Few things annoy me more than book comparisons. I get why they’re popular! It’s nice and easy to say, “Well if you liked reading This-Book, you’ll probably enjoy This-Book.” That is useful information. But please, there comes a point when comparisons are no longer helpful. Instead, they’re incredibly annoying.
Let’s talk about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
Now, I adore that trilogy. It got me hooked on YA and it’s still one of my favourite series of all time. But if I had a dollar for every time a book got pitched as “the next Hunger Games”…
It’s downright frustrating.
Why?
Firstly: I don’t WANT another Hunger Games series. We have one! It’s by Suzanne Collins and it’s brilliant.
Secondly: Being pitched as the “next Hunger Games” is no longer special. It’s absolutely average. And the book in question is rarely even has a spoonful of Lamb Stew with Dried Plums in common with The Hunger Games. Therefore I don’t trust this pitch tactic at all.
Take this picture for instance: all these books have been pitched as “if you like The Hunger Games…” WHY?! The most many of them have in common with Suzanne Collins’ epic trilogy is the fact that they’re YA. I, though, had to read most of these series to find out. I’m a sucker. I used to trust marketing ploys.
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So let’s take a zoom in at this frustrating marketing ploy, shall we?
I got sucked into reading this one several years ago (when I was blissfully naive about such matters of “comparisons”). Just LOOK at everything it’s compared to! I’m pretty sure whoever wrote that just googled the most popular series of the year and whacked it on.
I haven’t read Blade Runner, but the most truth in the comparisons is X-Men, because there are mystical powers in Mystic City. This book is SO different from The Hunger Games it’s practically laughable.
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On a Goodreads list of “If You Like The Hunger Games…” look at what’s number #1?! I agree that Divergent has blown huge (although I think that’s because of the popularity of THG) and is a bestselling series AND has 4 movies in the making. Buuut…what are the similarities?
– Government? It’s completely different. THG basically has a dictatorship while Divergent has a “supposed” voting system.
– Dystopian? Yes, they are both dystopian.
– Games? No. In Divergent they train for factions, but losing equals homelessness not death.
– Love triangle? There is no love triangle in Divergent.
– Weapon skills? Yes for both. But are we comparing The Hunger Games to Lord of the Rings? Why not, then?! Lord of the Rings has archery!
While I think Divergent to The Hunger Games is one of the BETTER comparisons out there…it’s still not very similar.
This was on the list that I posted above of 25 Series to Read if You Love The Hunger Games. I snapped it up from my library ASAP. The only similarities: survival. And, um, Peak is about climbing Mount Everest…not exactly a Katniss-surviving-the-arena situation.
Mm…the only similarity is the genre. Oh, and the love-triangle. I didn’t finish the Matched trilogy, so I can’t talk about what it becomes, but the first book sure-as-sprinkles isn’t like The Hunger Games.
While I love this book to death, it’s LAUGHABLE how NOT like The Hunger Games it is. Okay, excuse me, I’m just giggling. This book is about racing flesh-eating-sea-horses and life on a tiny island. It’s not even dystopian!
I just…I don’t even know what the similarities even are supposed to be.
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This picture is from the author’s website of people who’ve read/endorsed the Starters trilogy. There are STACKS of excerpts from reviews there, and even more of them mention comparisons to The Hunger Games.
Oh gosh, I don’t even know what to say. What is there to compare? They’re both dystopian. And they both feature a female protagonists who sacrifices future wellbeing for a younger sibling. (That’s actually iffy to me, since Starters was published after THG. But anyway!) But…that’s it!
Naturally this is just my personal opinion, but I’m so stinking tired of The Hunger Games comparisons. Comparisons in general tend to suck. I’ve heard the new If I Stay movie is already being pitched as the “next” The Fault in Our Stars and…um…TFIOS hasn’t even hit cinemas yet! What is going on here??!
Also, I find the comparisons are more likely to make me dislike the new book. After all, I’m a huge fan of THG! This little fresh-faced-paperback has mountains to live up to if it’s got “the next Hunger Games” plastered on it’s cover…and I haven’t even cracked it open yet.
Can we put this market ploy to rest yet? Please. See me asking nice and politely and everything…
Cait read 11 books out of the 25 on that picture list before she realised it wasn’t very truthful. Although, in the list’s defence, she did find some epic awesome books like Cinder and The Scorpio Races. Currently Cait is telling herself she doesn’t need to go to the library. She needs a reading break. Right? Right. No library. Be strong.
