Hi everyone! Happy April! How are you? Spring is in full bloom over here and I feel alive again!
I’m back on the blog today to talk about my first love: dystopia!
But what are dystopian novels, exactly?
Dystopian literature offers a vision of the future. It portrays dystopias, which are societies in cataclysmic decline, with characters who battle environmental ruin, technological control and government oppression. A dystopia is an antonym of a utopia, which means a perfect society. Most authors of dystopian fiction usually extrapolate elements of contemporary society, and thus can be read as warnings.
Here’s a list of some of my favorite ones!
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10 of the best dystopian YA novels to read (these will blow your mind!)
Uglies, Scott Westerfeld
The first dystopian book I’ve ever read, the one that made me fall in love with the genre. The plot is original, the characters are well fleshed out and it’s full of twists and turns. I was hooked from the very first page! A classic you absolutely need to check off your TBR!
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The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins
A classic of course! Suzanne Collins says that the inspiration struck when she was channel-surfing the television and saw people competing for a prize in a reality program and then saw footage of the Iraq War. The pacing, the characters, the tension, no wonder it left such a lasting impression on the literary world.
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The Ones We’re Meant to Find, Joan He
MIND-BLOWING! This book is mind-blowing! It’s also gut-wrenching, unpredictable, thought-provoking, emotional…hell, I don’t have enough adjectives. It deals with climate change, the love between sisters, and the tenacity of the human spirit. Go read it now!
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The Grace Year, Kim Liggett
Beware, this one is terrifying and quite disturbing! The Grace Year examines the complex and sometimes twisted relationships between girls in a very dark and harsh world. It’s about women’s rights and roles within society. I wanted to scream, I wanted to hide but I just couldn’t look away.
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Delirium, Lauren Oliver
My sister’s favorite! Delirium is an emotional and heartbreaking love story set in a dystopian future. It’s both gritty and sweet! And it’s beautifully written! If you’re not sure you’re into dystopia, I’d suggest reading this one, it’s a very good start to get into the genre!
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More Than This, Patrick Ness
Provocative, moving and compelling, this book will leave you speechless. It’s about a boy who drowns and then wakes up, naked and bruised, but very much alive. How is it possible? And what is this strange place he’s in? Weird for sure but powerful, it’ll make your head spin and your toes curl!
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The 5th Wave, Rick Yancey
This book is like a ticking time bomb, crazily addictive! I enjoyed the multiple point of views, the strong writing style and the well-written characters. If you’re a fan of science fiction, read it now, no questions asked! If you’re not, that book may be the one that’ll change your mind…
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Girls with Sharp Sticks, Suzanne Young
A thrilling series about a girls-only boarding school with a terrifying secret and the friends who will stop at nothing to protect each other. It’s infuriating, empowering and twisty! My eyes were literally glued to the pages, I swear you won’t be able to put it down!
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Legend, Marie Lu
A corrupt government? Check! A strong female protagonist? Check! High-stakes actions and reveals? Check! This has everything I love about a YA dystopian story and it was the perfect balance between action, suspense and romance. You definitely need to check this one out!
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Awaken, Katie Kacvinsky
Ugh, SO underhyped! It’s the story of Maddie who lives in a world where everything is done on the computer. She’s fine with it until she meets Justin, Justin who actually likes being with people… An intense storyline, a slow-burning romance, a dazzling writing, you’re definitely in for a treat!
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For more books recommendations, check out these blog posts:
- 14 Awesome YA Books To Read Based On TV Shows You Like
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- 10 Backlist YA Books I Want To Read in 2022
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Do you like to read dystopian novels? What do you enjoy about this particular genre?
What are some of your favorites?
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Yes!! The Ones We’re Meant to Find!! I can’t remember the last time I was so shocked by a book!
YEEEES! This book is just 😍😍😍
Thanks for stopping by 😘
The Grace Year is on my radar! Granted, the cover was a big factor, but I have the audiobook downloaded sooooo I’m excited!
Yaaay! Oh yes, LOVE the cover! 😍
I hope you’ll enjoy it 😁
Some great books on here! I really want to resd The Grace Year!
Yaaay! 😊 I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Thanks for stopping by 😘😘
I love the dystopian genre. I did like The Hunger Games book series. I haven’t read the latest one yet. Another dystopian book series Shatter Me book series by Tahereh Mafi. Which I love because I had written a similar story in college.
Yaaay! 😊 I just read it, it’s not as good as the original Hunger Games but still enjoyable!
Yeeees! Love this series! Oh that’s awesome!!
Thank you so much for stopping by 😘😘
Thanks for this! I added several of them to my TBR!
Yaaay, so happy to hear that! 😁
Thanks for stopping by and happy reading 😘😘
I got Awaken for review when it first came out and I regret not reading it! It’s been on my TBR for way too long. I need to get to it! TOWWMTF is one I really really want to get to and Uglies! I feel like my love for dystopia has sort of fizzled out even though I still love the concept!
Oh yees you do! It’s such a great book 😍
Yaaaay! I hope you’ll enjoy them both as much as I did 😁
I get that, I was WAY more into dystopian novels when I was younger!
Thanks for stopping by and happy reading 😘😘
i think it must be a sign that you’ve written this post nyx, because i haven’t read the hunger games in a couple of years now, and i’ve been thinking it’s time for yet another reread of that fantastic series :’) the ones we’re meant to find has sounded good to me since i first heard about it, so i really need to get around to it soon!
Yaaay! 🤗🤗
Oh yeees, you need to read that one! I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did 😁
Thanks for stopping by 😘
UGLIES!!! 😍 Uglies was the first dystopian I read too and Scott Westerfeld is still one of my favourite authors now. I’ve fallen away from the genre since that dystopian boom but I’ll come back to it if I find any series that catch my interest.
YAAAAY! 😍😍 This book is just so precious to me 😍
I get that, I’m more into contemporary right now but I try to come back to the genre as often as I can 😁
Thank you so much for stopping by 😘😘
Legend is definitely my all time favorite- I love June, I love Day, I love them together + that plot and pacing! I still have to read Uglies, it’s been so long but reading this post make me interested to pick it back up 🙂
Yeees! Such a great book 😍
Yaaaay! That makes me so excited 😁 I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did 😁😁
I loved reading dystopian novels a couple of years ago but somehow haven’t touched any for ages now. I can’t even remember what the last one I read was… I loved Legend though and got the fourth book, Rebel, not too long ago and I guess this will be the next dystopia I shall pick up 🙂
I get that! I was WAY more into dystopian novels when I was younger.
I’m more into contemporary right now but I still try to get back to the genre as often as I can.
Yaaay, awesome! 🤗🤗
Thank you so much for stopping by, happy reading! 😘😘
I really need to read The Ones We’re Meant to Find. So many people talk about that book!
Yeeees! 😍😍
Ohhh good picks! I devoured The Hunger Games faster than I’d read any series before. I own a few of the others you’ve picked, but I haven’t read them yet because I was worried things would start to feel tropey and I like my dystopians to be very dark. But now I can’t wait to pick them up!
Thanks! ☺️
Same here!!
Aww, I hope you’ll enjoy them all 😁
Thank you so much for stopping by, happy reading 😘😘