2 years ago
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Flatiron Books, steadfast of The Ballad of Never After
When a murderous curse is revealed, Evangeline Fox and Jacks volition person to bash conflict with aged friends, caller foes, and a magic that plays with heads and hearts. Evangeline has ever trusted her heart, but this clip she’s not definite she can...
Second books successful bid get a atrocious reputation, often unfairly. Like galore different The Lord of the Rings fans, I similar The Fellowship of the Ring and The Return of the King to the 2nd installment, The Two Towers, successful some the books and the movies. C. S. Lewis re-ordered his Chronicles of Narnia, but astir radical hold that the archetypal publication published, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, is the champion spot to commencement the series.
I commencement galore bid without continuing them. If I determine to proceed past the archetypal publication of a series, though, I often similar the second. I work the ends of bid and books much rapidly and easy than their beginnings. Second books don’t usually resistance for maine due to the fact that I’m acclimated to the authors’ styles and cognize the characters.
I work a batch of SFF, particularly lately, and these books often person analyzable world-building. Reading exposition and remembering details truly commencement to wage disconnected by publication two, particularly if the archetypal publication ends connected a cliffhanger. These 2nd books grow connected the archetypal and up the ante successful ways that lone bid tin do. They often person deeper world-building, quality development, crippled twists, and tons of irony. The momentum keeps maine reading.
The blurbs beneath whitethorn incorporate spoilers for each series.
The Broken Earth Trilogy by N. K. Jemisin
This Hugo- and Nebula-winning trilogy is compelling throughout. I thought I understood the climate-damaged, post-apocalyptic satellite successful The Fifth Season, but revelations abound successful publication two, The Obelisk Gate. An oppressed people of radical called orogenes tin power seismic events, and radical called Guardians power orogenes. In this book, we larn much astir however and wherefore Guardians and different societal classes were created. There are besides fascinating developments astir Essun, the protagonist, and her daughter, Nassun, a almighty young orogene.
The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper
The archetypal publication successful the bid is Over Sea, Under Stone and introduces the Drew family. The bid draws connected Welsh mythology and takes its sanction from the 2nd book, The Dark is Rising. Although the full bid received fantabulous reviews erstwhile it was archetypal published successful the 1960s and ‘70s, readers could commencement with publication two. The archetypal publication is mostly a mystery, portion the remainder of the bid is fantasy. The 2nd publication introduces Will Stanton, the protagonist of the remainder of the series, who learns helium is 1 of the Old Ones astir his 11th birthday.
The Brown Sisters Series by Talia Hibbert
In publication 1 of this romance bid for adults, Get a Life, Chloe Brown, the protagonist plans to marque her beingness much exciting, but ne'er expects to autumn successful love. Some readers similar publication two, Take a Hint, Dani Brown, oregon work it connected its own. Dani fake-dates Zafir, a information defender and erstwhile rugby player. Many fans emotion this book’s fake-dating dynamic and person praised this bid for its respectful relationships and nuanced portrayals of Black, LGBTQIA, and disabled characters.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
This dystopian YA sci-fi bid has fantabulous world-building and characterization. The 2nd book, Catching Fire, upends readers’ expectations astir Panem. Katniss and Peeta’s idiosyncratic defiance turns into revolution, with Katniss arsenic the Mockingjay, the emblem of the movement. Somehow Catching Fire ups the stakes, which were already beingness and death, by bringing erstwhile Hunger Games victors backmost for the Quarter Quell. This introduces new, divers characters and forces Katniss and Peeta to woody with their ain PTSD.
The Loyal League Series by Alyssa Cole
In the archetypal publication of this humanities romance series, An Extraordinary Union, Elle Burns, a formerly enslaved Black woman, becomes a Union Army spy. She teams up with Malcolm McCall, different undercover agent. The heroine of the 2nd book, A Hope Divided, is Marlie Lynch, a mixed-race spy and herbalist, and her emotion involvement is Ewan, Malcolm’s brother. Despite the links to the archetypal book, galore fans bask the 2nd publication arsenic a stand-alone and for depicting antithetic aspects of the Civil War and espionage.
The Birchbark bid by Louise Erdrich
This mediate people humanities fabrication bid follows Omakayas and her family. The main characters are Ojibwe (Anishinaabe) and unrecorded connected an land adjacent the Great Lakes successful the 1840s and ‘50s. Omakayas is 7 years aged successful the archetypal publication and 9 successful the second, The Game of Silence. Her narration with her small brother, arsenic good arsenic her spiritual and storytelling gifts, make more. The US authorities besides forces Indigenous peoples further west. The Game of Silence won the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction and galore different honors.
Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery Series by Mia P. Manansala
In Arsenic and Adobo, the archetypal publication of this cozy and culinary enigma series, Lila Macapagal moves backmost location to assistance her aunt tally her Filipino restaurant. In the 2nd installment, Homicide and Halo-Halo, the execution enigma centers astir a section quality pageant. Lila’s past and household are particularly important to the 2nd book, which has been praised for addressing her PTSD.
The Ember Quartet by Sabaa Tahir
Like astir of the bid connected this list, this full quartet is must-read. The archetypal book, An Ember successful the Ashes, ends connected a thrilling cliffhanger, arsenic Laia has not yet succeeded successful her program to prevention her brother. The adjacent book, A Torch Against the Night, expands the world-building with mythological creatures similar jinn and cave and soil efrits. In 2020, Katy Rose Pool astatine Tor.com wrote that adding Helene Aquilla’s POV deepens the motivation complexity. Helene is fascinating successful her ain right, not conscionable arsenic Elias’s friend, Laia’s romanticist rival, oregon an cause of an evil empire.
The Poldark Saga by Winston Graham
The archetypal caller successful the celebrated humanities fabrication series, Ross Poldark, was published successful 1945 and acceptable successful 18th-century Cornwall. In the archetypal book, Demelza Carne becomes Ross’s room maid arsenic an flight from her abusive father. Several years later, she marries Ross, scandalizing his landed gentry peers. The 2nd book, Demelza, introduces fascinating caller characters. Through gossip, fiscal hardship, and tragedies, Demelza remains loyal, resourceful, and a survivor.
The To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han
As if Lara Jean Song Covey and her household didn’t person capable play successful their lives successful publication one, the stakes and awkward situations intensify successful the 2nd book, P. S. I Still Love You. After her erstwhile crushes person been revealed, different erstwhile crush comes backmost into her life. Lara Jean and Peter Kavinsky person besides shifted from fake dating to existent dating successful this YA romance.
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