The Terror of Knowing

It’s been a wee while since I participated in Top Ten Tuesday due to committing to another blogging schedule (ha, what a fancy word!) but the topic this week has been on my mind for the past few weeks so it seemed downright fortuitous.

But, first things first, for those who are unaware Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by the book bloggers and list lovers, The Broke and the Bookish, and each week they post a topic for bloggers to respond to. This week’s topic is Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start. Now, I’m a fiend for starting series, reading the first book, getting super excited about the sequel(s), and then putting off reading the subsequent books for so long that I forget what has happened and I need to re-read and basically start from scratch. This won’t be a list of those kinds of series because there are far too many (though I might just do a spin-off post of those ones)… these will be series that I haven’t started at all, haven’t read a single page of I swear (cross my heart and hope to die). Finally, these are in no particular order or ranking other than how my mind works – just don’t question it, it’s for the best!

1. Falling Kingdoms series – Morgan Rhodes

Everyone on Booktube mentions this series, Lainey adores it, and I want to get in on it because I don’t want to be left out. Aside from that it’s a YA fantasy which promises (and I quote) “treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love”. Sign me up!

2. His Fair Assassin series – Robin LaFevers

I heard the phrase “assassin nuns” and I was pretty much sold, tbh. Yep, that’s it.

3. The Memoirs of Lady Trent series – Marie Brennan

Lady Trent is a dragon naturalist whose study of the creatures has brought their kind from myth into the realm of modern science. I reckon that very quick synopsis provides plenty enough reason to want to read this series.

4. The Gentlemen Bastard series – Scott Lynch

I hear The Lies of Locke Lamora is a brilliant book, so obviously this series must be good. Once again I’m swayed by buzz phrases “an audacious criminal and his band of confidence tricksters”, “decadent nobles and daring thieves” “one part ‘Robin Hood’, one part Ocean’s Eleven“. Um yes please!

5. Themis Files series – Sylvain Neuvel

I keep walking up to these books in Waterstones, stroking the covers, and then backing away quickly before I end up spending more of my money. All I know is that it’s about the discovery of a huge, ancient ornate hand made of a rare metal that pre-dates human civilisation and I presume the book is about the mystery surrounding that and its implications?? Idk… but it’s shiny.

6. Wayward Children series – Seanan McGuire

A series which deals with the implications of portal fantasy stories on the children that are in them – sounds pretty gloriously meta to me, I’m in.

7. The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy – Rae Carson

I’ve only heard amazing things about this trilogy but I know next to nothing about it, yes, I’ll admit it. Quickly perusing the synopsis again, I remember being drawn to the idea that the “chosen one” in this story is the younger princess of two who is largely unremarkable. I’m not sure how I’ll feel about this since it’s categorised as romance too but… we’ll see (if I’d finally just start this series already!).

8. The Hungry City Chronicles – Philip Reeve

Motorised city states fight each other for precious resources in a steampunk dystopian setting fueled by “Municipal Darwinism” (whatever that means) – why wouldn’t I want to read it? I completely missed the boat on this series when it was released in the early 2000s, at which time I was probably the intended target audience. Whoops. But better late than never, eh?

9. Sorcerer Royal series – Zen Cho

I constantly bang on about how beautiful the cover of this book is and how amazing the premise sounds… and yet for all this gushing, I’ve not actually read the damn thing. It’s about Zacharias Wythe, once slave and now Sorcerer Royal, who journeys to discover why England’s magical stocks are diminishing and, somewhere along the way, there’s a woman with power and a “gift” apparently (be more vague, please). Regardless, “magic and mayhem collide with the British elite in this whimsical and sparkling debut” – that’s one hell of a promising premise.

10. The Conspiracy of Us trilogy – Maggie Hall

A YA adventure/thriller isn’t something I’ve particularly heard of before but, in a pleasingly cyclical manner, the reason I’ve heard about this book (as with Falling Kingdoms) is because Lainey from gingerreadslainey adores this series and every time I hear her mention it it pops up on my radar again. There’s something to do with secret societies and searching for lost artefacts and Lainey convincingly pitches it as National Treasure meets The Mummy by way of Gossip Girl. I mean that’s not a thing that I realised I wanted but maybe I do want it??

Well, that’s all folks – that was my Top Ten Series I’ve Been Meaning to Start. What book series have you been meaning to start for a while? Let me know in the comments and if you have your own Top Ten Tuesday please do feel free to link it below!

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