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!

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig + GIVEAWAY!

Title: The Girl From Everywhere
Author: Heidi Heilig
Pages: 464 pages
Published: February 16th, 2016
Source: Hardback from Books of Wonder
Genre: Historical Romance YA
Rating: 4/5 stars

It was the kind of August day that hinted at monsoons, and the year was 1774, though not for very much longer.

Sixteen-year-old Nix Song is a time-traveller. She, her father and their crew of time refugees travel the world aboard The Temptation, a glorious pirate ship stuffed with treasures both typical and mythical. Old maps allow Nix and her father to navigate not just to distant lands, but distant times - although a map will only take you somewhere once. And Nix's father is only interested in one time, and one place: Honolulu 1868. A time before Nix was born, and her mother was alive. Something that puts Nix's existence rather dangerously in question...

Nix has grown used to her father's obsession, but only because she's convinced it can't work. But then a map falls into her father's lap that changes everything. And when Nix refuses to help, her father threatens to maroon Kashmir, her only friend (and perhaps, only love) in a time where Nix will never be able to find him. And if Nix has learned one thing, it's that losing the person you love is a torment that no one can withstand. Nix must work out what she wants, who she is, and where she really belongs before time runs out on her forever.

Buy it now! 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

It seems as if 2016 is dominating in debuts with this one novel. If all debut novels are like Heidi Heilig's The Girl From Everywhere, I'm in trouble because there's not enough money in my wallet to afford all those hardcovers! Heidi's novel was one that I never planned on starting. I was waiting for her event to start in Books of Wonder and picked up the book out of sheer boredom. I honestly wasn't going to start the book until my April break, but I'm so glad I did. 

What do you get when you mix time travel with romance and an epic heist? You ultimately end up with The Girl From Everywhere. Attending the book launch Q&A was a big plus for anyone who wanted to understand more about why Heidi chose to write about time travel or why she chose the specific settings mentioned in the book. From modern day New York City, nineteenth-century Hawaii, to the ancient Qin Dynasty, the change in setting with always keep you entertained. I found it especially interesting how the author chose to focus on Hawaii, a paradise island where people only dream of going. There's so much myth that follows the island and it was so refreshing to see mythology play a major role.

The story follows Nix as she's traveling aboard the Temptation with her father and his crew. Her father has the ability to Navigate, which means you can travel anywhere, anytime as long as you have a map. With that map, you would travel back in time to where the map was showing and when the map was inked. Her father is obsessed with finding the map of 1868 Honolulu to reunite with his lost love, Nix's mother, and although he's gone through many maps, he can't seem to find one that will work. However, obtaining that map could mean the very end of Nix's existence. This concept was so ingenious. Who would ever think to use maps in time travel? NOT ME! 

At the same time, the time traveling aspect confused me tremendously. Sometimes I would get so lost in the historical information that I would look up the info on Google and go back to read, only to find myself back to square one. Keep in mind, I don't read historical fiction very often and it's normal for this type of thing to occur.

As I mentioned above there is a heist involved. I'd suggest reading the book to learn more about the heist and how it connects to the story (I'm trying to restrain myself from releasing spoilers into this review). The heist reminded me of the one in Six of Crows or Mistborn and it might be safe to say that I love reading books with a dangerous heist.

Romance didn't play a huge part at all but that's exactly what I expected. Relationships were vital to the story line and the character's decisions in the end. I know that Heidi Heilig values family and it was nice to see that idea come to life in the book.

The characters were the real MVP's of the book. Kashmir, my absolute favorite, reminded me of Aladdin and how he was a street urchin stealing a bunch of things from vendors. Plus, the ladies swooned over him... The main character was very much moral-filled but it wasn't to the point where she was a real pain. Well well, what would a book be without a pestering character of some sort? I couldn't stand reading about Nix's dad. He acted like some love-struck teenager that yearned for the past. WHY DON'T YOU FOCUS ON WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU? *ahem ahem* YOUR OWN DAUGHTER.

The Girl From Everywhere is a story you won't want to miss. There aren't many books based on time travel that can claim they've transported you into another world, but I believe this one did quite the job. With the author's prior knowledge of nineteenth-century Hawaii and a mix of ancient mythology, Heidi Heilig brings the true meaning of family and love in her debut YA novel. 

Check out my Instagram (@thebooksbuzz) to learn more about the giveaway. It's an Instagram giveaway where you can win a signed copy of Heidi's The Girl From Everywhere.