DUOLOGIES | Recommendations

Hey all, it's Yingchao here! One thing I’ve noticed this year in Young Adult literature is the sudden rise in duologies. Now don’t get me wrong, there are still bunches and bunches of trilogies and series in the works, but right now, let’s talk about duologies.


These two book pairs/companions/partners, whatever you prefer to name them, are great (and for several reasons). They’re somewhere in between a stand alone and a trilogy- well I guess the number two is also in the middle of one and three. But that’s not what I mean. I like to think of a duology as a stand alone, but a stand alone in which the story wasn’t fully complete, but so near completion that a third book would have been unnecessary. Duologies are also great because they don’t require much commitment- you get a sweet and hopefully satisfying conclusion after the cliffhanger from the first installment (which left you hanging on for dear life), without having to plow through 5 other tomes. However, do I wish a lot of duologies continued? Yes. GIVE ME ALL THE BOOKS :D Now that you’ve heard why duologies are so awesome, here are some of my favorites (in no particular order):


Eon + Eona by Alison Goodman

One word. DRAGONS. Three words. BADASS FEMALE PROTAGONIST. Are you convinced? If not, then hear me out. This epic tale follows a young boy named Eon, who is training to become the next Dragoneye -or master of the celestial dragons. However, Eon has a dangerous secret that is destructive to the Empire of the Celestial Dragons. Between the political maneuvering, mythology, constant plot twists, and intense action sequences, this book sets the basis for the astonishing finale. The world that Alison Goodman built is so vibrant and rich that once you read the first few chapters, it’s near impossible to stop.



The Wrath and the Dawn + The Rose and the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh 

This lovely duo is based off the legendary tale: A Thousand and One Nights. Similar to the original tale, there is a royal figure who marries a young girl from the village each night before killing her the next morning. When Sharazad’s best friend becomes the victim of the mad boy king, Sharazad makes it her task to personally end her best friend’s murderer. However, things aren’t always what they appear to be and as Sharazad learns more about the secrets behind the deaths of the young brides who came before her, the story heightens to a crescendo. Renée Ahdieh’s writing is so beautiful and the romance made me want to physically tear my heart apart while dabbing at the endless stream of tears. If you’ve been with the Book’s Buzz for a while, you’ll know this is one of Alex’s all time favorite series, and after reading it for myself, there’s no reason why anyone should doubt that.


Reboot + Rebel by Amy Tintera

Nowadays, it seems that ALL young adult dystopian is told in the form of a trilogy. But not Reboot. Amy Tintera brings on a different take of the classic zombies that we’re used to from the Walking Dead and Michael Jackson’s Thriller. These are zombies, sans the gore and flesh eating qualities. In this futuristic tale that takes place in dystopian Texas, when people die, they can come back to life as a Reboot. Reboots are faster, stronger, more immune, and don’t have emotions; and the longer someone is dead, the more lethal they become when they are Rebooted. I would highly recommend this read if you’re stuck in a reading slump (or if you’re feeling some Dystopian). The story is fast paced, and you are almost immediately thrown into action. While this duology seems like its like every other YA Dystopian out there, don’t let its genre fool you into thinking it’s not worth the read! 


Six of Crows + Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

THIS BOOK. THIS. BEAUTIFUL. WORK. OF LITERATURE. IS ONLY A DUOLOGY? This is the sort of book where I want more- not another book of sorrows and mishaps- but a third book where the entire cast of characters has found their happy endings and nothing good goes bad for them because these baby cinnamon rolls have just been through TOO DAMN MUCH for more suffering.

But anyways, moving on from my mental breakdown thinking about the Dreggs, and Kaz, and Ine-nope, not gonna go there again. Ever since I finished reading Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy, I have been so enthralled by the universe. The Grishaverse is so vast, yet so intensely described that I could almost go to my travel agent and ask for a ticket to an alternate Russia where people are both feared and revered for practicing Small Science. Six of Crows is the tale of an impossible heist. It’s so impossible that even you -the reader- will go into the story not knowing what’s at the next turn or how the squad is going to get themselves out of the next tangle of turmoil. This book is best going into not knowing anything about the plot, and just being pleasantly and mind-blowingly surprised at every plot twist. It being high fantasy, I do suggest giving this book around 70 pages before you decide to put it down. But I guarantee you, once you decide to finish this book, there truly is no going back from the emotional wreckage you are about to experience.

Crooked Kingdom (the anxiously anticipated soon-to-be stunning sequel and finale) will hit be hitting bookstores near you on September 27th, 2016!!

Passenger + Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

I will be truthfully honest, I purchased this book because of its cover. But you know that saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover?” Yep. It applies to this book. This cover is only a shell for the MAGIC that is hidden inside. There is time travel and romance and mystery and adventure and magic and so so so much more. Time travel is a concept that can be extremely difficult to construct and explain, but Alexandra Bracken does this with ease. The time travel makes this book truly a unique read, and like Six of Crows, its better not knowing the full synopsis to Passenger. And like Etta, you’ll be thrust into a world in-between worlds, learning the mysteries of the past, all while sailing on a ship with the handsome Nicholas Carter ;)  

Look out for Wayfarer (the long anticipated sequel and finale) at the very beginning of 2017!


Let me know some of your favorite duologies!




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17 comments

  1. I would have to add Pivot Point and Split Second by Kasie West! Great list! I am reading The Rose & the Dagger right now. I didn't know Six of Crows was only a duology!!!! What?!

