The highest rated books on Goodreads allow readers to be encouraged and offer their ideas to help others decide what to read next.
Goodreads is the largest site for readers to rate and review their favorite books and authors, keep track of their reading, take part in challenges, and find new book suggestions.
Whatever you enjoy reading, you’ll find it on Goodreads, along with a lot of other readers who share your passion.
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- By: J.K. Rowling
- Score: 3,956
This is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads. In the final book of the “Harry Potter” series, Harry and his two closest friends go on a cross-country adventure.
This is because they were in search of the answers that may aid them in defeating Lord Voldemort, the dark wizard.
This gripping novel concludes the fanciful series with a surprising and dramatic conclusion, culminating in Hogwarts’ epic and terrible battle.
2. Word of Radiance
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Score: 3,767
For the first time, a “darkeyes” (low-status “darkeyes”) was granted charge of the royal bodyguards. Despite the fact that his adversaries expected him to die as a military slave.
To keep the king safe, as well as to keep Dalinar safe from the Assassin’s threat, Honorspren must learn surprising new powers tied to his honorspren, Syl.
Once again, Szeth (the Assassin of Roshar) is on the loose, murdering rulers across the globe of Roshar. He was thwarting every bodyguard and evading every pursuer.
Highprince Dalinar, commonly regarded as the man in charge of the Alethi monarchy, is one of his primary objectives.
It would be easy to see why the Assassin’s master would want to kill him, but he has far more sinister intentions. This is by far one of the highest rated books on Goodreads.
3. Return of the King
- By: Taylor Jenkins Reid
- Score: 2,596
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads. This book brings to a close the saga that began in The Hobbit with the last chapter of Tolkien’s epic.
As the dark shadow of the Dark Lord grows even broader, the troops of the Dark Lord are gathering strength. Enemies from all walks of life come together to wage war against the Dark.
Meanwhile, Frodo and Sam continue their courageous journey into Mordor in search of the One Ring. A heroic romance and a classic fantasy, JRR Tolkien’s magnificent work of literature is impossible, to sum up in a few words.
The story unfolds through many settings and character changes in an imaginative universe that is completely realistic in its details. With the invention of an entirely new universe, J.R.R. Tolkien established a mythology that has endured through the ages.
4. Crooked Kingdom
- By: Leigh Bardugo
- Score: 2,038
To put it mildly, Kaz Brekker and his team just pulled off a robbery so risky that no one expected them to make it out alive. Rather than receiving a generous payoff, they’re back in the midst of a life-and-death struggle.
After being betrayed, the team is depleted of allies, resources, and hope. In order to learn the truth about the deadly narcotic known as jurda parem, strong spies from around the world gather to Ketterdam.
In Ketterdam, old foes and new opponents alike emerge to test Kaz’s ingenuity and the team’s shaky allegiance. The destiny of the Grisha universe will be decided on the city’s dark and twisted streets in a struggle for retribution and atonement.
5.The Last Olympian
- By: Rick Riordan
- Score: 1,968
This olympian book is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads.
Since the beginning of the year, half-bloods have been preparing to take against the Titans, knowing that their chances of success are slim. As Kronos adds more gods and half-bloods to his ranks, the Titan’s might only rise.
Mount Olympus lies relatively unattended in New York City as the Olympians battle the marauding demon Typhon.
Percy Jackson and an army of teenage demigods will have to take on the Lord of Time. The long-awaited prophecy about Percy’s sixteenth birthday finally comes to fruition in this concluding installment of the New York Times best-selling series.
Meanwhile, Percy faces the horrifying possibility that he is battling against his own destiny while trying to save Western civilization on the streets of Manhattan.
6. Where the Crawdads Sing
- By: Delia Owens
- Score: 1,862
Bustle Barkley Cove, a sleepy coastal village in North Carolina, has long been plagued by legends of the “Marsh Girl.”
Chase Andrews was found murdered in late 1969, and residents quickly suspected Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl, of being the killer.
Kya, on the other hand, isn’t what they claim. She has lived in the marsh for years, making friends with the birds and learning to sandcastle from the sand.
As time goes by, she craves affection and attention. Kya’s wild beauty attracts the attention of two young guys from the town, who open her up to a new way of life until the unimaginable happens.
To Barbara Kingsolver or Karen Russell readers, this book is as much a love letter to the natural world as it is an emotional coming-of-age narrative.
7. The Wise Man’s Fear
- By: Patrick Rothfuss
- Score: 1512
Sea in storm, darkness with no moon, and gentle man’s rage are three things that intelligent men dread.” This is Kvothe.
You may have heard of me before. So starts a story from the perspective of the narrator, one that has never been seen before in fantasy literature.
Kvothe begins his journey as a hero in The Wise Man’s Fear, Day Two of The Kingkiller Chronicle, and discovers how tough it can be to live as a legend in your own time.
