The Hunger Games series took readers by storm in 2008 with its dystopian world, complex characters, and action-packed plot. Years later, other authors have used this amazing trilogy for inspiration for their own novels. With The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping coming to theaters November 2026, here are other deadly trial books to scratch your dystopian itch.

The Ascended by Bree Grenwich & Parker Lennox

Thais Morvaren has mastered deception in her world where celestial power pours into the mortal realm. To her little seaside village, she is just the daughter of a fisherman who serves oysters to summer tourists. But she secretly hides her ability to create weapons from starlight–the power that ultimately casts her into the dangerous Trials of Ascension when a priest’s ritual exposes her true identity. Now trapped, she converts her fear into purpose: kill Olinthar, King of the Gods–the man whose touch was fatal to her mother. However, to defeat a god, she must become one. Just when things couldn’t become more chaotic, the powers of Thais’ twin brother manifest, causing him to be thrown into the trials alongside her. Even worse, the selection ceremony gives her a mentor: Xül, the magic-possessing prince with bloody hands, a cutting tongue, and wicked secrets. Sparks fly immediately, but he’s arrogant and she’s stubborn, and neither of them plan to yield to the other. Each trial inches Thais closer to godhood, but something ancient is prowling in the divine realm. Thais’ first goal may have been survival, but now, her mission is vengeance.

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Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

In this West-African inspired story, Zélie Adebola never forgot how the soil of Orïsha murmured with magic. Burners would cast flames, Tiders summoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother awakened souls. But the night magic vanished, everything changed. By the orders of a merciless king, maji were slain, leaving Zélie motherless and her people hopeless. But now Zélie has the opportunity to fight against the monarchy and revive magic. With the help of a rebellious princess, she must outsmart the crown prince, who is determined to eliminate magic forever. Danger looms in Orïsha with prowling snow leoponaires and spiteful spirits in the waters. However, the greatest danger may prove to be Zélie, who isn’t only struggling to control her powers but is fighting feelings for an enemy.

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Powerless by Lauren Roberts

You saw this one coming.

There are two sides to Ilya–the exceptional Elites and the regular Ordinaries. Decades ago, the Elite’s powers were gifted to them by the Plague; however, not everyone was lucky enough to survive the illness and grasp the reward. When the king ordered that all Ordinaries be banished in order to have an Elite society, lacking any sort of power instantly became a crime. Now Paedyn Gray is a fated felon and a necessary thief. Life in the slums is difficult, and Paedyn knows this very well. As a child, her father trained her to be extremely observant, now allowing her to pose as a Psychic so she can blend in with the Elites and stay alive and secure. When Paedyn unexpectedly saves one of Ilya’s princes, she is cast into the Purging Trials. However, Paedyn has no powers, and the competition’s primary purpose is to showcase them. Even if the Trials and its opponents don’t kill her, the prince she’s juggling feelings for will if he realizes she is only… Ordinary.

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Vesselless by Cortney L. Winn

The hesitant heir to the Kingdom of Zarr, Nizzara, has always had a gift in recognizing spirits better than the average caster. In an attempt to escape her betrothal, she enters a dangerous tournament and is dedicated to winning without surrendering to her addictive spiritual magic or the unsettling darkness growing inside her. Unfortunately, she finds herself overpowered, and must join forces with Dagen–a half-ghost, yet charming enemy–in order to confront her fear of power and survive the tournament. Dagen, the final King of Zarr, was slain by Nizzara’s father a decade ago. Now existing as a half-ghost–with the ability to phase between human and spirit form–he is trapped in another realm, grasping souls for the god of death. When given a chance by his keeper to regain his freedom by capturing Nizzara’s soul, Dagen accepts the deal. But there’s a twist: if she doesn’t give her soul to him voluntarily by the end of the tournament, his soul is forfeit.

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The Blood Trials by N.E. Davenport

Everything is tied to blood. The blood of the Republic of Mareen and the armies of the Blood Emperor from a time ago. The blood gifts of Mareen’s adversaries. The blood that flows through the elect Mareen War Houses, the leaders of the Tribunal dedicated to sustaining the republic. The murdered blood of Verne Amari, the former Legatus. And for his granddaughter, Ikenna, he was the sole thing that kept her steady. The man who saved Mareen. The man who secretly trained her to harness her blood gift. There are too many secrets now, but Ikenna knows two things: her grandfather’s death was ordered by someone on the Tribunal, and the only person who could have completed the order is a Praetorian guard. To acquire revenge and the truth, Ikenna enlists into the Praetorian Trials–a vicious game with a low survival rate that subjects Ikenna to racism and misogyny. And if her power is discovered, she could be killed… or worse. Mareen has been peaceful for a while, but Ikenna is about to change that.

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To Cage a Wild Bird by Brooke Fast

Endlock–a prison where the inmates are hunted for sport by the rich. The law is simple in the city of Dividium: you receive a life sentence in Endlock if you commit a crime. Raven Thorne is the city’s most infamous hunter. But when Jed, her younger brother, is condemned to life in Endlock, Raven will stop at nothing to save him–including getting arrested herself. As she navigates being trapped inside a dangerous prison, Raven must use all her strength and clever tactics to protect Jed as well as herself. But there’s another problem: the prison guard who makes her heart jump. She should hate him. She doesn’t even know his true motives. In order to break the fierce system, Raven must decide if she is willing to risk is all.

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The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent

Oraya, the Nightborn vampire king’s adopted human daughter, found a way to survive in a world designed to kill her. In order to become something other than prey, she enters Kejari–the goddess of death’s legendary tournament. However, since she’s facing warriors from all three vampire houses, winning will be no easy task. To make it out alive, Oraya and an obscure rival form an alliance. Raihn is dangerous–he’s a merciless vampire, a skillful killer, and an adversary to her father’s throne. He’s also her biggest competitor. But for some reason, Oraya is drawn to him, and that horrifies her the most. There’s no time for romance in Kejari, though. With war bubbling, Oraya’s knowledge of her home is shattered, and although Raihn understands her better than anyone, their growing affections could be the end of her. In this kingdom, love is the most deadly thing of all.

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Predestined by Rebecca Danzenbaker (01/27)

The 88.3% predictable life of Gloria St. John is pretty great–she makes wise choices, avoids unnecessary trouble, and complains about the country’s tyrannical predictability system while also harvesting the benefits. However, when Futurecast, the app that predicts her upcoming twenty-four hours, informs her that tomorrow morning she’ll suddenly disappear, Gloria panics. It has to be a glitch, right? Well, turns out the “glitch” is linked to Elwood, an obscure rebel who knows too much about Gloria, the predictability AI, and its progammer–a.k.a. Gloria’s dad. Completely fed up with her father’s control, Gloria accepts meeting Elwood for answers in return. But Elwood doesn’t want to help Gloria. He wants to ruin her. Gloria’s test against time to save herself and her loved ones suddenly reveals the truth about the unsolved murder of her mother. Not only is she rethinking her past but her every move, especially since Futurecast is positive she won’t see morning.

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Oath of the Chosen by Nicole Holleman (05/27)

Averyth, a vicious kingdom where forbidden magic is passed through murder, the Chosen are instructed from childhood to ensure it finishes that way. Auri–devoted, deadly, and unhesitant–is the greatest of them all and holds a perfect record. However, things change when she’s thrown into a competition that will crown the first ever Royal Chosen, causing her to realize that her success could expose her deepest secret: Auri possesses her own magic. As the trials unravel, it quickly becomes obvious that Auri’s loyalty is the true test. Then everything snaps. When an organized attack fiercely interrupts the competition, the facade of control Averyth has depended on for ages is shattered. 

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