Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. This week, I’ve made a list of ten finished series I haven’t finished yet, because…well, reasons.
1. The Wheel of Time, by Robert Jordan. These are some of my all-time favoutite books, but I only made it halfway through the seventh book before I got distracted by other books I needed to read. Suddenly, a few years had passed and I figured I needed to start the entire series over again. So now I’m back at book four, remembering exactly why I started this series in the first place. It’s a rich, beautifully written fantasy world without the violence, gore, or explicit sexual content that some hate about Game of Thrones. There’s magic, a phenomenal cast of characters, and the plot will oftentimes grab you by the fringe of your collar–I’ve read some of these books in 3 days, because man, sometimes the story just grabs you and won’t let go.
2. Maximum Ride, by James Patterson. I loved these books as a teenager, and I waited for each release date after book four. But Nevermore was supposed to be the last in the series–so the release of Forever really caught me off-guard. I wasn’t entirely happy with the ending of Nevermore, but I accepted it (partially because my OTP of the series was endgame, and that was really important to me). This series is definitely a fun, quick read, with some of the best characters I’ve ever read. They leap off the page, more alive than some people you actually know. Other than the characters, however, I’m not sure what to recommend about this series. The writing is typical Patterson, but the plot is flimsy at best, and the mechanics of the books are openly flawed. Nevertheless, a great series, so I’ll have to get my hands on Forever eventually.
3. The Ascendance Trilogy, by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I’ve only read the first book in this series, but it was fantastic. I’ve even met Nielsen, and she’s equally fantastic. You’ll fall in love with her writing, if not her characters, and the premise of her series is executed with some of the most brilliance I’ve ever seen.
4. Dust Lands, by Moira Young. The writing may not be for everyone (it’s written in broken English, to reflect how language has decayed in this dystopian world), but trust me, it’s worth getting used to. Young had created a dynamic female protagonist, and Jack is well-loved by many who have read the series. It’s fast-paced, thrilling, and suspenseful–definitely a series I mean to finish.
5. The Books of Beginning, by John Stephens. The Emerald Atlas is not without its faults, but it still sits on the top shelf of my bookshelf and remains one of my favourite middle grade reads ever. It has the best execution of time travel I’ve ever seen, and the story itself is fun and thrilling. At the time I read The Emerald Atlas, it was only book of the series that was out–now that all the books are out, I really need to get back to series, but just haven’t found the time.
6. Divergent, by Veronica Roth. I loved Divergent just as much as everyone else, but I never ended up reading the rest of the series? I always meant to, but I guess the massive hype quelled my interest for a long time. I own the second book, though, and I have no reason not to continue reading. If you love YA and you haven’t read this series, I’d high recommend giving them a try.
7. The Last Dragon Chronicles, by Chris d’Lacey. I started reading this books back in middle school, and have been following the series since the release of Icefire. The premise of the series is original, absolutely, but plot gets steadily….more and more far-fetched as the books progress. The first two, maybe three are excellent, but by the fourth things start to get weird. The fifth was totally ridiculous, but the sixth well made up for that by being absolutely amazing. I own all the books, so I owe it to myself to see how everything wraps up. But it’s a bittersweet thing, knowing I only have one more book to go before the series is over. These books have meant a lot to me, and I’m sad to see the series end.
8. Gone, by Michael Grant. This is yet another series where I loved the first book, wanted to read the rest of the series, but at the time, there was only the first book out on shelves. So I read other things and moved on, although I always fondly remember how much I enjoyed reading Gone, and how many questions I still had about the series. Now my boyfriend’s younger brother has started reading them, and I almost feel like I need to stand behind my love of the books and finish before he does. Otherwise, he’ll drop a spoiler, I know he will, and that will kill me.
9. Percy Jackson and the Olympians, by Rick Riordan. Can I even write anything here without getting stoned? I read The Lightning Thief several years ago and didn’t like it. But I love the idea behind the series, so I’ve always promised myself I would go back and try the series again. Or maybe the next one; I took to Jason right away, which was nice, since I hated Percy right off the bat. One way or the other, I have to get back to these Riordan books so I can know what all the fuss has been about.
10. Legacy, by Cayla Kluver. I read Legacy several years ago when I was on my “I must read every book published by a teenager” kick. Of all the books by young authors that I read, Legacy ended up being one of my favourites. Kluver’s writing style is refined and her story is full of surprises. The romance is subtle, but the attraction between the main character and her love interest is undeniable. You’ll fall in love with the world Kluver has created, and her fantastic cast of secondary characters will endear you to the series if the main character somehow isn’t enough. I’ve always looked forward to finishing this series, and one day, I will.
Book Recs and Paperweights 