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    1. Hi Kay!
      I have both Pivot Point and Split Second on my TBR and I've been meaning to read them for the longest time. But now that you recommend it, I'll definitely be pushing it up higher on my list! How are you liking the Rose and the Dagger? That book literally put me on a rollercoaster of emotions >.< and SIX OF CROWS?? I KNOW I ONLY FOUND OUT AFTER I FINISHED READING IT D: AND ADSLJGDK I JUST WANT MORE FROM THE GRISHAVERSE

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  2. AHHH I also really adored TWATD and Six of Crows! I haven't heard of Eon & Eona but it sounds really awesome! I'm pretty happy with Lara Jean series being a duology... but then the author decided to add a third book *sigh* Have you ever heard Seraphina by Rachel Hartman? It's also about dragons and I think the girl is pretty badass :D I prefer duologies/standalone than long series because I have problem with finishing series xD This is such a great list Yingchao!

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    1. Tasya!! I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Eon and Eona. They were two of my favorite reads this year mainly because the story and the world was something so different than what I had read/was reading and it really was like a breath of fresh air. The book's also superrr humorous and there's also romance (if you're into that ;)) And I have heard of Seraphina, but I didn't know it's about dragons too :O I'm definitely gonna check it out now- I LOVE BOOKS WITH DRAGONS :D

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  3. didn't know that The Wrath and the Dawn & Six of Crows were duologies.. I was patiently waiting for those series to finish but looks like I don't have to wait anymore. haha. Okay, Crooked Kingdom is still not out.. but still... I am now considering Eon + Eona but I haven't read anything that involves dragons. What if... what if it doesn't work out for me? (>A<)

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    1. Hi Czai!
      Yepp I'm also PATIENTLY waiting for Crooked Kingdom to be released....just around 100 more days to go. Six of Crows was so good that it had to make this list (and I'm sure Leigh Bardugo won't disappoint with CK) :) I think if you like anything related to dragons, you'd like Eon (it's SO action packed, there's a plot twist that you'll never see coming, and there are also topics of LGBT). Eon also reminded me of Chinese folklore and ancient China, and no worries- if it doesn't work out for you, that's totally cool. The book does take a few chapters to understand the world and the situation that the main character is in! But if you do happen to pick it up, I'd love to hear your opinions on the book!

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  4. Duologies are my all-time favourites! I've never been a series person before but not that many books can pull off being a standalone either so duologies are the perfect answer. I've only read Passenger and the Reboot series from this list, but I think the rest are on my TBR so I'll have to get to them soon too.

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    1. Hey Rachel!
      I agree!!! Series take so much commitment and sometimes I end up forgetting what happened in the previous installment and end up losing interest in that series. But duologies are so easy to read and adore, but then the issue becomes: I've become so obsessed with this "series" that I NEED MORE MORE MOREEE! haha And by the way, what did you think of Passenger and Reboot?

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  5. Thanks for putting together this list! I've now added Reboot and Rebel to my Wishlist as I haven't read any good YA dystopia in a while and it sounds little different! Plus, I'm a bit of a sucker for zombies of any kind. Thanks again!

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    1. Hi Caitlin :)
      tysm!! and yayy more tbr books :D I generally don't like zombies or anything horror/gore related (reasons why I refuse to watch the Walking Dead) but I loved the "zombie" aspect of Reboot! I really hope you enjoy Reboot. I'd love to hear your thoughts on Reboot and Rebel if you end up reading it :))

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  6. I love duologies because I don't have to commit so much haha. I need to get my hands on The Rose and the Dagger because I loved The Wrath and the Dawn soo much. Eon + Eona sounds really interesting (dragons are cool) so I'll be added that to my list!

    Kathlyn | www.kathlynskorner.com

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    1. Hi Kathlyn!
      I agreeeee!!! Duologies are simply so easy to get into without the commitment of an entire series. Let me know when you finish the Rose and the Dagger! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the book :))

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  7. I love duologies because I'm so horrible at finishing a series. I loved The Wrath and Dawn and must buy a copy of The Rose and Dagger soon. I'm also waiting on reading Six of Crows once it's closer to the release of Crooked Kingdom. I loved Passenger and I had no idea that it was a duology. I'm so excited for Wayfarer!

    Traci @ The Reading Geek

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    1. Hey Traci!
      ahhhh you're so lucky you'll be able to "marathon" Six of Crows! That ending left me in the worst book hangover ever (only comparable to the book hangover after ACOMAF).I'm really excited for Wayfarer too and I'm not gonna lie, that cover is making all the feels come alive again :'(

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  8. I LOVE THIS POST. I just tweeted last night about how I've been super into duologies, so YAY! I'm dying to read The Wrath and the Dawn duology. Thanks for the great recs. I'm definitely taking notes hahaha!

    - Lefty @ The Left-Handed Book Lover

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    1. Hey Lefty!
      THANKSS!! Yeah, lately, I've been realizing how many duologies I've been reading, but hey, they're short, sweet(ish), and simple, so I'm not complaining XD YES READ TWATD! IT'LL BE GREAT! Let me know what your thoughts on the book are after you finish it :)) But also have The Rose and the Dagger on hand because TWATD ends with a serious cliff hanger...

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  9. Woah I did not know a lot of these were duologies O_O! The Wrath and the Dawn and Passenger? I guess I should just finish off the Passenger duology..... D:
    I don't know what my favorite duology is, but I haven't read the majority of these D:. I am so bad at reading sometimes, like the only one I've read on here was Passenger and I was not a fan (sadly) Fair Coin by E.C.Myers was SO SO SO good and that was a duology, so I think that one wins :). I'll have to check these out! Nice list ^_^

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