Completely agree. It annoys me when people say something is "The next Harry Potter." First of all, we've got quite a nice Harry Potter already, and nothing is going to replace it, so you're just alienating me as a reader by doing that. What's with all dystopian books being "The next Hunger Games"? It's weird. And it raises my expectations way too ridiculously high. Like saying an author's "being compared to John Green." Like, why? People need to find a new way to market books, because this just does not work for me!
Exactly! Alienating is the word! I think it puts the dedicated fans on the defensive (because NOTHING is as good as the original, right?!!) x) I have an ARC that's pitched as "John Green meets Rainbow Rowell"…um. SERIOUSLY?!! I'm hugely worried about reading it now. >.<
'A spoonful of Lamb Stew with Dried Plums in common', and you say I come out with some doozies. Anything even remotely dystopian these days seems to be compared to THG, I've been guilty of it myself. For anything to be likened to THG, for me it has to have an oppressive government, citizens living in poverty or the likes and a fight to the death kind of scenario. I think most dystopians are held up to THG standard as well, like how Twilight seemed the standard for all Vampire themed books for a while.I've read 11 from that list, and while a few share the same sort of traits, those on that list ate a lot alike, but not like THG. That made no sense. Those books all share similar traits, but with each other, not THG. That wasn't any better was it.
I was quite pleased with that one. *smiles modestly* I was pretty guilty of it at first…I mean, heck, I tried to read ALL those 25 books (but my library limitations were a problem). But I also rated most of those books 2 and 3 stars. Oops. And I agree, you're right! Twilight is THE vampire book. The Hunger Games is THE dystopian. Anything John Green is THE contemporary standard. *sigh* It's kind of pointless really, because styles is a huge factor here.
The only books I can truly see a Hunger Games comparison for are dystopia novels. Even with their differences, they all tend to sort of blend together for me. The novel that comes closest in similarities is The Testing, and that's coming from someone who has read both and prefers The Testing. The parallel story lines are undeniable.I have yet to find a "new Harry Potter." Nothing will ever compare. But if a book has magic in it, or students shipping off to school for some sort of training, best believe it'll be compared.Publishers will stick anything in a tag line to sell a book. You can't trust 'em! lol *shakes angry fist*
I haven't read The Testing yet….though I've been meaning to. I'm kiiiiind of just a little burnt out on dystopians at the moment, unfortunately, because the last 3 I've read were awful. >.< But I think with books like Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, NOTHING can live up to the original. It's almost setting up the hardcore fans to hate the "new version" or whatnot.
I completely agree with Comment #1. You should find your own way to market the book. When I'd see a book that says 'The Next Hunger Games' I'd think something like: There we go again. Think of a more original way of marketing it. Promote yourself as original. Why would you stay in the shadow of Suzanne Collins?I think it's another thing when you say something like: This book is THG meets Twilight meets (you name it). But do NOT name just one title. arendedewit.blogspot.com
I'm totally with you on the "here we go again". ARGH. Why can't we be a BIT more creative?? Oh gosh, and when it's "The Hunger Games meets Xmen meets Twilight" I honestly start thinking either a) the author has a severe genre mash-up happening or b) whoever's marketing hasn't read the book. o.O
Yeah, I get that. I wouldn't read the book either, but I just couldn't come up with any other familiar title. Most books I know are Dutch, not English ;-)arendedewit.blogspot.com
Totally agree with you Cait and it drives me potty when books are touted as being like another but just aren't, it just makes the books sound like wannabe's and doesn't give it the option of standing on it's own merit as straight away you're comparing it, if you know what I'm getting at…….Thea @ Gizzimomo's Book Shelf
I totally know what you're getting at! EXACTLY. And also I think it honestly truly offends the really hardcore fans. I LOVE The Hunger Games (though that's tooootally hard to tell, right?) so I always sniff at books that say "better than THG". I mean, WHAT? Seriously? Nope. It gets me riled before I've even opened the book.
oh god yes! i am absolutely sick of the comparisons. basically, if it's dystopian, HUNGER GAMES. like back off would you? good god.
HECK YEAH. But just because it shares a similar genre to a "Famous" book, does NOT mean it's going to be "The next so-and-so". SERIOUSLY. x)
I agree, they describe a book as the next "insert book here" and leave fans disappointed. This is one of the reasons why some books have low ratings or reviews. Whenever a book amazes a reader that person will tend to look for books that were described as "the next blahblah" and what's next? Disappointment. Readers doesn't want a rewrite, readers want excitement and surprises.
