13 Mind-Blowing Dystopian Novels We Think You’ll Love

May the odds be ever in your favor.

Page Turners is a BuzzFeed reading group that picks a theme each month, and invites people to choose any book that fits the theme and join in. In May, everyone read a dystopian novel. Here are some of our members' favorites:

1. Warcross by Marie Lu

Penguin Random House

"This book's about a young hacker/bounty hunter whose accidental hack into the championship of the world's most popular virtual reality game draws her into adventure, mystery, and romance. The book raises some fascinating questions about our over-reliance on machines, the allure of virtual reality over reality, and the use of technology to keep the masses placated in the face of social and economic disparities. Plus, it features a butt-kicking heroine with rainbow-colored hair!"

—Amanda Cuda Swavy, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $8.02+, Barnes & Noble for $13.41+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

2. Gone by Michael Grant

HarperCollins

"It's about a community where everyone over the age of 15 disappears and the youth have to fend for themselves. It has a sort of Lord of the Flies feel, between the power struggles, the violence the kids commit against each other, and the challenge of establishing order in a community that has become total chaos. It's a very quick and easy read — Grant has a simple style. The dialogue flows nicely without extra added descriptions and complex language. I’d definitely recommend it. Warning: it’s not for the faint of heart, though. Be prepared for violence, death of children, and gore."

—Danielle Denenberg, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $6.98+, Barnes & Noble for $7.69, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Faber and Faber

"Dystopian is my least favorite genre yet I LOVE this book. It’s set at a boarding school for “special kids,” although you don’t realize exactly why they are special until later. Part of the appeal of this book is it seemed like a normal boarding school-like book until BAM it wasn’t and everything changed and clicked. It's a must-read for dystopian skeptics!"

—Kacey Ross, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $10.75+, Barnes & Noble for $11.30+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

4. American War by Omar El Akkad

Rebecca Wiens

"This book caught me completely off guard. It's shockingly relevant to the current political climate in the US. The book speculates about the potential fall-out from political divides in North America. This spectacular piece of fictional longform journalism is a must-read for fans of podcasts like Serial and S-Town."

—Rebecca Wiens, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $11.56+, Barnes & Noble for $13.66+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

5. Only Ever Yours by Louise O’Neill

Quercus

"It's really good. Girls (called “eves”) are designed by genetic engineers and spend the first 16 years of their lives in school being ranked by their beauty. Their goal is to become “companions” (basically wives), while others become concubines or dreaded “chastities.” The main character, frieda (no female names are capitalized) is struggling to keep her ranking and is trying to figure out why her best friend, isabel, is becoming distant. It takes until the last page for frieda's future to be revealed. It's a disturbing, but fascinating book."

—Liz Boccolini, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $6.39+, Barnes & Noble for $7.99+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

6. The Running Man by Stephen King

Signet Books

"It's set in a (not-too-unbelievable) US dystopian society where the wealthy and poor are completely separated. A man signs up for a televised manhunt game show and must fight for his life to earn money for his sick daughter. It's a quick read and I really enjoyed it."

—Jessica Looney, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $7.99+, Barnes & Noble for $17.05+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

7. The Power by Naomi Alderman

Astrid Felicia Lim

"It's a tough and difficult book, but I couldn't stop reading it! It's thought-provoking and it plays with dangerous ideas of alternate reality. In the book, women suddenly have an extra power in their body to become stronger than men. However, Alderman didn't make the story full of revenge and anger, although those parts are indeed discussed in the book. Instead, she gives different points of views from the male and female characters to avoid any biases. It's a superb novel that will stay with me for a long time."

—Astrid Felicia Lim, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $15.29+, Barnes & Noble for $19.11+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

8. The 100 by Kass Morgan

Kristin Walsh

"It's a fun and easy read. It's so good that I put the rest of the series on hold at the library, and when I'm done I'm going to Netflix the TV show."

—Kristin Walsh, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $4.92+, Barnes & Noble for $9.09+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

9. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Scholastic

"I read the Uglies series when I was in middle school, and more than a decade later, it still remains one of my favorite dystopian stories. The series follows Tally, a teenager who can’t wait until she turns 16, which is the age that everyone in her society undergoes an operation that will transform her from an “ugly” to a “pretty.” But when she meets Shay, a girl who questions whether she wants to turn into a pretty, Tally’s understanding of her world slowly shatters, and she discovers a much darker side to the “pretty” world than she ever imagines. It really makes you question your own understanding of beauty and how we as a society place so much value on it."

—Ciera Velarde

Get it on Amazon for $7.98+, Barnes & Noble for $8.44+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

10. The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

MHM Books

"It's a quick, interesting, action-packed read for anyone who likes The Reckoning by Kerry Wilkinson."

—Taylor Hilliard, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $5.99+, Barnes & Noble for $7.99+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

11. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Holt, Rinehart and Winston

"The story is told in first person by a novelist named John as he recalls the events in his personal life that lead up to the end of the world. He writes about how he was doing research on a book about the father of the atomic bomb and how all the people he meets are connected in a larger story. It features a religion/theology called “Bokononism,” which the author believes in and so the story is told through that perspective.

I was absolutely engrossed by this book! It immediately catches your attention and keeps you entertained until the end. Plus, Vonnegut’s wit and dark humor really shine in this novel."

—Paige James, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $11.39+, Barnes & Noble for $12.11+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

12. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Paige Copper

"This book follows a 16-year-old boy named Darrow living in a society where everyone’s class and job description is ruled by their “color,” Red being the lowest tier and Gold being the highest. Darrow, being a Red, is a helldiver (a miner of sorts) on Mars, but after his wife is hanged for treason, he joins a rebellion that hopes they will see the end of the Gold reign. The characters, setting, politics, and plot make it the absolute best sci-fi/dystopian series I’ve ever read."

—Paige Copper, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $9.94+, Barnes & Noble for $11.13+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

13. And, of course, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Scholastic

"I hadn't read The Hunger Games since it was first published. It's so much better the second time around, partially because of the mix of nostalgia I feel about it. I can't believe it's been 10 years!"

—L Stosur Schwartz, Facebook

Get it on Amazon for $6.74+, Barnes & Noble for $8.23+, or a local bookseller through IndieBound here.

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Page Turners is our book group where you get to suggest and choose your own books each month. Join the Facebook group to get in on the discussion, or tell us what you're reading in the comments below!

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