5 of my Favorite Underrated Books

I find it easy to get caught up in reading all the newly released or renowned books. But, a lot of times, a book’s popularity is not proportionate to how much I enjoyed it. There are a lot of lesser known/talked about books I adored, so here are five of my favorite underrated books that deserve more attention: 

The Cure for Dreaming by Cat Winters

This book adds a twist to the historical fiction genre by adding paranormal elements. It’s set in 1900 and follows a girl, Olivia Mead, who believes in woman’s rights. Her father is an old-fashioned man and thinks her daughter is wasting her time on feminist ideologies. In an attempt to “save” her, he hires a hypnotist, Henrie Reverie, to hypnotize her into seeing “the world as it is”. Unfortunately for Olivia, the world is not a pretty a place, and this causes more problems than it solves.

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

In my post Why I Prefer Reading the Book Before the Movie, I mentioned my dislike for re-reading books. Heir Apparent is an exception. It’s a middle grade book about a girl, Giannine, who gets stuck in a virtual reality game when something goes wrong. She has to complete the game without dying, and fast, before she actually dies in the real world. If that’s not bad enough, there are countless ways to win the game and every time Giannine dies in the game, she has to start from the very beginning. The book is humorous despite the Giannine’s dire situation and interestingly combines science fiction and fantasy.

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

Insignia is the first book in the trilogy of the same name. It’s set in a future where the world’s major corporations, backed by governments, are at war with each other, but in space. Tom Raines, a snarky 14 year old gamer, is recruited by the United States government to train in an academy of genius teenagers to the fight against the enemy.

There are so many things I loved about this trilogy: the relationships (Tom and Vik are like Troy and Abed from Community!), politics, virtual reality aspect, etc. It’s like a mix of Ready Player One, Ender’s Game, and Heir Apparent — so, basically, my perfect cup of tea.

The Wrong Side of Right by Jenn Marie Thorne

I wasn’t expecting to like this book as much as I did. This is a contemporary, young adult book about a girl, Kate Quinn, whose father suddenly shows up a year after her mother passes.  The twist is that he is a big-time politician, running for president. Kate is suddenly thrust into a campaign for a man she hardly knows and whose policies she doesn’t agree with.

I actually cried a couple of times reading this, but it’s not an entirely sad story.

In a World Just Right by Jen Brooks

It seems like most people had mixed feelings about this book. I, on the other hand, enjoyed this book because it really made me think. 

Jonathan Aubrey is the main character in this story, and he has a unique ability to create alternate universes where everything is how he wants it to be. When he makes a crucial mistake in mixing up two worlds, elements from each world start leaking into one another. As a result, Jonathan has to face the consequences of his actions and imagination.

What do you think of my picks? Have you read any of these books, or are they on your TBR? What are some of your favorite underrated books?

Top 5 Wednesday (#T5W) is a bookish meme created by Lainey (Gingerreadslainey) in 2013. You can learn more about it by visiting the group’s goodreads page.