We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.

    20 Amazing Standalone Books For Those Who Don't Have Time For A Series

    So many books, so little time.

    Shreya Mali
    by Shreya Mali

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern - ₹279

    amazon.in

    This is an enchanting story about a mystical circus called Le Cirque des Rêves that only arrives at night. Behind the beautiful masquerade of the circus, there's serious competition brewing between two magicians, Celia and Marco who have been trained since their childhoods to fight against one and another. Who will win?

    I can personally vouch for this book. Having read it almost two years ago, it's still stuck with me because of its absolutely gorgeous writing. Get it here.

    2. They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera - ₹243

    amazon.in

    On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. They are about to meet up for one last great adventure — to live a lifetime in a single day.

    Having read this book, I can confirm that it's really heart-wrenching but it's absolutely worth it. Get it here.

    3. Circe by Madeline Miller - ₹295

    amazon.in

    In the house of Helios, god of the sun and one of the most powerful Titans, a peculiar child named Circe is born who doesn't seem to have any powers. But when she's exiled by Zeus, she discovers who she truly is and what she's capable of.

    Get it here.

    4. The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon - ₹232

    amazon.in

    This is a young adult romance novel that delves into questions of god, love, and fate, as Jamaican-American Natasha meets and falls in love with Korean-American Daniel on the day she is due to be deported.

    Get it here.

    5. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - ₹386

    amazon.in

    This is a haunting story about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

    Get it here.

    6. We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - ₹458

    amazon.in

    The Sinclairs are an exceptionally rich family who own a private island where they go every summer. But in the Summer Fifteen, something terrible and tragic happened and nobody wants to talk about it, except for Cadence Sinclair who's trying to put together the pieces of this puzzle.

    Get it here.

    7. The Strange And Beautiful Sorrows Of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton - ₹526

    amazon.in

    In a quest to understand her peculiar disposition and a growing desire to fit in with her peers, sixteen-year-old Ava ventures into the wider world, ill-prepared for what she might discover and naive to the twisted motives of others. Others like the pious Nathaniel Sorrows, who mistakes Ava for an angel and whose obsession with her grows until the night of the Summer Solstice celebration.

    Get it here.

    8. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - ₹375

    amazon.in

    Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, reporter Camille Preaker faces a troubling assignment: she must return to her tiny hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story — and survive this homecoming.

    This is a book that explores some really dark themes that'll haunt well past your first read. Get it here.

    9. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline - ₹346

    amazon.in

    Set in a dystopian 2044, Wade Watts is on a search for an easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, the discovery of which will lead him to inherit the game creator's fortune. But he's not the only one on the search for this prize, and his competitors will stop at nothing to win.

    Get it here.

    10. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - ₹714

    amazon.in

    It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line. Some riders live. Others die. 19-year-old Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn’t given her much of a chance. So she enters the competition — the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen.

    Get it here.

    11. Kafka On The Shore by Haruki Murakami - ₹323

    amazon.in

    This book is powered by two remarkable characters: a teenage boy, Kafka Tamura, who runs away from home either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister; and an aging simpleton called Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction and now is drawn toward Kafka for reasons that he cannot fathom.

    As their paths converge, and the reasons for that convergence become clear, Haruki Murakami enfolds readers in a world where cats talk, fish fall from the sky, and spirits slip out of their bodies to make love or commit murder.

    Get it here.

    12. Aristotle And Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz - ₹250

    amazon.in

    When Aristotle and Dante meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship — the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

    Get it here.

    13. History Is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera - ₹250

    amazon.in

    Griffin has lost his first love in a drowning accident. Reeling from grief and worsening OCD, Griffin turns to an unexpected person for help – Theo's new boyfriend. But as their relationship becomes increasingly complicated, dangerous truths begin to surface. Griffin must make a choice: Confront the past or miss out on the future.

    Get it here.

    14. Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley - ₹341

    amazon.in

    To say Cullen Witter had a tragic summer would be an understatement. His cousin overdoses; his town becomes absurdly obsessed with the alleged reappearance of an extinct woodpecker; and most troubling of all, his sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother, Gabriel, suddenly and inexplicably disappears.

    Get it here.

    15. The Martian by Andy Weir - ₹329

    amazon.in

    Mark Watney became the first one to walk on Mars but it seems like, soon enough, he'll be the first one to die on it. After a dust storm forces his crew to abandon him, he's left all alone on Mars with very few supplies and no means to contact Earth. He must use his resourcefulness to survive but will it be enough?

    Get it here.

    16. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies Of Agnes Nutter by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman - ₹307

    amazon.in

    According to The Nice And Accurate Prophecies Of Agnes Nutter, Witch (the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655, before she exploded), the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact.

    The armies of Good and Evil really do appear to be massing. One fast-living demon and a somewhat fussy angel would quite like the Rapture not to happen.

    And someone seems to have misplaced the Antichrist...

    Get it here.

    17. Turtles All The Way Down by John Green - ₹220

    amazon.in

    It all begins with a fugitive billionaire and the promise of a cash reward. Turtles All The Way Down is about lifelong friendship, the intimacy of an unexpected reunion, Star Wars fan fiction, and tuatara. But at its heart is Aza Holmes, a young woman navigating daily existence within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

    Get it here.

    18. A List Of Cages by Robin Roe - ₹651

    amazon.in

    Adam Blake seems to be having a senior year as good as any. Then the doctor he works for asks him to track down the troubled freshman who keeps dodging her, which turns out to be Adam's foster brother, Julian, who he hasn't seen in years. While on paper, a happy reunion seems to be taking place, Adam begins to realize that there's a lot Julian is hiding from him.

    Get it here.

    19. I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson - ₹271

    amazon.in

    This book revolves around Noah and twin Jude, how the once happy and loveable sisters are torn apart from each other due to tragic circumstances. Jude and Noah have their own paths to follow. But what they fail to understand is that both of them just have half of the story each. And, once (and, if) they get back together, they may just change the world for the better of all.

    Get it here.

    20. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld - ₹899

    amazon.in

    This book is pretty much two books in one, which is only part of what makes it so awesome. The story is told from a dual point of view, one of Darcy Patel, an author who has just published her first book and is moving to New York. The other POV is that of Lizzie, a character from Darcy's suspenseful thriller, Afterworlds, who has slipped into an afterworld to survive a terrorist attack.

    Get it here.