By: Manuela Soares
Hello and welcome back to another Friday Favorites! This week’s theme, brought to us once again by Something of the Book (from a couple weeks ago), is Favorite Hyped Books! Here are four of my favorite hyped books and series that always sweep me away to another world. Thanks Something of the Book for another great prompt.
Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone came out in the U.S. when I was in 5th grade, and it was one of those books that drew me in and made me want to know more. As time progressed and more of the series came out, midnight release parties at local bookstores were the go-to events and staying up all night finding out what was next for “The Golden Trio” was not just necessary, it was mandatory for me.
I fell in love with the characters and the world and have always enjoyed returning to Hogwarts every time I re-read them. I started reading this series when I was 10 and I finished it shortly after turning 19 I think, and back then, no matter how much I loved them, there were some things that had me questioning what was going on in J.K. Rowling’s mind when she wrote it. Thankfully, fanfiction exists so whatever issues I tended to (and still do) find in the series, someone has likely righted it through fanfiction, and I can read that and bask in the gloriousness of it.
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
His Dark Materials consists of the books, The Golden Compass, The Amber Spyglass, and The Subtle Knife. I somehow (I genuinely don’t remember how- I just remember picking it up off my bookshelf) got a copy of The Golden Compass and quickly fell into its world. Fantasy books are some of my favorites to read and this was no exception, this led to me getting the box set of the series for Christmas when I was in Jr. High or High School and consuming them like it was nothing.
I can still remember tearing open the wrapping and seeing the box for the first time, it was so pretty and for some strange reason smelled like chocolate (Side note: it still does!). The characters grew on me more and more as I read it, and the concept of having a daemon was fascinating and always made me wonder what animal mine would have settled on (never could decide). This series has so many incredible themes and is so detailed that the world and scenes seemingly jump off the page and come to life. I was sad to finish it but always enjoy returning to that world again, and Phillip Pullman did write another book, La Belle Sauvage or The Book of Dust, that is and isn’t a prequel to His Dark Materials; I believe that this is also going to be a trilogy, so it’s great that there is more about this world out there to read now.
The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini
The Inheritance Cycle is comprised of four books, Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger, and Inheritance. I read Eragon sometime in either my Freshman or Sophomore year of high school and was immediately entranced with this world; though, to be fair, I can get entranced by almost any book that centers around a dragon.
While I haven’t read the fourth and final book in the series, and it’s been a good while since I read the others, the first three are captivating and bring you into a world that is full of magic, mystery, intrigue, battles, and more. These books are long, but they are so very worth the read. I think I’ll have to pick up the Inheritance and spend some time reading the series in full.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
While I knew about Tolkien’s works growing up, I got the box set of The Lord of the Rings for Christmas one year, I didn’t read The Hobbit until the movies came out. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from it, but I enjoyed the world of Middle Earth, the characters and how they interacted with each other, and the overall story line (though I was never fond of the ending). I never did finish The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but this book makes me want to try tackling them again.
Have you read any of these books and series? What did you think? Did you have a favorite? What are some of your favorite hyped books?
Until next time, happy reading!
Functionally Fictional 
I have read all of these series and would have added the Lord Of The Ring Series by J. R. R. Tolkien as you can’t have one without the other to get the entire story of Middle Earth. I would also add The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis and The Dragon Riders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey as two series that I keep going back to again and again.
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