for a long time, I've been keeping (and eventually posting) lists of YA books I read that have received less attention than they deserve. it's been more than 12 months since I posted the last list in this series but I finally hit 50 the other day so here it is, the latest instalment of my YA Under the Radar series 😊
all of these books have less than 15,000 ratings on Goodreads, give or take, and were books that I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. I've marked ones with queer rep with pride flag emojis and ones with disability rep with wheelchair symbols. be sure to check them out!
Vampires Never Get Old (ed.) by Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C Parker 🏳️🌈 ♿️
Hometown Haunts: #LoveOzYA Horror Tales (ed.) by Poppy Nwosu 🏳️🌈
How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow 🏳️🌈
This Poison Heart duology by Kalynn Bayron 🏳️🌈
All These Bodies by Kendare Blake
Slipping the Noose by Meg Caddy 🏳️🌈
Into the Crooked Place duology by Alexandra Christo
The Scapegracers series by HA Clarke 🏳️🌈
Lakesedge duology by Lyndall Clipstone
Clean by Juno Dawson 🏳️🌈♿️
Meat Market by Juno Dawson 🏳️🌈♿️
Wonderland by Juno Dawson 🏳️🌈
Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson 🏳️🌈♿️
The Last True Poets of the Sea by Julia Drake 🏳️🌈♿️
The Witch King duology by HE Edgmon 🏳️🌈
The Not So Chosen One by Kate Emery
Ghost Bird by Lisa Fuller
Girl Mans Up by M-E Girard 🏳️🌈
At the Edge of the Universe by Shaun David Hutchinson 🏳️🌈♿️
The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson 🏳️🌈
The Past and Other Things That Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson 🏳️🌈
Social Queue by Kay Kerr ♿️
Kiss and Tell by Adib Khorram 🏳️🌈
Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger 🏳️🌈
What They Don’t Know by Nicole Maggi
Fix by J Albert Mann ♿️
The Holiday Switch by Tif Marcelo
The Killing Code by Ellie Marney 🏳️🌈
Lakelore by Anna-Marie McLemore 🏳️🌈♿️
Fraternity by Andy Mientus 🏳️🌈
Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz 🏳️🌈♿️
At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp 🏳️🌈♿️
Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses by Kristen O’Neal ♿️
The Woods Are Always Watching by Stephanie Perkins
Wider Than the Sky by Katharine Rothschild 🏳️🌈
Trouble Girls by Julia Lynn Rubin 🏳️🌈
Crown of Coral and Pearl duology by Mara Rutherford
Surrender Your Sons by Adam Sass 🏳️🌈
The 99 Boyfriends of Micah Summers by Adam Sass 🏳️🌈
Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa 🏳️🌈
Market of Monsters trilogy by Rebecca Schaeffer
Windfall by Jennifer E Smith
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E Smith
Arden Grey by Ray Stoeve 🏳️🌈
Definitions of Indefinable Things by Whitney Taylor ♿️
Stars in Their Eyes by Jessica Walton & Aśka 🏳️🌈 ♿️
Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White 🏳️🌈 ♿️
The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White
Henry Hamlet’s Heart by Rhiannon Wilde 🏳️🌈
Where You Left Us by Rhiannon Wilde 🏳️🌈
More of my rec lists can be found in my "book recommendations" tag
(This has been very hastily done on my phone so please correct if you see issues on the roster/dates/etc. Roster sourced from this site which is a lil older so may not be current, I haven’t double checked!!)
Invited on board a haunted train to help solve a century-old mystery of the vanished Jake Hurley, only to uncover another one unraveling in present day aboard the train to blue moon canyon.
"You know what they say it's not the destination it's the journey and this is one ride you'll never forget. You don't want to miss this train"
Bobby Cannavale as Tino Balducci
A hot-shot detective riding the fame from an old case with a big win up his sleeve and an even bigger ego.
Kathy Bates as Charleena Purcell
An award winning romance novelist, diving into a darker mystery genre.
Anya Taylor-Joy as Lori Girard
With a love for attention and mysteries only one can imagine what happened to the girl who disappeared?
