Friday, 14 September 2018
Features | 5 Sequels on my TBR
Sometimes the best review of the first book in a series is whether the person reviewing it wants to read the next book or not. Sure, I can tell you what I thought about Divergent or Matched, but the thing that really tells you how I felt about those books is the fact that I never wanted to read their sequels. Those first books just didn't hook me enough to make me want to invest more time in their worlds. So today I'm going to tell you about five sequels I do want to read, thanks to the books that preceded them.
Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton
Hero at the Fall is the third and final book in Hamilton's Rebel of the Sands trilogy. The first two books in this trilogy were so gripping and fast paced that I flew through them both, and after all the intrigue and the twists and turns of the second book, Traitor to the Throne, I'm desperate to know what will happen to these characters in this final instalment of the series.
The Magician King by Lev Grossman
I had a few issues with The Magicians, the first in Grossman's trilogy. I had problems with the writing, the story, and the characters, and yet there was something about it that still made me want to find out what happens next. This series has a kind of pull that I can't quite explain, and although I'll probably roll my eyes at certain aspects of this book too, I almost can't help myself. I have to know what happens next.
Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
This one is not difficult to explain. Albertalli's first book, Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda was one of my favourite books that I read last year and when I heard that Albertalli's next book would be a sequel focusing on Simon's friend, Leah, I knew I had to get it. I would happily read Albertalli writing about any of the characters in Simon's world. Give me a book about his dog, I'll read it.
The House of Hades by Rick Riordan
The House of Hades is actually the fourth book in Riordan's Heroes of Olympus series, so of course I don't want to say too much about it, but having read the three Heroes of Olympus books that come before this one, and the Percy Jackson series that preceded it, I am still not done with reading about Percy Jackson and his world.
Puddin' by Julie Murphy
Like Leah on the Offbeat, Puddin' is a sequel that focuses on side characters from another book, but this time those characters first appeared in Julie Murphy's Dumplin'. I read Dumplin' earlier this year and fell in love with Murphy's portrayal of 'self-proclaimed fat girl Willowdean Dickson' and I know that Puddin' explores some similar themes and issues to the ones seen in Dumplin', and I can't wait to find out more about these characters.
