Calendar Girls: Best Sequel

calendar-girls

Are you part of Calendar Girls yet? Because seriously, you should be, because it is a ridiculously fun monthly blogging event. It’s never too late to join! Here’s a little more information before we continue!

Calendar Girls is hosted by bloggers, Flavia the Bibliophile and Melanie Noell Bernard – both have amazing blogs full of fun, bookish posts. Calendar Girls is a brand new monthly blog event inspired by Neil Sedaka’s 1961 song Calendar Girl. Just like in the song, we decided to use a specific them for each month and choose a book based on these themes! The event is meant to incite discussions with other bloggers about books we’ve read and loved, is meant to help bloggers meet other bloggers, and also for bloggers and readers to find out about blogs which they normally may not have come across! Want to know more? Click on the links above! And it’s not too late to jump on the Calendar Girl train (and it’s not just for girls)! Join now!

And we’ve got an epic chat coming up soon as well! Join us May 15th, 2017, for an epic Twitter chat discussing this month’s theme!

Now, onto this month’s topic, Best Sequel! I actually had a harder time than usual trying to pick a book this month. There were actually quite a few sequels that I enjoyed a bit more than the original! Who would have thought because I had coined a term back in the day in reference to sequels – the dreaded sequel sickness – where they would always be terrible, throw in another love interest, have abrupt characterization differences, and more. I do say coined the term, but since it never caught on, we’ll just ignore it.

I had a short list of four books, but I figured I should probably narrow it down to one – you know, because I don’t want to get kicked out of the Calendar Girls XD – and I picked…

A Crown of Wishes by Roshani Chokshi

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I literally could not make a decision on what book I wanted to pick, so I decided I would just go with the most recent sequel that I enjoyed more than the original. This isn’t a sequel in the traditional sense, but it is a companion novel set in somewhat of the same world. As a companion novel however, usually it doesn’t quite have a super different feel, but this book did for me.

Why did I enjoy it more than the first? Well, the first thing is that it kept all of the same elements I enjoyed about the first: the mythology, the gorgeous writing, and lots of plot twists. However, this book gave me what I was missing from the first book: characters I adored and BANTER. I LOVE ME SOME BANTER. Our main characters went back and forth with each other and it was glorious.

The romance was a nice slow burn as well, and I liked the plot of the tournament a little bit better than the first. Don’t get me wrong – the first book was still quite good, but this book really overshadows the first with beauty and entertainment.

 

My VERY honorable mentions, though:

So, what do you think? What is your favorite sequel? Why aren’t you a Calendar Girl yet?? 😉 Let’s discuss in the comments below!

Check out the other wonderful Calendar Girl Posts Around the Blogger World:

Flavia’s ACOMAF

Melanie’s Specials

Matxi’s Frostbite

Deanna’s Second Helpings

54 thoughts on “Calendar Girls: Best Sequel”

  1. Oh, this looks like fun! Once I get more comfortable in the whole blogging space I think I will join this one as well.

    It makes me so happy to see ACOMAF in your honorable mentions because as soon as I read what it was, that was my gut pick. That was a book I enjoyed slightly more than the first (though the first was great as well!).

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    1. Yes!! That would be so much fun. 😀 It’s a really fun event, and it’s super easy to become a part of it. Melanie and Flavia are wonderful. But definitely once you get more comfortable (it gets a bit overwhelming at first XD).
      And yes! It was super close to getting top pick but I had too many choices. D: But I SUPER agree about enjoying it more than the first.

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      1. I haven’t even reached page 200 LOL I don’t know why it’s taking me so long!!! Usually, if I like a book this much, I’ll fly through it but with ACOMAF I’m literally analysing every exchange between Feyre and Rhys 😛 I just need to know EXACTLY how their relationship develops 😀 😀

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      2. Ahahahahaha. And there is a lot of them, so I could see where you end up having to stop every time you see them. Maybe you’re just treasuring it or making sure you keep going until you have the third book in your hands??

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  3. Omg YES! I loooooved this book! This was definitely fighting with ACOMAF in my head for best sequel this month! It was so so good, and I miss all of the characters dearly. Definitely a book I will be re-reading, and I don’t re-read very often. Great pick and great post, Mandy!

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    1. Yes! It was such a struggle to pick between the two. D: I just had to go with the most recent read. XD But I super agree! I feel like I missed a lot while I binging the beautiful world. Thanks so much, Flavia! 😀

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    1. Yes! They totally pulled me in for the very same reason. XD They’re just as pretty on the inside as well.
      And yes! Everyone had really cool, different choices this month (also, I totally thought I was following you ages ago when CG started. I so fell apart XD).

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  8. Hahaha! I don’t think we’d ever kick you out of Calendar Girls, Mandy, but making the tough decisions is kind of what we’re all about. 😉

    I haven’t read this one yet, but I like how you picked a companion novel. There is definitely some debate about whether these books are true sequels or just books within the same world. (and no, we won’t throw you out for not really picking a ‘sequel’ either. ;p) But who am I to talk? I picked a 3rd book in the series. HAhaha!

