Today, December 23, is the third day of Persnickety Snark’s FIVE Challenge, and today’s particular challenge is…Great Series!
Adele’s list may be YA only, but I’m including all age brackets. Oh, and these aren’t all published in 2010 – I just read them in 2010. Better late than never 😉
Anyhoo, here we are, counting down from 5 to 1 – yes, I do play favourites:
Fifth:
Ann Aguirre’s Corine Solomon series. A “handler”/psychometrist protag isn’t new to me (see: Anton Strout’s Simon Canderous, and Kim Wilkins’s Gina Champion), but the setting of Mexico was too good to skip past, so I rather enjoyed Blue Diablo. I was a bit suss about the series shifting to the US, but Hell Fire proved that Southern small towns are just as creepy in fiction as they are in my mind. Very much looking forward to Shady Lady in 2011, and beyond!
Blue Diablo Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Hell Fire Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Shady Lady Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Devil’s Punch
Bloody Maria
Fourth:
Rachel Vincent’s Soul Screamers series. It has a bit of teh dramz, and no one sleeps, and everyone lives on caffeine, but the Netherworld is so freaking scary and atmospheric. The addition of Sabine Campbell is very welcome, because she’s so shamelessly, ridiculously over-the-top that she’s rather entertaining. 2011 will see the publication of If I Die, and hopefully there’s more to come!
My Soul to Take Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
My Soul to Save Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
My Soul to Keep Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
My Soul to Steal Buy (US) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
If I Die
Third:
Alexander Gordon Smith’s Escape from Furnace series. It’s a YA futuristic horror thriller, with some seriously weird shiz and genuinely frightening moments. It could’ve gone to schlock, but the characters behave like real teens, which makes the story seem that much more believable… I need to get my mitts on Books 4 and 5.
Lockdown Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Solitary Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Death Sentence Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Fugitives Buy (UK) Buy (Worldwide)
Execution Buy (UK) Buy (Worldwide)
Second:
Jeanne duPrau’s Ember series. Think it’s middle-grade, so the high concept is irresistable, and the execution pretty darn good. I love the memorable settings, and social consciousness. And whilst characters doing stupid/dangerous things would normally piss me off, there wouldn’t be nearly enough story without them.
The City of Ember Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The People of Sparks Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The Prophet of Yonwood Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The Diamond of Darkhold Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
First:
Susan Beth Pfeffer’s Last Survivors series. Really put me through the emotional wringer, but that it made me feel that much just goes to show how powerful it is, and I love that. I read Books 2 and 3 out of order, but the middle book didn’t fail to make me teary, even though I knew what would happen. The author has a stand-alone, Blood Wounds, due to come out in 2011.
Life As We Knew It Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
The Dead and the Gone Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
This World We Live In Buy (US) Buy (UK) Buy (CA) Buy (Worldwide)
Tez Says 
YES! I put The Last Survivor series as my first, too! And I’ve been dying to reading Rachel Vincent YA series. I need to do that soon.
Thanks for sharing your picks. Great choices.
I don’t usually get misty-eyed over books, but those Last Survivor novels totally did me in. Horton! 😦
I’m not familiar with the Corine Solomon series, but it sounds intriguing. I will definitely be adding that to my TBR list. Loved both the City of Ember series and the Life as We Knew It series. I haven’t read Lockdown yet, but I have heard good things. Hoping to get the audio after the beginning of the year. Thank you for sharing your list!