Big Books of 2026

Listopia > Gritty Book Lists

The Blade Itself by Joe AbercrombiePrince of Thorns by Mark LawrenceA Game of Thrones by George R.R. MartinLast Argument of Kings by Joe AbercrombieBefore They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
The Grimdarks
479 books — 1,173 voters
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. MaasA Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasThrone of Glass by Sarah J. MaasA Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. MaasTaming Flame by Therisa Peimer
"New Adult" Dark & Gritty and SO worth it
962 books — 1,048 voters

Fight Club by Chuck PalahniukA Clockwork Orange by Anthony BurgessAmerican Psycho by Bret Easton EllisTrainspotting by Irvine WelshOne Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
Contemporary Cult Fiction
492 books — 449 voters
The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsCatching Fire by Suzanne CollinsMockingjay by Suzanne CollinsSpeak by Laurie Halse AndersonThe Giver by Lois Lowry
YAsaves
516 books — 288 voters

American Psycho by Bret Easton EllisFramed & Hunted by Edward WilliamsA Clockwork Orange by Anthony BurgessMean Spirited by Nick RobertsFahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Awful People Doing Awful Things
452 books — 210 voters
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. TolkienTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper LeeThe Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. TolkienJane Eyre by Charlotte BrontëThe Blindspots Between Us by Gleb Tsipursky
The Readers' Choice; 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime
593 books — 112 voters

Wood, Talc And Mr. J by Chris RoseGoodnight, and Thanks for the Vodka [2002] by Harpie2004 - Thanks for the Vodka by HarpieThe Noise Effect by Stevie Turner2005 - Thanks for the Vodka by Harpie
Books set in council estates
45 books — 36 voters
Titanshade by Dan StoutComplicated Moonlight by Lynessa LayneDon't Close Your Eyes by Lynessa JamesMad Love by Lynessa LayneThe Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie
Favorite Epic Grit
102 books — 34 voters

Speak by Laurie Halse AndersonIf I Wake by Nikki MoyesA List of Cages by Robin RoeWintergirls by Laurie Halse AndersonGo Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks
Confront me: gritty realism in YA fiction
106 books — 33 voters
Dreaming of You by Lisa KleypasThe Highwayman by Kerrigan ByrneScandalous Desires by Elizabeth HoytIn Bed with the Devil by Lorraine HeathRuthless by Anne Stuart
Wicked Heroes Historical Romance
64 books — 24 voters

Summoned by Rainy KayeThe Hunted by Virginia McKevittFracture by Virginia McKevittBlue K Dynasty by M.O. McLeodCreating Monsters by Christopher Rankin
Urban Fantansy books
9 books — 12 voters
Rentboy by Fyn AlexanderThe Boy Who Came In From the Cold by B.G. ThomasLove Jake by E.M. LeyaA Note in the Margin by Isabelle RowanLike a Lover by Jay Northcote
M/M with A rent-boy-sleeping rough theme
36 books — 12 voters

The Temptation of Dragons by Chrys CymriCabello by Grea AlexanderMiael by Grea AlexanderHunting Darkness by Ian BristowThe Wishnik by Kurt Newton
Great Non-Romance Urban/Paranormal/Supernatural Fantasy
11 books — 9 voters
The Lovely Bones by Alice SeboldWhite Oleander by Janet FitchLullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'NeillHello Kitty Must Die by Angela S. ChoiAmong Others by Jo Walton
Books with Chicklitty Covers That Are Actually Quite Dark [No Romance/Erotica]
10 books — 7 voters

Die Elfen by Bernhard HennenDie Standhafte Feste by Horus W. OdenthalHomunkulus by Horus W. OdenthalDie Zwerge by Markus HeitzOrks vs. Zwerge - Fluch der Dunkelheit by T.S. Orgel
Best German High Fantasy Books
13 books — 6 voters
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret AtwoodDivergent by Veronica RothThe Maze Runner by James DashnerFahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury1984 by George Orwell
Dystopia (and then you die)
25 books — 6 voters

The Blade Itself by Joe AbercrombieJudge Dredd by John WagnerWatchmen by Alan MooreAkira, Vol. 1 by Katsuhiro OtomoThe Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
Fiction Books for Science Warhammer Nerds
7 books — 4 voters
Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthyTrue Grit by Charles PortisLonesome Dove by Larry McMurtryDeadwood by Pete DexterDesperadoes by Ron Hansen
Grim Western Fiction
13 books — 2 voters

Frankissstein by Jeanette WintersonThe Divine Flesh by Drew HuffThe Transitive Properties of Cheese by Ann LeblancLandlocked in Foreign Skin by Drew HuffThe Scientist, The Spaceman, and The Stars Between Them by A.L. Davidson
Sci-fi That Bites
45 books — 2 voters
The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith SparkSons of Blood and Sorrow by Brett KorkesAn Education in Malice by S.T. GibsonMister B. Gone by Clive BarkerAn Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
Dark Fantasy Books With A Goodreads Rating Of 3.49 Or Less
21 books — 2 voters

Agro by Michel ParryStories cops only tell each other by Gene RadanoAmerica's Black dilemma by Hamilcar BarcaPachuco by Dennis RodriguezI Made My Bed by Rube Goldberg
•Pretty Gritty
100 books — 1 voter
Battlestar Galactica by Jeffrey A. CarverBroken Bow by Diane CareyAir by James SwallowFarscape by Jim MortimerLeviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
21st Century Gritty Scifi
10 books — 1 voter

Browse By Tag