I'm totally with you on the lower ratings too. Most of the books I read on that 25 List of books…I rated like 3 or lower stars!! I was expecting another THG and they just didn't live up! Bleh. I reckon, if I hadn't have had such high expectations I would have actually enjoyed them more. >_<
I totally agree with you. EVERYTHING is getting compared to the Hunger Games, just so people will buy the books. Even if it has nothing to do with the Hunger Games.Carly
Which makes it pointless!! I'm totally more likely to rate a book low if I'm hyped up ridiculously in expectations…and then they get flattened.
It's just baffles when people do this! "This is the new hunger games blah blah" is one of my peeve ever since. I like THG but it's just unfair to the other dystopian books that they are being labeled like that. It feels like they can't have their own mark on this world!!! What irks me more is when this particular book is too faaar from the premise of hunger games. >< THIS IS SO GREAT CAIT! LIKE REALLY REALLY GREAT! Finally someone posting a discussion about this topic! 😀
Haha! Oh gosh, this comment and that tweet? YOU TOTALLY MADE MY DAY! x) I totally agree with you, too! It IS so unfair to other dystopians. I think, also, if you DIDN'T like The Hunger Games, it kind of makes you hesitant to ever try another dystopian because they're all supposedly "The same". Bah humbug. NO.
Totally agree. The Gone Girl comparisons are crazy too. I read a lot of psychological thrillers and 9/10 are compared to Gone Girl (most are nowhere near as good!)
I haven't read Gone Girl, yet!! Every second paranormal book is compared to Twilight, and EVERY cool sounding contemporary is "the next John Green"…like WHAT. No. What's wrong with trying to be original??? And ten chances to one, the books ARE original, they're just not being marketed very wisely (imo, of course!) x)
I hate book comparisons full stop. They're nothing more than a marketing ploy that smack of unoriginality. Instead of allowing a book to stand on its own merit, publishers are frequently choosing to take the quick and easy way out in marketing the book as the next THG or HP or even Fifty Shades. This simply capitalises on the success of a book that previously had people working hard to make a success without any comparison. I even remember when THG was called the next HP, and the same with Twilight, and both of these comparisons are laughable. They're not fair to the old book or the new book. In fact, they're the reason why I hold off on reading certain books. I actually haven't read any of the books in the list, although to be fair I only discovered the awesomeness that is THG in late December 2013…
Exactly! Particularly the "it's not fair to the old book or the new book"…I couldn't agree more! Plus, it's confusing. I've read books fully expecting a Hunger Games like setting. But nope. COMPLETELY different. >_< I just wish they'd hang up the comparison hat already and move onto different marketing ploys.
I'M SENDING YOU ALL MY HUGS RIGHT NOW, CAIT. I completely agree, and it pisses me off even more when they say a book is BETTER than THG. How do you even compare books that were hardly similar? I get you if it's based on how much you enjoyed them and you say "I liked X book better than THG," but not "X book is much better than THG." Um. what? The comparison to Divergent is getting on my nerves. I'll admit, it's what got me to read Divergent in the first place, but I don't understand the comparison! -__- And LOL to the Matched comparison. Just LOL.*hugs Cait like a teddy bear*
*showers Aimee with chocolate* OHHH HECK YEAH! And I'm soooo glad you liked this post. Makes me incredibly happy. Hehe!! It got me to read Divergent, too, but, gosh, they're SO different! And I really really hate how Divergent is marketed as "better than the Hunger Games". Even the movies are doing that! I am a Hunger Games fan FIRST. I do like Divergent, but…it's a 2nd for me.
At the beginning of this I was thinking (when seeing the 25 books) I don't fall for it as often as I thought I did, since I'd only actually read Matched (which, really. Don't get the comparison at all.) And then hey Mystic City :/. Read that. Wasn't that impressed. Don't get the comparison of it either. And then Starters. I was doing so well. Ugh. It's just insulting as well as just stop. But with The Fault in Our Stars, exactly! Any book/movie that's about cancer or even a emotional contemporary that's not even about cancer is marketed with The Fault in Our Stars. There's a reason why books are classics and popular. Because they started something. Every other book, stop trying to start something. :/Kirsty @ StudioReads
Ugh, Mystic City was all sorts of failings for me. Now I don't trust ANY book that compares to something famous. It just scares me, mostly. I really really didn't like Starters. I thought it was lame and ripping off THG, buuut, I do think I'm in a minority for that. >_< Oops!
