Book picks similar to
Expendables by Alison Ingleby


young-adult
sci-fi
science-fiction
dystopia

Anathema


Megg Jensen - 2011
    Make your own destiny. Reychel is a slave girl surrounded by magic, lies, and manipulation. Her best friend disappears in the middle of the night leaving Reychel to face her fifteenth birthday, the day her master burns his brand into the back of her bald head, alone. Sheltered from the outside world and without any hope for escape, can Reychel learn to believe in herself?

Frost Arch


Kate Bloomfield - 2012
    Barely eighteen years of age, she wields the gift of fire yet she is unable to control it. She leaves her family in the dead of night and heads to the city of Frost Arch, her future seemingly grim.Will Avalon be able to overcome the trials that befall her? Will she be able to save the ones she loves and stay strong within herself?Time will tell.

Prison Nation


Jenni Merritt - 2011
    Millie 942B has spent her entire life locked away with her criminal parents and countless other inmates. She believes in the Nation, in its strict laws and harsh punishments. But when Millie is released on her eighteenth birthday, she finds things are nothing as she was taught. People vanish, never to be seen again. Lies cover every word. Trust is as fragile as ice.And then there is Reed. Born and raised outside the Prison walls, his dreams and thoughts cause Millie to doubt everything she has ever believed. What is truly worth fighting for? If she pushes too hard, she could lose her freedom. If she stays silent, she could lose herself. The clock is ticking, and Millie must find the truth before it is too late.

Recon


Tarah Benner - 2014
    It's a reality he's forced to confront every year on Bid Day. But when your job is to go out into the radiation-soaked Fringe so that others can live in peace, you don’t ask too many questions. For Harper, the bid system works just fine. She’s the best developer in her year, and she's confident she’ll find a place among the wealthy, respected Systems workers. But when an upset in the bidding changes the course of Harper’s future, she’ll be forced to rely on an unlikely ally — dark, unreadable Eli Parker. In her search for answers, Harper will learn that in the compound, the truth doesn’t set you free. It gets you killed.

Until Morning Comes


J.T. Sawyer - 2014
    It ended with a staggering body count as the world around her unraveled from a deadly virus. With her mission to extract the President’s daughter from the University of Arizona gone awry, she must choose between her sworn duties and her moral obligations to others as the city is overtaken by roving packs of flesh-eating mutants. If she and her small group are to survive the night and find a way out of the ravaged city, she will have to summon all of her training, mental prowess, and tactical abilities.

The Recovery


Suzanne Young - 2015
    After all, he was instrumental in erasing the memories of several patients—including one he claimed to love. With a lifetime of regret stretched before him, Realm vows to set things right. Along with his friend, James Murphy, Realm will track down those he’s hurt in an attempt to give them back their lives—starting with Dallas Stone. He’s not looking for forgiveness or redemption; he’s not a hero. But Realm hopes that with each recovered past, he’ll be able to reclaim a small bit of his own.

The Death Series; Boxed Set


Tamara Rose Blodgett - 2012
    When teens receive a government-sanctioned pharmaceutical cocktail during school, paranormal abilities begin manifesting... making the teens more powerful than the adults.After Caleb discovers he has the rare, Affinity for the Dead, he must do whatever it takes to hide it from a super-secret government agency whose goal is exploitation. Caleb seeks refuge in his new girlfriend, Jade, until he realizes that she needs as much protection from her family, as he does from the government.Suddenly, Caleb finds that hiding his ability while protecting Jade and his friends is a full time job; can he escape the government, protect Jade and lose the bullies that are making him miserable? (App. 119,000 word count.)DEATH SPEAKS:Caleb's in high school now and thinks the chaos of last year is behind him. Unfortunately, a serial killer is on the loose and children are his victims. Caleb agrees to help the police apprehend the murderer...until the killer takes notice of Caleb and his paranormal friends.Carson and Brett remain the bullies they always were and their posse continues to grow. How long can the two groups stay out of each others' way before there's a firestorm of retribution...The Government Graysheets continue to keep tabs on Caleb's every move while Jade's family threatens their relationship. Can they still be together even when events threaten to tear them apart? (App. 92,000 word count.)DEATH INCEPTION:Kyle Ulysses Hart and his team of scientists mapped the human genome in the year 2010. As Brain Impulse Technology came online... so did the long arm of the United States government. A covert, military-driven regime was born with genetic manipulation the key to future widespread control. When pharmaceutical laboratories, funded by the Graysheets, discover a way to unlock paranormal potential through compulsive inoculation, their exploitative dream is realized.Clyde and Caleb's lives are predestined to intertwine as they cross paths, his history becoming Caleb's future.A lone teenager named Jeffrey Parker, falls prey when he manifests the rare, Affinity for the Dead. The Graysheets abandon all pretense of stewardship, ripping him from his family for their nefarious purposes. Can Jeffrey remain who he was destined to be in an environment exclusively built for mass control? (App. 24,000 word count._

