YA Series Books Where The Sequel Is Better Than The First

I can’t remember a time when Throne of Glass, the first book in the series, was not hated by many. I read this more than 10 years ago, and there were people in my circle who hated it so much. They found Celaena Sardothien, the assassin protagonist, to be childish, annoying, and self-serving. When TikTok boomed during the pandemic, Throne of Glass gained prominence for all the wrong reasons.

In Crown of Midnight, the consensus is that the series has become better—the material has more meat as we learn more about the heroine. Throne of Glass follows Celaena as the kingdom’s royalty recruits her to fight in their games. In the sequel, the wordbuilding expands beyond the tournament as Celaena slowly discovers her true identity.

The first Hunger Games book is nostalgic. It spurred the young adult dystopian hype in the early 2010s, followed by back-to-back movie adaptations. While it’s loved by many, the book suffers from numerous flaws.

Catching Fire offers more context to what’s happening, as opposed to The Hunger Games, where it’s all fun and games and killing. We learn the characters’ motivations, the meanings of their actions, and why they act or feel the way they do. The second book makes sense of the games, explains why they’ve been happening for many decades, provides backstories for many characters, and contains many revelations. For most readers, this clarity makes Catching Fire a far better read than The Hunger Games.

When Shatter Me first came out, many didn’t like the characters. The book was also cloaked in mystery, the worldbuilding scant.

Unravel Me widens the scope of the Shatter Me worldbuilding to reveal the real dynamics among Juliette, Adam, and Warner. We learn more about Juliette’s magic. The pacing feels better, and there’s more action.

The consensus on The Bone Witch, the first book of this series, was that it’s too wordy, suffers from info dumping, is slow-paced, and bores many readers.

Many agree that it was fixed in book two. On Goodreads, readers consider The Heart Forger to be a more refined version. The pacing is better, there’s less fluff, and there are no more wordy descriptions to convey the point.

The book follows Tea, who has a rare magic that lets her resurrect the dead, as she does with her brother. Someone trains her in that magic and discovers that she’s a bone witch. Because of a tragedy at the end of book one, she has to carry out her revenge in book two—and readers like the development of this sequel.

Gong’s first book in the series, These Violent Delights, was heavily criticized by many readers, who claimed that its themes were watered down. The book, set in 1920s Shanghai, explores heavy subjects such as communism in China, and readers said it fell short of expectations. Worse, it’s been nitpicked for poor writing, for being bloated, and full of fluff.

The first book follows Juliette and Roma, members of opposing gangs in Shanghai, whose members wrestle for control of the city. Along the way, the two become romantically involved while fighting a bigger threat. The sequel picks up right where book one left off, with a lot of angst between the lovers, particularly as their relationship is tested. Juliette fakes killing Roma’s best friend to save him from the gang’s wrath. But along the way, they face another hurdle: the newfound threat that’s not been defeated in book one, so they resume their battle here.

When the first book in the series, Lightlark, came out, it was heavily criticized for failing to deliver the promise. Instead of the elements mentioned in the publisher’s marketing materials, readers were disappointed by what they read. And since it was Aster’s first outing, the book was also lambasted for many aspects: writing, characters, pacing, and worldbuilding.

The first book follows Isla Crown, a young ruler who competes in a Hunger Games-like tournament to make sure her realm survives.

Book two is generally well-received by series fans, and there’s less criticism of Aster’s work. The narratives are more structured and sophisticated, showing depth to the characters as Isla must choose between two male love interests from different realms, while navigating a series of betrayals.

The first book in the Immortal Dark trilogy seemed promising. A young woman named Kidan avenges the death of her family and the kidnapping of her sister by the vampire, Susenyos, who lives with them. She infiltrates a university where students have to make peace with the vampires and fakes a friendship with the alleged killer, even though she plans to kill him. There, she discovers a secret and must work to dismantle the system operating at this university. So far, so good.

But readers slogged through the book and found it full of fluff. Everything felt confusing, including the magic system. Most importantly, the character’s very motivation seemed weak.

Fortunately, the sequel is a massive upgrade. In it, the enemies-to-lovers trope that readers missed in book one is now apparent. Kidan and Susenyos seem to have a stronger love-hate relationship as they fight over who has the power. Readers appreciate the expansion of the series’ universe. Initially, they were concerned that this book would suffer from the infamous second book syndrome, but that’s not the case here.

The first book in The Souls of Blackwood Academy series, Immortal Consequences, suffers from debut-author bump. While promising, many find the multiple points of view jarring and pointless, the characters one-dimensional, the ending predictable, and the overall vibe flat. The book follows six students of the Blackwood Academy as they join a once-in-a-lifetime event called the Decennial to change their lives for good.

In book two, the students wage war against the school that hides some dark secrets.

This time around, readers say the sequel gives equal treatment to each character. They also note that there’s more meat to this final book of the duology.