Chloe Gong: The Books That Sparked My Dystopia Era

Like most early Gen Z introverts, I developed my obsession with reading during the YA dystopian era. It was such a beautiful time. We were angsty, we believed a teenage rebel could change the world, and we looked for stories that gave us a road map for hope. I’ve loved hearing chatter about how my latest release, Coldwire, harkens back to these golden days, and I couldn’t have done my new spin on a tech-focused YA dystopia without those that came before.

Here are some of my favorites that established my love for this genre.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

That time Juliette [redacted] Warner in the first book? Life-changing.

The best part about a YA dystopia is the way the character’s coming-of-age journey reflects a wider societal shift. So unsurprisingly, I was more invested in these characters than my own life. I went to sleep thinking about these characters and zoned out in school thinking about these characters.

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Reboot by Amy Tintera

I will never forget the way I sat up straight when I was only two chapters into Reboot because the dynamic between Wren and Callum was so different from what I expected. Oh yeah, I remember thinking. I’m locked in. This dynamic still lingers as such a heavy influence in everything I write.

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Legend by Marie Lu

Diligent soldier main character + rebel love interest is an archetype I’ve wanted to do ever since I read Legend, and I cannot emphasize the impact that this series had on me.

I was frothing, dying, rolling on the floor with the end of each book, needing to get my hands on the next.

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Delirium by Lauren Oliver

One of my favorite activities after reading a YA dystopian novel was trying to explain the premise to my friends. “So in this one, love is illegal.”

And then they would look at me all funny, and sixteen-year-old me had to be like, “Okay, no, just because it’s YA doesn’t mean it isn’t deep, you need to look at it as a metaphor for growing up—”

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Divergent by Veronica Roth

For a very long time, my Tumblr URL was “erudite-shadowhunters.” I can tell you this now because enough time has passed that I can look my fellow colleagues in the eye to thank them for changing my life in a measured, cool, professional way.

In any case, the concept of being Divergent was teen me’s personality, and revolutionized my sense of self.

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Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund

I loved Across a Star-Swept Sea and its earlier companion novel, For Darkness Shows the Stars, so much for how it made me kick my feet over the characters.

However, it was the worldbuilding that truly made it a stand-out, and a superb YA dystopian is one where the politics utterly informs the decisions and storylines the book takes us through.

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Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the critically acclaimed Secret Shanghai novels, as well as the Flesh and False Gods trilogy. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and have been featured in the New York Times, People, Cosmopolitan, and more.  Her latest novel, Coldwire, the first installment of a YA cyberpunk dystopian trilogy, is available wherever books are sold.

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