Top Ten Tuesday: Books From My Favorite Genre

Well, I’m officially back from Book Con and excited to talk about books from my favorite genre today! But first, a little bit about Book Con. It was my first Book Con, so it was quite the experience! Honestly, it was a lot of waiting in line, but I got to talk to some fellow book lovers and got lots of books signed! I’ve gotten to meet a lot of authors this year, and for that, I’m truly grateful. Will I go again next year? I sure hope so!

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. It was a no-brained what genre to choose for this week’s post: young adult dystopia. It was the subject of my M.A. thesis, and though not as popular as it once was, I still love reading it. There are a lot of great YA Dystopian books out here, and some of them definitely don’t get the recognition that they deserve!

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently run by The Artsy Reader Girl. If you haven’t checked out their posts yet, you definitely should! I’ve been doing them since January and have enjoyed each one. You can check out my last one here!

Favorite Genre: YA Dystopia

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Maybe a bit of a cliche, but this book inspired a lot of what happened in the genre after it. And quite honestly, it’s just a really good, sound series. And it inspired turning YA dystopia into my favorite genre. I catch something different every time I read it, which I love.

2. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

The first book in the Chaos Walking trilogy, this is one of the most interesting dystopian worlds I’ve read. Set in a world where everyone can hear men’s thoughts, men quickly become suspicious of women. There’s a lot of interesting discussion on gender and power here, which I could honestly talk about for days.

3. Scythe by Neal Shusterman

A more recent series, but I’d wait until the next book comes out to actually start it because the second book ends on a major cliff hanger. Neal Shusterman always comes up with these interesting, kind of creepy (see next suggestion) worlds that absolutely suck you in, right from the beginning.

4. Unwind by Neal Shusterman

Maybe it’s cheating, but this is an earlier series of Shusterman’s and it’s just as good. In a world where abortion has been outlawed, unruly teenagers can be “unwound” with their body parts being given to other people. Given our current political state in the U.S…this book may have just gotten creepier.

5. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

This is one of the only YA dystopian books that I’ve seen that features a Native American protagonist! It was originally published in Canada, but the concept is interesting and definitely worth the read. And it’s been optioned to become a TV show, I think!

6. Legend by Marie Lu

Marie Lu is actually publishing another book in this series, and I think it comes out this fall? I can’t remember if it’s a prequel or a sequel. Either way, it’ll probably fit right in with all her other books. An interesting look at power structures and how they’re manipulated by those who hold all the power.

7. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

I just recently got into this series, and I’m so glad I discovered Tahereh Mafi. Her writing is so lyrical and flows so nicely, drawing you into the story. Plus, she’s amazing at writing romance and relationships that will definitely make your heart melt.

8. The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau

A commentary on the current school system in the United States, this book is definitely for Hunger Games fans. But it takes a different turn, looking at what might happen if higher education continues down its current path.

9. Warcross by Marie Lu

Another one by Marie Lu, but she writes such complex dystopian worlds and I love them. Honestly, this is almost a better version of Ready Player One, in my opinion. I still haven’t read the sequel, but I’m sure it’s just as twisty and intriguing as the first one.

10. More Than This by Patrick Ness

Putting this book on this list might giveaway the plot somewhat, but it’s been out for long enough that I think it’s okay. Seriously though, if you haven’t read this, you should. You think the book is something completely different than what it ends up being by the end.