What to Read While We Wait for Sunrise on the Reaping

Fans of The Hunger Games will love this fantasy full of romantic complications, curses and a centennial competition with the six rulers to break the curses plaguing their realms. And with secrets, lies and betrayal only further complicated by killer love, it’s a fight to survive.

The world is over and romance should be the last thing Inesa is worried about — that is, until she meets Melinoë. With millions of eyes watching their every move and new threats looming behind every corner, this one is guaranteed to take the number one spot on your #TBR.

Picture this: tributes racing deep into the arena, fleeing for the shadows and finding… vampires. A tournament led by the ruthless goddess of Death, a bloodsucking ally and a doomed romance are just the start of this heart-pounding new series. 

A deadly tournament where seven magical teenagers must represent their bloodline and fight for a chance at taking control over their city’s high magick. Political intrigue and a remarkable hero’s journey make this required reading for any fan of The Hunger Games.  

Hailed as a modern classic of sci-fi and dystopian tales, Wool is a gritty depiction of desperation and survival in a destroyed world. Immersive and terrifying, this is a post-apocalyptic story that will remind The Hunger Games readers of Katniss’ perseverance and Panem’s deconstruction. 

Like Katniss, Juliette is born into a role she doesn’t want to play — a terrifying killer. While Katniss hunted for food and only fought for survival, in Shatter Me Juliette is cursed with a deadly touch and a heart that longs for a romance she might not ever have.  

Fame. Glory. Survival. The Hunger Games with a twist — the Sunbearer Trials consist of handpicked tributes called semidioses who compete in a competition to bring the Sun’s power to the temples of Reino del Sol. With trans main characters, a captivating new world and a story inspired by Mexican folklore, this is an epic feat of fantasy.  

For readers who enjoyed the dystopian aspect of The Hunger Games, Scythe brings a terrifying solution to living in a perfect world: population control enforced by trained executioners. Is a world free of starvation, disease and war worth putting the fate of your life in the hands of totalitarian rule? 

For the fans seeking a book-to-movie adaptation they can look forward to this calendar year, coming soon to Netflix with a star-studded cast (Joey King, Laverne Cox and Chase Stokes, to name a few) Uglies takes dystopia up a notch in a sinister way. By age 16, citizens undergo a procedure that turns ‘uglies’ into ‘pretties’ through surgical reconstruction. This story of individuality and rebellion makes this the start of a series you’ll obsess over. 

A girl thrust into a merciless, bloody world she never asked to be a part of, learn the ever-changing playing field of politics and court intrigue in a world divided by class and nobility. Mare Barrow doesn’t know who to trust — or who to fall in love with.  

One of the best parts of reading and watching The Hunger Games trilogy is rooting on the underdogs we find in Katniss and Peeta. We find our hero in Zélie. The maji population have been either killed or forced into hiding, and Zélie will stop at nothing to bring justice to her people.