Looking for books like Scythe by Neal Shusterman?
I just finished reading Scythe myself. From the first chapter, I instantly fell in love with this book. You can read about it in my review of Scythe.
The whole time I was reading, I had flashbacks and picked up vibes from one of my favorite childhood reads, The Giver, which, consequently, is first on my list of books like Scythe.
That got me thinking about other books like Scythe that I’ve read before, and I came up with a whole list of 13 books for those of you who fell in love with this series as much as I did.
This list isn’t just 13 books like Scythe, but 13 whole series for you to enjoy if you liked Scythe by Neal Shusterman.
Here they are:
Books like Scythe by Neal Shusterman
1. The Giver by Lois Lowry
Number of Books: 4
Goodreads Rating: 4.13 – 1,633,129 ratings – 62,596 reviews
The first book on my list and the one I feel is most appropriate for a list on books like Scythe is The Giver.
You might have read this high school like I did, or not. I did a re-read a year or so ago and it brought back childhood memories of reading this book.
Scythe is about an older scythe taking on apprentices and training them to be scythes. In much the same way the Giver takes on an apprentice called the Receiver.
They are separate and distinct from everyone else in society and both live in a post-crime utopia we’ve come to call dystopia.
2. Divergent by Veronica Roth
Number of Books: 3
Goodreads Rating: 4.20 – 2,721,538 ratings · 106,217 reviews
It would be hard to have a pulse today and not have at least heard about Divergent.
Whether you read the books, watched the movies, or just saw the posters all around, Divergent is pretty well known.
But how is Divergent a book like Scythe? A young girl has to prove herself in an area that does not play to her strengths. She must overcome diversity and bring down the big bad, also in a dystopian world.
3. The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Number of Books: 4
Goodreads Rating: 3.86 – 532,909 ratings · 23,041 reviews
I’ve never read this series, so to be completely honest, there’s not a lot for me to say about it.
It pops up for searches about dystopian books and I felt it appropriate for this list.
The Uglies is about a society where looks are everything and Tally is looking forward to the day when she’s old enough to undergo the operation to become a pretty. But her best friend doesn’t want to be pretty and Tally is forced to choose between being a pretty or betraying her friend.
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Number of Books: 3
Goodreads Rating: 4.33 – 5,978,238 ratings · 165,260 reviews
More iconic than Divergent is the place of Hunger Games in today’s modern world.
It’s the dystopian world that everyone compares anything to. The chances are high that you’ve read this, or at least watched the movie.
But did you know that Suzanne Collins is releasing another book in the Hunger Games world and it’s set to release in just a few months?
5. Matched by Ally Condie
Number of Books: 3
Goodreads Rating: 3.67 – 617,159 ratings · 32,412 reviews
A friend and I were talking about Matched recently. I have great memories of it and really enjoyed it. She hadn’t read it, but told me she heard mixed reviews.
Matched is the lowest rated book on my list of books like Scythe, so I suppose the masses agree with her. But I really enjoyed all three books.
This one is more of a romance, and there isn’t much romance in Scythe, but once again we’re faced with what’s supposed to be a perfect society and we see the imperfections of it.
6. The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
Number of Books: 3
Goodreads Rating: 4.20 – 134,776 ratings · 15,913 reviews
The next few entries on this list of books like Scythe might be a bit of a stretch.
Scythe is often lumped together in the YA Fantasy realm as is most dystopian novels. However, there tends to be little fantastical elements to them besides a world that plainly doesn’t exist.
The Darkest Minds is set in America post-cataclysmic event that changes everything and gives teenagers crazy powers. You might have watched the movie. I know I did.
Scythe doesn’t have any powers, but it does take place in America or rather what they call the “Midmerica Region” in a time after a great turning point in history.
7. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
Number of Books: 6
Goodreads Rating: 3.97 – 260,666 ratings · 26,813 reviews
I’ve only read the first three of these books as the author left a huge gap in between the release of Book 3 and 4, so my interest in it fell off. I do intend to read Book 4, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
I might just re-read the whole Shatter Me series in order before I jump straight into Book 4.
