Mundie Moms

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Happy Birthday, Mundie Moms! (and giveaway)

I am thrilled to have been asked to celebrate the momentous occasion of the Mundie Mom Birthday: you guys have been looking better in black than the widows of your enemies for a year now, and that can only mean a party!

And so as any good guest at a party, I will now do a trick: which is to say, a guest blog on the Second in the Trilogy.

The dread second. We've all been there. People always regard the second in a trilogy with some suspicion. And well they might.

I saw The Matrix Regurgitated. (That was the title, right?) I saw Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Reader, I saw Star Wars 2: Attack of the Clones. Never was a movie better named: the second book or movie often does feel like being attacked by the clone of the first book or movie, the one you loved, created all over again but without its soul. (Not that I'm saying I loved the Phantom Menace... I've watched a lot of bad movies, obviously, but I'm not nuts.)

I've read a lot of second books like that. There is a reason people cringe away from the second in a series.

WOW, Sarah, some might say at this point. You are such a FUN guest to have at a party. And you are not really making us look forward to the second book in your trilogy.

But I do have a point. Obviously writing a second book made me think a lot about the second book. Indeed, I have an Infallible Rule for trilogies. Book 1, set up. Book 2, make out. Book 3, defeat evil. I feel that if you think back on all the trilogies you're aware of, they will follow this rule.

Now by 'making out' I do not mean, well... a ton of make-out scenes. (Though I may mean that TOO.) I mean that the characters and the relationships between them (romantic and otherwise) are now established, and now is the time for tension to rise and bonds to sever. Now the reader knows what to expect, it's time to prove them wrong.

I will use an example which I am certain you guys are aware of: Cassandra Clare's City of Ashes is my favourite in the series. Because of the Thing That Happens With Simon. (You know what I mean.) That was the dramatic change, that was what made me go 'ooooh.' That was the point where the book was brave, and kicked it up a notch, and left the reader dizzy.

That's what second books have to do. They have to bring us that horizon, and do it right.

That's why I like second books. Because you can get a clone. But you can also get a transformation, shedding new light on all that has been and showing an adventure to come. That's what a second book should do.

Of course, that is not easy. But when pulled off, it is awesome. And I felt this was the place and the time to discuss awesome things.

As part of the birthday bash, I am giving away a sterling silver Irish knife charm. (A quillon dagger, in fact. My hero's favourite kind of knife. Yes, the jewellery shop judged me pretty harshly...) So, comment to win it: what second books or movies have you loved? What second books or movies are you waiting for?

For myself, Carrie Ryan's The Dead-Tossed Waves is UP THERE. Also, can I have Star Trek 2 yet? Oh Star Trek 2, I know you're sci-fi, but please, please, for the love of Zachary Quinto, don't be a clone...

50 comments:

  1. I cannot WAIT for The Dead-Tossed Waves, but a couple of my favorite seconds are Maureen Johnsons' Scarlett Fever (which I think I might actually like better than Suite Scarlett) and Diana Peterfreund's Under The Rose.

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  2. Thank you to one of our favorite Honorary Mundie Moms! The party wouldn't be complete with out. Thank you for your wishes and being with us. You know our motto (thank you to you) WHEN IN DOUBT, KISS IT OUT!

    I can NOT wait for Demon's Covenant!!!

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  3. Sarah!!! We just love your thoughts and yes, the party would not be complete without you! Thank you so much for everything and WOW I love the giveaway!!

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  4. I actually think conclusions are much more difficult than middle books--especially if the payoff isn't equal to the build up. (For instance, I am terrified of MOCKINGJAY, the last book in the HUNGER GAMES. I mean, I'm salivating at the mouth to get my hands on it, but I'm also scared it won't live up to my expectations.)

    Therefore I really love second books in trilogies. Because there's shorthand now (you know who the characters are, the context of the world it's set in, etc.) and I feel like you can get to the real "meat" of a story in a second book.

    It's not a book, but the best "middle" of a trilogy is THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Oh my god, how I love this second movie. (And how I hate the prequels.) Love.

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  5. Seconds I've loved: I loved Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr. I also really liked Book 2 of Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy series.

    Seconds I'm waiting for: Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev & The sequel to The Dark Divine by Bree Despain.

