We didn’t love today’s TTT topic (changes in my reading life…what does that even mean?!), so we scrolled the past themes list and decided to go with “10 Books in My TBR That I Am Avoiding and Why”!! I can safely say that I have far more than 10 books on my TBR that I am avoiding, so the true challenge here was limiting ourselves to only 5 each! That being said, let’s check out our Top Ten.

*Please note that the book descriptions may contain spoilers for previous books. If you haven’t read the series, maybe skim those bits 😉

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Sabriel by Garth Nix.

Amanda: I need to find the time to invest in the series. What’s the point of reading the first book in a finished series if you aren’t going to continue on with the remaining books while you’re at it?

Sabriel is the daughter of the Mage Abhorsen. Ever since she was a tiny child, she has lived outside the Wall of the Old Kingdom–far away from the uncontrolled power of Free Magic, and away from the Dead who won’t stay dead.

But now, her father is missing and Sabriel is called upon to cross into the world to find him, Leaving the safety of the school she has known as home, Sabriel embarks upon a quest fraught with supernatural dangers, with companions she is unsure of–for nothing is as it seems within the boundary of the Old Kingdom. There, she confronts an evil that threatens much more than her life, and comes face to face with her hidden destiny.

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Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine (The Great Library #5)

Megan: I really want to reread the previous four books before I dive into this one. That’s a hefty time commitment that I don’t think I have the ability to handle right now.

With the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it’s worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.

The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain. Jess Brightwell and his friends must come together as never before, to forge a new future for the Great Library . . . or see everything it stood for crumble.

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Hero at the Fall by Alwyn Hamilton (Rebel of the Sands #3)

Amanda: I am so not ready to let go of the world yet. These books are just so awesome!

When gunslinging Amani Al’Hiza escaped her dead-end town, she never imagined she’d join a revolution, let alone lead one. But after the bloodthirsty Sultan of Miraji imprisoned the Rebel Prince Ahmed in the mythical city of Eremot, she doesn’t have a choice. Armed with only her revolver, her wits, and her untameable Demdji powers, Amani must rally her skeleton crew of rebels for a rescue mission through the unforgiving desert to a place that, according to maps, doesn’t exist. As she watches those she loves most lay their lives on the line against ghouls and enemy soldiers, Amani questions whether she can be the leader they need or if she is leading them all to their deaths.

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Dark Age by Pierce Brown (Red Rising #5)

Megan: So I had every intention of reading this back in August, and I started off by rereading the previous books since 1) they are very detailed and I needed a refresher and 2) it had been years since I had read the first few books. However, by the time I got to Iron Gold, I was in full blown book hangover mode and had to struggle so hard to finish it. I figured it would be best to hold off on Dark Age for a bit.

For a decade Darrow led a revolution against the corrupt color-coded Society. Now, outlawed by the very Republic he founded, he wages a rogue war on Mercury in hopes that he can still salvage the dream of Eo. But as he leaves death and destruction in his wake, is he still the hero who broke the chains? Or will another legend rise to take his place?

Lysander au Lune, the heir in exile, has returned to the Core. Determined to bring peace back to mankind at the edge of his sword, he must overcome or unite the treacherous Gold families of the Core and face down Darrow over the skies of war-torn Mercury.

As alliances shift, break, and re-form—and power is seized, lost, and reclaimed—every player is at risk in a game of conquest that could turn the Rising into a new Dark Age.

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Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake (Three Dark Crowns #3)

Amanda: Another one where I’m not ready to let go of the world yet.

Megan: I have also been avoiding this one for the same reason! And because I need to reread 1 & 2 and that takes time.

Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There’s also the alarming issue of whether or not her sisters are actually dead—or if they’re waiting in the wings to usurp the throne.

Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the mainland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn.

Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can’t imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine’s doorstep.

This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected.