LaKeith Stanfield as John Grey
Host of TV's Ghost Chasers, with a rumor of the train being haunted by Jake Hurley's wife Camille, he gets to work finding proof of the haunting, rather than the missing girl. Whatever makes for great Tv.
Nick Robinson as Frank Hardy
The older of the Hardy boys and the more rational of the two brothers. His keen eye for detail is great at always seeing something lurking underneath the facade.
Rudy Pankow as Joe Hardy
The younger of the Hardy boys and the more impulsive of the two Brothers. But, his optimism and lighthearted nature is needed in times where the mystery proves harder to solve.
Unbelievably I read a staggering 70 books in 2023! The most ever! My only disappointment is NOT finishing Dracula Daily, I came so close...
Wolf Brother Michelle Paver
Skin-Walker Michelle Paver
Be the Serpent Seanan McGuire
She Who Became the Sun
Soul-Eater Michelle Paver
Nona the Ninth Tamsyn Muir
The Girl in Red Christina Henry
As yet Unsent Tamsyn Muir
Outcast Michelle Paver
Leonard Cohen: On a wire Philippe Girard
Oath Breaker Michelle Paver
Ghost Hunter Michelle Paver
Baggage: Tales from a Fully Packed Life Alan Cumming
M is for Magic Neil Gaiman
Silverwing Kenneth Opal
Last Violent Call Chloe Gong
Malice: Malice Duology #1 Heather Walter
Pandora Susan Stokes-Chapman
A Lady for a Duke Alexis Hall
Boyfriend Material Alexis Hall
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries Heather Fawcett
Motorcycles & Sweetgrass Drew Hayden Taylor
Conventionally Yours Annabeth Albert
The Unbalancing R.B Lemberg
Stone Blind Natalie Haynes
The Winter Soldier: Cold Front Mackenzi Lee
Ruby Nina Allan
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter Theodora Goss
Husband Material Alexis Hall
The Secret Service of Tea and Treason India Holton
My Dear Henry: A Jekyll and Hyde Remix Kalynn Bayron
The Monsters we Defy Leslye Penelope
Travelers Along the Way: A Robin Hood Remix Aminah Mae Safi
Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman Alan Rickman
Morgan Is My Name Sophie Keetch
Threads That Bind Kika Hatzopoulou
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman Theodora Goss
Feeling Sorry for Celia Jaclyn Moriarty
Daughter of the Pirate King Tricia Levenseller
A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix C.B. Lee
Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang! Kill. Tour Tee Franklin
Magic for Liars Sarah Gailey
The Story of Owen Emily Kate Johnston
The Brilliant Death A.R. Capetta
Circle of Magic: Sandy’s Book Tamora Pierce
The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror Daniel M. Lavery
Death's Detective- Malykant Mysteries #1-4 Charlotte E. English
The Salt Grows Heavy Cassandra Khaw
A Touch of Darkness- Hades & Persephone #1 Scarlett St. Clair
Mortal Follies Alexis Hall
Witch King Martha Wells
The London Séance Society Sarah Penner
A Life on Our Planet: My Witness Statement and a Vision for the Future David Attenborough, Jonnie Hughes
A Game of Fate- Hades Saga #1 Scarlett St. Clair
Immortal Longings Chloe Gong
Hooked Emily McIntire
Foul Heart Huntsmen Chloe Gong
Signal to Noise Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Daughter of the Siren Queen Tricia Levenseller
Starter Villain John Scalzi
The Sinister Mystery of the Mesmerizing Girl Theodora Goss
Starling House Alix E. Harrow
A Marvellous Light: The Last Binding #1 Freya Marske
A Restless Truth: The Last Binding #2 Freya Marske
Thornhedge T. Kingfisher
What the River Knows Isabel Ibanez
The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments Hadley Vlahos
Misrule: Malice Duology #2 Heather Walter
The Raven and The Reindeer T. Kingfisher
A Power Unbound: The Last Binding #3 Freya Marske
I started some series, and I finished some series. I found new favourite authors and revisited some old favourites. Please take them as recommendations, or if you have read any of the same books come talk about them with me!
Reminder you can also follow me on The Storygraph to see what I am reading in real time, where I am simply shy_fairy
Previous Years Reading lists can be found here: 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015