TTT: Hidden Gems

Hi guys! Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Artsy Girl. The topic this week is: Hidden Gems. It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts, but I’m so excited about this weeks topic. Who doesn’t love shouting at books that deserve more love and attention?

The Queen of Ieflaria by Effie Calvin – 245 ratings ratings

The Queen of Ieflraria is a F/F Fantasy romance novella about an arranged marriage between two princesses. I’m surprised this one has so few ratings, cause it’s one of the best novella’s I’ve ever read and there’s kittens.

Marriage of a Thousand Lies by S.J. Sindu – 831 ratings

Marriage of a Thousand Lies is the story of a marriage of convenience between a gay man and a lesbian woman, both Sri Lankan-American. It’s told from the POV of the woman in the relationship and also explores her feelings for her first love. who’s about to enter an arranged marriage. This book should definitley be more popular in the gay book loving corner of the internet.

Fairytales for Wilde Girls by Allyse Near – 901 ratings

I love this book fiercely, but I’m not surprised by it’s low number of ratings. It’s one of those books that a certain type of reader (hopelessly romantic, feminist fairy-tale loving day-dreamers) will eventually discover and adore forever, but everyone else probably won’t ever hear of. It’s about a girl named Isola Wild, who sees ghosts and other supernatural creatures, and what happens when the vengeful spirit of a murdered girl takes an interest in her.

Here We Are Now by Jasmine Warga – 1.082 ratings

Here We Are Now is YA contemporary about a girl connecting with a father she’s never know, who also happens to be an indie rockstar. We also get chapters from the mother’s POV, which shows how the parents met, fell in love and fell apart. I love it.

The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana – 1.264 ratings

The Library of Fates is a own voices fantasy novel inspired by Inidian mythology and such a breath of fresh air in the YA fantasy genre. It’s about a princess who’s promised to wed a tyrant, but might be forced to find another way to save her kingdom and the people she cares about, when an unexpected attack changes everything.

Wing Jones by Katherine Webber – 1.395 ratings

Wing Jones is a YA contemporary set in the 90’s about a girl who’s star-athlete older brother ends up in a coma after a drunk driving accident. She takes up running as a way of coping, then discovers that her newfound talent might be exactly what she needs to help her family pull through this crisis. We’re always asking for more family dynamics in YA, yet we’re sleeping on this book – which features a half black, half Asian protagonist who ‘s relationships with her mom, brother and two grandmothers who live with them are the heart of the story.

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett – 1.769 ratings

Even the Darkest Stars is a YA fantasy set in the Himalayas about a girl from a small mountain village who dreams about becoming an explorer. When famous explorer River shows up looking for a guide she jumps at the chance to join him on his dangerous quest to climb the highest mountain. With such an interesting and unique setting, I really would’ve thought this book would be more hyped.

Nina is Not OK by Shappi Khorsandi – 2.019 ratings

Nina is Not OK is a UK YA book about a girl who likes to go out and get drunk with her friends, until she wakes up one day with few memories – but a bad feeling about what happened. I love this book for it’s feminist message and honest portrayal of important themes like addiction, slut-shaming, sexual assault and victim-blaming.

A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares by Krystal Sutherland – 2.176 ratings

A Semi-Definitive List of Worst Nightmares is a OZ YA contemporary with a magical twist. It follows Esther, a girl who’s convinced her family’s been cursed by death (a guy her grandfather met in Vietnam) as she embraces life, by facing one fear at a time. I feel like this book would be more popular, if more people knew how weird it is.

Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore – 3.630 ratings

Wild Beauty is a Own Voices Magical Realism novel about a family of women who all have the ability to make flowers bloom with their touch, but their gift comes with a curse. If they love a man – he’ll disappear. With over three thousand ratings on Goodreads, this isn’t exactly a very well hidden gem – but I still feel like it deserves even more love and attention.

Let’s talk! Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them? What are your favorite hidden gems?