{
  "id": 19871774,
  "title": "The Hunger Games walked so these dystopian YA novels could run",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/the-hunger-games-walked-so-these-dystopian-ya-novels-could-run",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-13T17:00:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The A.V. Club",
    "slug": "the-a-v-club",
    "url": "https://www.avclub.com/best-dystopian-ya-novels-like-the-hunger-games-ava-reid-neal-shusterman"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Welcome to The Backlist, where The A.V. Club revisits older book releases that deserve their moment in the spotlight. The resurgence of dystopian young adult literature is as strong as ever, just as the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping is set to hit theaters. In this article, we'll explore some lesser-known dystopian young adult novels that have gained newfound popularity.\n\nSoulmatch by Rebecca Danzenbaker (2025) is a fresh take on familiar dystopian themes. In a post-World War III America, a process called \"kirling\" matches souls with their previous lives on an individual's 18th birthday. Sivon, a protagonist in this novel, awaits her kirling and learns that good souls receive valuable rewards, while bad ones face consequences. When her kirling results are abnormal, she becomes a celebrity and a target of threats. Supported by her bodyguard Donovan, the plot unfolds with twists and turns, focusing on identity, guilt, atonement, predestination, and the surveillance state.\n\nKim Liggett's The Grace Year (2019) is set in a patriarchal society where women must spend a year in the wilderness after their sixteenth birthday to purge dangerous magic. Tierney, the main character, despises the idea of marriage and motherhood, which puts her at odds with her peers. The Grace Year offers a mix of Yellowjackets and The Handmaid's Tale, with a more hopeful ending than many dystopian stories.\n\nSarah Daniels' The Stranded (2023) presents an original setting aboard a luxury cruise ship turned refugee camp for those fleeing Europe after an apocalyptic war. Esther, a teenager who's never left the ship, studies to become a medic capable of working on land within the isolationist Federated States. The novel alternates between Esther's perspective and that of Nik, a member of a group of revolutionaries plotting a rebellion against the authoritarian leader. The setting raises concerns about cruise ship culture, making it a disturbingly creepy experience.\n\nHell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White (2022) is a dark dystopian horror story with explicit violence and dark themes. Benji, a trans boy raised by an apocalyptic Christian cult, escapes their grasp after being injected with a serum meant to transform him into a living bioweapon. The novel is not for everyone, but it showcases the boundaries pushed in YA dystopian fiction, with White's bleak world-building and bottomless rage tempered by a strangely hopeful perspective on queer survival and perseverance.\n\nLastly, Neal Shusterman's Scythe (2016) is the first book in the Arc Of A Scythe trilogy, offering a reverse dystopia where a seemingly perfect world hides dark underpinnings. In a future where disease, hunger, war, and poverty have been eliminated, a benevolent AI governs a united Earth. However, the Scythes, a group of humans tasked with killing and determining the timing of death, maintain control over the population. Rowan Damisch and Citra Terranova, two teens chosen to be apprentices to the Scythedom, face moral dilemmas as they struggle with their roles.",
  "summary": "The Backlist gets ready for The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping by digging into some excellent dystopian young adult reads",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Tom's Guide",
        "title": "Holiday 2026 movie guide: 7 must-see releases in theaters, from ‘Doomsday’ and ‘Dune’ to ‘Hunger Games’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/13/holiday-2026-movie-guide-7-must-see-releases-in-theaters-from",
        "published": "2026-11-13T09:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}