Top 10 Tuesday is a post hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and this week's topic is Top Ten Best Sequels.
I'm not 100% sure what counts as a sequel. Is that only book 2? Or any book after book 1 in a series? In order to narrow down my list, I'm only going with book 2 out of a series.
The second book in a series usually takes a hit, especially in trilogies. Book 1 is the build up and either ends in conflict such as a cliffhanger, or the conflict begins in book 2. Book 2 is usually the down period where we struggle through to get to the resolution in book 3. That's just how it is. Keeping that in mind, it was actually harder than I expected to create my list.
While there are tons of series that I love the series as a whole, when I looked at book 2 only, I had to pause. What's funny is that in my list below, a lot of these books are actually companion novels or novels that switch to a different MC and thus don't carry on the story immediately following book 1. I'm counting them anyway. I also excluded books retelling the first book (i.e. Walking Disaster, Losing Hope, etc).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQyMQYZ5UWfIuDswxHuDoOmdfaAzD_fTHl-USh1DnJOhyphenhyphenPghsSruRmfQc2cSiWY2jafQ-7xMVcVRKZ0-vVKCpan6kOyZrIVMF2gldgoFvME2Pl_e-6KhEBoGw5xT5Lhf0qGShhS7IEMyo/s200/RoseUnderFire.jpg)
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhELGuMBLdD2xrMh6mOm7kilxBq0BE7HG0-v8sCsiuAJ4iLi44zXl5qCidPAKiHOZ1p-un9H4uTRh1UY-TNBIWJ8n3QYJVR0hoRbfkNDfDvNhn_9I0-qySpBFcoNJi7yz-VLl05YDPOs7c/s200/Clockwork+Prince.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWjMFoHv6RzqPW0oepo3EE_g9NA-rssuWQ2_kVZV2LeOsixxChc1WrFAodt57vsbmXyzBz3vBnNqAZmErKBaNwxXwKGsTJcx0-uf6UML1OVZKDxtqw0qn3BKB2hVanXMjebZegowtnnV8/s200/Scarlet.jpg)
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtx26UGjDZFOfyvXRqSZv3WfjPYZs15qdw2PRkexAfT3xyfsMHHvvtR0J0sjbvkWQo736seMkMUojVdPyabCAD8ZAOQ_iGVGKYjyLl3dygfEBpI1FmuWJpCH3sTa9mp-YyrSugy5rBX7k/s200/New+Moon.jpg)
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- 1) Rose Under Fire (Code Name Verity, # 2) by Elizabeth Wein (companion)
- 2) Fragments (Partials, # 2) by Dan Wells (lenghty but worth it in the end) (review coming soon)
- 3) The Dead-Tossed Waves (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, # 2) by Carrie Ryan (swaps MC and years after the events of book 1)
- 4) Jet (Marked Men, # 2) by Jay Crownover (companion) (review coming soon)
- 5) Point of Retreat (Slammed, # 2) by Colleen Hoover (so emotional)
- 6) Fire (Graceling Realm, # 2) by Kristin Cashore (companion)
- 7) Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, # 2) by Cassandra Clare (major events take place)
- 8) Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, # 2) by Marissa Meyer (half companion, half continuation, enjoyed better than book 1)
- 9) Linger (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, # 2) by Maggie Stiefvater (love Maggie S.)
- 10) New Moon (Twilight, # 2) by Stephenie Meyer (while I can't say I hated this book ever, I've changed my feelings on it and think it was a great sequel to Twilight)
- 11) Frostbite (Vampire Academy, # 2) by Richelle Mead (such a pivotal book in the series)
What are your top favorite sequels? Let me know!
Scarlet definitely made my list too. I LOVED it! Great picks!
ReplyDeleteHere's My TTT
Thanks so much Nikki! Going to check out your list!
ReplyDeleteGreat list, I like the fact that you narrowed the topic down to just book 2 in a series. Fire, New Moon, and Frostbite are all great books. I'm with you on Twilight, I enjoyed it when I first read it but now... I'm actually reading Rose Under Fire at the moment, not too sure what I think of it. I haven't heard of a couple like Point of Retreat so I will have to check them out. Thanks for sharing your top eleven.
ReplyDeleteLots of great choices here. I've only read a few of these series most of them are on my tbr list though so I'm looking forward to them :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my TTT
I loved Clockwork Prince and I can't wait to start Scarlet! Frostbite was so sad towards the end :( and New Moon was actually my favorite in Twilight series. I really loved it back then, it was just what I needed and I cried so much. Thanks for stopping by my blog :)
ReplyDeleteAnyone who has read my comments in the past knows that I enjoy an occasional dystopian, but I don't do zombies well :) However for some reason, I was engrossed in the Forest of Hands and Teeth trilogy last year and recommended it to my oldest daughter who also loved it. I loved all 3, she thought the third one was weak. Thanks for sharing that.
ReplyDeleteThanks Becki! Oh I hope you love Rose Under Fire. It's definitely different. And Point of Retreat is the 2nd in the Slammed series by Colleen Hoover. I gave all three books basically 5 Stars--which is super rare for me! Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteThat's how it always goes for me too when I visit other pages. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteClockwork Prince was definitely my favorite of that series. Scarlet was really good too! Definitely Frostbite had a sad ending, but so necessary for the progression of the series! And I love to find a New Moon fan! I can't remember, but I think I cried too. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDeleteI loved book 1, book 2 was even better IMO. But then I agree with your daughter. I didn't love book 3. The Dark and Hollow Places just felt a little lacking to me. I think I just didn't really connect with Annah. Thanks for stopping by!
ReplyDelete