1. Lament by Maggie Stiefvater
Okay so this is the part where I get to have my proud #bookhipster moment (I've been waiting for this time to come)! When I was about 14, my mom found an ARC of Maggie Stiefvater's 1st published book, Lament, in a Goodwill months before the book was actually published. Not knowing that it was an ARC--or even what an ARC was--or that it is illegal to sell and buy them, my mom bought the book for me. I absolutely fell in love with Stiefvater's gorgeous, lyrical writing. Craving more of her writing, I was shocked to find that none of her books were sold in stores or online (because they had yet to be published). I was devastated. But about 3 months later, I found a finished copy of Lament in stores and was happy to realize that stores would be selling Stiefvater's work from then on! So from that point onward, I have been a devoted Stiefvater fan and have read every one of her books! So, yeah. That's my #bookhipster story. I still find that Lament is Stiefvater's least known and least popular book/duology. I can see why--it's her first book and certainly not her best, but I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for it <3
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This story is one of Italy and mobsters and shapeshifters--what more could you ask for? You want romance? It's got it! You want action? It's got it! You want intrigue? It's got it! Despite these facts, this book/series by Kai Meyer isn't very known--I'm guessing maybe because it's a translated work.
3. Habibi by Naomi Shahib Nye
Nye is a well known poet, but not many people have read her YA/middle grade novel, Habibi. Habibi is one of my top 3 favorite books of all time! It's the sweet story of a Palestinian American girl whose family moves back to Palestine, where the girl befriends and falls in love with an Israeli Jewish boy. The story is touching, moving, and sweet, but has serious undertones. Nye isn't afraid to show the ugliness and hatred of the situations she writes about. This book really touched my heart, though, and, as a mixed race Middle Eastern American girl myself, I enjoyed seeing a character of similar heritage represented on the page!
4. Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier
This beautiful and colorful rendition of The Twelve Dancing Princesses was one of my favorite books in high school! It's romantic in every sense of the word! I was always shocked to find that not many people know of this book, especially given that Marillier is a fairly popular adult fantasy author.
5. Cybele's Secret by Juliet Marillier
Cybele's Secret is the sequel/companion to Wildwood Dancing and, though it was different from the first novel, it was equally as good! While it's great to read Wildwood Dancing before Cybele's Secret, it's not necessary. Surprisingly (to me, at least), I think it's even less known than Wildwood Dancing, if that's even possible!
6. I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest
This is a really great mixed media book that mixes a story and snippets of a comic that's within the story! It's really fun and fast paced and intriguing, but I haven't heard many people talk about it.
7. Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
This was the 1st YA psychological thriller I ever read and the 1st book I ever reviewed, so it also has a special place in my heart. I personally thought it was really good, even though now I recognize that it used a lot of typical tropes and cliches. Even still, I thinks it's a really great investigation of love and family.
8. The Partials Sequence by Dan Wells
This is a holdout from the Dystopian Era of YA, but I love it! First off, it focuses around a female main character who's heavily involved in a STEM field (biology). Second off, it's heavily built upon STEM (biology, in this case). It's fun, it's action packed, it's science-y--be still, my beating nerd heart! While it seems like plenty of people have read this series, not many people talk about it. It needs more love!
9. Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley
Ah, Magonia, my favorite underrated gem! This is just a beautiful book. The story is beautiful, the writing is beautiful, the formatting is beautiful, the cover and design is beautiful, EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL, OKAY?!?!!! JUST GIVE THE BOOK SOME MORE LOVE!!!
10. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
This seems to be one of the least popular of Black's books, but I loved it! It's about fairies and a small town and familial love and just--aghdfgkjhgf so good!!! I also think I saw recently that this book is getting either a sequel or a companion novel/series and I'm SO PUMPED FOR IT!
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