Top Ten Best Sequels Ever

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the bloggers of The Broke and the Bookish. This week we're listing some of the books we consider to be among the best sequels. I can't say these are the best ever, but they're pretty darn good in my opinion.

Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone, #2) by Leigh Bardugo — It is perhaps a little premature to refer to this as one of my favorite sequels ever, but it's well on its way to becoming one. Just every decision that Bardugo made here, from incorporating new characters, new missions, new complications...just everything was very well done and I look forward to this story's conclusion.  

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins — You know what? I liked how this series ended. Collins avoided cliches throughout her entire series (although I'll admit I found the second book a little derivative - but that was the point). And the third? No mercy is spared. Katniss and the characters we come to love don't quite achieve their happily-ever-afters, but after all the terrible things they've endured, should we really have hoped for that? It's bittersweet and perfect.

Eona (Eon, #2) by Alison Goodman — I loved both Eon and Eona, although I thought Eona was a tiny bit stronger. Here Goodman didn't need to focus on worldbuilding, instead focusing on the relationships that define Eona and the trials she must undergo in how to create peace between the dragons, Dragoneyes, and humans in the Empire of the Celestial Dragons. It's a very internally-driven book, which of course I loved.

Emperor Mage (Wild Magic, #3) by Tamora Pierce — Not the traditional choice for a Tamora Pierce book, I know. I read her Wild Magic series first, and besides my strong identification with (and wishful thinking that I could become) Daine, I also enjoyed how the third book in this quartet really focuses on political intrigue. This may very well be where I first fell in love with political intrigue in my fantasies.

Lady Knight (Protector of the Small, #4) by Tamora Pierce — I loved seeing Kel come into her own here. It took me a while to really warm up to the Kel books, but they're such a necessary addition to Pierce's Tortall books, since Kel is the first non-magical heroine. No annoying magical sidekick, no more training, and a chance for Kel to achieve her destiny? Yup, loved it.

The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, #3) by Philip Pullman — Someday someone is going to realize the potential of this series and create a fantastic film trilogy based on it. I mean, Pullman literally rewrote the temptation and the Fall in his mulch-universe fantasy world. And he did it in a believable and intelligent way.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter, #7) by J.K. Rowling —

The Harry Potter series is the series closest to my heart for a variety of reasons. Always and forever. The epic conclusion to this series is just so perfect. I honestly couldn't imagine it ending any other way, and it deserves to be immortalized as a classic of the early twenty-first century.

Court Duel (Crown & Court, #2) by Sherwood Smith — This is kind of sort of cheating, since I generally consider Crown Duel/Court Duel to be one book, and I own them packaged as an omnibus edition. But I love these two stories so much. When I first read the books, I preferred the action of the former, but now I've come to appreciate the subtlety and political intrigue of the latter.

The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events, #6) by Lemony Snicket — I was never a huge fangirl of this series, although I ate up each new book as it was released. I think the sixth book represents Snicket at his best, for his wittiness, creative storyline, and just solid plotting in general. Plus it's about an empty elevator shaft in a ritzy hotel. Who wouldn't be interested in where that leads to?

The Queen of Attolia (The Queen's Thief, #2) by Megan Whalen Turner — Honestly, I could have just as easily picked The King of Attolia, but I like the fact that this book stays with Gen's perspective for the most part. The Thief is utterly amazing, although the sheer scope of just how amazingly conceived it is doesn't become apparent until the very end. So I basically read its sequel in a continual state of awe.

Please let me know if you agree with any of my choices, or of other books you consider to be among the best sequels.