8. The Hate You Give
- By: Angie Thomas
- Score: 1,496
This is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads. It tells the story of Starr Carter, a 16-year-old girl from an impoverished area, who attends a posh prep school in the suburbs.
When Starr sees a police officer fatally shoot her childhood best friend Khalil, the fragile equilibrium between the two worlds is destroyed. Khalil had no weapons in his possession.
After his death, it becomes a national story. He’s been dubbed a thug, a drug dealer, and a gangbanger by some. In Khalil’s honor, demonstrators are heading to the streets.
Starr and her family are the targets of an intimidation campaign by the local drug lord and a few police officers. What exactly happened that night is what everyone wants to know.
In order to get an answer, you’ll have to ask Starr.
9. The Hero of Ages
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Score: 1,465
Vin assassinated the Lord Ruler to put a stop to the Final Empire and restore freedom.
Consequently, the fatal version of the mists, known as The Deepness, has re-emerged, coupled with ever-heavier ashfalls and more intense earthquakes. We’re all doomed, it seems.
To free the world from the Lord Ruler, Emperor Elend Venture hopes to unearth clues left behind in The Well of Ascension by the Lord Ruler that will allow him to do it.
Vin is also tormented by remorse for allowing the mysterious energy known as Ruin to be released from the Well by tricking him.
With its omniscience and capacity to bend reality, stopping Ruin seems impossible given its stated goal of bringing about the end of the world.
She’s afraid to even tell Elend about it for fear that Ruin would discover their intentions. This is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads to pick up.
10. Skyward
- By: Brandon Sanderson
- Score: 1,316
For decades, the world of Spensa has been under siege. Spensa has always wanted to be a pilot, and now that the human species has been decimated, pilots are the new heroes.
It was something she’s dreamed about ever since she was a small child.
When Spensa’s father, a pilot, unexpectedly quit his squad and was murdered, her hopes of joining flight school were effectively eliminated.
No one will ever let Spensa forget what her father did to her, but fate has a way of working things out.
Despite the fact that flight school is a long shot, she is steadfast in her desire to fly. This might be her chance to get her hands on the stars, thanks to an unexpected discovery in an old cavern.
11. The House of Hades
- By: Rick Riordan
- Score: 1,300
Annabeth and Percy fall down a deep pit at the end of The Mark of Athena, which leads to the Underworld. In order for the other five demigods to follow Percy’s instructions, they must put aside their pain and follow his lead.
Percy and Annabeth must survive the House of Hades in order for the Seven to lock the doors on both sides, preventing Gaea from being raised by the giants.
In the event that the Doors are shut, Leo worries how Percy and Annabeth are going to get out.
They have no option but to accept the situation as it is. If the demigods fail, Gaea’s army will never be defeated. The Romans will invade Camp Half-Blood in roughly a month.
In this expedition to Tartarus’s depths, the stakes are higher than ever.
12. Project Hail Mary
- By: Andy Weir
- Score: 1,298
In a last-ditch effort, we are all at risk if Ryland Grace fails to save the world from destruction. Except that he is blissfully unaware of this at the moment.
Not only does he not know what he’s supposed to be doing, but he can’t even recall his own name.
The only thing he knows for sure is that he’s been sleeping for a long time. And he’s just woken up to discover that he’s thousands of miles away from home, with just two dead bodies for company.
Ryland’s crewmates are dead, and his recollections are hazy, but he recognizes that he now faces an impossible assignment.
In this small ship hurtling through space, it’s up to him to solve an unfathomable scientific mystery—and defeat a threat to humankind’s extinction level.
So he’s had to do it all alone, with the clock ticking and the nearest person being light-years distant.
13. Know My Name
- By: Chanel Miller
- Score: 1,247
This is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads. In this book, readers get to know not only Emily Doe, but Chanel Miller the writer, artist, survivor, and warrior in her magnificent biography. It’s time to say goodbye.
Her narrative of tragedy and redemption sheds light on a society that places a premium on protecting abusers at the expense of the most vulnerable members of society.
While also calling into question a criminal justice system that consistently fails those who are most in need.
We shall forever be changed by Know My Name, which challenges our views about what is acceptable and speaks truth to the turbulence in the healing process.
This memoir will be a modern classic because of its combination of grief, endurance, and comedy.
14. A Storm of Swords
- By: George R.R. Martins
- Score: 1,119
When A Clash of Kings ended, A Storm of Swords began. Westeros, Daenerys, and Daenerys’s soldiers in the East are all described in the novel, along with the looming danger of the Others, a ghostly army that is practically indestructible.
The tale is recounted through the eyes of 12 persons, yet only ten of them are the primary protagonists.