Wow! I never realized how many books are comparing themselves to The Hunger Games before reading this post. That's INSANE! Personally, I don't read blurbs, and take GoodReads/Amazon recommendations with a grain of salt. Great discussion topic!
I don't take ANY of these comparisons now. I have a book on my TBR that is supposedly "better than Rainbow Rowell and John Green"…ugh. Frankly it's made me put off even starting it.
THIS BUGS ME SO MUCH! The copy of Throne of Glass I got out from work had a sticker on it that said 'Hotter than The Hunger Games' and it really bugged me. It almost made me not want to pick up the book because it made the book seem super arrogant and cocky to me – like it was a person and not a book xD. It gets a little infuriating, more so when it proclaims to be BETTER than something else, I don't think they should be marketing books that way. I will definitely be reading Throne of Glass because of the amazing reviews I have seen on it, mostly from your blog, but that marketing sticker almost stopped me. And that's a terrible thing because the author probably has no control over what gets stuck on the book. Great post! 🙂
Noooo!!! Throne of Glass isn't ANYTHING like The Hunger Games (except Celeana and Katniss both like food…but, um, that's not enough reason to use it as a comparison!) I agree with the arrogant/cocky thing, too. That's how I feel about it. And yeah, I wonder how the author feels about it??
Epic fantasy does this with Tolkien. I don't know how many books I've seen with Tolkien comparisons on the back. I have to admit, though, as an author I'm both excited and puzzled when I get compared to another author. In my reviews I've been compared to C. S. Lewis (which I gleefully accepted even though it made me go "Huh? How . . . Why? He didn't write dragon themed fantasy romance novels. . .") Robin McKinley (plot wise I can see why they said this. Style wise, not even close), and the Princess Bride (the movie, not the book, I'm assuming. Of all the comparisons this one felt the most valid to me). I'm always worried these will mislead future readers and they'll pick up my book and think, "Hey, this doesn't have allegorical Christ-figures! I thought this was supposed to be like Lewis" or "Pfft, this drivel got compared to Robin McKinley? People are stupid."
I can totally understand how flattering yet worrying it'd be. >_< It's a dilemma that's for sure. I think the awkward part is when it DOESN'T make sense at all. I mean, at least Divergent to The Hunger Games is in the same genre. But The Scorpio Races??? Um, no.
Agreed! It seems like the comparisons often have little to do with THG. It's just "oh yes this story also has a girl who kicks butt." Like… what?!?!A few months ago a friend asked if I knew of any books like THG and I said, "The Underland Chronicles, dear. You're thinking of the Underland Chronicles." I'm constantly amazed at people who love [insert book title here] by some author and they don't bother to at least try the other things that author has written. They're not going to be exactly the same, but it's a start…
I know, right?!! Although I have yet to read the Underland Chronicles. >_< I'm actually borrowing one out soon and Mime's read them so she's told me the funny bits and gaaah! Boots sounds so cute!! x)
I am agreeing 100% on this! It's SUPER annoying when people compare THG to other books or movies. I know someone who was comparing it to another book and I'm just like BE QUIET! THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT BOOKS. STOP COMPARING THEM. It's so annoying! The Hunger Games and Divergent trilogy are very different from each other which is why I don't understand why people are comparing them.
YES YES YES. It's frustratingly annoying that is for stinking sure. *sihg* why can't we let this marketing ploy rest???
Marketing is just eating away at those poor naive souls! It does get very annoying at some times, but I usually don't pay attention to those little stickers and quotes anymore (I've actually never read the quotes/praise whatever they're called because bleh). But yeah. They need to come up with a new marketing tool.