    And I also think this is great (though I haven’t read this book yet) because it offers the opportunity to read this one instead of or possibly before the first book. Companion novels are interesting like that. Nice choice! 😀

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    1. Ahahahaha. Why thank you. XD I was a bit concerned since I did get a little dicey there. XD Especially with the companion novels. It’s always so interesting about the debate as you said – it’s not a follow-up but it also kind of is? I’m still iffy on it too.
      And I totally agree! I always like a book where you can dive in when you don’t necessarily have to jump into the first book for sure. Thanks so much, though, Melanie!!

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  9. Love your choice of book, Mandy! I really wanted to participate this month, but I just couldn’t with YALLWEST going on. I haven’t even responded to all my comments from the weekend yet, but I’ll hopefully be caught up again on everything tomorrow! Super fun post!!!

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    1. Thanks so much, Krysti! I figured you would have been exhausted from everything that happened. Next month will creep up fast and then it come be perfect (and not with the rush of book fests). But yes! Hopefully so!!! I wish you super luck and speed! 😀

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      1. Yeah, I’m still SO TIRED, but it was soooo worth it! I wish I could go right back! May is going to fly! There are so many amazing book releases this month, I can’t even stand it! I can’t wait to see which ones you end up reading. 🙂

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      2. Lol, I can imagine. Did you have to go right back to the muggle job, too? And IK. I’m so unprepared for this month. o.o So many new releases; so many old amazing releases; apparently fantastic rereads. I can’t handle it as you said. XD And you as well!!

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      3. I had a day off. Thank goodness, because I had SO MUCH blogging to catch up on! And a book event to go to. LOL. Sarah J. Maas is actually hear tomorrow, so SUPER excited about that one. Yeah, I’m totally unprepared for this month too. But I’m hoping to be caught up by the weekend at least. Fingers crossed!

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      4. Oh yes, thank goodness. XD I could not imagine going from all of that straight back into regular job. XD Ooooooooh that should be very interesting. I’m still waiting for my copy of ACOWAR to arrive. I’m totally NOT stalking my UPS updates. XD But yes, I hope so as well! I’m finally a bit more free now, so I’m ready for the book binges to begin! 😀

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      5. Regular job is no fun. LOL. Why can’t we just make a living book blogging? So much more entertaining. I hope that book is there! I would totally be stalking UPS over that one! Can’t wait to chat about it!

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      6. But, like, honestly. XD Why can’t we? Beautiful books, fun chats, and so many feels. It would be perfection. And alas, it was not. It’s still out there in UPSland where I’m just sitting here, totally not slowly falling into a spiral. XD

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      8. IT ARRIVED. And my lovely UPS tracking didn’t even update me. But it was a nice little surprise. I ended up getting the target special edition, and it was totally worth it. o.o Although it is HEAVY. I feel like its heavier than ACOMAF. How is reading going so far?

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      9. Well, thank goodness! That’s awesome you got the special edition. You’ll have to give me the inside scoop on that! It is SUCH a heavy book. I said the same thing when I picked mine up. It’s good! I liked ACOMAF better to be entirely honest, but I do like it a lot. I THINK I’ll finish tonight.

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      10. Yes! Target keeps giving these weird little bookplate things (that are so useless. Like I don’t want to put my name in it? XD). But besides that, it has a letter right in front from Maas in the book, and it has her signature embossed into the front of the actual book cover. And the pages are thin from what I can tell so I have no clue why it’s so heavy. XD And oh dear. Good to know, though, so I won’t have extra high expectations. XD

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      11. Oh, that’s awesome! I heard there were some fun bonuses in that edition. I should try a Target versions sometime. I just really like buying my books from my local indie, since they are so awesome about bringing authors here. And YES! I don’t understand how it’s so heavy when the pages are so thin! Like what is it made out of?!

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      12. Occasionally they do have a cool one – although they did one for Heartless by Marissa Meyer and it was just so…not worth it. XD I did this one because I got the map with it and didn’t have to deal with the preorder thing…because I’m so lazy. XD Although they totally forgot to ship the map with it, so XD But yes, if I had your epic indie bookstore, I would do it all through there too! And IK. Maybe it’s that dust jacket? XD It’s so weird.

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      13. That makes sense. I know some of their versions have bonus scenes in them, and THOSE are what I want honestly. Hahaha. The dust jacket does feel strange. Maybe it has magical powers?

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      14. Yes! I saw that the ACOMAF had an extra chapter when it first came out…last year? Two years ago? But it had a chapter for Nesta and Cassian. And I’m like, but why couldn’t I have that version? XD And lol, omigosh, yes! I thought so too, but I wans’t sure if I was crazy or not. But I must think so.

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  12. I love your choice! i was lucky enough to have been gifted an ARC of this book as I do agree with you the BANTER!!! It was excellent and I could not stop taking notes of their exchanges. Loved it truly 🙂

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    1. Thanks so much!! 😀 And YES. I totally went on a Goodreads quote liking spree with all of their banter exchanges, because they were just so perfect. While I liked Maya and her man (totally blanking on his name right now), they totally missed the banter that these two had. 😀

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    1. The same goes for you too. XD I get excited about books I don’t even know existed. XD But YES. I can’t wait for you to read about Gauri and Vikram. You’re going to LOVE their banter. It’s sooooo good.

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