Despite the fact that the chapters alternate between their viewpoints, their stories are told sequentially here.
A prologue is included at the beginning of the book. If you are an official of the Night’s Watch and you decide to kill your superiors and leave your job, Chett is here to help you out.
In the meantime, a huge army attacked the Wall, a great fortification built to fend off invading northerners. Chett is terrified that the invasion will be a success for the first time in a generation.
15. A Court of Mist and Fury
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Score: 961
Feyre has been through more hardships than a human can bear. Despite the fact that she is now a High Fae, she is tormented by her time under the mountain and the horrific things she accomplished to preserve the lives of Tamlin and his people.
Feyre’s emptiness and dreams deepen as the date of her marriage to Tamlin draws near.
One part of her life is in the Night Court with Rhysand, High Lord of the dreaded Night Court, and the other part of her lives with Tamlin in the Spring Court. In the midst of Feyre’s tangled web of intrigue, she faces a deeper evil.
Only if she can harness her horrific powers, heal her damaged psyche, and determine how she desires to create her destiny—and the future of a world in turmoil—will she be able to stop this.
16. Becoming
- By: Michelle Obama
- Score: 936
Michelle Obama has become one of the most recognizable and captivating figures of our time because of a life filled with purpose and success.
She was also a pioneer in promoting a more active and healthy lifestyle for families. This was also instrumental in making the White House one of the most welcoming and inclusive places in history.
Michelle Obama, who was also a pioneer in promoting a more active and healthy lifestyle for families, was instrumental in making the White House one of the most welcoming and inclusive places in history.
Carpool Karaoke, dancing routines, and raising two down-to-earth girls under a harsh media spotlight were just some of the things she accomplished along the way.
She takes the reader inside her world, recounting the events that influenced her life—from her early years growing up on Chicago’s South Side to her time as a corporate executive juggling family and work—in a very personal and engrossing memoir.
She tells her tale in her own words and on her own terms, with unfailing honesty and vibrant humor, describing both her public and private achievements and sorrows.
17. It’s a Magical World
- By: Bill Watterson
- Score: 876
Calvin and Hobbes fans across the world fell into sadness when cartoonist Bill Watterson revealed that his wildly successful comic strip would be ending.
Despite the disappearance of the youngster and his tiger in the daily newspaper, fans have learned to cope.
All the joy of a second visit to the world of its characters is yours with It’s a Magical World.
Viewers may also catch their favorite mischief-maker in action with his furry best buddy, long-suffering parents, and friends, classmate Susie Derkins, school teacher Miss Wormwood and babysitter Rosalyn.
18. Kingdom of Ash
- By: Sarah J. Maas
- Score: 836
This is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads. This epic conclusion to Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass trilogy has been years in the making.
It’s the conclusion of an epic adventure for Aelin Galathynius, who went from slave to assassin to queen of a once-great realm.
Aelin has put her life on the line to save her people, but at a high price. For months, Aelin is tortured by the Queen of the Fae, who has her imprisoned in an iron coffin.
Despite the fact that her willpower weakens with each passing day, she refuses to give in to Maeve because she knows that everyone she cares about will suffer if she does.
19. The Complete Maus
- By: Art Spiegelman
- Score: 833
Maus is a graphic novel that depicts the horrifying memories of the author’s father during the Holocaust through the eyes of wide-eyed mice and threatening cats. It has been universally praised as the finest graphic novel ever created.
There are many layers to Maus, and the author’s personal journey is intertwined with an incredible depiction of one of history’s most heinous disasters.
It’s a riveting tale of triumph over adversity, as well as a sobering look at the lingering effects of tragedy.
20. Clockwork Princess
- By: Cassandra Claire
- Score: 812
This is among the highest rated books on Goodreads. The Infernal Devices trilogy concludes with Clockwork Princess.
London, England, is home to Tessa Gray, now 17 years old and living with her adopted family of Shadowhunters.
Additionally, she’s engaged to the kindhearted and unselfish Jem, who’ll be her lifelong companion on her journey of self-discovery.
As it turns out, Jem has a terminal illness and only has a limited time left. Couples hasten their weddings so they can spend as much time together as possible before it’s too late.
Planned events go astray when a carriage load of automatons takes Tessa hostage as they enter the institute.
21. Lonesome Dove
- By: Larry McMurtry
- Score: 687
“Lonesome Dove” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads.
It is a love story, an epic of the frontier, and the greatest novel ever written about America’s vanishing wilderness.
Travel to Lonesome Dove in Texas and encounter an intriguing cast of characters, including outlaws, prostitutes, Native Americans, and settlers.
In addition, Lonesome Dove is a book that will make us laugh, mourn, dream, and recall in equal measure.
22. Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
- By: Bryan Stevenson
- Score: 671
As a young lawyer, Bryan Stevenson established the Equal Justice Initiative to represent the most vulnerable members of society, including those who have been wrongfully convicted and those who are women and children who are caught up in the criminal justice system’s outermost reaches.
His first case was that of Walter McMillian, who was condemned to death for an infamous crime he swore he wasn’t responsible for.
When Bryan was drawn into a web of intrigue, political machinations, and legal brinksmanship, his view of mercy and justice was permanently changed.
In addition, it is a remarkable tale of the maturation of a young idealistic lawyer, a touching look into the lives of individuals he has defended, and an invigorating plea for compassion in the search for genuine justice in Just Mercy.
23. The Help
- By: Kathryn Stockett
- Score: 663
This is one of the highest rated books on Goodreads. This book tells the story of Skeeter, a twenty-two-year-old Ole Miss alum who had just come home.
This is Aibileen’s seventeenth white child, and she is a smart, regal black maid. Aibileen’s best friend, Minny, is a fantastic chef but has a tendency to lose her temper when she’s around food.
There are three ladies in 1962 who are about to go on an astonishing journey that will alter the perceptions of women in their community and the relationships they have with one another.
24. The Nightingale
- By: Kristin Hannah
- Score: 553
Nightingale is a heartbreakingly beautiful tale that celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
It follows the experiences of two sisters, separated by years and experience, ideas, passion, and fate, each going on her own treacherous journey toward survival.
Whether you’re a fan of fantasy or science fiction, this is a book for you.
25. Skin Game
- By: Jim Butcher
- Score: 511
Harry Dresden is the Queen of Air and Darkness’s Winter Knight, and he has no idea what Mab wants him to accomplish. Almost always, it’s a terrible thing.
When Mab owed money, she traded Harry’s talents in order to do so. It’s time for him to assist Harry’s most hated foe, Nicodemus Archleone, in breaking into a high-security vault so that they might gain access to the Nevernever’s vault of secrets.
He can’t go into the vault since it belongs to Hades, Lord of the Dead. Moreover, Dresden is convinced that Nicodemus has no intention of letting any of his men survive the event.
26. A Memory of Light
- By: Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
- Score: 503
World and time are at stake in this Age of Prophecy, the Third. Shadow may yet fall on what has been, what will be, and what now is.
We were all afraid that these last moments would never be written after Robert Jordan’s death in 2007. Brandon Sanderson, a well-known fantasy author, stepped in to finish the book when Jordan left behind notes and partials.
27. The Darkest Hour
- By: Erin Hunter
- Score: 480
ThunderClan chieftain Fireheart (now Firestar) must accept his fate. As a result of Tigerstar’s evil plans, the entire forest is on the verge of a horrific and fatal conflict. Now that the predictions have been fulfilled, new heroes will be born.
28. Assassin’s Fate
- By: Robin Hobb
- Score: 465
Fitz and the Fool must face their most arduous hurdles to preserve Fitz’s daughter Bee and bring down the evil organization that threatens her. They must also confront the unresolved issues of their pasts in Hobb’s breathtaking trilogy finale.
29. Morning Star
- By: Pierce Brown
- Score: 465
The enemies of Darrow would not let him live in peace, so he was forced to wage war.
The Gold rulers hanged his wife and forced his people into slavery in return for his allegiance. In spite of this, Darrow has vowed to fight back.
Darrow has risked everything to alter himself and break into Gold society, battling to survive the vicious competitions that birth Society’s strongest warriors, climbing the ranks, and waiting patiently to unleash the revolution that would rip the hierarchy apart from within.
It’s about time now. But both sides have a great sense of honor and a passionate desire for retribution.
Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face formidable foes without remorse or remorse. A few of them are people Darrow formerly thought of as close associates.
If he wants to prevail, Darrow will have to motivate people who are enslaved by darkness to free themselves, undo the harsh society that their oppressors have created, and seize a destiny that has been denied for far too long — and is too wonderful to give up on.
30. The House in the Cerulean Sea
- By: T.J. Klune
- Score: 425
Linus Baker has a peaceful existence. He’s forty now, and he’s downsizing to a one-room shack with an evil cat and all of his vinyl recordings.
He oversees the well-being of children in government-approved orphanages as a Case Worker for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth.
As a result of an unannounced summons from Extremely Upper Management, Linus is tasked with an unusual and highly classified mission: visiting the Marsyas Island Orphanage, which is home to six dangerous children: the Antichrist, the were-Pomeranian, the green blob, and five other creatures who have yet to be identified.
The only way for Linus to know for sure if his concerns would bring about the end of the world is for him to put them aside.
The island isn’t only keeping a secret about the island’s children. Arthur Parnassus, their attractive and enigmatic guardian, will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of his charges.
Linus is also forced to choose between destroying a house and seeing the world burn as Arthur and Linus grow closer.