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War Storm by Victoria Aveyard (Red Queen #4)

Megan: So I have been avoiding this for a few reasons. The first is that I don’t know how much I really like this series. Like, I have such mixed memories and feelings about it that I sort of want to start over from book one and give it another chance. But secondly this book is MASSIVE and rereading the whole series will be a big undertaking.

Mare Barrow learned this all too well when Cal’s betrayal nearly destroyed her. Now determined to protect her heart—and secure freedom for Reds and newbloods like her—Mare resolves to overthrow the kingdom of Norta once and for all… starting with the crown on Maven’s head.

But no battle is won alone, and before the Reds may rise as one, Mare must side with the boy who broke her heart in order to defeat the boy who almost broke her. Cal’s powerful Silver allies, alongside Mare and the Scarlet Guard, prove a formidable force. But Maven is driven by an obsession so deep, he will stop at nothing to have Mare as his own again, even if it means demolishing everything—and everyone—in his path.

War is coming, and all Mare has fought for hangs in the balance. Will victory be enough to topple the Silver kingdoms? Or will the little lightning girl be forever silenced?

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Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff (Nevernight #3)

Amanda: I am not prepared for Mia’s impending death. Damn you, Kristoff!

The Republic of Itreya is in chaos. Mia Corvere has assassinated Cardinal Duomo and rumors of Consul Scaeva’s death ripple through the street of Godsgrave like wildfire. But buried beneath those same streets, deep in the ancient city’s bones, lies a secret that will change the Republic forever.

Mia and her brother Jonnen must journey through the depths of the ancient metropolis. Their quest will take them through the Godsgrave underdark, across the Sea of Swords, back to the library of the Quiet Mountain and the poisoned blades of Mia’s old mentors, and at last the fabled Crown of the Moon. There, Mia will at last discover the origins of the darkin, and learn the destiny that lies in store for her and her world. But with the three suns now in descent, and Truedark on the horizon, will she survive?

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Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman (Arc of the Scythe #2)

Megan: So I loved Scythe and preordered Thunderhead the moment I could. But then enough time passed that I wasn’t feeling super motivated to read it, and then more time passed and we were just so close to the release of The Toll that I decided to just wait until the whole series was out. I just got my copy of The Toll last week, so I should get to this soon.

Rowan has gone rogue, and has taken it upon himself to put the Scythedom through a trial by fire. Literally. In the year since Winter Conclave, he has gone off-grid, and has been striking out against corrupt scythes—not only in MidMerica, but across the entire continent. He is a dark folk hero now—“Scythe Lucifer”—a vigilante taking down corrupt scythes in flames.

Citra, now a junior scythe under Scythe Curie, sees the corruption and wants to help change it from the inside out, but is thwarted at every turn, and threatened by the “new order” scythes. Realizing she cannot do this alone—or even with the help of Scythe Curie and Faraday, she does the unthinkable, and risks being “deadish” so she can communicate with the Thunderhead—the only being on earth wise enough to solve the dire problems of a perfect world. But will it help solve those problems, or simply watch as perfection goes into decline?

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Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

Amanda: Spin-off trilogies so often fail to live up to the hype, and I am worried I will be disappointed. The fact that the hype for this has been huge only magnifies it.

Ronan Lynch is a dreamer. He can pull both curiosities and catastrophes out of his dreams and into his compromised reality.

Jordan Hennessy is a thief. The closer she comes to the dream object she is after, the more inextricably she becomes tied to it.

Carmen Farooq-Lane is a hunter. Her brother was a dreamer . . . and a killer. She has seen what dreaming can do to a person. And she has seen the damage that dreamers can do. But that is nothing compared to the destruction that is about to be unleashed. . . 

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Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Megan: Here’s another one where the hype is so huge that I am concerned about reading it. Also, the series is like a million books now, or something, and that seems like such a commitment. So I am equal parts afraid I’ll hate it and afraid I’ll love it.

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

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So there we have it! Our Top Ten Tuesday for this week!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. If you’d like to join in, follow the link to see all of the upcoming prompts! Feel free to drop your TTT link for this week in the comments below!