Top 10 Most Underhyped Books Read in 2025 🫢📚✨ Hidden Gem Book Recommendations

Just not one that I think got the same level of oomph in its marketing, and it probably didn't have the same budget, but it deserves it because the world building and the lore and the constant trying to determine what's going to happen next. the stakes, all of that was exceptional.

One of my favorite historical fantasy books I have ever picked up, if not my favorite historical fantasy. It's really good and it's at 5.8,000 8,000 for the first book.

If you are just dying to get a story that has a great friendship at its center, this book fulfills that so well. And the worldbuing elements and the gray morality and also the very difficult conundrums that present themselves over the course of this story are all done exceptionally.

I was bummed I didn't read it in time, or I should say I didn't talk about it in time where I felt like I could qualify it under my favorites of the year because this one probably would have broken into my top 10. I thought it was phenomenal.

I think the reason I liked the first book more is I liked the characters more and I liked their relationship more.

And the way the magic is done in this is really cool. The political intrigue is really cool, and I think the relationship building is stronger than what I've come across in a lot of other stories.

So there's a lot of intricacies within the plot. If you like intrigue, you'll definitely really like it.

But I do think that if the Raven Scholar for you, similar to what happened for me, if the tone didn't quite click for you, but you liked a lot of the elements of it, the pieces of it, maybe you wanted it to feel a little more understated, or to put it bluntly, have it feel like a little drier and almost more boring in a sense because The Raven Skar is very explosive, which is not a bad thing, but I think intrigue sometimes is fun when things just sit and simmer.

This is one of the best epic fantasy series I've ever picked up. It's so cool. It's so original, but also feels like it's paying homage to other amazing things about fantasy, other lore and fantasy.

And I enjoyed both these perspectives. I liked the progression of the story and I'm very excited to keep going because this is the first in a series.

I would say it especially feels like it's paying homage to other stories within fantasy in its sequel. But it's so unique.

It's so fantastic. And even though sometimes it's sold as YA, I do think even if you're somebody who finds that YA maybe just doesn't quite speak to you the same way adult fantasy does, I would still say give this one a try because there's a lot to it that I think transcends the age range.