Top Ten Tuesday #16: Best Sequels Ever

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week the girls at B&B think up a fun theme, and participating bloggers post their favorite 10 books in that category. This week's theme is

Top Ten Sequels Ever

1. The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa. Sequel to The Immortal Rules. Loved the first. It was original and clever and entirely believable. Then the sequel came along and absolutely destroyed me. It gave me lots of things I wanted and something things I didn't want, but that I realized the story needed. That's the mark of a great sequel there, one worthy of overcoming the Curse of the Second Book. I never felt let down by the action, the characters. There was no slump. Instead, the whole book either raised the stakes or maintained its position until the thrilling end that only has me pumped (and terrified) for The Forever Song. 

2. Shadow Kiss and The Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead. Both are book three in the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series respectively. I wouldn consider the second books slumps, necessarily, but the third books both really got to the heart of the action of the series, rather than somewhat serialized adventures. I have a fondness for the third book in non-trilogy series, especially when they can get the real action started without being completely separate from the first two books. Also, kissing. In both. It's spectacular. Shadow Kiss ends on a depressing high, as weird as that sounds. Rose is facing a difficult future and the future of the series is pretty up in the air. Indigo Spell is less depressing because, hello, kissing, but it's still perched on the edge of the storm.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. Like I said, I have a fondness for book three. Although we later learn that SS and COS were pretty important in the scheme of things, that's not for a while. POA was the first book to truly give a look at Harry's past. It's the only book in which Voldemort isn't an active antagonist, but there are so many answers to the questions brought up by the first two. PLUS we get the added bonus of Sirius and Remus. #WINNING

4. Perfect Scoundrels by Ally Carter. Another book three, this one in the Heist Society series. I couldn't pick among the plethora of Gallagher Girls books, mostly because they seem so fluid, so continuous that it's hard to distinguish one story from the next, but I had to have at least one Ally Carter book. Heist Society was a great opening book, and Uncommon Criminals was okay, but I think this series really came into its own in Perfect Scoundrels. For once, we see that maybe the gang aren't the only smart ones around. They're not invincible; they're not infallible. They can be just as vulnerable as their marks. It gives new depth to the series. I know Ally's busy with her new series Embassy Row, but I'm excited to see what new adventures lay in wait for Kat, Hale, and the crew.

5. The Eternity Code by Eoin Colfer. Book three of the Artemis Fowl series. Like Perfect Scoundrels, Eternity Code shows off Artemis's vulnerability. This time he's got to go on the offensive when one of his schemes is waylaid by a dangerous opponent. Not even Butler can stop this threat alone. I like that Artemis's gang comes together and has to truly accept one another's, erm, special talents to get the C-Cube back. I would have liked more Foaly and more Root, but otherwise, I'm pleased with this one.

6. The Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. Books two and three of the His Dark Materials series. I very much enjoyed The Golden Compass, but Lyra is a difficult protagonist, and her world is vastly different from our own. Will and his modern world are both more familiar and more sympathetic. He's less of a mess that Lyra so The Subtle Knife is more relatable, more understandable. The Amber Spyglass is a lovely finale. The moments when Lyra and Will are together are...beautiful. Stunning. Perfect. *sighs* I read their time together in the final world over and over again.

7. Haunted by Meg Cabot. Book 5 in the Mediator series. Due to Meg's changing pen name and other weird publishing quirks, I actually read this book before the others in the series. I thought it seemed odd and that I was missing something, but it has remained my favorite out of the series because 1. kissing; 2. TWO cute boys; 3. a fuller story. The books before were a little more serialized, this one is really getting to the meat of the series arc, and I love it. Jesse & Suze forever, but I'd still make out with Paul any day, fyi.

8. Underworld by Meg Cabot. Second book in the Abandon trilogy. Oh, my. I needed to fan myself several times reading this book. I'm glad there was less of Pierce's annoying grandmother. I just hated her character, and I found her so distracting! This book focused so much on John and Pierce's relationship, and that really made it sparkle. They're a great couple, and Meg is quite good with those kissing scenes.

9. The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien. Final book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I read the quadrilogy when I was in eighth grade, and Return was always my favorite. It brings the series to a well-deserved and well-written close. There's resolution for every character, every question. Nothing is forced. I don't feel any disappointment whatsoever except for the fact that that lovely scene between Faramir and Eowyn was left out of the movie. Freaking Peter Jackson. You do everything else totally right and then you leave out my FAVORITE SCENE. Also, this book contains what is quite possibly the greatest feminist line ever spoken by any character in a book ever. You go, Eowyn. You go, girl.

10. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. That's right. The WHOLE DARN TRILOGY. I was going to say Clockwork Princess, but then I wanted to add Clockwork Prince, and then I just couldn't leave Clockwork Angel so I'm going with the loophole that this is a sequel series to The Mortal Instruments and therefore all three have a place on this list. This trilogy is absolute perfection. The action. The characters. The story. The kissing. The monsters. The kissing (You said kissing twice, Mary. So? I LIKE KISSING). Sometimes I can be picky and find the things I would change. Not in this series. Not a darn thing. It's beautiful.

Have a favorite sequel? Agree with my list? Share your thoughts & links!