Coming up with something fresh and different would ROCK in the marketing department I reckon. 😉 I've stopped paying attention now…haha, after I got frustratingly burnt by it. x)
I agree with you, its hard to read, but I actually like the comparisons– they aren't really for bloggers, we've learned to find our next books. But for non-bloggers, I think that it just means that its a book that could appeal for whatever reason. After reading Twilight, I was hungry for more books. How did I find them? First, I saw that Stephanie meyer recommended Hunger Games (pre uber popularity this was 2008 or 09.) Now, these have about zip in common besides not contemporary, good romance, and YA. How did I find the rest? Blogs who had lists if you liked Twilight Try… Which this might be slightly different. And I totally get where you are coming from. Hunger Games and Divergent have some in common but to be called the next Hunger Games… Not so much. Forgive my ramblings 🙂
I think author endorsements and recs are different, though (and I'm with you! I like them too)….like I've seen authors rec books and been like, "OMG I MUST READ ASAP" just because I like the author so much. But I agree with you! They're definitely not for bloggers. 😉
I've read 5 of the books on that list and none of them are like THG. They were all good, but nothing like THG other than maybe being dystopian (and that's only for some of them). I hate the comparison, too. It puts too much stress on a book. If I read a book that was supposed to be "the next Hunger Games" and it wasn't even halfway decent then I would be extremely upset.
Oh, I'm totally with you! I loved The Scorpio Races but there's no way at all I would compare it to THG. >_<
THANK YOU! I wholeheartedly and enthusiastically agree. If things are marketed as "The Next [Insert popular book/movie/band/artist]" I think that that is 1) unfair to the popular person/thing in question, because they are being shoved aside (as in, "Well, now it's time for the NEXT one, your time in the spotlight is OVER), and 2) unfair to the new thing being compared, because they are being called not unique. And doesn't every author/director/musician strive to be unique? To express their OWNness through their work?It's all a blasted marketing ploy to snag the unwary. Oh, and the way you said – "a spoonful of Lamb Stew with Dried Plums in common" – that made me laugh out loud! Seriously! 😛
I know right?!! I particularly don't like how If I Stay is ALREADY being marketed as the next TFIOS movie and NEITHER OF THEM ARE EVEN IN CINEMAS YET. I mean…WHAT?!! That's ridiculous. I think it'd be hard for the author too…I mean, I don't have a good view of a lot of books/authors because I've been TOLD they're like THG and then they haven't been and I've been uber disappointed. *sigh*
This is so true, and a lot of these books were awesome..and the only similarity I could see was that they were dystopian. There is such a thing as over kill in marketing and this is one of the reasons I rely on bloggers, and unpaid reviewers.
Yup, me too, now. And just because a book is dystopian doesn't mean it's similar to other dystopians. I mean, heck, look at These Broken Stars and Ender's Game. Both sci-fi. NOTHING alike. Not even close.
My bigger pet peeve is when they say "It's the next [insert book]!" Every book is unique. Of course, I don't mind when they say a book is similar to another book, as long as they don't equalize both books and say that they're both exactly the same thing.People should stop writing books just to be called "The next [insert book]".
Well, I want to HOPE every book is unique!! I don't want to read the "same book twice", if you know what I mean…so, honestly, I think the scheme is a bit of a backfire! x)
As an author I'd like my work to be seen as unique, so if it was ever compared to something I might actually feel annoyed by that /: It also leads up to higher expectations or perhaps a misunderstanding when a book is hailed as something and turns out to be entirely different. I do understand that comparing books is just a marketing scheme, but personally I feel like it could be done so much better. With some research you could easily find two books that are actually alike, but not exactly the same. However I believe that some marketers are now just slapping on comparisons without really digging into both books. Great thought provoking post c:
I think it COULD be flattering…I mean, you know it the oh-gosh-I-am-going-to-be-popular-and-famous-like-So-and-So-author…but in the end, I think it makes authors suffer more than it helps them. Plus uniqueness is important!!! I hate reading books where I feel like "I've read this only like 2 million times". It's BORING.
I think the number of books marketed as "will appeal to fans of THG or Divergent" are too many to count. Gah, people…let's get some originality here! This is one of my absolute pet peeves, and I'm so glad you wrote this (brilliant!) post! :DP.S. I finished Half Bad (loved it!) and am reading Dead Ends right now. 😀 So far so good!P.P.S. Are you going to the BEA Conference this year? 😀
Oh exactly!! I barely even scraped the surface, right?? Originality = pure awesome. Why are people missing that fact??OH MY GOSH I AM SO FREAKING GLAD YOU LIKED HALF BAD!!!!!!!!!!And BEA? You mean the armchair one or the real one? Because I'm definitely not going to the real one since I'm in Australia…hehe. x)
I just finished Dead Ends and loved it as well! I'm on a roll here, ha! ;)I know… I was just wondering because I know a few Aussie bloggers are coming, so I wondered if you were. 😀
Ugh, the marketing ploy to end all marketing ploys. It constantly smacks of "I don't think this book is good enough to stand up on its own, so let's compare it to an existing best selling book to con people into buying it!" with a side of "I didn't actually read the book, I only read the blurb". Sigh…
I honestly think the "I didn't read the book only the blurb" thing is kind of a huuuuuge problem. Because if you HAVE read the books, you smell a rat a mile away.
