By: Cait Marie
Like I mentioned in the last TBR Tuesday post, I love series. If I have the choice, I will almost always pick a series to read. And the more books the better! Unless it starts dragging on for no reason, obviously. Typically, a series consist of three or more books. However, for the sake of this list, if it has at least two books, I’m counting it because there is a specific duology I want to include.
Here are my top 10 favorite series:
1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Nothing will ever beat Harry Potter. The first book came out (in the U.S.) when I was eight years old. My mom got it for my sister, then she got the second one for me. I started the first, but didn’t finish it. Then the movies started coming out. I saw the first in theaters and thus the love truly started.
From the time I was 10 years old, this story has been a prominent part of my life. I quite literally grew up with it, and since I started the books after the first two movies came out, I was the nearly same age as the characters as the books continued to publish (I was 16 when the Deathly Hallows came out). I was able to escape into this magical world, read about characters dealing with similar struggles (apart from the grander issues like battling a dark wizard), and I learned a lot. I mean, Hermione was my role model and everything I wanted to be. This story will always be dear to my heart.
2. All the Shadowhunter Series by Cassandra Clare
I love all the Shadowhunter series and if they each got their own number in this list, I’d basically only be talking about J.K. Rowling, Cassandra Clare, and Sarah J. Maas the whole time. Plus, it’s hard picking the order in which I love them. In chronological order, as of this moment, the three series are The Infernal Devices, The Mortal Instruments, and The Dark Artifices. This year, two more series are starting, though, and I’m super excited.
TMI is what made me fall in love with reading again as an adult. It’s the series I’ve read the most times in my life. I’ve read City of Bones approximately 7 times. My original paperback copy is looking a little rough after all these years. It’s my go-to comfort book. I read it when I’m in a reading slump, or if I’m really depressed, or if I just want to re-read the series yet again. The other series are just as wonderful, but TMI came into my life right when I needed it, so it’ll always be the one that I love the most.
3. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Like TMI, A Court of Thorns and Roses came into my life at the perfect time. I started the first book simply because I saw that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling. Little did I know, the dark, twisty version of this tale would draw me in so much and consume me.
The second book is now one of my favorite books ever. The entire thing is wonderful, but, for me, it’s the characters that really hold my love. This series sparked an entirely new obsession with reading and it’s essentially the reason Functionally Fictional exists now. It honestly changed my life. My full reviews can be found here: ACOTAR, ACOMAF, ACOWAR, ACOFAS.
4. All the Simon-verse Books by Becky Abertalli
This technically isn’t a series, but the books take place in the same world and are all connected. The three books–Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, The Upside of Unrequited, and Leah on the Offbeat–are all YA contemporaries. They’re coming-of-age stories that are heart-warming and wonderful.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda is my favorite stand-alone book of all time. It just leaves you smiling and hopeful with each read. I love it. Here are my reviews for SVTHSA and Leah on the Offbeat.
5. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Naturally, after I read ACOTAR, I had to read Maas’s other series, Throne of Glass. This series was a roller coaster of emotions and I loved every second of it. Well, other than the wait for the final book, Kingdom of Ash. That anxiety nearly killed me.
What starts as a Hunger Games-like competition to become the king’s personal assassin evolves into such an incredible story full of magic, fae, love, and hate. Never have I read something so well-thought out. There were things revealed in the final book that were hinted at in the first book, and it just blows my mind that she could plot that far in advance. The whole thing is fantastic. You can read my full review for Kingdom of Ash here.
6. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
I have loved Red Queen for years. I added it to my TBR when released, but I didn’t get to read it until shortly after the second book, Glass Sword, was came out. This is absolutely my favorite dystopian series.
The people in the world are split between those with red blood and those with silver blood. Those with silver have a variety of different powers and basically rule the different kingdoms. Red Queen is about a red girl who discovers her own abilities and enters a world full of power and betrayal. It’s intense and wonderfully written. The series is over, but a collection of short stories is being released in May and I cannot wait! I was even able to meet Aveyard on her War Storm tour this past year! I may have cried. You can read about that adventure here and my full review on War Storm here.
7. Ravenspire by C.J. Redwine
The Ravenspire series is made up of fairy tale retellings. Each book is a different story, but they’re all set in the same world and overlap a little. The first book, The Shadow Queen, is Snow White; the second book, The Wish Granter, is Rumpelstiltskin; and the third book, The Traitor Prince, is The False Prince or The Prince and the Pauper.
The fourth book, The Blood Spell, which is set to release in a couple weeks, is Cinderella. Redwine has built up an incredible world and puts her own spin on each of the well-known stories. It’s one of those series that I constantly have urge to re-read. You can find my full review of The Traitor Prince here.
8. Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
I absolutely love this sci-fi YA duology. I was terrified that Roth was going to pull another Allegiant stunt, so I was anxious about that the entire time, but it was so worth it. Set on the planet Thuvhe, this is about two characters from opposing sides of the very-split world. Their powers and fates bring them together and they realize their people have more in common than they were taught to believe.
It’s exciting, original, and fantastic. I went back and forth between my physical books and the audiobooks, and the narrators of the audiobooks did a wonderful job. I miss listening to it every night before going to bed, and I desperately wish there was another book, even though the story ended. I just want more! You can find my full review of the duology here.
9. His Fair Assassins by Robin LaFevers
As of right now, there are three books in this series. The new book, Courting Darkness, is set to come out in a couple weeks and I cannot wait! It’s technically the first book of a new series, but it’s about one of the same characters. Regardless, I’m excited.
This series is about a convent in late-1400s Brittany that serves the God of death. They train in various fields and become assassins, killing those marked by Death. Each book is based on a different girl from the convent, all with their own traumatic backstory. These books are wonderful! I love the time period (it’s one of my favorites) and it was interesting seeing how these women assassins played an unlikely role in protecting the kingdom.
10. The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Giver series is a young adult, dystopian series made up of four books. Most read at least the first book in middle school, but I didn’t know about the series until I was an adult. I started reading it because of the movie being released.
I can’t remember if I read it before or after the movie, but I ended up reading all four and loved them. There were times when the second and third felt slow, but then ending of each always felt so powerful. Each is based on a different character, but it’s all in the same dystopian world and the fourth book shows how they’re all connected. It’s fantastic.
Functionally Fictional 
I absolutely adore the ACOTAR series, there one of my favorite series, and I’m currently in the middle of rereading the first 4 books in the Throne of Glass series.
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