Shatter Me is more similar to The Darkest Minds than it is to Scythe, but since The Darkest Minds makes the list, Shatter me should as well.
It’s a great read, even if it does have a little less in common with the main purpose of this post.
8. The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Number of Books: 5
Goodreads Rating: 4.02 – 950,886 ratings · 54,295 reviews
The Maze Runner is yet another book turned movie that’s made this list.
Dystopia was really popular back in 2012 and it birthed a lot of popular series that became, if we’re being honest, pretty poor movies.
The flagship movie in all of these books turned out great, but the sequels fell flat on their faces.
The Maze Runner is no different, and also takes place in America post-apocalypse. But it’s probably the opposite of Scythe in terms of the conditions of the world.
9. The Selection by Kiera Cass
Number of Books: 5
Goodreads Rating: 4.14 – 780,275 ratings · 44,359 reviews
I loved, loved, loved this series. I can’t praise this series enough.
Yes, I’m a guy, but I like a good romance and this is a great one. But once again I’m mentioning a romance series in a list of books like Scythe.
And once again it’s because it’s supposed to be post-war America. New kingdoms have been drawn up, the lines aren’t where we know them to be, and of course I said the word kingdom, so that’s different.
But since this one lacks any magic of any kind, it’s more akin to Scythe than say The Darkest Minds. But be aware, if you want to read all the novellas there’s a certain The Selection series order you need to follow.
10. Legend by Marie Lu
Number of Books: 3
Goodreads Rating: 4.18 – 385,257 ratings · 27,355 reviews
Legend is a book I read a really long time ago and I don’t remember much about it save the two main characters who went about fighting corruption in two very distinct ways.
One trying to err on the side of the law and the other clearly breaking it.
Legend also takes place in post-war America.
Are you sensing a theme here?
11. Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Number of Books: 3
Goodreads Rating: 3.98 – 401,865 ratings · 25,871 reviews
While I’ve read most of the books on this list, I have not read Delirium.
I probably should.
Yet another alternate-United States world. This time love is dangerous and has been outlawed. Those who fall in love are said to be diseased.
Everyone who reaches the age of 18 must have a procedure called the Cure.
Lena is very much looking forward to being cured until she meets Alex with just 95 days left until her procedure.
12. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Number of Books: 4
Goodreads Rating: 4.15 – 618,829 ratings · 50,851 reviews
The last of the books on my list of books like Scythe that I have not yet had a chance to read.
It’s not for lack of having the opportunity since this book sits on my shelf even as we speak.
You can probably guess that this is a Cinderella style story. Except Cinderella is only Cinder…
…and she’s a robot.
So there’s that.
Oh, sorry. Android.
This one actually doesn’t take place in America! Hurray! It takes place in “New Beijing” but the point is it’s still a futuristic world that’s supposed to picture what we could be someday.
Check out the entire Lunar Chronicles series if you’re interested in learning more.
13. Enclave by Ann Aguirre
Number of Books: 4
Goodreads Rating: 3.92 – 63,731 ratings · 5,018 reviews
Enclave, by Ann Aguirre is the lowest and least on the list of books like Scythe for good reason.
I read this one a long time ago and don’t remember a whole lot about it except that it’s a post apocalyptic type book. Whereas Scythe is the future if everything turned out great, Enclave is the opposite.
It’s got the least amount of ratings and reviews on Goodreads telling me that more and more of you are likely to have not read it, and that’s why I included it on this list.
If you came here looking for a book you’ve never heard of, perhaps Enclave will meet your expectations.
Want more book recommendations?
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How many of the books on my list of books like Scythe have you read?
Let me know which ones were your favorites in the comments below.
2 thoughts on “13 Books Like Scythe by Neal Shusterman”
Highly recommend Legend and wrote what it was about but then deleted it because I realized I read it a long time ago and something I wrote was probably a major spoiler at least in the first book.
I need to read them again because Lu came out with a 4th book didn’t she? I only read the original trilogy.