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  6. Yay! Another awesome post! I think you are very right with the whole trilogy thing. I can't wait for the Dead-Tossed Waves, Crescendo, and The Demon's Covenant.. I can't think of any second movies, but there is a third that I'm very much looking forward to. ; )

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  7. I liked The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper MUCH more than I liked Over Sea Under Stone. Ink Exchange (which has been mentioned already) was also a fantastic second book.

    I'm holding my breath for Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. Shiver was fantastic! :)

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  8. Love the analysis.
    I can't wait for the Dead-Tossed Waves, Crescendo, The Demon's Covenant, The Iron Daughter, Where She Went by Gayle Foreman, Beautiful Creatures #2, Linger, Dark Divine #2, Spells by Aprilynn Pike, and I sure I missing a few.

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  9. second books that i love are: Friday night bites by Chloe Neill, Blood cross by Faith Hunter, Rouge by Rachel Vincent, and Hallowed Circle by Linda Robertson.

    i can't wait to read A local Habitation (October daye #2) by Seanan McGuire, and Bayou moon by Ilona Andrews (edge #2).

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  10. One of my favorite second books is Holly Black's Valiant. As much as I love Tithe and Ironside, Valiant really struck a chord with me. Other great seconds: Catching Fire, Crashed, City of Ashes and Kushiel's Chosen.

    Seconds I am looking forward to: Demons' Covenant, Behemoth and Naamah's Curse. Also, 13 Little Blue Envelopes 2 and Santitos, although these are just sequels not the second books in trilogies :)

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  11. My favourite second would have to be Playing with fire by derek landy! I am really waiting for The Exiled QUeen by CInda Williams CHima! :)

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  12. I also can't wait for Dead Tossed Waves. I'm also anxious for Linger and Spells to come out.

    Some good seconds are Ballad, Catching Fire and Rebel Angels

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  13. Second books I am looking forward to:
    - The Demon's Covenant (#TeamJamie)
    - The Clockwork Prince (Yes, I know I haven't read The Clockwork Angel yet, but that does not stop me from knowing that the Infernal Devices series will be made of nothing less than AWESOME!)
    - Behemoth (Barking spiders! Fun story + great illustrations = hard to go wrong!)

    Second books I loved:
    Catching Fire (W.O.W.!)
    City of Ashes (Some of my favorite MI moments are in book#2: the Seelie Court scene, Clary in Jace's bedroom as he tells her "We could keep it a secret." *heart races* Loved it!)

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  14. second books that I love are Friday Night Bites by Chloe Neill,Stargazer by Claudia Gray,Stolen by Kelley Armstrong.

    A second book I'm waiting for is Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

    elaing8(at)netscape(dot)net

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  15. My all time favorites second book is kind of childish but oh well. And by childish I mean its a childs book.
    -The Lion, The Witch, And the Wardrobe. By CS Lewis.
    I love that book so much!! It set everything up for the last 5 books!! The whole series is amazing! I love CS Lewis.

    Seconds I can't wait to come out are:
    Crescendo
    The Demon's Covenant
    The second Beautiful Creatures book
    Linger
    The second Dark Divine book
    And I know its not a second but I CAN NOT wait for Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr!

    Mrs(dot)Graef(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  16. Seconds I loved: Stargazer. I just can't get enough of that series!

    Seconds I can't wait for:
    Linger
    Fallen book 2
    Beautiful Creatures book 2

    Thanks!
    entrelibros_blog(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  17. Seconds that I loved:
    books: HP: Chamber of Secrets, City of Ashes, Ink Exchange
    movies: LOTR: TTT

    Seconds that I'm waiting for:
    books: Crescendo, Demon's Covenant, Linger

    Thanks!
    maidenveil(at)gmail(dot)com

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  18. Although it wasn't ever really intended to be a second book: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. Times get scary, Frodo and Sam are off on their own- the Fellowship really breaks apart. You wonder at that point how it can ever work out.

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  19. I can't wait for Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick and Spells by APrilynne Pike was great!


    JenHow
    jennlynn77@gmail.com

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  20. I loved Fade and Catching Fire!

    I can't wait for Torment, Linger and Crescendo!!

    Thank you!

