Top Ten Tuesday: Underrated Books

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.

Loving today's topic, a fantastic way to plug some books which for whatever reason haven't got quite as much attention as they deserve!

All links are to my own reviews on either this site or TheBookbag.

The Last Seal by Richard Denning - Superb historical fantasy with really well developed central characters and a fascinating mixture of a demon and the Great Fire of London.

For The Record by Ellie Irving - Wonderfully quirky story full of the best kind of English eccentrics trying to save their Jersey village from the bulldozers.

Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K Jerome - Despite it being acknowledged as a classic, I think this is underrated because people don't necessarily realise how easy it is to read. Jerome's crisp prose and sparkling dialogue, with the humour which runs through the book, make this as wonderful today over a century after its initial publication as it was when it first came out. (Probably, at least, I wasn't around to know for sure!)

Wereworld: Rise of the Wolf - Curtis Jobling - I have no idea why this isn't the publishing sensation of the year. Epic high fantasy which features an astoundingly wonderful world of lycanthropes and a thrilling story.

The Long Weekend by Savita Kalhan - One of the most terrifying thrillers of the past few years is aimed at young kids who will NEVER forget the 'stranger danger' message after reading this. Give it to your children - and then be prepared to calm them down at night!

Moorehawke Trilogy by Celine Kiernan - This captivating series of fantasy, political intrigue, and romance, is breathtakingly good. One of the best trilogies for ages.

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur - Cheeky inclusion, it's not particularly big as it's not out for another 2 days. Having read a review copy, I can confidently predict this is the only time it will EVER feature in a list of underrated books because as coming of age tales go this is sensational. Hugely moving with a phenomenal cast and should win a ton of prizes if there's any justice in the world.

Lottie Biggs is (Not) Mad by Hayley Long - What starts off as a fun 'slice of life' style teen novel quickly becomes a much darker book as Lottie realises she's suffering from a mental disorder. Brilliantly, staggeringly, life-affirmingly superb.

Mortlock by Jon Mayhew - If Roald Dahl had written a Gothic fantasy influenced by old English folk ballads, this would have been it. Great stuff, and it helped me win my friend £5 on a quiz machine last week with a question about sacred flower the Amarant. Proof that reading fiction really does pay off!

The Secret Kingdom by Jenny Nimmo - Given how good, and how popular, Nimmo's Children of the Red King series is, I'm amazed this exciting prequel hasn't made more of a splash.