Book picks similar to
Population by Elizabeth Stephens


sci-fi
dystopian
romance
post-apocalyptic

The Tainted


Frost Kay - 2019
    It's brutal, deadly, and most often, short.Hazel thought she understood who her enemies were: starvation, infection, her mama's disgusting lima beans, and the Tainted - human beasts full of death, fury, and poison. That's why she never saw it coming.The death. The lies. The complete betrayal.No one said love wouldn't destroy you.Fans of The Hunger Games, The Selection, and Secondborn are raving about this new thrilling post-apocalyptic fantasy from USA Today Bestselling Author Frost Kay. One click now!

Icons


Margaret Stohl - 2013
    The day the windows shattered. The day the power stopped. The day Dol's family dropped dead. The day Earth lost a war it didn't know it was fighting.Since then, Dol has lived a simple life in the countryside—safe from the shadow of the Icon and its terrifying power. Hiding from the one truth she can't avoid.She's different. She survived. Why?When Dol and her best friend, Ro, are captured and taken to the Embassy, off the coast of the sprawling metropolis once known as the City of Angels, they find only more questions. While Ro and fellow hostage Tima rage against their captors, Dol finds herself drawn to Lucas, the Ambassador's privileged son. But the four teens are more alike than they might think, and the timing of their meeting isn't a coincidence. It's a conspiracy.Within the Icon's reach, Dol, Ro, Tima, and Lucas discover that their uncontrollable emotions—which they've always thought to be their greatest weaknesses—may actually be their greatest strengths.Bestselling author Margaret Stohl delivers the first book in a heart-pounding series set in a haunting new world where four teens must piece together the mysteries of their pasts—in order to save the future.

Hara's Legacy


Bianca D'Arc - 2007
    Now the aliens have come to study the remnants of humanity. Caleb knows the only way to ensure the safety of his young wife, Janie, and his beloved brothers, Justin and Mick, is to keep the family together on their isolated ranch. All three O'Hara brothers love Jane. They grew up next door to the young, empathic beauty and she stole all their hearts at one time or another, though she married Caleb. Caleb foresees the shocking truth of what they have to do in order to survive, and Caleb's visions never lie.They'll have to come to terms with a new world, and an evolving relationship, all while finding a way to protect two newborn babies who are innocent pawns in the aliens' deadly game. Somehow, this one talented family holds the key for humanity's survival on this new, conquered world called Earth. Warning: This book is intended for mature audiences as it contains explicit sex and menage a quatreThe Resonance Mates series consists of: 1. Hara's Legacy 2. Davin's Quest 3. Jaci's Experiment 4. Grady's Awakening 5. Harry's Sacrifice

Dark Horse


Michelle Diener - 2015
    Sazo's an artificial intelligence. He's saved her from captivity and torture, but he's also put her in the middle of a conflict, leaving Rose with her loyalties divided.Captain Dav Jallan doesn't know why he and his crew have stumbled across an almost legendary Class 5 battleship, but he's not going to complain. The only problem is, all its crew are dead, all except for one strange, new alien being.She calls herself Rose. She seems small and harmless, but less and less about her story is adding up, and Dav has a bad feeling his crew, and maybe even the four planets, are in jeopardy. The Class 5's owners, the Tecran, look set to start a war to get it back and Dav suspects Rose isn't the only alien being who survived what happened on the Class 5. And whatever else is out there is playing its own games.In this race for the truth, he's going to have to go against his leaders and trust the dark horse.Winner of a SFR Galaxy Award 2016 and the Prism Award 2016 for Best Futuristic.

Feed


Mira Grant - 2010
    We had cured cancer. We had beaten the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED. Now, twenty years after the Rising, bloggers Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives—the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will get out, even if it kills them.

