The Book Series I Started In 2017 -- And Which Ones I'll Continue

The topic for this week's Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish) is the best books we read this year. Well, I'm not quite ready to commit to that list yet -- there are still nearly three perfectly good reading weeks left in 2017, and I've read more good books in the last two months than the rest of the year put together and I'm hoping the trend continues. Thus, I'll be waiting til the end of December to post my favorite books of the year.

So I'm putting a twist on the topic this week and talking about the book series I started this year: which ones I loved, which ones I'll keep reading, and which ones didn't captivate me enough to read beyond book one.

1. The Ancestor trilogy by Mark Lawrence: I loved "Red Sister," a fantasy novel set in a futuristic society in which the livable planet is confined to a small unfrozen strip of land. It's a cruel world in which magically gifted nuns also train as assassins, and the school reminded me a little bit of Hogwarts. I can't wait for book two, which comes out next spring. (5 stars -- my review)

2. Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers: This was an absolutely fabulous, fun, wonderful sci-fi novel! It totally made me want to hop on board the spaceship Wayfarer and hang out with the charming, fabulous multi-species crew! The second book, which I plan to read soon, is more of an accompaniment than a series continuation so I'm a little sad not to be rejoining the Wayfarer, but I'm looking forward to diving back into the world! (5 stars -- my review)

3. Lady Julia Grey mysteries by Deanna Raybourn: I love the Veronica Speedwell books so I decided to check out Deanna Raybourn's previous series, which features another likable female amateur sleuth in historical England. I loved the first book and already treated myself to the second. Unlike the two other series I adored this year, all the books in this one are published so I'm going to temper myself so I don't run out too quickly! (4.5 stars -- my review)

1. The Queens of Renthia series by Sarah Beth Durst: I enjoyed this fantasy novel about... well, this is why it's not in the favorites category -- I can hardly remember off the top of my head just what it was about! Let's see... it involves an epic battle between human magic and natural spirits. Hopefully book two starts off with a recap! (4 stars -- my review)

2. The Aaron Falk mysteries by Jane Harper: I'm always up for a good detective story (and these days it's kind of hard to sniff those out among all the psychological thrillers, which are not my preferred genre), and I was thrilled to see that this series is set in Australia! The mystery kept me interested and I liked the protagonist, Aaron Falk, enough that I'll definitely check out the next installment, which comes out in the U.S. in February. (4 stars -- my review)

3. Carve the Mark duology by Veronica Roth: I don't read much YA but I really enjoyed the Divergent series and I was anxious to check out Roth's new series, even more so when I learned it was a mix of sci-fi and fantasy. It definitely had some of the things I don't like about YA but the plot is interesting and I want to see where it heads next; book two is due out this spring. Plus I'm totally craving sci-fi and fantasy these days, so it fits right in with my mood. (4 stars -- my review)

1. Maisie Dobbs mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear: I'm a little reluctant to put this in the "meh" category because I do remember enjoying it as I was reading, but as time wore on I lost interest in pursuing the series. It should be right up my alley -- it's historical mysteries set in post-WWII England, but at the moment I'm not planning to continue. Perhaps that'll change -- one of my good friends really enjoys the books and we have very similar tastes, so I may need to give Maisie another try. (4 stars -- maybe I need to lower my rating a smidge! -- my review)

2. Monsters of Verity duology by Victoria Schwab: As mentioned above, I typically try to avoid YA because, more often than not, the books don't live up to my expectations. But I looooove Schwab's adult Shades of Magic fantasy series and I was a little bummed that it came to an end this year, so I decided to try one of her YA series; I guess I naively hoped it would read more like an adult book. Nope. I did fly through it and intended to read the second book even though I wasn't in love, but I never got around to it and no longer have any intention to. (3 stars)

3. Dark Gifts series by Vic James: Another YA fantasy series bites the dust! I should have known I wouldn't like it, but the synopsis -- involving magic and Britain -- sounded so good I couldn't resist giving it a shot. Sadly, I wasn't impressed enough to continue the series. (3 stars -- my review)

4. Charley Davidson series by Darynda Jones: This urban fantasy series had been haunting me every time I looked at my Goodreads to-read list -- it was right near the very top, added way back in 2012! I figured it was finally time to give it a try, and while I didn't think there was anything exactly wrong with it, it just didn't enthrall me. And it was different than I expected. Perhaps it gets better and for a time I did think I might try the second book, but I've got too many other things to read! Bye, Charley. (3.5 stars -- my review)