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  21. Personally, I love Arrow's Flight in Mercedes Lackey's Heralds of Valdemar series.

    And, what kind of crazy person would I not be to say I'm really, really, really looking forward to Demon's Covenant? Because I totally am!

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  22. I have to say I loved City of Ashes, Frostbite, Betrayed, New Moon. How do I choose I love them all! So many more to name but so little space. lol. Also looking forward to Demons Covenant:)

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  23. Oh wow, that is such an amazing prize!

    I absolutely adore Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It usually vies for my number 2 favorite book in the series.

    I also think "Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident" and "Georgia Nicolson: On the Bright Side, I'm Now The Girlfriend of a Sex God" were just as good if not better than their predecessors.

    Thanks for holding this contest!

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  24. I can't wait to read Rebel by RJ Anderson, when I manage to get hold of it! And, of course, definitely looking forward to the Demon's Covenant. :)
    As for second books I like, I really enjoyed The Golem's Eye, by Jonathan Stroud and Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins. Harry Potter 2 is also a favourite.

    Thanks!
    bready_(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  25. Hmmm, I think one of my favorite second books is 'The Doll's House', from Gaiman's Sandman series.

    The first book in the series was ok, but still finding it's form and the characters were slowly coming clear - in the second one, the story really gets going.

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  26. Second books I loved:
    The Queen of Attolia, by Megan Whalen Turner --
    talk about a dramatic change (or several) that tranformed the story in amazing ways. Tolkein's The Two Towers -- not the movie, which disappointed me miserably, but the book, where all the heroes are separated into perfect groups to show off their personalities. Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card -- just as amazing as Ender's Game, and in a totally different way.

    Second books I'm looking forward to...
    Demon's Covenant for sure, intensely. (In musicals, not books, I'm looking forward to Love Never Dies, the Phantom of the Opera sequel.) And Robin McKinley has not ruled out a sequel to Sunshine, so I live in hope.

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  27. Ooh, second books or movies, let's see...

    I am terribly fond of Douglas Adams' "The Restaurant At The End of the Universe", the second in his 5-part Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy.

    And the years have only proven that "The Empire Strikes Back" is the best of the original Star Wars trilogy... in fact, it's easily best of all six S'Wars films.

    YES, I, too, am looking forward to the second rebooted Star Trek film, but let's give a hand to "The Wrath of Khan", the movie that single-handedly pulled all the Trek fans who were so depressed about "Star Trek: The Motionless Picture" out of their doldrums! Kickin' it old skool Trek, plus the best movie about a mid-life crisis, ever!

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  28. I'm with you. Seconds are totally the hardest. Upping the makeout scene factor clearly helps. ;) Hm...some of my top favorite second books have got to be THE QUEEN OF ATTOLIA by Megan Whalen Turner, VALIANT by Holly Black, SON OF THE SHADOWS by Juliet Marillier, BLOOD BOUND by Patricia Briggs, ENNA BURNING by Shannon Hale, THE HERO STRIKES BACK by Moira J. Moore, and THE KESTREL by Lloyd Alexander.

    Really looking forward to these upcoming 2nd books: ASCENDANT by Diana Peterfreund, RULES OF ATTRACTION by Simone Elkeles, and....oh....THE DEMON'S COVENANT!!

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  29. I really enjoyed The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong. I can't wait for the Dead-Tossed Waves either :)

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  30. Second books I have loved:
    Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (SO MUCH)
    The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
    Sabine's Notebook by Nick Bantock
    Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery

    Second books I look forward to:
    The Demon's Covenant! Yeah!
    Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson
    Naamah's Curse by Jacqueline Carey
    and, if I may bend the rules a little, Towers of Midnight, which is the second of three installments of the last Wheel of Time book, but also the 13th book in the series.

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  31. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe... brilliant. And G.R.R. Martin's second in A Song of Ice and Fire, I liked the second Terminator movie, better than the first... you're judging me now.

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  33. I really liked "Pretties" by Scott Westerfeld, because I was prepared to hate Pretty Town and its stupid shallow consumerism/entertaintment but Tally and Zane turn that on its head in an awesome way (the ice-skating ring and the trick with the alcohol! The air-baloon!). It's a good example of transformation at a personal level as well because Tally becomes a completely different person and at the same time is still struggling with the same things she was in "Uglies" (belonging, being herself, being loyal to her friends), going back to who she used to be and forward to who she *wants* to be (which is, funnily enough, closer to Uglies!Tally than to Pretties!Tally, the exact reverse of the her previous situation).