WHOOP! I've read like ten of the books on your list! Graceling was by far, my favourite. Have you read it?! IF YOU HAVEN'T I ORDER YOU TO READ AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Best. Book. Ever.I'm so glad you wrote this post! Just the other day I was cruising around on Goodreads (as you do… ;)) and the amount of Dystopians (and some Fantasy as well) that had "For fans of The Hunger games…" *headdesks* In my eye that doesn't make me WANT to read it; it makes me NOT WANT to read it, because the whole Hunger Games idea is so unique that NO ONE is going to hit it right on the head (or book) again. Great post, Cait!
NO NO I HAVEN'T READ GRACELING YET. AND THIS IS A GREAT HOLE IN MY LIFE. I NEED TO FIX IT. Oh, dude, cruising Goodreads? HECK YEAH. My life. I swear, I'm on it more than facebook sometimes. x) It kind of saddens me now too, though, because The Hunger Games isn't really unique anymore. I've read SO many horrible rip-offs and it breaks my heart really. *sigh* Because the idea was knock-your-socks-off unique adn awesome and original and…yeah. People have hacked it up, really. Okay, 'scuse me while I go cry in my THG corner.
I am so over comparisons to well known books. I agree that most of the time the comparison isn't warranted at all. You did a great job showing some of these discrepancies and inconsistencies. Love it! So scientific and not emotional at all.
Haha! Aw, that's super awesome that you liked it. x) I did spend a lot of time on this post…hehe…editing OUT my ranting. lol!
This is a really amazing post and I througly enjoyed it! I also don't like it when books are compared and it just gets tiring, and then there's the whole issue of when authors are compared to each other and it's a spiral. I discovered one solid thing whilst reading your post, though- wait, no, two, actually. 1. How have I not read your blog before? 2. I'm subscribing.Nice to meet you, Cait!
*waves* Hiiiii Romi!! Ermagawsh thank you for subscribing! That totally makes me ridiculously happy. x))I totally agree with you! It's kind of a spiral down to gloom, honestly. >_< And I think it's unfair to newbie authors, too, because how hard it is it to live up to epic books like The Hunger Games and The Fault in Our Stars and Harry Potter and stuff??
This is absolutely hilarious Cait, I hate how every new dystopian seems to be comparing themselves to THG, and as you pointed out most of the time they are not similar at all! Awesome thoughtful post Cait, you are absolutely right.
Oh yes, I'm always right.LOOOOL. Just kidding! I couldn't resist. (I am rather devious, so just ignore me….lol) x) Just because a book is dystopian doesn't mean it's the next THG!!! You're so right, Jeann!
Agreed 1000%. I think comparing books like that sometimes hinders it more than helps, especially when someone goes into it expecting getting something specific because of the comparison and not getting it. And ugh … no, Starters had NO business being compared to THG. Just no.
My thoughts exactly with Starters. Ugh, that was a horrible hopeful. >_< I feel bad for saying that! But I don't understand the Starters pull at all! Glad you liked the post. EEEEEK. Makes me SO happy!
Sometimes being compared to THG does help. It helped me discover new books, albeit they're not really like THG. But I do agree that books shouldn't use other books to describe their own. It's always a gem finding a book that is unique from all the other books out there, right? Awesome post!
Well, yes, you're totally right too! I mean, I discovered The Scorpio Races via wanting to find more "like THG books"…SO good does come of it!! But I find it's being slapped on anything and everything these days and it's getting a bit ridiculous.
I hate pitches like that. I've fallen for them many times before and have always been left very disappointed. Now it's not just the Hunger Games, they're using Game of Thrones, too >.> I fell for that one, read the book, and it was so laughable and ridiculous with no similarities whatsoever to pitched book in question. I wish the marketing people let books speak for themselves using their own merits. Faye at The Social Potato Reviews
ME TOO. The disappointment is the worst. I think that's why I've rated a lot of those comparison books so low! My expectations were way too high to start with. At least if they're in the same genre it makes sense. But The Hunger Games compared to Peter and the Starcatchers???! WHAT?!
