7 Dystopian Books Better Than Cinder by Marissa Meyer, According to Goodreads - The Fantasy Review

7 Dystopian Books Better Than Cinder by Marissa Meyer, According to Goodreads

The Fantasy Review’s list of 7 Dystopian Books Better Than Cinder by Marissa Meyer, According to Goodreads.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer is the first book in The Lunar Chronicles and has a rating of 4.13. Here is a list of similar books with a higher rating on Goodreads.

Divergent (Divergent, #1) by Veronica Roth (4.14)

Dystopian Books Better Than Cinder

From the blurb:

One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior’s society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions.

Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she’s determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous….

Legend (Legend, #1) by Marie Lu (4.15)

Dystopian Books Better Than Cinder

From the blurb:

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

Wool (Silo, #1) by Hugh Howey (4.22)

Dystopian Books Better Than Cinder

From the blurb:

But there are always those who hope, who dream. These are the dangerous people, the residents who infect others with their optimism. Their punishment is simple. They are given the very thing they want: They are allowed to go outside. 

After the previous sheriff leaves the silo in a terrifying ritual, Juliette, a mechanic from the down deep, is suddenly and inexplicably promoted to the head of law enforcement. With newfound power and with little regard for the customs she is supposed to abide, Juliette uncovers hints of a sinister conspiracy. Tugging this thread may uncover the truth . . . or it could kill every last human alive….

Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) by Ernest Cline (4.23)

From the blurb:

A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.

When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.

Red Rising (Red Rising Saga, #1) by Pierce Brown (4.27)

From the blurb:

“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”
“I live for you,” I say sadly.
Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”


Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

The Fifth Season (The Broken Earth, #1) by N.K. Jemisin (4.31)

From the blurb:

This is the way the world ends. . .for the last time.

It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world’s sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester.

This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy….

Scythe (Arc of a Scythe, #1) by Neal Shusterman (4.33)

Dystopian Books Better Than Cinder

From the blurb:

A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.

Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own….

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