    "Catching fire" was also really good, I liked how Katniss, so good at surviving in the wild, is so lost in society (and kind of doensn't want to find out what dresses and shaving are for anyway) and how she manages anyway with some help from both friends and family(I love how important family is in those books). Plus, love triangle!

    The beggining of the Demon's Covenant looked really interesting so I'm looking forward to that :) (More Jamie!)

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  34. The Demon's covanent,
    the sequel to Dull Boy,
    dead tossed waves,
    Rebel,
    Pretty much 2009 was the year of awesome debut authors and therefore 2010 has become the year of waiting for sequels from the aforementioned

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  35. Not a trilogy, but I loved the second book of Scott Lynch's Gentleman Bastard series- it had everything I loved about the first book had, plus pirates! And consequences for the events of the first book, little things like that...

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  36. Definitely Queen of Attolia. I think that's the only second book that I'm absolutely in love with. Others I have enjoyed but never as much as the first.

    Looking forward to Linger and Demon's Convenant for sure.

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  37. Not many I've loved that I can think of. I may have loved the sequel to Bridget Jones' Diary more than the original. And I think the second book in the Emily of New Moon series (Emily Climbs) was as good as the rest of the series, maybe better than the last.


    Ones I'm looking forward to, Demon's Lexicon is definitely at the top.

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  38. Dead Tossed Waves!!! There was a second book that knew what it was doing. (I know, it's not out yet. I work in a bookstore, and there was an advance copy. I yelped, I lunged, I threw it in my bag to take home before anyone else knew we had it.)

    Other second books I have loved are numerous, but the ones that spring to mind are:
    *Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
    *Fire by Kristin Cashore
    *Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
    *The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

    And as 2009 was the year of awesome debuts, 2010 is, for me, the year of desperately awating second books. Releases on my to-read list include Rebel by R.J. Anderson, Spells by Aprilynne Pike, Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund and, of course, The Demon's Covenant.

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  39. I loved the Mercedes Thompson second book. I was very much intrigued and surprised by The Awakening (K. Armstrong) which I think beutifully fulfills this role of second books that you speak of, to surprise and expand. I remember the second Vampire Academy book, too, and how it hooked me further, and well, yes, it was a pretty entertaining make out book! :)

    I can't wait for the second Percy Jackson movie! And the second of Maria Semyonova's Wolfhound series (it's out and about but I can't find it! So sad!). And I can't wait for Mae's view of the world! :D (Though I must say I'll miss Nick's POV a lot...)

    ~Spark

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  40. The only second!book I can think of that I'm waiting for right now is THE DEMON'S COVENANT, of course. ;)

    As for old favourites, there's Ursula K. LeGuin's THE TOMBS OF ATUAN, and J.K. Rowling's HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, and Eoin Colfer's THE ARCTIC INCIDENT; Tamora Pierce's TRIS'S BOOK, STREET MAGIC and TRICKSTER'S QUEEN; Anne McCaffrey's ACORNA'S QUEST, PEGASUS IN FLIGHT, DRAGONSINGER, and POWER LINES; oh man um...Naomi Novik's THRONE OF JADE...Jasper Fforde's LOST IN A GOOD BOOK...maybe Karen Miller's THE RIVEN KINGDOM and S.L. Farrell's MAGE OF CLOUDS. Oh, and definitely Rebecca Tingle's FAR TRAVELER. I'll probably think of more the second I submit this, but what can you do.

    --OOH OOH OOH William Shakespeare, HENRY IV. Um and Brandon Sanderson's MISTBORN: THE WELL OF ASCENSION was pretty good too. *is totally shutting up now*

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  41. Second books I have loved: Are we supposed to be keeping to trilogies? Because I have quite a few second books in a series I love,(like the second HP, second Artemis Fowl, Heroes Strike Back, etc.) but in an actual trilogy? Considerably fewer, but Catching Fire, The Grand Tour and Emily of New Moon come to mind.

