’s organs transplanted into a donor. This way they are able to have a fresh start without actually “killing” their children…Sounds insane right?
If you are looking for a dystopian society that is just as harrowing as The Hunger Games then read Unwind
Books that are on my TBR that give me all the Hunger Games vibes!!!
Bullet Train
This is marketed as a dark and satirical thriller. What happens when five assassins are all put onto the same train? The big question is…who will make it off the train alive?
The Most Dangerous Game
A short story about a big game hunter who becomes ship wrecked and then becomes the hunted. This collections is a group of short stories by the author.
The Plotters
A crime novel set in an alternate Seoul. The “plotters” are behind every assination and they dictate what all of the criminals do in the city. I actually put this one on my list because someone told me it had Squid Game vibes, but it came up as a book similar to the Hunger Games also.
The Island
This is a school summer trip gone wrong, when an airplane crashes and leaves 7 students on the island alone. 7 students who do not particularly like each other. It sounds like it will be a YA Lord of the Flies.
Matched
I am taking this directly from Goodreads: “In the society, officials decide. Who you love. Where you work. When you die. This is what you sacrifice and in return you are given a “perfect life” with a “perfect mate”. But what if their decisions are wrong?
It honestly sounds like a mixture of The Handmaid’s Tale and the Giver but I feel like it fits into this list as well.
The Grace Year
Young girls are told that they have a special power that lures men away from their wives, and they are forced into the forest when they turn 16 to rid themselves of the curse. While there, they have to hide from men who are looking to steal them and sell them on the black market, as well as the other girls who are cast out with them. Not everyone will survive.
Alice in Borderland
This is a manga where a group of high schoolers are transported into a parallel universe and they must play a game to survive. At first they believe that they’ve been taken to Paradise, but they soon learn it is anything but.
Zero Sum Game
All I know about this is that it is a near future science fiction thriller, and it has a lot of mathematical equations and superpowers in it. I have also been told by many people that Hunger Games fans and fans of V.E Schwabb’s Vicious will love it. So on the list it goes!
You might also be interested in book lists for books similar to: TWILIGHT and A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES
