Mad but Magic: Top Ten Best Sequels, Or, I Sure Do Read a Lot of Series

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As a lover of book series, this was an especially difficult post! Whittling down the list was quite a challenge, but after much deliberation, I can wholeheartedly recommend the following sequels as my favorites.

Prodigy by Marie Lu

My most recent sequel experience and a very satisfying one! Even better than the first (as all book dust covers promise to be), this book was very refreshing- setting me up for what I thought would be the climax and then totally surpassing those expectations. I find Marie Lu’s writing to be the right combination of fast-paced action, reasonable world building and insights into character psyche.

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
How often does a book fulfill all your hopes and dreams and challenge everything you know about the love triangle? I fully expected this final installment of the Infernal Devices to crush my soul- and it did. And then miraculously managed to entirely rebuild it. Is this summary vague? You bet! Go read the books.

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

There's something about these characters that I really love. I feel their passion for music and their passion for each other. And if there was a 3rd book written about their lives or a 4th or a 10th, I’d read those, too.

Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

THIS BOOK HAS LEFT ME WITH SO MUCH SPECULATION. I will not disclose how much time I have spent trying to formulate, hypothesize and conjecture what the heck is going on with these characters. I won’t subject you to the long list of unanswered questions I was left with. I will be first in line when the final book is released!

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

A lot of people were disappointed by this series finale, but I liked it. There, I said it. I appreciated the portrayal of PTSD, the allusions to events in US history, and that that the ending wasn’t quick fix perfect happiness. Katniss has scars, and getting to end up with a guy at the end of a book doesn’t heal all wounds like girls are so often told will happen. Mockingjay keeps it real, yo.

New Moon Stephanie Meyer

Love it or hate it, most of you have probably read it. While I’m not lauding the writing or upholding the relationships, but I have to say I’ve got a soft spot for this novel… entirely due to loveable Human Jacob (very clear distinction of Human Jacob vs. WereJacob).

Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery

This is one of my go-to comfort books- I read it whenever I’m going through a big life change, somehow finding it encouraging that if Anne can get through it by golly, so can I! (Maybe it’s in part that I’m a redhead, too?) In Anne of the Island, we follow our favorite plucky lady as she goes off to college and finds herself the recipient of more than one marriage proposal! I won’t tell who :^)

Remembering the Titanic by Diane Hoh

Did anyone else read Titanic: The Long Night? I was obsessed with Titanic in 4th grade (Leo DiCaprio!) which is probably dating myself. When this sequel came out, I couldn’t wait to see what happened after certain characters survived the disaster.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Everyone has their favorite, but this is easily my favorite the Harry Potter series! We meet Sirius, one of my favorite characters, and it’s one of the two books that breaks the mold of a springtime face-off with Voldermort.