    Second books I am waiting for: Ha! Rebel by R. J. Anderson, Demon's Covenant by your's truly, Changeless by Gail Carriger, Princess of Glass by Jessica Day George, Glass Swallow by Julia Golding, Exile by Anne Osterlund, Behemoth by Scott Westerfield, and The Curse of Deadman's Forest by Victoria Laurie.

    Second movies I have loved:

    Second movies I am waiting for: Iron Man 2 and Star Trek 2 (I am so there with you on that one).

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  42. Second books~ Ok, I know I am like the only one on the planet, but I did like New Moon the movie was better too. :D

    Catching Fire is an AMAZING second book, personally, I loved it more than the first one.

    I have read a few second book ARCs this year that "live up" to expectations, if not exceeds them. Linger by Maggie Stiefvater, Spells by Aprilynne Pike, Perchance to Dream by Lisa Mantchev.

    The sequel I covet more than any other is The Dead Tossed Waves- 9 more days, 9 more days.

    The 3 ARCs mentioned above and The Iron Daughter, are all second books I am waiting on. The sequel to The Demons Lexicon is also at the top of my list.

    Not really a second movie I am waiting on- a 3rd and 7th though...

    ~Pixie

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  43. My favorite second-book is HP & the CoS. What can I say? I've got a thing for basilisks! ;)

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  44. The Empire Strikes Back is too obvious, so I won't mention it. Besides, it's easier to talk about books.

    Speaking of books, I'd say that the best second book I've ever read would have to be Paul Scott's Day of the Scorpion, book two of the Raj Quartet. It works brilliantly to take the story outside of the world of the first book (The Jewel in the Crown), and manages through flashbacks and conversations to fill in gaps you didn't even think of as gaps when you read the first story. The very long description of some events that took place during The Jewel in the Crown that one of its main characters gives near the middle of Day of the Scorpion is my perfect example of what a second book should do: it advances the plot of the current story by forcing you to change the way you're looking at what you read last time.

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  45. Well, of course my favorite second book is City of Ashes, not to mention New Moon, but I can't wait for Crescendo and for Linger. I didn't have to wait for the first two so this waiting stuff gets hard. I have definitely learned the pre-order thing!

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  46. City of Ashes was one of my favorite sequels, but I also really liked Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson, The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde and The Queen of Attolia by Meghan Whalen Turner. One of the things I really like about the above books is that they didn't have to add new characters to keep the story exciting (see New Moon, Pretties), but managed to show you other sides of the characters that were already there, and kick it all up another notch so it could explode in the next book.

    It seems often like the second book in a trilogy is the weakest, which I thought in the Bartimaeus Trilogy (which I loved overall) and first three of the Inheritance Quartet (though I was never a big fan of those in the first place). That's probably why sequels are so scary (especially in movies - eek! They almost never work in film), because we're worried that they'll ruin the characters we already know and love. In my mind, POTC's Norrington is still a Commodore and the next two movies never happened.

    I really can't wait for the Demon's Covenant or The Dead-Tossed Waves, and Linger is definitely up there in the books I'm most excited about.

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  47. Second book I've loved:
    Of course HP Chamber of Secrets... also City of Ashes and New Moon, duh!

    Second Book I'm waiting for:
    Ummm... this is difficult as most I'm thinking of are thirds or fourth... but I don't know if this count, I'm waiting for The Vampire Diaries: The Return: Shadow Souls. I know there are many before this one, but its the second in The Return category...

    Also it already came out in theaters, but I'm anxiously waiting for New Moon to come out on DVD...

    Andre
    miss.andreita27@gmail.com

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  48. Perelandria by CS Lewis is one that I like more than the first and waaay more than the third in the Space Trilogy

    I often find the 3rd of a quartet is my favorite (ie, almost any Tamora Pierce). And HP 6 is my fave. Maybe I just like penultimate books?

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  49. Hmm, I know it's not exactly a trilogy per se, but I like Valiant the best out of Holly Black's Faerie/Faery Tale books. And I like The Two Towers the best, both book and movie. As far as what I'm waiting for, I'm sure there are some, but none come immediately to mind. Other than The Demon's Covenant, of course. :)

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  50. Thank you everyone! This contest is closed :)

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