It’s Top 5 Wednesday, a meme hosted by booktuber Lainey aka gingereadslainey for which you can join on the Goodreads page here. Today is all about that one book in the series that just didn’t feel right. Maybe it was too long, maybe the story didn’t develop right or maybe nothing happened at all. Let’s see which ones were the black sheep in the series for me!
The Magicians from The Magicians
Okay, labeling this series as one of my favourites is a little weird. However, it did stick with me and I still come to think of parts of it every now and then. The TV show probably helps with that I guess. That first book in the series though … I swear, if I hadn’t bought the whole book box, I am not sure I would have wanted to continue with it. The other books were way better though and I came to weirdly appreciate some of the characters. Eliot remains to be my favourite though.
Lola and the Boy Next Door from Anna and the French Kiss
Lola … sure, Cricket was a darling, but Lola was annoying me so much. I get that she is eccentric and didn’t want to hide who she truly is and I would never discourage anyone from doing that, but there is such a thing as too much. And unfortunately, her personality was just that for me at times. Nonetheless, I LOVE that series and her book too. Just not as much as the others. How couldn’t I love something set in San Francisco?
Glass Sword from Red Queen
Ugh, that book was a headache. I was so in love with Red Queen and in comparison this book was just a struggle. Which I don’t understand! Why did it drag so much? Why was it so repetitive? And I stand by the opinion that a map would have maybe made this book better. Just saying! But I haven’t read the whole series yet, so I am still hoping that the others are better.
Kingdom of the Golden Dragon from Eagle and Jaguar
Oh my stars, did I love this series! Couldn’t get enough of the first book and then Kingdom of the Golden Dragon was presented to me. There was a cover change, my suspicions immediately grew. What was this madness? Then I read the book and I still enjoyed it, but there was a new but temporary POV and it took up way too much page time. Would have loved to stick with the main characters instead. And I depicted the German cover here, just so you know why I was put off a little …
Inkblood from Inkworld
Apparently I have a thing against second books. It’s just that Inkheart was nearly perfectand Inkblood made things unnecessarily weird and complicated in some parts. I was of course happy that the story continued, but let’s just say it wasn’t as good as the first book, especially due to the torture of my beloved Dustfinger, which should be forbidden anyway.
I didn’t mention any of my favourite series such as The Infernal Devices, Red Rising or Shatter Me, simply because I couldn’t decide which book I liked the least. Yes, that can happen! They’ve just become one big glob of awesomeness in my heart! Which books were your least favourite in a series? Tell me all about it!
i totally agree with Lola, which is the only book I’ve read from these ones 🙂
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I think you would like the Eagle and Jaguar series and also the Inkworld one. But I read them as a kid. I don’t know how I’d feel about them reading them for the first time now.
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I agree with Lola. I liked the book but it wasn’t the best one. I loved Eagle and Jaguar when I was younger but I really can’t remember what happened in those books
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I only remember fragments from Eagle and Jaguar, but I know that there was dread involved with that second book in the series.
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I don’t even remember that but I read it over 12 years ago XD
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LOL Me too! You know that my brain works in mysterious ways. Deciding what it remembers and what not has always been a mystery to me.
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Yep. Your brain can be really weird sometimes XD
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Hahaha I know. I think it makes me special 😛
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Agreed! Lola was just way too much for my boring self. I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would but maybe I was just comparing it to Anna too much… ok but how can I not Anna was amazing!!
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Anna was the best! I loved that book so much, because it massively reminded me of my semester abroad and that summer I worked in France. I totally sought out the movie theatre there as well.
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YOU’VE BEEN TO FRANCE?? I’m so jealous 😦 It sounds amazing.
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I’ve lived in the smallest town of small towns somewhere in the nowhere of the Provence. I worked in a hotel for three months and lived with some kids from my school in tiny one-room appartments. It was an experience I won’t forget to say the least, but it was not one I always cherished hahaha
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LOL it sounds both horrible and awesome 😉
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It was weird and great and terrible all in the short span of three months hahaha
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2nd books tend to suck. Its just a thing they do. I think that’s why I’m such a serial non-finisher. I like just reading the first book and pretending it’s going to be awesome for the rest of the series without actually reading the rest of the series. LOL.