Claimed by the Hunter


Lynnea Lee - 2021
    But spring is here. And that’s bad news! With warm weather comes the endless swarms of deadly bugs.Natalie is injured, and it’s up to me to forage for food. But there’s just one little problem. Okay, so “little” isn’t the best word to describe the fierce Xarc’n warrior who is obsessed with me. Kaj’k is freakin’ HUGE! And his sharp claws, pointy fangs, and massive horns are scary AF. I reject his gift of food and flowers, but my massively muscled alien hunter doesn’t get the hint. He tosses me over his shoulders and carries me to his shuttle. I expect the worse, but all he does is purr at me. Kaj’k I’ve spent my entire life fighting the swarm. Genetically engineered to hunt the scourge across the galaxy, Xarc’n hunters are the ultimate predator. It takes a lot to take one of us down. Then, I meet the little human female who brings me to my knees.My Alice is full of fire, and I have no doubt she could survive on her own. But she’s my mate, and she’s mine to protect. When cannibals and scourge threaten my female, I toss her over my shoulder and carry her to my ship. Now that I have my mate in my arms, I’m never letting her go!

Under Different Stars


Amy A. Bartol - 2013
    Well versed at dodging caseworkers from Chicago’s foster care system, the past few years on her own have made Kricket an expert at the art of survival and blending in. With her 18th birthday fast approaching, she dreams of the day when she can stop running and find what her heart needs most: a home. Trey Allairis hates Earth and doubts that anyone from his world can thrive here. What he’s learning of Kricket and her existence away from her true home only confirms his theory. But, when he and Kricket lie together under the stars of Ethar, counting them all may be easier than letting her go. Kyon Ensin’s secrets number the stars; he knows more about Kricket's gifts than anyone and plans to possess her because of them. He also knows she’s more valuable than any fire in the night sky. He’ll move the heavens and align them all in order to make her his own. When everything in their world can be broken, will Kricket rely upon love to save her under different stars?

The New Hunger


Isaac Marion - 2013
    Then came a final blow no one could have expected: all the world’s corpses rising up to make more.Born into this bleak and bloody landscape, twelve-year-old Julie struggles to hold on to hope as she and her parents drive across the wastelands of America, a nightmarish road trip in search of a new home.Hungry, lost, and scared, sixteen-year-old Nora finds herself her brother’s sole guardian after her parents abandon them in the not-quite-empty ruins of Seattle.And in the darkness of a forest, a dead man opens his eyes. Who is he? What is he? With no clues beyond a red tie and the letter “R,” he must unravel the grim mystery of his existence—right after he learns how to think, how to walk, and how to satisfy the monster howling in his belly. The New Hunger is a glimpse of the past and a path to an astonishing future…

Touched by an Alien


Gini Koch - 2010
    When she stepped out of the Pueblo Caliente courthouse, all she was thinking about was the work she had to get caught up on. Then her attention was caught by a fight between a couple that looked like it was about to turn ugly. But ugly didn't even begin to cover it when the "man" suddenly transformed into a huge, winged monster right out of a grade Z science fiction movie and went on a deadly killing spree. In hindsight, Kitty realized she probably should have panicked and run screaming the way everyone around her was doing. Instead she sprinted into action to take down the alien. In the middle of all the screeching and the ensuing chaos, a hunk in an Armani suit suddenly appeared beside her, introduced himself as Jeff Martini with "the agency," and then insisted on leading her to a nearby limo to talk to his "boss." And that was how Kitty's new life among the aliens began...Touched by an Alien is the thrilling first installment of the Alien novels.