The Glitch


Ramona Finn - 2016
     In Lib’s world, it’s dangerous to stray from the Norm. In fact, for someone who doesn’t live up to the AI’s standards, it’s practically a death sentence. Lib learns this the hard way when she wakes up with her memories erased in a barren wasteland, and only one thought lodged in her mind: It’s all her fault. Lib is a Glitch—an imperfect human component of the utopian Norm. Utterly alone, she’ll have to team up with her fellow Glitches Skye and Raj and the mysterious Rogue Wolf and his clan to survive. Wolf only cares about the survival of his group, but Raj thinks they can hack the AI and change the Norm for the better. Now, Lib will have to decide which path to choose—whether to go with handsome loner Raj or stay with Wolf and his tight-knit group. Her heart is drawn to both, but she’s carrying a deadly secret that could jeopardize them all. Will she be able to save her newfound family and stop the AI before it’s too late?

The Testing Guide


Joelle Charbonneau - 2013
    He's graduated at the top of his class, and being chosen, like his father was before him, means a chance to attend The University and help lead the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. Cia is conflicted--she hopes Zeen is chosen, but dreads him leaving home. She also realizes that one day she too must set her mind on being chosen. But does she realize the deadly path she will have to take? THE TESTING GUIDE is the short story prequel to "The Testing, " the first novel in the stunning and epic Testing Trilogy.

Day Soldiers


Brandon Hale - 2012
    The war has changed the world. The day now belongs to humanity and the night belongs to things once thought to exist only in myths and legends... but there is hope.This new enemy has united humanity and an army has stepped forward to protect the light from the darkness. An army of heroes.The Day Soldiers.Eighteen year old Lily Baxter always knew the Day Soldiers would be a major part of her life. She had been preparing for it since she was eight. She was ready to go to war.The one thing she wasn't prepared for was the day the war came to her.

Enduring the Crisis


K.D. Kinney - 2016
    However, timing is everything. When an EMP nuclear event takes out the grid and brings the nation to a complete stop, Tammy and Ben may not have been as prepared as they thought. Tammy is a food storage and emergency preparedness specialist. So she thinks. She and her five daughters will find out how prepared they are when they're put through the ultimate test when the worst happens. Having everything she needs won't bring all her family members home or keep the crazies away. What's worse is she has no way to contact her husband Ben to find out if he survived. Ben is supervising a road-building project in a remote fishing village in Alaska when the state's defense system takes out what could have been a nuclear EMP disaster. The lights are still on where he is, but with all flights grounded, there's no easy way back to Anchorage, much less the lower forty-eight. He might be thousands of miles away from the disaster but he's determined to return home to his family no matter what it takes. As North America is in chaos, Tammy and Ben know the hardships that are in store for them and their family. However, nothing could have prepared them for the real struggles they encounter as they try to protect and reunite with the ones they love. Book One of the Endure Trilogy

Rising: After the Thaw


Tamar Sloan - 2020
    Seven days. Nine teens. Only the chosen shall breed.Humans now live in a super greenhouse. Seas have risen. Oceans have acidified. And the fight for resources is deadly. To ensure nothing of this magnitude ever happens again, only those with enough intelligence and heart will earn the right to bear children and heal the earth. Nine teens must face the tests of the Proving to decide who will be Bound to this new order. Four of them will challenge the system in ways even they can’t imagine.Nova. The gentle soul who has everything to lose.Kian. The champion of this new world who’s determined to succeed. Dex. The one who'll learn nothing is as it seems.Wren. The rebel who wants nothing to do with any of it.As the fight to breed becomes a fight to survive, rules are broken, and hearts are captured. This Proving won’t just decide the future of this new order, it will decide the future of humankind.

