Top Ten Tuesday: Sequels!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's Top Ten list? Best sequels ever.

I'm super bad at picking favorites, but here goes! In no particular order, top ten sequels that I love. (And I'm sure I'm going to forget some because that's how it goes when I make favorites lists, but we'll go with it.)

1. Harry Potter 2-7 by J.K. Rowling. I know this one is on a lot of people's lists, but I mean, how can it not be? These books are great and I love them and I will read the series over and over again.
2. The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan. I loved the first one, and the second one just grew my love for the series even more.
3. Where She Went by Gayle Forman. Not a technical sequel, but a beautiful follow-up to If I Stay, and I adored it.
4. Everbound by Brodi Ashton. No middle book syndrome here! And with the mythology and everything... yeah I'm super psyched for book three.
5. Beautiful Chaos by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl. Although this is the third book in a quartet, which usually just means a lot of build-up to the finale, it's probably my favorite in the series after the original. Love.
6. Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson. Because humor and characters and sass and all of it. Love love love.
7. Prince Caspian/Voyage of the Dawn Treader/The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis. Pretty much exclusively because Reepacheep and Caspian. I just really love this particular set from the Chronicles of Narnia.
8. Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver. There was a touch of middle-book syndrome, but I would still classify this as one of the best sequels, because I just adored the story it told.
9. A Series of Unfortunate Events 2-13 by Lemony Snicket. One of the few series where not only is the first book not my favorite, I can't ever settle on a favorite because I love ALL of them. (With like two exceptions, but let's ignore those for now.)
10. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor. I adore the characters and the story and it just made me want the third book even more.

There are a lot of FANTASTIC sequels that I had to omit, and a pretty big part of that decision was middle-book syndrome. But I could probably keep listing kick-ass series for a looong time.

What are your favorite sequels?

Book Thoughts: Everbound

Title: Everbound
Author: Brodi Ashton
Series: Everneath #2

*Warning! Spoilers for Everneath*

I am in love with this series.

In this second installment of the trilogy, Nikki sets out to rescue Jack from the Everneath -- but to do that, she's going to have to trust Cole, something she has sworn not to do. It won't be an easy journey, and it's going to take all Nikki has to get through it, if she can at all.

I just. I know finding your "forever" love in high school is unusual, but I simply adore the relationship between Jack and Nikki. I love the flashbacks where we get to see their life together before the Everneath, and I love how much faith Nikki has in him. I also really love the relationship between Nikki and Cole: it isn't quite love, but it's something real. I like that it's a love triangle without being a love triangle -- Nikki and Jack are in love, plain and simple; Nikki does not love Cole and she knows that, but he complicates things for other reasons.

I love Brodi Ashton's writing style. I adore her conception of the Underworld and the influence of mythology (because hey, I'm a mythology geek, and if you'll play to that, you're already well on your way to winning me over). I loved getting to explore more of the Everneath in this book.

And I love that there is no middle-book syndrome here! EVERBOUND is a complete story in and of itself, certainly reliant on the previous book but definitely NOT mere filler between the beginning and the end of the trilogy.

Oh, and the other thing I loved? The plot twist. I didn't see it coming, but I should have. Can't wait for book three!