Dark Planet Warriors: The Complete Serial


Anna Carven - 2016
    Kordolians, by the looks of things. What the hell do they want with this floating rust bucket? What are they even doing here? In the grand scheme of things, Earth is a total backwater, and the Solar System is the galactic equivalent of Hicksville. That's why aliens rarely bother to come to this corner of the universe. And Kordolians are usually too busy conquering the important parts of the nine galaxies to bother with us. But it looks as if their battle cruiser is broken. Probably shot up in a firefight. They're going to use every means necessary to fix it, even if it means putting Fortuna Tau on lockdown. I just hope they don't decide to enslave us and ship us off to some remote alien planet. Come to think of it, I've never seen a Kordolian up close before. They're huge, with strange silver skin and pointed ears. They have freaky nano-armor. And they're packing a serious arsenal. Our human technology has no chance against their weapons. When I encounter their General, I find him insufferable. Arrogant. Domineering. He won't tell me anything. I guess that's what happens when your race is kicking ass across the nine galaxies. You get pigheaded. So why do I keep running into him? Why is he looking at me funny? And what's with this weird feeling I get when he's around? I really hope these guys fix their ship and go away soon, because I get the feeling they could be major trouble. Tarak Sucked into a wormhole during a fierce skirmish with an enemy ship. Spat out near a human mining station in a remote corner of the nine galaxies. Stuck with weak humans who operate with inferior metals and technology. This mission couldn't get any worse. We need to fix our craft before the wormhole collapses. We need to hunt the cursed Xargek monsters that have infiltrated this human rust-bucket. And these infernal headaches of mine are getting worse. I don't really care about these humans. Their existence makes no sense to me. All I care about is killing Xargek and getting back to my home planet, Kythia. This situation is tiresome. The light of the star humans call the Sun burns my eyes. I crave Kythia's darkness. So why has this crazy human female captured my attention? She's messy, awkward and she babbles nonsense half the time. These humans are crazy. I don't understand them at all. Especially this female. Why do I keep coming back to her? I need to leave this place before I go insane Warning: This book contains swearing, violence and steamy sex scenes. It's recommended for readers aged 18 and over.

Defiance


C.J. Redwine - 2012
    While they bend like reeds to the will of their male Protectors, she uses hers for sparring practice.When Rachel's father fails to return from a courier mission and is declared dead, the city's brutal Commander assigns Rachel a new Protector: her father's apprentice, Logan—the boy she declared her love to and who turned her down two years before. Left with nothing but fierce belief in her father's survival, Rachel decides to escape and find him herself.As Rachel and Logan battle their way through the Wasteland, stalked by a monster that can't be killed and an army of assassins out for blood, they discover romance, heartbreak, and a truth that will incite a war decades in the making.

The Dead Lands


Benjamin Percy - 2015
    A few humans carry on, living in outposts such as the Sanctuary-the remains of St. Louis-a shielded community that owes its survival to its militant defense and fear-mongering leaders. Then a rider comes from the wasteland beyond its walls. She reports on the outside world: west of the Cascades, rain falls, crops grow, civilization thrives. But there is danger too: the rising power of an army that pillages and enslaves every community they happen upon. Against the wishes of the Sanctuary, a small group sets out in secrecy. Led by Lewis Meriwether and Mina Clark, they hope to expand their infant nation, and to reunite the States. But the Sanctuary will not allow them to escape without a fight.

The World Without a Future


Nazarea Andrews - 2013
    She’s mostly happy there. But when a zombie horde breach the walls of her Haven, she has to trust her brother, Collin, and his best friend to keep her alive. He just wants his past to die…Finn O’Malley has given up on voicing warnings that are ignored. No one cares that the zombies are changing. Now all that matters is keeping Collin and Nurrin safe from what’s outside the walls of a Haven. But when Nurrin’s best friend picks up a contact infection, he agrees to get the medicine needed to save his life. Forced together, relying on each other in a strange Haven, zombies aren’t the most dangerous thing they’re facing.In their world, only one thing remains true: everything ends in blood.

The Line


Teri Hall - 2010
    The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It's said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line. Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel's dad died in the last war. It's a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help. Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?

The Forest of Hands and Teeth


Carrie Ryan - 2009
    The Sisterhood always knows best. The Guardians will protect and serve. The Unconsecrated will never relent. And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth. But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded by so much death?