Rising Storm: An Apocalyptic Survival Thriller


Kyla Stone - 2017
    A deadly virus unleashed. The fate of mankind hangs in the balance... In a near future devastated by famine and disease, the United States balances on the cusp of collapse. When terrorists hijack a lavish cruise ship, wealthy Amelia Black is forced into hiding with Gabriel Rivera, an enigmatic stranger with a dangerous secret. He's her only hope--if she can trust him. Despite their overwhelming differences--and the killers hunting them--the pair must form an unlikely alliance to survive. As the lines between enemies and allies blur, they uncover a new catastrophic threat: a world-ending bioweapon hidden on the ship. What starts out as a single, terrifying incident will soon evolve into a race to save mankind from an extinction-level event... With hundreds of five-star reviews, thousands of sales, and millions of pages read, this explosive post-apocalyptic series features compelling characters, fast-paced dystopian action, and ripped-from-the-headlines twists. *Rated PG-13 for mild language and moderate violence.* The complete Last Sanctuary series: Rising Storm Falling Stars Burning Skies Breaking World Raging Light Praise for The Last Sanctuary series: "The best book I've read in years! I couldn't decide if I was more thrilled with the well-crafted plot or the depth and breadth of the characters!" -Amazon reviewer ★★★★★ "If you like your dystopia served with a side of infectious, deadly illness, this series is the one for you!" -Goodreads reviewer ★★★★★ "Great characters, excellent world-building, scary plot. Hits all the right spots of family, friendship, and danger. This collection has it all!" -Amazon reviewer ★★★★★ "This is one non-stop, nerve-wracking, spine-tingling thriller that holds your attention from start to finish!" -Amazon reviewer ★★★★★ "A ship, social classes, deep players, pirates and shoot 'em ups. Does not get any better than this. Would have given this series 10 stars if possible." -Amazon reviewer ★★★★★ "This series has everything I love: complex characters with realistic motivations, heart-stopping action and suspense, and insights into the human heart." -Amazon reviewer ★★★★★ "Incredibly complex, flawed characters separate this work of sci-fi from all others I've read. Highly recommend!" -Goodreads reviewer ★★★★★ "A lot of action, violence, and drama wrapped up in a great story. Riveting focus and great detail." -Amazon reviewer ★★★★★ "I didn't turn on Netflix the entire 3 days I read this book!" -Amazon reviewer ★★★★★ "If you read one novel this year, make it this one." -Shaun L. Griffiths, author of the Changing Times trilogy ★★★★★ "Read this series for an exciting, page-turning dystopian tale!" -Becky Fleetwood, author of Chroma ★★★★★ "A little science fiction, a little romance, and a whole lot of action!"-Amazon reviewer ★★★★★ &qu

The Gender Game


Bella Forrest - 2016
    A toxic river divides nineteen-year-old Violet Bates's world by gender. Women rule the East. Men rule the West. Welcome to the lands of Matrus and Patrus. Ever since the disappearance of her beloved younger brother, Violet's life has been consumed by an anger she struggles to control. Already a prisoner to her own nation, now she has been sentenced to death for her crimes. But one decision could save her life. To enter the kingdom of Patrus, where men rule and women submit. Everything about the patriarchy is dangerous for a rebellious girl like Violet. She cannot break the rules if she wishes to stay alive. But abiding by rules has never been Violet's strong suit.When she's thrust into more danger than she could have ever predicted, Violet is forced to sacrifice many things in the forbidden kingdom ... including forbidden love. In a world divided by gender, only the strongest survive...

Open Minds


Susan Kaye Quinn - 2011
    Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.TOP 5 FINALIST for 2012 Best Indie Book, Young Adult Fiction - The Kindle Book ReviewMINDJACK SERIES READING ORDEROpen Minds (Book 1)Closed Hearts (Book 2)Free Souls (Book 3)Locked Tight (Book 4)Cracked Open (Book 5)Broken Wide (Book 6)Mindjack Short Story Collection (Book 7)The Locksmith is a standalone novella that can be read independently of the trilogy and novellas.