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I Hate Fourth Wing! Read These Instead
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items Don't come at me — but I hated Fourth Wing.
Not just a little — I hated it a lot.
And yes, I read the whole thing... unfortunately.
I've put together this list of books that actually deliver: dystopian settings, high-intensity survival, young people facing impossible odds — without the overhype or shallow world-building.
If you felt the same way (or even if you liked Fourth Wing but still felt underwhelmed), you’ll find something better here.
Even better: all the books are linked through Bookshop.org, a platform that supports independent bookstores all across the country!
Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. I only share products I genuinely use or recommend.
Not just a little — I hated it a lot.
And yes, I read the whole thing... unfortunately.
I've put together this list of books that actually deliver: dystopian settings, high-intensity survival, young people facing impossible odds — without the overhype or shallow world-building.
If you felt the same way (or even if you liked Fourth Wing but still felt underwhelmed), you’ll find something better here.
Even better: all the books are linked through Bookshop.org, a platform that supports independent bookstores all across the country!
Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you purchase through them — at no extra cost to you. I only share products I genuinely use or recommend.
The premise sucked me in.
When I heard about this book, I knew immediately I had to read it just to find out what would happen.
An alternate history where the Nazis won WWII — and every year, they celebrate with a brutal cross-continental motorcycle race. Yael, a death camp survivor who can shapeshift into anyone’s face, enters the race on a mission: assassinate Hitler and de...
When I heard about this book, I knew immediately I had to read it just to find out what would happen.
An alternate history where the Nazis won WWII — and every year, they celebrate with a brutal cross-continental motorcycle race. Yael, a death camp survivor who can shapeshift into anyone’s face, enters the race on a mission: assassinate Hitler and de...
Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf Series #1)|Paperback
Race the Sands is a hidden gem. I can't even remember how I discovered it but this book was amazing. Here, you don’t ride dragons — you race monsters built from the worst souls. Win, and you survive. Lose, and you're dead. Tamra’s an ex-champion who’s got one last shot to save her young daughter from a system that doesn’t care if you live, die, or b...
Race the Sands: A Novel
I just finished re-reading The Hunger Games and was hungry for more. This book has a similar premise — but it’s darker, grittier, and way more violent. Battle Royale was written long before The Hunger Games, originally published in Japanese, and it p...
An authoritarian government forces a class of teenagers to fight to the death — and no one is safe. It’s raw, devastating, and absolutely unforgettable.
Battle Royale is a standalone novel. However, if you love it, you're in luck — there's also a full graphic novel series that dives even deeper into the story.
An authoritarian government forces a class of teenagers to fight to the death — and no one is safe. It’s raw, devastating, and absolutely unforgettable.
Battle Royale is a standalone novel. However, if you love it, you're in luck — there's also a full graphic novel series that dives even deeper into the story.
Battle Royale: Remastered
I wasn’t ready for how brutal and emotional this book would be.
In Prentisstown, there are no secrets — everyone's thoughts are broadcast out loud, and there are no women left. When Todd, the youngest boy in town, stumbles onto a deadly hidden truth, he’s forced to run for his life with only his dog for company.
The Knife of Never Letting Go pulls no punches: survival, heartbreak, and betrayal hit harder with every step. It's raw, intense, and unforgettable.
In Prentisstown, there are no secrets — everyone's thoughts are broadcast out loud, and there are no women left. When Todd, the youngest boy in town, stumbles onto a deadly hidden truth, he’s forced to run for his life with only his dog for company.
The Knife of Never Letting Go pulls no punches: survival, heartbreak, and betrayal hit harder with every step. It's raw, intense, and unforgettable.
The Knife of Never Letting Go (Reissue with bonus short story) (Chaos Walking Series #1)|Paperback
I was looking for another raw, high-stakes survival story — and Blood Red Road hooked me fast. In a dusty, broken future, Saba’s twin brother is kidnapped by violent raiders, and she’s forced to cross a dying world to get him back.
There’s no magic, no shortcuts — just grit, blood, and the will to survive. Blood Red Road is fierce, fast-paced, and unforgettable.
