The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is one of the best-selling YA book series of all time. The dystopian series imagines a future civilization destroyed by revolution and rebuilt from the ashes. In it, kids are selected from the new districts to fight to the death in a battle royale competition known as the Hunger Games.
There's no doubt Collins' YA series is incredible. It's beloved by millions around the world. While The Hunger Games is what I'd call a dystopian sci-fi series, there are a few fantasy book series with similar, fight-to-the-death competitions that are not nearly as popular as The Hunger Games.
It's time to show a little love to those books and make sure they're on the radar of Hunger Games fans looking for their next literary adventure. Who doesn't love a little magic in a deadly competition?
Let's get the list started with A Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.
A Throne of Glass
A Throne of Glass is perfect for Hunger Games fans. The first book of Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series begins with a fight-to-the-death challenge between Adarlan's most fearsome assassins to become the official hitman or hitwoman of the King.
Celaena Sardothien, a former assassin serving a life sentence in the country's worst prison camps, is selected by Prince Dorian to compete in his father's tournament of murder. There, Celaena encounters forces of evil beyond her wildest imagination.
This story is so epic and very Hunger Games-esque as Celaena, like Katniss Everdeen, tries to make sense of her place in a terrible world. If you love The Hunger Games, this is absoluteely the book and book series for you.
Fourth Wing
If you like The Hunger Games but also have a fondness for dragons, Fourth Wing, the first book of Rebecca Yarros' Empyrean series, is the book for you.
Fourth Wing follows Violet Sorrengail, a young woman who chooses the path to become a dragon rider at Basgiath War College. To earn her spot, she must complete a number of trials and challenges with fatal consequences should she fail.
Fourth Wing is an easy addition to the list. It’s not exactly like The Hunger Games, but there are so many similarities between the stories, the main characters, and how Katniss Everdeen and Violet Sorrengail use their unique histories and knowledge to make an impact in their respective circumstances. We also have some love triangle vibes, too.
So far, there are three books in The Empyrean series so far. Fourth Wing is followed by Iron Flame and Onyx Storm. The fourth book is coming soon, but not that soon.
Dire Bound
Dire Bound is basically The Hunger Games meets Fourth Wing. In the first book of The Wolves of Ruin series by Sable Sorensen, Meyrn joins Nocturna’s army and finds herself in the fight of her life. She bonds with a dire wolf and must complete a series of challenges or die trying.
If you read Dire Bound soon, you’ve got the next book in the series to read, and it was just released. Fury Bound just hit shelves and e-book stores on May 5, 2026.
Meryl reminds me so much of Katniss at times. Her naivety and ignorance are, at times, her greatest strength during the Bonding Trials.
An Ember in the Ashes
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is one of my favorite YA fantasy book series, and it has some serious Hunger Games vibes early in the series.
The first book of Tahir’s series follows Laia, a girl who begins working as a spy of sorts against the Empire to save her brother’s life. Meanwhile, she crosses paths with Elias, who is chosen to compete in the Trials at a military academy to become the next in line to be the Emperor. In the Trials, it’s a fight to the death.
There are four books in Tahir’s series, and they get better and more intense with each book. I love this book series, and if you love The Hunger Games, you will, too.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night
If you’ve ever wondered what The Hunger Games might look like with vampires, The Serpent and the Wings of Night is absolutely the book for you.
It’s the first book of Carissa Broadbent’s Crown of Nyaxia series, and it’s awesome! The book tells the story of Oraya, a young woman who enters a tournament for vampires with quite the prize if she wins, but she can’t do it all alone.
So far, four books in the series have been published with at least two more books on the way. Of the books I chose, this is definitely one of the longest series, so that’s definitely a plus, too.
There’s going to be so much buzz for the final books of this series with how popular the books have become recently.
If you like The Hunger Games, you can’t go wrong with any of the books on this list. I don’t even know what I would recommend first! It’s all a matter of personal preference, but I’m definitely on a Dire Bound kick at the moment. And, I love dragons, so Fourth Wing is up there, too. But, I also love A Throne of Glass and Ember, too. I don't know; just read them all! That's my best advice.
Stay tuned for more good fantasy books to read from Winter is Coming.
Add us as a preferred source on Google