Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Loved and Wanted More Of

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

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Hello friends! It’s been one hectic week for me, and I’m not sure the new job will slow down any time soon. While this may mean I’ll be more sporadic on the blog here, I always look forward to Tuesdays for TTT.

This week I am highlighting books/series I loved so much that I wished there were more books to this world to continue living the stories of these beloved characters. Whether it be to walk alongside people I’ve grown to love like they are real (let’s be honest, these characters sometimes feel more real to us than real people in our lives, don’t they?) or to sightsee a wondrous, fantastical land that is so vivid to us by the author’s descriptions, I enjoyed all these 5 star reads so much that I would love to relive it all over again for the first time if I could.

Let me know if any of these books/series would land in your list too!

1. The Gilded Wolves series by Roshani Chokshi

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I would love to hunt artifacts with this gang, plus there’s just something about the historical time setting that always makes my heart wish to see what it would’ve been like to experience it firsthand (for just a moment though, because I do like my sanitation and cell phone).

2. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

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While I could’ve picked any Shadowhunter series, I loved this series the best. It has the beautiful Shadowhunter world but set in Victorian era England with all its mystery, allure and demon hunting fun. And besides the great atmospheric setting, I might perhaps also love a particular boy with a sweet heart who’s terrified of ducks.

3. Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Just Cinder, really. I loved the setting of New Beijing. I know it might not have sat well with everyone, but at least when I first read this, I appreciated the Chinese element in a fairy tale retelling that I didn’t normally see at this time. I also adored Cinder as a character and she deserves the world for everything she was put through. Her prince needed to see that too.

4. The Mediator series by Meg Cabot

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It’s the first couple I ever loved together, but Jesse and Suze were just to die for. Except, well, Jesse was already dead (as a ghost) but that’s besides the point. I loved the banter, the hilarious sarcasm of our heroine and her reluctance at seeing ghosts everywhere she went. I mean, yeah that’s pretty awful but she made the most of it and I’d like to think she’d make a great friend. Hopefully.

5. Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo

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Heists, a found family and tears of joy or sadness? What more could a girl ask for? Okay, maybe a little less tears of sadness but seeing this gang whole and going on their adventures together was some of the best times. I still deny some events in Crooked Kingdom okay?

6. The Last Magician series by Lisa Maxwell

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Magic in the historical past of New York with gangsters and another interesting crew? I loved the first book and can’t wait to dig into the others soon. If they’re anything like the solid storytelling book 1 was, I know I won’t want to leave this place and the characters any time soon.

7. The Bloodlines series by Richelle Mead

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It’s the slow burn romance here that gets my heart warm and happy! While book 1 may have started off slow, this unlikely couple just sneaks their way into your heart and I want to see more of them! Plus, their arcing adventure through all 6 books (yes, 6!) was so fun I breezed way too quickly through them. There’s always room for more adventure, right?

8. Dark Days Club series by Alison Goodman

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Regency era London was another kickass time in history I would love to revisit. Add in demon hunting slayers fighting the good fight amidst the upper echelons of society and I’m so there for it! I honestly wished this series wouldn’t come to an end.

9. Night World series by L.J. Smith

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For the fact that there are 9 books, it’s still not enough? I love how the stories interconnect, some of the protagonists meet one another, and the world is built upon one another as we read different characters’ stories. I kinda hate that L.J. Smith never actually finished the story (there were supposed to be TEN books), but maybe it’s best this way so I can always imagine a happier ending for everyone.

10. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Yes, last but not least, the book that is not Twilight which is in fact way, way better. Dystopian future where alien parasites have come to take over our bodies? Okay, not so much loving this part so much, but I absolutely adored the characters, main or secondary. It’s the people that make this story, especially our unlikely protagonist, Wanda. I love that the ending is open and ambiguous, but come on, maybe another book wouldn’t be so bad, would it?

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And that is my ten! What did you think? Anything you agree with? Any unpopular opinion? Let me know in the comments below 🙂