Top 10 Sequels…
Well, I don’t know about all time, but the following books are actually some of my favorite books and they just happen to be sequels. So often, the second (or subsequent) book in a series loses a little of what the first book promised, but these books actually built on the first book and made me love the characters/setting/story even more.
1. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer. I imagine this will be on a lot of lists today. I liked Cinder a lot, but there was something about Wolf and Scarlet and Captain Thorne that really added to the story in such a way that I am foaming at the mouth in anticipation of next two books; the final one, Winter, doesn’t come out until 2015!
2. Rude Awakenings of a Jane Austen Addict by Laurie Viera Rigler. I loved the first book, Confessions of a Jane Austen Addict about a 21st century girl who inexplicably wakes up in Regency England, but this second one takes a Regency era girl and plops her in modern America. I cannot say why (because it’s been several years since I’ve read them), but I loved this second book more.
3. Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling. Though it’s not my favorite HP book, GoF is when it all became so real and things became important. The things that happened in this book changed the game, as it were, of the series. This book took the series from kid’s book to make it a story for all the ages.
4. The Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas. Book 3 in the Wallflower’s series, this book takes charismatic, dangerously handsome Sebastian, who in the previous book became the villian, and matches him with Evie, the shyest of her friends. I didn’t know how they would make Sebastian the good guy, but this book very nearly broke my heart, it was so good.
5. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn. This is book 4 in the Bridgerton series, one of my favorite series of all time. Another historical romance, this book takes Penelope, who was never really known for her beauty, and gives her her heart’s desire, Colin Bridgerton. I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH because the characters are people you want to root for. I want to say especially one or the other, but I love them both equally. Fantastic series.
6. Where She Went by Gayle Forman. If I Stay was beautiful and heartbreaking, but Where She Went made it all worth it. This book is from Adam’s POV & it could not have been more perfect.
7. Simon Says by Lori Foster. This series is about “ultimate fighters” and Simon is a very stoic, stalwart, alpha male. Honestly, all of Lori Foster’s men are undeniably & unapologetically alpha males, but Simon pushes my buttons for some reason, he is one of my all-time favorite heroes. I just got a craving to reread this one.
8. Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. I liked Clockwork Angel, which introduced us to shadowhunters in 19th century England, but this book…oh, this book made me fall in love with both Will and Jem. I am sorry, but I loved them both. Maybe Will a little more…
9. The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson. The first book, The Name of the Star, introduced us to Rory, a Louisiana native now living and going to school in England. She starts to see ghosts. This first book was AWESOME, but what happened in the second book really made me anxious for more of the story.
10. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. This is easily the best book in the series, though all of the books are great. I knew they would have to send Katniss back into the arena in some way & the way that played out was brilliant. This book really starts the spark of revolution, more so than The Hunger Games, and it’s not as dark as Mockingjay.
Gone Pecan 
So I gave up after The Name of the Star, but maybe I’ll go back and try the sequel again. I really enjoyed the setting and the characters but the actual story was lukewarm for me.
i don’t want to say you should read the second book b/c Kristina didn’t like it & neither did Carrie, but I can see the potential of where it could go & i’m dying to find out if i’m right.
I included Scarlet on my list and said something very similar to what you did! I was okay with Cinder, but I fell in love with Scarlet.
I really enjoyed Rigler’s books – I forgot about them but can totally that it was a good sequel.
I didn’t love If I Stay (and it may have partially been due to the hype) but oh my! Where She Went was such a great follow-up. I included that and Just One Year on my list today, too. And Clockwork Prince! Another series where I didn’t love book one but fell in love with the series by book two.
I forgot about Catching Fire – dang it! That was another sequel I loved!
i didn’t read If I stay until a couple years after it came out, probably even after Where She Went came out because it sounded so depressing. I am so glad Tee @ YA Crush reviewed it because i probably would not have read it. the power of the blogger 🙂
Daphne! So excited about Romancing Mr. Bridgerton!! I actually had to debate with myself between Colin’s or Anthony’s story. I love them both, but there is just something so special about Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. I think so many of us could relate to Penelope.
The I love A Devil in Winter, too. I was really nervous going into that book because Sebastian was the villian before. But man, Kleypas rocked it. I love Evie, too, because she’s so shy (like me!).
And seriously Scarlet! I’m ridiculously excited for Cress. And Winter, too!
oh gosh, Anthony was hilarious. that was a pretty great one, too.
And the Pall Mall scene! Probably my favorite scene in any JQ book – although I do love the Mad Barron scene in What Happens in London.
that’s the JQ book I just got!