There’s no magic, no shortcuts — just grit, blood, and the will to survive. Blood Red Road is fierce, fast-paced, and unforgettable.
Blood Red Road
I wasn’t expecting The Grace Year to feel so raw and real — it hit way harder than I thought. In a rigid, dystopian society gripped by fear, girls are exiled at sixteen, accused of having dangerous magic they don't actually possess. What follows is p...
The Grace Year
I was really curious what a story would look like after the heroes won — and The Bone Maker didn’t disappoint.
Years after saving the world, five broken heroes are called back into battle — older, haunted, and willing to do anything to protect what’s left. This isn’t about shiny new magic or easy victories. It's about grief, sacrifice, and what survival reall...
Years after saving the world, five broken heroes are called back into battle — older, haunted, and willing to do anything to protect what’s left. This isn’t about shiny new magic or easy victories. It's about grief, sacrifice, and what survival reall...
The Bone Maker
The Hunger Games boxed set with stenciled edges — a gorgeous upgrade for one of the most brutal and unforgettable survival stories ever written.
Hunger Games 4-Book Paperback Boxed Set Deluxe Edition (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)|Paperback
Sunrise on the Reaping takes us back to Panem for the 50th Hunger Games — and the brutal story of Haymitch Abernathy before he became Katniss’s mentor.
Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel)|BN Exclusive
The Poppy War shows up on a lot of favorites lists — and it earns it. Inspired by real history, it’s a fierce story of ambition, war, and survival, where every victory demands a heavy, sometimes horrifying cost.
The Poppy War: A Novel
Ink and Bone is a different kind of alternate history. Instead of changing something in the recent past, it asks: what if the ancient Library of Alexandria had survived? Fast-forward to a near-future authoritarian world where books and technology are...
Ink and Bone
A complete boxed set of The Maze Runner series — the fast-paced survival story that starts with a group of teens trapped in a deadly shifting maze. Perfect for collectors or anyone who wants the full series in one place.
The Maze Runner Series Complete Collection Boxed Set (5-Book)
A small, isolated village surrounded by high stone walls — and every twelve years, everyone inside forgets everything: their name, their family, where they are — everything about themselves. Except for one girl — who remembers it all.
The Forgetting
My son and I read Scythe together when he was about twelve, and we both really liked it. But I should warn that the topic is morbid at times. This is a YA book with a seriously interesting premise and a thrilling story that adults will appreciate too. Neal Shusterman builds an incredible world and keeps the tension sharp — the characters feel real, with problems anyone can relate to. In a ...
Scythe (Arc of a Scythe Series #1)|Paperback
Medieval-punk – That's what I'd call it.
In a kingdom that feels medieval but was built on lost science, artificial rulers called Automae control everything — and rebellion simmers beneath the surface. Crier’s War is a sharp, emotional story about survival, power, and fighting for humanity ...
In a kingdom that feels medieval but was built on lost science, artificial rulers called Automae control everything — and rebellion simmers beneath the surface. Crier’s War is a sharp, emotional story about survival, power, and fighting for humanity ...
Crier's War
Vicious, carnivorous horses that live in the ocean — and riders tasked with racing them, knowing they could be torn to pieces at any moment? Yes, please! The Scorpio Races is a tense, atmospheric survival story about loyalty, desperation, and risking...
The Scorpio Races
I loved this!
A pirate princess with a sharp sword and sharper plans — sent on a mission to be captured by her enemies and steal a priceless map right under their noses. Daughter of the Pirate King is fast, clever, and packed with survival, secrets, and schemes on...
A pirate princess with a sharp sword and sharper plans — sent on a mission to be captured by her enemies and steal a priceless map right under their noses. Daughter of the Pirate King is fast, clever, and packed with survival, secrets, and schemes on...
Daughter of the Pirate King
In a brutal empire where rebellion means death, a girl risks everything to save her brother — even if it means infiltrating the heart of her enemy’s military stronghold. An Ember in the Ashes is a dark, intense survival story about resistance, loyalt...
An Ember in the Ashes