Red Rising by Pierce Brown

Title: Red Rising
Author: Pierce Brown
Publisher: Del Rey (January 28, 2014)
ISBN: 978-0345539809
Genre: Science Fiction
Recommended Age Level: YA/New Adult 14+
Awards / Recognitions: Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Debut Goodreads Author
Personal Rating: 5 / 5
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Summary: 16-year-old Darrow is a Red, the lowest caste of civilization. He and his people live under the surface of Mars in slavish and hellish conditions in order to mine and harvest the precious element, helium-3, that is needed to terraform the surface of Mars and make it habitable and livable for the rest of humanity. He and his people have been told for generations that they are the pioneers of the planet Mars, and that due to their efforts, they will pave the way for civilization to one day be able to exist on Mars. Hard work and loyalty are rewarded while resistance and rebellion are swiftly and harshly punished. When Darrow’s wife is executed for a mild rebellious act, Darrow decides to exact vengeance on the ruling class, the Golds. He is recruited by a rebel group and quickly learns that his meager existence has all been a cleverly constructed lie in order to keep the Reds passive and complicit. In reality, the Reds are slaves to the large civilizations already on the fully terraformed surface of Mars that has been there for centuries. Sparked by a renewed hatred for the Gold and the structure of the society in which he is now aware of, Darrow is chosen to infiltrate the upper echelon of society in order to overthrow the repressive government. He is genetically and physically augmented in order to look like a Gold, and is admitted into Mars’ most prestigious school. At that point, he is on his own, and must navigate the brutal and ruthless world of the Golds as he and his other “classmates” are put to the ultimate test: a brutal war game that determines the fate of the young people in the top tier of the Golds. Determined to lead his people to a better life, Darrow will stop at nothing to not only survive this competition, but to come out on top to ensure his mission will succeed. 

Readalikes: (Summaries from GoodReads)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008): In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before - and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (1985): Andrew "Ender" Wiggin thinks he is playing computer simulated war games; he is, in fact, engaged in something far more desperate. The result of genetic experimentation, Ender may be the military genius Earth desperately needs in a war against an alien enemy seeking to destroy all human life. The only way to find out is to throw Ender into ever harsher training, to chip away and find the diamond inside, or destroy him utterly. Ender Wiggin is six years old when it begins. He will grow up fast.
But Ender is not the only result of the experiment. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway almost as long. Ender's two older siblings, Peter and Valentine, are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. While Peter was too uncontrollably violent, Valentine very nearly lacks the capability for violence altogether. Neither was found suitable for the military's purpose. But they are driven by their jealousy of Ender, and by their inbred drive for power. Peter seeks to control the political process, to become a ruler. Valentine's abilities turn more toward the subtle control of the beliefs of commoner and elite alike, through powerfully convincing essays. Hiding their youth and identities behind the anonymity of the computer networks, these two begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth-an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.

Skyward​ by Brandon Sanderson (2018): Defeated, crushed, and driven almost to extinction, the remnants of the human race are trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. Spensa, a teenage girl living among them, longs to be a pilot. When she discovers the wreckage of an ancient ship, she realizes this dream might be possible—assuming she can repair the ship, navigate flight school, and (perhaps most importantly) persuade the strange machine to help her. Because this ship, uniquely, appears to have a soul.