Reddit mentions of Red Rising (Red Rising Series Book 1)

Red Rising and Red Queen are both NYT bestsellers written by two different authors. They're also 90% the same exact story.

A Darker Shade of Magic and Nocturna are also NYT Bestsellers. They're almost word-for-word the same exact book. Written five years apart from each other.

Have you ever read YA fiction? Practically every book written in that genre is virtually the same, just with slight variances like character names and whatnot.

Actually, if you're a pretty avid reader, almost every book is fundamentally the same. Same plot structure and build-up, the same amount of worldbuilding, same character types... they're tropes. There's no escaping tropes, but there is a way in taking them and showing them in a different light.

Don't worry about someone beating you to your story idea. Believe it or not, someone already has, you just haven't found out yet lol. I can bet $1000 that there's a story or stories out there that are very similar to the one you're writing that are already published and on the market. There's nothing wrong with this, it happens even to the biggest authors out there.

But none of that matters, because every writer worth their salt knows that a good idea can only get you so far. It's the execution of that idea that matters. The way you markdown your prose, the delivery of your story. Those are the things that matter the most in writing.

Red Rising series: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Book-ebook/dp/B00CVS2J80

You have some good choices on your list. I was never a fan of Sanderson until Stormlight. Here are a few you should definitely check out:

• The Emperor's Blades, Book One of The Chronicles of the Unhewn Throne, by Brian Staveley.
  
  
• Son of the Black Sword, by Larry Correia. He's a very entertaining writer, aside from his politics.
  
  
• Red Rising, by Pierce Brown. For some reason I started this a year ago, then never made it past the first chapter. It's technically Sci-Fi, but given your list, you will likely enjoy it.
  
  

Teen Superheros:

Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain by Richard Roberts (Three children of superheros develop powers and accidently become supervillains. Good writing, very clever worldbuilding and characterization. Interesting love triangle You've probably seen it advertised as "What if Harry Potter were steampunk?" but underneath the obvious cashgrab advertising is a great book)

Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo (Two sidekicks-One of a superhero, another of a supervillian, learn that they go to the same school, and develop a romance. Excellent Writing, especially for a children's book. Cute romance, and realistic characterization of the main characters at the age they're at without being either condescending or simplistic, interesting twist on superhero/supervillian dynamics. Be careful, since the title's genericness means its possible to get the wrong book)

The Vindico by Wesley King. (5 children are kidnapped by a team of supervillains in an attempt to train apprentices. Generally sold as "The Breakfast Club meets X-Men", which it somewhat lives up to. Good plot, nice twist both on traditional super villain roles and "school for supers" idea)

Realistic Fiction:

The Theif Lord by Cornelia Funke. (Two Orphans run away to Venice and join a group of runaways taken care of by "The Thief Lord", a child master thief. Clever Plot, and the writing really takes you in)

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (Written by 16 year old who really lived in similar conditions. Plot revolves around "Ponyboy", a member of a Greaser gang in the 60s, and his life after a gang fight goes wrong. You really care about people who would otherwise serve as hoodlums in another novel)

Sci-fi:

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix. (A Prince, one of a few million of the rulers of a galactic empire, becomes tangled in a web of plots and conspiracies. Good sci-fi with excellent world building. Watching the main character learn how dangerous his life has become and slowly adapt to it)

Red Rising by Pierce Brown (After the death of his wife, a member of the lowest Red caste is disguised and made into a member of the ruling Gold caste in order to infiltrate the ruling society. "Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow" was the quote that got me into this. Lives up to it. Reads like a more violent Hunger Games, and goes places the HG didn't. Excellent read, and the main character's intelligence make him more than just an angry revenger. Some slightly guessable "plot twists", but does a good job exploring the theme of unfairness and winning against a stacked deck.)

Levithan by Scott Westerfield. (Alternate World War One, where the allies use genetic manipulation to create huge beasts of burden and war, while the Central powers use huge steampunk machines. Plot follows a girl who dresses as a boy to join in the ranks of an air force, who meets an Austrian Prince on the run from the German Empire)

Fantasy/Horror:

The Spook's Apprentice by Joseph Delany (Seventh son gets appreticed to the local spook, a man who fights magical threats around the County. Does a unique job of showing its monsters and boogeymen, with a plot that builds over the course of the books.)

Cirque Du Freak (Boy becomes a half-vampire, traveling with a circus of freaks. Most action takes place away from the circus and towards the other vampires in the world. 12 books that are really 4 trilogies, which ought to be 4 books. Nice job of presenting unique vampires. Actual horror varies, although I've heard good things about the Demonata series by the same author, which I haven't read.)

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. (First line: "There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." Plot is series of vignettes about boy being raised by a group of ghosts in a graveyard. Gaiman gets pretty good reviews overall, and for good reason.)

The Midnighters Series by Scott Westerfield (Girl moves to new town and discovers she is one of a very few who can access the "Secret Hour"- An extra hour when time is frozen at midnight, along with gaining new powers. Her and a few select others fight ancient beasts who were the last predators of ancient man.)

I'm reading Red Rising now, and I'm liking it quite a bit. I'd say it's dystopian Sci-Fi, but it's set far enough in the future that it may as well be fantasy, and genetic modification and discrimination are central to the plot.

Red Rising by Pierce Brown. SF.

Wool by Hugh Howey. Post-Apoc.

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie. YA Fantasy.

The Remaining by DJ Molles. Horror/Military Thriller.

I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. Thriller.

If you liked hunger games try this:
https://www.amazon.ca/Red-Rising-Book-ebook/dp/B00CVS2J80/ref=pd_sim_351_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00CVS2J80&pd_rd_r=316b5b43-264c-11e9-bd5b-dfbc5f26256b&pd_rd_w=jmG3z&pd_rd_wg=Mj7Ol&pf_rd_p=29a85b27-a36a-4f8d-94ca-61aa962c5f39&pf_rd_r=YHFTSYMKAK9373BAQ82Q&psc=1&refRID=YHFTSYMKAK9373BAQ82Q

I have read 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 but have only seen the Hunger Games movies.

I used to be of the opinion that I would be willing to take a 10-20% pay cut if it meant that everyone had to so that everyone could be lodged and fed and other basic things. Then I lived in Africa for a while and I saw that it's better to have someone forced to learn to fish than to give him a fish. I think globalization is good for humanity as a whole but it will be sad to see our kids having a harder life than we did.

Now I mostly worry about what my kids will be doing as far as life and career goes.

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Clare North.

Red Rising + sequels by Pierce Brown.

Half a King by Joe Abercrombie.

The Wool series by Hugh Howey. Ebook of the 1st part is free, so you can see if it's something you like.

The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.

Both these series are excellent, and will keep you up at night. Both these series have been optioned for films, and are in development.

Thanks for the heads up! Btw, it looks like Amazon has the kindle version of Red Rising on sale for $1.99. Here's the link :)

I'm gonna go with Red Rising by Pierce Brown. It reminded me a lot of Blood Song, but I think it was actually even better, and it was science fiction rather than fantasy.