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Dystopian Recommendations from Librarians
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Flawed by Cecilia Ahern
This book has come up with the perfect world, the utopia we strive for, with a government that oversees all...sound familiar? If so, then you know everything’s not so perfect. The main character, Celestine, quickly finds out her perfect life--happy family, many privileges, and influential boyfriend (who just so happens to be the son of the man in charge)--isn’t so perfect after all when she makes the instinctive decision to save someone’s life. The life-changing repercussions force her to question if her society really works. This is a complete duology; the second book is Perfect.
The Selection by Kierra Cass
Being Selected to compete for the heart of a prince sounds like an absolute dream. But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. She must leave her family and secret love for a palace that is constantly under attack from rebels. Then, she must compete for the heart of a man she doesn’t know with beautiful girls from much higher castes. But, the food is good, and Prince Maxon is handsome, and the money her family is receiving for her participation is more than they’ve ever had. But, as America and Prince Maxon grow closer, she realizes that the life she's planned for may not compare to a future she never imagined possible. But, the competition is still on and the other girls will do anything to win both the crown and Maxon’s heart. Librarians love this title because it begins a series that is engrossing fun, where the Bachelor meets Disney princesses with some political intrigue thrown in.
Dread Nation & Deathless Divide (duology) - Justina Ireland
What if the Civil War wasn’t fought between the North and South, but the living and the dead? This alternate history imagines a world where zombies (shamblers) roam the states, and young black girls like Jane are forced not into slavery, but into service as zombie hunters.
More Than This by Patrick Ness
A lot of dystopian titles these days constitute long series, which are fun to commit to but can also be very daunting! Patrick Ness is a master of exploring genre, capable of weaving all sorts of contemporary, fantasy, science fiction and dystopian elements into his novels as he pleases. More Than This is a fantastic dystopian stand-alone about a young boy named Seth, who after drowning in the ocean mysteriously wakes up in a small English town. He is left to piece together this new reality and what has happened to his world. This book is weird, existential, and deeply philosophical, but these elements are what make it so enthralling.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
In this novel, the world is perfect or so it seems to be. Everyone is happy. There is no hunger, no disease, no war, no death because humankind has conquered death. Scythes are the ones who now take life. Citra and Rowan are two teens being trained as apprentices to enter the Scythedom and learn the art of gleaning or taking human life. All matters of life are now governed/watched by the Thunderhead, the artificial intelligence that oversees this world now. What I love most about this story is how gripping it is. When you read this novel, you will see that even in “perfection” lives corruption, but you can fight against it by not giving into it. You have the power of good.
More Dystopian Recommendations
More Dystopian Recommendations
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