What to Read After The Hunger Games: Your Next Dystopian Obsessions
If you closed The Hunger Games feeling like you’d just survived the arena with Katniss, and you’re now craving more stories where the stakes are sky-high, the power structure is twisted, and one teen goes up against the world, you’re in the right spot. The Reddit thread on books like The Hunger Games highlights exactly this hunger for more.
Here are six picks that capture the hunger, the games, the rebellion — perfect for your next read.
1. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
A brutal caste-system, characters from the bottom rising up, and a hero who will stop at nothing. This one hits the “fight the system” vibe full on. It keeps you on edge like The Hunger Games did.
2. Legend by Marie Lu
Dual perspectives, a divided society, survival in the face of oppression, and teens forced into roles they never agreed to. If you liked watching Panem break down, you’ll be into this.
3. The Testing Trilogy by Joelle Charbonneau
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Competitions, tests, risk of death, plus political games. For fans who want more of the “what if you’re forced into the arena but disguised as a test” energy — this is it.
4. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Set in a brutal empire, with a heroine trying to save someone she loves and a soldier who’s been raised to obey. The power structure, the survival stakes, the tension — totally in line with what The Hunger Games offered.
5. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
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A slightly different tack: the oppression is less about the arena and more about society’s control of appearance and conformity. But if you were drawn to the system-versus-individual dynamic, this will resonate.
6. Bound by the Viking Wolves by Shortbread
Thrown into a savage past where her new identity comes with rules meant to keep her powerless, Sophie becomes a danger simply by refusing to stay small. If the exploitation and coercion in The Hunger Games unsettled you, this will too. Because here, defiance has teeth—and consequences.
