Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They’d love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!
This week’s topic is “Ten Books Every X Should Read,” which means I get to choose 😀 For me this was a no brainer. I love dystopians! I like reading about post-apocalyptic worlds, seeing the human race overcome obstacles to survive. There are so many different variations with different outcomes from some amazing authors! Here’s my top ten books every dystopian lover should read…in no particular order 😉
Books Every Dystopian Lover Should Read
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of my all-time favorites and is an absolute must read for fans of dystopian. I liked the uniqueness of the games, it is unlike anything I had ever read. Katniss is a character that is hard to forget. All she wants is to save her sister from the games, then she becomes a victor and the unknowing face of the rebellion.
Matched by Ally Condie was one of the first books I read after my dark days (aka college, which meant little time spent reading). I fell in love with this series. It’s as much a dystopian as it is science fiction. Cassia’s choices are taken from her, her life is controlled by the Society down to what she eats, who she’ll marry, and occupation. Nothing is left to chance. Everything is meticulously calculated and divvied up.
Divergent by Veronica Roth will always be a favorite of mine. Despite my feelings for Tris, I really did enjoy the series. It was unique with its factions and walled off city. It’s a true dystopian, focusing on the government/ruling body and the corruption within.
Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi contains my favorite book couple: Perry and Aria. I adored this series. Before the sky turned vicious, a lottery sent mankind into bunkers housed within the earth. Aria has lived her entire life in one of these until she witnesses something her government wants to keep hidden. She’s then cast out into the wild, living under the sky as no one has in hundreds of years. Perry grew up under that same sky. His ancestors not being lucky enough to have won the lottery. Aria with Perry’s help is looking for a place that the sky is clear without the constant threat of the aether bearing down.
The Selection by Kiera Cass is a light dystopian, meaning it isn’t as violent as the others on my list. This series could really be labeled as a young adult romance with a hint of dystopian. However that hint of dystopian I loved. America comes from a low caste when she is selected to be among the chosen girls for the prince. There are hints of rebellion and war throughout the series, but for those not keen on dystopians it is focused mainly on the romance between America and Maxon.
The Arcana Chronicles by Kresley Cole walks the line between dystopian and fantasy. In the first book, Evie is telling the story of the flash what her life was like before and how it is now, fighting bagmen (zombie-esque), and deciphering visions she originally thought were hallucinations. Now she fights in a game for her life, the prize immortality.
The Fallen World by Laura Thalassa is by one of my favorite authors. I had originally put off reading this one, now that I’ve read it I don’t know why I ever thought it was a good idea to wait. I LOVED THESE BOOKS!!! I binged them on one weekend and could not take my eyes off the pages. It was horrific and wonderful! One man controls the world and one woman is determined to stop him. The last book in the series comes out next month and I cannot wait!
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer is for anyone who enjoys fairy tale retellings with a twist. The series contains retellings of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White. These loose retellings focus on Cinder who is a cyborg with no memory of her life before the accident that made her that way and Prince Kai, the soon to be emperor of the Eastern Commonwealth, as they fight the queen of Luna from taking over the entire world.
Broken Skies by Theresa Kay is a really wonderful dystopian that (for you paranormal lovers) has a lot to do with aliens. A plague killed nearly the entire world and when humans were at their weakest, the E’rikon arrived. They kept to themselves until recently, now they are expanding their boundaries and killing off the humans who are left.
The Legacy by Melissa Delport is another of my favorites. This one is about the aftermath of World War 3 which only lasted 12 days but the devastation continued, nuclear fallout, less than a 1/3rd of the population survived. Now what is left of America is being controlled by a sadistic man who needs to be taken down if the country is to survive.
Your Turn! What dystopians would you add to my list?
Oh what a FABULOUS top ten… I’ll have to have a go at this one, I think. But I’ll toss one of my recent favourite dystopian series into the ring – and then offer a much old one. The Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown is a real roller-coaster ride and definitely falls into the dystopian genre; and going back a bit is one of my all-time favourite authors – Kage Baker and The Company series. While I’ll allow the last two books aren’t quite as strong, the premise is a fabulous one and I’ve never read anything quite like and I don’t expect I ever shall. Thank you! This was a real treat – you have several series there I haven’t yet encountered and I’m really looking forward to tucking into – particularly The Fallen World and Broken Skies:).
I’ve heard a lot about Pierce Brown’s series. I really need to find the time to read it. I haven’t ready Kage Baker *adding to TBR now. Hope you enjoy The Fallen World and Broken Skies, both are from indie authors and are excellent. 🙂
OOh nice topic and picks! LOVED Divergent!! And the Lunar Chronicles! Oooooh the Arcana Chronicles is one of my most faves!! Great picks!
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Well you know I love Broken Skies by Theresa Kay…if you look closely in the acknowledgements, you’ll see my name. 😉 I have the first of Under the Never Sky and Poison Princess, but haven’t read them yet (nor have I read The Hunger Games or Divergent yet, I know…bad). I don’t think I read a lot of Dystopian actually. Not that I have anything against them. Have you read Spark of Light by Alex Tuttle? He’s another Rebel Writer with Theresa Kay, and the book is kind of dystopian, but also has a bit of a fantasy element since it has elves. But I really loved it.
My TTT.
Scarlet, from the Lunar Chronicles, is next on my TBR 🙂 Cinder was GREAT!
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