16 Underrated Books That Deserve Your Attention

Hard to understand why anything by V.E. Schwab is underrated . . .

"The Master and Margarita" underrated? Seriously?

Goofy list, to say the least.

Moloka'i was a phenomenal book!

None of these books received my attention before! I'm so ashamed of myself!

Vicious is FAR from underrated, since most of my friends and the people I follow LOVE it, but maybe that's just me.

Winter's Reach and the entire Revanche Cycle series, in my opinion, is completely underrated. The author (Craig Schaefer), his Daniel Faust series seems to have a good-sized following, but nobody talks about this series. Which, I find incredible, because these books are beyond amazing.

The Caves of Steel by Asimov.

I am pilgrim, discredited the whole list for me.

i wonder IF they'd ever make a list on the most overrated books?

I have Revolution on my shelf, just never read it! I also don't understand how Vicious by VE Schwab is underrated at all. Its all over BookTube.

The Atlantis Grail series by Vera Nazarian is definitely underrated.

The Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart!

Amber wrote: "The Caves of Steel by Asimov."

Underrated? That book it's awesome!

I loved Run by Ann Patchett and highly recommend it.

Ashley *Hufflepuff Kitten* wrote: "Moloka'i was a phenomenal book!"

I agree. This book is underrated. Part of me thinks it could be the cover or the name. It gives the impression of being a fluffy read.

I absolutely LOVED Moloka'i, but All the Broken Things by Kathryn Kuitenbrouwer was simply phenomenal!!

Righteous Fury by Markus Heitz

The best fantasy book ever written! And no one really pays attention to it ... Nevertheless I highly recommend it! :D

I loved The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace. Both great underrated reads!

the sea of tranquility <3

The Wizard, the Witch, and Two Girls from Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou

THE CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS by Michelle Paver! And Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson!

Master and Margarita is a classic, how come it's listed as "underrated" LOL

Now I have even more books to read, and I have so many to add! Believe me, this is the edited down list.
Shining at the Bottom of the Sea by Stephen Marche
Darkangel Trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce
Shadow Baby by Alison McGhee
Salamander by Thomas Wharton
Digger the Complete Omnibus by Ursula Vernon
Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones
The Book of Proper Names by Amelie Nothomb

Rebecca wrote: "I loved The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace. Both great underrated reads!"

Rebecca wrote: "I loved The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace. Both great underrated reads!"
I enjoyed The Vanishing Act as well so I will have to find The Blind Contessa!

Only two of these books have less than a thousand ratings, aka qualify in any way for being 'underrated'. Some absolute favorites of mine that do a better job than this list:

500 Great Books By Women by Erica Bauermeister
The Transformation by Juliana Spahr
I Hotel by Karen Tei Yamashita
The Quest for Christa T. by Christa Wolf
On Lies, Secrets, and Silence: Selected Prose, 1966-1978 by Adrienne Rich
Aké: The Years of Childhood by Wole Soyinka

Theft of Swords is one of the worst books I've ever read. It's comically awful in almost every way. Plot, writing, characterisation.

It's kind of a shame, but it highlights why this isn't a useful list. People like a whole lot of trash. Nothing wrong with that, but it does mean I won't be seeking out any of these titles.

I really wish GR would have a specific designation for YA novels so when a YA title is on one of these lists, I don't waste my time looking it up.

Shelby wrote: "I have Revolution on my shelf, just never read it! I also don't understand how Vicious by VE Schwab is underrated at all. Its all over BookTube."

Revolution all the way! Totally underrated. Read this book...

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Almost everyone underrates this novel.

is way underrated. As is the author's other series that starts with

and it's sequel are underrated.

Both of Anne Bronte's books. I feel like they are overlooked and one of the reasons lies at her sister Charlotte Bronte's door.

GEORGETTE HEYER! Her books have many flaws but are exquisitely funny! How rare is this!

Knjigoholičarka wrote: ""The Master and Margarita" underrated? Seriously?"
Second that!!

Tabi wrote: "Hard to understand why anything by V.E. Schwab is underrated . . ."

Agree

Knjigoholičarka wrote: ""The Master and Margarita" underrated? Seriously?"

That surprised me as well.

MarijkeAurelia wrote: "Righteous Fury by Markus Heitz

The best fantasy book ever written! And no one really pays attention to it ... Nevertheless I highly recommend it! :D"

Thank you for this. I have been on the lookout for some good fantasy

Riyria is definitely a must read for any high fantasy lover!

Brittany wrote: "Riyria is definitely a must read for any high fantasy lover!"

Thanks Brit. Bookmarking it as well

You should definitely read Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. It is one of my favourite books of all time. It is for sure worth your time if you give it a chance.

AgCl wrote: "i wonder IF they'd ever make a list on the most overrated books?"

yup overrated...Go Set a Watchman and The Casual Vacancy. Had they been written by another author never should be mentioned. IMHO horrible books.

An underrated series to me is the Twilight saga.Its a series that you can't stop reading and watching.Its like romance,history,and action all at the same time.It is incrediblely addictive,so watch out,Twilight might take over your brain!

AgCl wrote: "i wonder IF they'd ever make a list on the most overrated books?"

Haha, I'd be happy to contribute to that one!

There is an intrinsic contradiction between seeking underrated books and choose those that are mentioned the most

Vicious is underrated? Really?

Non of these are underrated at all. They all have a score above the 3.9, which is high for goodread standards, and more than 10.000 votes which is also a sign of a book that does well on the market. :)

Knjigoholičarka wrote: ""The Master and Margarita" underrated? Seriously?"

My sentiments precisely. Maybe the list should be titled "books without Hollywood movie adaptations"? Whoever wrote it is ignorant of world lit...

I AM PILGRIM IS SO GOOD!

Christie wrote: "Rebecca wrote: "I loved The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell and The Blind Contessa's New Machine by Carey Wallace. Both great underrated reads!"

Rebecca wrote: "I loved The Vanish..."
It's truly a beautiful book. I highly recommend it :)

Mist Over Pendle by Robert Neill
Hangman's Cliff by Robert Neill

Both underrated and both very well written.

Rune wrote: "Theft of Swords is one of the worst books I've ever read. It's comically awful in almost every way. Plot, writing, characterisation.

It's kind of a shame, but it highlights why this isn't a useful..."

As someone who does like like "a whole lot of trash" I am perhaps in no position to make recommendations, but I think it would be a shame if the inclusion of one book you know is bad prevented you from ever reading, say Master and Margarita. That it is a book that's far from "underrated" is a totally different issue, of course.

Does no one else see the irony in selecting the books with the MOST votes for a list of books that get the least votes? I guess "asking on facebook and twitter" is what people do now instead of even cursory research.

You can find the world of ACTUALLY underrated books on sites like this one:
http://neglectedbooks.com/

or even on other parts of this very site, where lists are maintained for books with low numbers of ratings and a group is dedicated to unearthing buried treasure.