My T5W
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Hahaha that’s definitely one way to go about it. My curiosity would kill me though I am afraid.
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There’s just so many other books out there to read, I hardly think about it. There’s only two series I *might* read the next book on. Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness and the Reviver series by Seth Patrick.
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I know there are tons of books out there that I need to read too, but some series I just can’t get out of my head. Definitely more than just 2.
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ooooh Inkworld! I forgot I wanted to read the rest of the series…
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I like to pretend Inkheart is a standalone. While Inkblood and Inkdeath aren’t the worst, they suffer from a lack of editing – cut about 100 to 200pages, speed it up a bit. Also, they’re a tad boring, probably because they are so longwinded and it takes forever to finish.
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I can definitely see why. Inkheart is the true gem of the series.
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you guys are not helping 😛 I just moved it from mental TBR to maybe-to-read-but-probably-not list 😛
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The first one is the only one that really counts hahaha
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good to know 😀
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Lola is also my least favorite book of the three! It was many people’s favorite I think, which I never quite understood. I haven’t read the Magicians, but I have watched a few of the episodes (and I really like those)! Not sure if I’d want to pick up the books though.
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Right? I never got why so many people declared it as their favourite either.
I am not sure I can recommend the Magicians as books with a clear conscience to be honest. Did I like them in the end? Yes, but the way there was a struggle. Also, I LOVE Arjun Gupta as Penny. I adore that dude and if you do too, or at least like him, the books would ruin that picture. I completely ignore that Penny existed in the books.
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I think I already said so, but maybe that’s why I skipped Lola, because I knew you didn’t like it, hahaha. Glass Sword was a disappointment for me, too, but after that ending, well, I feel like I have to read the next book… Ugh, struggles. INKBLOOD! I’m so glad you talked about that series. I was disappointed a bit in the second book, too.. The first one was the best in that series I think 🙂
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Nooo! Don’t let me be the one to put you off a book. Not one that was a really fun read. It’s just Lola herself … hahaha nevermind that she is the main character.
I will have to read the next books in the Red Queen series as well. It’s unavoidable.
Inkheart is the only truly viable part of that series unfortunately. I was so in love with Dustfinger back then though. *swoon*
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Great post! I *really* did not like Magicians- so haven’t bothered with the rest of the series
interesting that you think it gets better though. Yeah I wasn’t a huge fan of Lola in comparison to the other books either. I also think Inkblood took the series in a weird direction 
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Thank you!
Yeah, The Magicians was aweful. Without Brakebills in the mix, the story just sort of flows better though. I really enjoyed the second book. The third one was worst again but still better than the first book. I am not sure it is ultimately worth the trouble though. It took a dark direction with some parts of the story.
Inkblood … yeah, I think the best part is and will always be Inkheart!
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Oh dear- no it doesn’t sound worth the trouble
I really was not impressed with the first book at all.
Definitely!
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Yeah, then I just wouldn’t bother 😉
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This makes me realize that I don’t read series!
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Interesting! I feel like I don’t read anything other than series anymore.
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I agree with you one Glass Sword, but at least this mean that the series can only get better right ??
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Hahaha I wish it would mean that, I at least hope so!
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I agree with you on Lola and the Boy Next Door. I think the story was okay. It’s just that Lola was so obnoxious and whiny.
And ugh I’ve wasted my life reading Glass Sword. Sorry to exaggerate LOL. I hope the third book’s better 😀
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Hahaha no worries! I get what you mean with Glass Sword, it really was a disappointment.
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Nice list. Though I haven’t started any of the series on your list. Well, if you’re interested here’s a link to my list: http://wp.me/p7ksIu-1I
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Thanks for your comment! I’ll take a look!
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