To be quite honest, I actually now ignore pretty much all pitches which say things like "for fans of _" or "the next _" etc, because I find that those pitches are hardly ever accurate. So annoying…and um. WTF. HOW is THG similar to the Percy Jackson series? What even…
YES. I'm so tired of all the Hunger Games comparisons, and I'm not even talking about 'X meets Y in this new and thrilling novel..' WHY would I want to read a book that's X meets Y? I want to read NEW stories, thank you very much. So yes, COMPLETELY agree with this. Great post, you're spot on! (Also, comparing Cinder and Matched to THG is just laughable. They're nothing alike, lol)
Awesome post, what annoys me the most is when readers compare every single book to the hunger games. It was like a few years ago when everyone thought all the books were trying to copy Twilight. Please stop with the comparisons!
The Scorpio Races comparison is pretty funny, I loved that book but it is nothing like THG!I don't mind reviewers saying "this felt like THG to me" or "I loved this as much as THG, it was similar" because they are commenting about how they feel after reading the book. But, I do mind it being used as a marketing ploy to lure people into reading books that actually are v.different! Mands @ The Bookish Manicurist
Agree! If I see 'the new/next/upcoming Harry Potter' I get put off because I know it will come up short in comparison. If it says 'if you loved the Hunger Games and Divergent you'll love this' I get confused. Well I loved THG but didn't take to Divergent so where do I stand now Mr Publisher??? I HATE comparisons! If I read a book it is based on the blurb not these stupid comparisons! One comparison said it was 'The Hunger Games meets Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter'…WTF????? Wish I could remember what book it was now…
These comparisons must be the work of a lazy marketing department. Cinder??? THG is among my all-time favorites. I suppose it's flattering to the series to have all these silly comparisons. As for the books being compared to it, it must be a marketing/sales technique that works, or they'd stop doing it. If it results in more books being sold, I'm OK with that, but savvy readers will eventually realize that you can't rely on those little blurbs.Stephanie @ Inspiring Insomnia
YES! OMG, YES! I'm so sick of this, too. I know this has been going on for AGES, but the comparisons are so out-of-control. I slugged through Matched which was a totally snooze-fest because it was the next big thing. It what turned me off of dystopians for the past couple of years (obviously, I didn't finish this series either). I think that the comparison has gotten to the point where it is hurting the books it is supposed to be promoting. It definitely doesn't do anything for me nowadays. Fantastic post!
You know what Cait, I was literally throwing a paddy about this to my Mum yesterday! I took Legend out of the library and it had 'Fans of The Hunger Games will love this' across the top and I thought 'but I only 'liked' the The Hunger Games, will I not like this, or is this just a stupid comparison because so many books have this now! The Iron Fey for crying out loud has it on, what the hell comparison have they done with these two series. It's stupid, unreliable and a ploy and it's such a shame because it's that hype, I think, that affected my enjoyed of The Hunger Games so far. Such an important post Cait, well done for putting it out there! 🙂
I don't get it either. Matched is in no way like THG, and I plan to read the last book soon. The Testing though… it's similar. I mean, trials… testing,the gist. I haven't read the book, so I can't promise it. :pWell said, Cait! Oh, and I do love the new design! Have I mentioned that?~Sophia @ Bookwyrming Thoughts
So, reading through this and one of the thoughts I had was not that everything is being compared to THG. A lot of your examples are based off the phrase "If you like THG, then you'll like ___!" Or something a long those lines. I honestly don't feel like they're comparing the two books when I see something like that. I more consider it to be like a suggestion of what to read based off of something you like. Yes, I liked THG and yes, I also liked Divergent, Matched, Starters, Cinder, The Giver, The Birthmarked Trilogy, and the Percy Jackson books. So yes, I would find something telling me that there is a good possibility that I would like some of those other books based on my like of THG. Saying that you might like something because you enjoyed something else isn't really comparing, in my opinion. Now when they say that something is the next THG, then yes, they are comparing them and that's not really cool. Although they might just be referring to the fact that it might be the next big thing.
Oh gosh, I was going to write almost this exact post but you beat me to it! If anyone is going to compare any Dystopia to anything, it should be Scott Westerfeld's Uglies. Honestly, so many things in that book that you will recognise in modern Dystopian YA books, however, this id it first.I think.
Definitely agree. Not only in books but in movies too! I was reading maze runner critiques the other day and ran into one that started out as “Well It’s No hunger games, but…” and that’s when the “proffesional” critic lost all credibility from me. It just reveals your simple minded mainstream sheep mentality.