Top Ten Hidden Gems of 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke & The Bookish. You can find a list of past and future topics here. 

1) Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho

This one does not get enough attention! Not only is it an incredibly well written and engaging fantasy it's also a Diverse read and has one of the most genuinely beautiful covers I've ever seen.

2) City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong is very well known so this seems like a strange pick but it doesn't have a lot of ratings on goodreads! Whilst I wouldn't say this was my favourite Kelley Armstrong novel it's the start of an interesting new series with some great characters.

3) How Not to Disappear by Clare Furniss

This book was so much more than I ever expected it to be. It was emotional but funny and I thought the ending was really well done. The main character Hattie has just found out that she's pregnant and then the great-aunt her family never knew existed shows up in the early stages of dementia and determined to go on a road trip to revisit her past. It was a tough read at times but well worth a go.

4) The Vatican Princess by C.W. Gortner

I've mentioned this book quite a lot I feel - because I really love it! It felt real and believable and never dry - I was immersed in Lucrezia's story right up to the end! This book deserves so much more love!

5) Lost Among the Living by Simone St. James

I am a huge fan of Simone St. James and whilst I would say that this was probably my least favourite of her books - that still sets the bar pretty high. Her writing is beautiful and her mysteries are compelling.

6) Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

This one did get a lot of hype and I've seen it on a lot of TBR's but I don't know many people who have read it and it has so few ratings on goodreads. If you have this book then I definitely recommend picking it up soon - it's such a quick and engaging read.

7) Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

Alice Oseman is an auto-buy author for me. I think Radio Silence was even better than Solitaire. I love her characters and her writing and I can't wait for more from her!

8) Imprudence by Gail Carriger

A lot of people know (and have read) the Parasol Protectorate series but this sequel series is great and doesn't get so much attention! I adored this book and was very excited to find the series isn't finished (for some reason I had thought it was a duology)!

9) Assassin's Heart by Sarah Ahiers

The more I think about Assassin's Heart the more I like it. I definitely want to re-read it to see what I would think a second time around. This is another one with a lot of hype that just sort of fizzled out. The characters were pretty great and the revenge plot stayed as a revenge plot!! Which I was nervous about because the blurb almost made it sound more romance than assassin-ing! There is a sequel/companion novel coming out this year that I definitely want to pick up but this works as a standalone really well.

10) In the Month of the Midnight Sun by Cecelia Ekback

Cecilia Ekback's writing feels so unique to me. I love that the mountain and the land itself has such a presence. I read Wolf Winter in either early 2016 or late 2015 and then picked up In the Month of the Midnight Sun in late 2016 and I think it is a much easier to read and faster paced novel.

You can also find us on Goodreads (Ann and Clare) to keep up with what we are reading