Exploring from

Swarm

Jennifer D. Lyle

Find similar books by

Combine common axes

Similar in characterization + relationships

These books are ranked using the characterization + relationships labels extracted for Swarm. Books rank higher when they are close on every selected axis.

Characterization labels used: anxious protagonist, capable heroine, teen survivors, siblings, toddler caregiver, resourceful teens, capable under pressure, traumatized youth, ordinary teens

Relationships labels used: sibling bond, found family, friend group, romance subplot, best friends, protective caregiving, family separation, loyalty under stress

This does not mean the books share the same plot, setting, quality, or difficulty. It means their characterization + relationships embeddings are close.

Exclude same author

Max ratings No limit

Cover of The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future – A Masterful Illustrated Sci-Fi Anthology for Teens about Friendship, Hope, and Technology by Veronica Roth

The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future – A Masterful Illustrated Sci-Fi Anthology for Teens about Friendship, Hope, and Technology

Veronica Roth · 2019 · Carve the Mark

Six illustrated YA sci-fi novellas explore future worlds where love, grief, and hope collide with strange technologies.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonists · young adults · tortured characters · emotionally damaged characters · grieving characters · mentally ill characters · self-reflective · feisty heroine · loyal sibling · isolated outsider

Relationships labels: friendship · romance · siblings · family dynamics · parent-child conflict · estranged friends · best friends · community bonds · sibling rivalry

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1140

Continue from here

The Night Is for Hunting

John Marsden · 2007 · Tomorrow

Teen guerrillas shelter feral orphans in wartime Australia, but their refuge, loyalties, and safety all come under threat.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonists · flawed heroine · resilient teens · traumatized children · orphan characters · group dynamic · guardianship role · maturing under pressure · emotionally damaged · resourceful survivors

Relationships labels: friend group · found family · caretaking · surrogate parenting · romantic tension · betrayal · loyalty under strain

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1151

Continue from here

The Seventh Day

A.E. Watson · 2014 · The Seventh Day

A teen girl must protect her sister and survive a strange zombie outbreak while searching for answers and safety.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen heroine · relatable protagonist · strong heroine · flawed heroine · scared but brave · protective sibling · resourceful survivor · young survivors · supporting ensemble · funny side character

Relationships labels: sibling bond · found family · family protection · parent-child separation · romantic triangle · slow-burn romance · crush dynamic · friends as family · protective friendship · brother's friend · group dependency · community survival

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1151

Continue from here

Darkness, Be My Friend

John Marsden · 2006 · Tomorrow

A traumatized teen resistance group is sent back into occupied Australia for a sabotage mission that quickly goes wrong.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonists · ordinary kids · traumatized youth · resilient characters · flawed heroine · brave girl · reckless behavior · survivors · psychological scars · moral conflict · group ensemble · distinct personalities

Relationships labels: friend group · found family · romantic tension · group loyalty · protective bonds · family separation · military dependence · betrayal suspicion · community captivity

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1165

Continue from here

The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset

Suzanne Collins · 2010

In a post-apocalyptic dictatorship, a teen girl is forced into a televised death contest that ignites rebellion.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: strong heroine · teen protagonist · survivalist · resourceful · protective sister · reluctant hero · self-sacrificing · guarded emotions · morally complex · traumatized protagonist · symbolic heroine · strategic ally

Relationships labels: sibling bond · love triangle · mentor relationship · family loyalty · romantic tension · friendship and rivalry · forced pairing · community control · power imbalance · romantic subplot

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1165

Continue from here

Anna

Niccolò Ammaniti · 2015

A thirteen-year-old girl crosses a ruined Sicily to save her brother in a world where adulthood is a death sentence.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: tough heroine · resourceful girl · pre-adolescent protagonist · younger sibling · child survivors · feral children · child gangs · protective sibling · courageous heroine · imminent adulthood

Relationships labels: sibling bond · mother-daughter bond · parental loss · protective caretaking · community breakdown · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1188

Continue from here

The Marrow Thieves

Cherie Dimaline · 2017 · The Marrow Thieves

In a climate-ravaged near future, Indigenous teens flee harvesters who seek their bone marrow to restore dreaming.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonist · young survivors · found family · elders · coming-of-age · resourceful · resilient · reserved · leader figure · community-focused

Relationships labels: found family · romantic subplot · family separation · sibling bond · community bonds · mentor-student · protective group · loyalty · betrayal · chosen family

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1189

Continue from here

Contagion

Teri Terry · 2017 · Dark Matter

A missing-girl search turns into a race through Scotland as a deadly epidemic and strange new abilities spread.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen protagonists · missing sister · protective brother · photographic memory · bullied teen · immunized survivor · ghostly narrator · vengeful character · smart teen · reluctant ally · damaged love interest · institutionalized victim

Relationships labels: sibling bond · romance subplot · instalove · friendship · teamwork · family search · kindred spirits · rivalry with bully · lost sibling

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1196

Continue from here

The Unquiet

Mikaela Everett · 2015

A teenage sleeper agent from a dying parallel Earth must replace her double on the surviving world and confront who she is.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen heroine · sleeper soldier · assassin · traumatized protagonist · morally conflicted · unlikable protagonist · introspective narrator · brainwashed child · lonely protagonist · character-driven

Relationships labels: family bonds · sibling bond · friendship · found family · romance subplot · alternate self · loyalty conflict · betrayal · dependency · community

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1235

Continue from here

Perfect

Cecelia Ahern · 2017 · Flawed

On the run after being branded an outcast, a teen must expose a brutal system before it destroys everyone she loves.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: strong heroine · teen protagonist · fugitive · reluctant leader · character growth · smart protagonist · brave protagonist · morally conflicted · supportive family · careful planner

Relationships labels: love triangle · romance subplot · family support · trust issues · mentor betrayal · found ally · sister relationship · father-daughter tension · romantic rivalry · friendship

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1305

Continue from here

Ashes

Ilsa J. Bick · 2011 · Ashes Trilogy

After an EMP ends civilization, a terminally ill teen must survive the wilderness, the Changed, and unstable human survivors.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: resourceful heroine · terminally ill teen · survivor · orphan · annoying child · soldier · ex-soldier · protective dog · mysterious love interest · strong-willed · bratty child · traumatized teen · tough heroine · cautious survivor · morally pressured

Relationships labels: found family · protective bond · surrogate sibling · love triangle · caretaking · interdependence · romantic tension · group survival · trust issues · improvised family

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1305

Continue from here

Shiny Happy People

Clay McLeod Chapman · 2025

A traumatized teen investigates a viral party drug that makes her town eerily perfect—and dangerously not themselves.

Why this is here

Characterization labels: teen girl protagonist · adopted protagonist · anxious protagonist · straight-edge protagonist · outsider protagonist · new kid ally · mysterious outsider · perfectionist · smart protagonist · controlling protagonist · traumatized protagonist · loner

Relationships labels: adoptive family · best friends · brother-sister relationship · romantic tension · friendship under pressure · peer pressure · trust issues · community conformity · family trauma · protective alliance

Semantic match: ranked by characterization + relationships

Distance: 0.1307

Continue from here