Top 5 Books I Wish Had a Sequel (Five Fall Favorites 2025)

Welcome to day one of Five Fall Favorites — the annual autumn celebration of all things bookish!

I’m so happy to be participating in this blog event again. It’s my fourth time taking part, but 2025 is actually the tenth year that Five Fall Favorites has happened, which is so neat! An entire decade of book recommendations and cozy vibes, and it’s still going strong.

If you’re new to the event, here’s how it works. Every day this week (6 days in all), I and a large group of other book bloggers will each be sharing posts centered around certain bookish themes, and packed full with some of our favorite book recommendations from the past year. I’ll link to a number of those blogs at the end of this post, but for even more links and information, you should check out our hosts’ sites!

Five Fall Favorites is once again hosted by Kate at Once Upon an Ordinary and Rebekah at Read Another Page (click on their blog names, or the graphics below to visit their blogs). Thank you both so much!

Giveaway

In addition to book recommendations, there is also a giveaway this year!

Two winners will be drawn, and they will each receive a collection of free e-books and audiobooks (plus a gift-card for the first-place winner). Check out the prize graphics below to see what you could win!

To enter the giveaway, all you have to do is click HERE!

Today’s Theme

I’ve decided to start off on a different note today. You’ll probably see many of the other bloggers sharing their top five book recommendations from previous Five Fall Favorites, but as I don’t have as many years of participation to choose from, I opted to go with one of the alternate themes.

That theme, as you can already see, is Five Books I Wish Had a Sequel.

And as a bonus, I’ve shared several of these in previous years, so it still sort of works for both!

All the books I share this week are ones that I’ve either read in the past year, or are currently reading/re-reading, so please feel free to leave any questions you might have about the books below, and I’ll do my best to answer.

Also, I’ve reviewed many of these more thoroughly on Goodreads, so if you’re interested in reading my thoughts – or other reviews – you can find the Goodreads link under each book, or by clicking on each book’s title.

Let’s hop in!

A Curse of Gold and Beauty

Author: Mary Mecham

Genre: Fantasy Fairy-tale (Rumpelstiltskin) retelling

Target Audience: YA (Young Adult) and above

What Stuck Out to Me: I didn’t expect this story to impact me as much as it did. Story-wise, this is a cute, light read, with heartfelt romance and immersive worldbuilding. I enjoyed how the Rumpelstiltskin tale was woven into the story without feeling forced or cheesy. It was very fun to read!

Most of all, I loved that one of the protagonist’s disability wasn’t something to be fixed, but simply part of him. I teared up at many of the things he said – especially that his pain didn’t define him, and that he can still make his own choices. I was also extremely convicted by how optimistic and joyful he was all of the time! He didn’t feel sorry for himself or wallow in hardship. Instead, he was inspiring and selfless.

In addition, the other protagonist was one of the rare first-person leads I felt like I could really relate to. She was well-written, strong, and capable, and her romance with the other lead was wholesome and sweet. For these reasons, I’d love to read a sequel with these characters! They felt like such real people, and I was so intrigued and inspired by them that I’d enjoy getting to see them on another adventure.

Tricky Content: Mentions of one of the characters laying with her head on a love interest’s shoulder (“cuddling”), brief kisses, mild descriptions of injury and blood, kidnapping, mild peril

I’d Recommend It To: Fans of creative fairy tale retellings, quick and easy reads, stories with disability/chronic pain representation, and sweet friends-to-lovers romance!

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Sign up for the author’s newsletter and read it FREE here!

Fairest

Author: Gail Carson Levine

Genre: Fairy Tale Fantasy

Target Audience: MG (middle grade) and above

What Stuck Out to Me: Since childhood, this has always been one of those books that I just can’t put down. Maybe it’s partially nostalgia, but I adore the enchanting fairy tale setting, the creative twist on a familiar Snow White-esque tale, and the timeless themes of courage and inner beauty.

The world itself is immersive, the magical elements intriguing, and the characters (always my favorite part) are interesting and likable. I enjoy watching as the protagonist especially learns and grows. The writing style too is simple, but very charming.

There are other books in the same world/series as Fairest (Ella Enchanted being one of them), but no direct sequel, and I would love for that to change! Although I’m not sure where a sequel might take the characters, I enjoy them enough that I would definitely be up for going on another journey with them!

Tricky Content: Brief kisses, bullying, violence and fighting, fairy tale magical elements/objects, fairy tale beings (gnomes, ogres), peril

I’d Recommend It To: Fans of enchanting and creative fairy tale twists, sweet romance, and wholesome themes of love, courage, and true beauty.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Romanov

Author: Nadine Brandes

Genre: Historical Fantasy (very loosely based on Anastasia Romanov & her family)

Target Audience: YA and above

What Stuck Out to Me: I’ve long been intrigued by the tragic story of the Romanov family and the mystery and legends surrounding them, so this fantasy twist was right up my alley. It’s an intriguing, emotional, and well-developed take on their tale, adding in a fascinating and creative magic system!

Best of all are the characters. Relatable, fascinating, and strong, but still imperfect in very real ways. Their relationships, especially the close-knit family during their biggest hardships, inspired me and made me appreciate my own family more. And the romance was both beautiful and heartbreaking.

While the story started slowly, the plot grew more mysterious and intense as the story progressed, and by the halfway point, I couldn’t put it down! Strong themes of courage, family, and sacrifice were the cherries on top. There’s really no way there could be a legitimate sequel to this story, but that doesn’t stop me from wanting one! The best stories leave us desperately longing for more, and that’s this book for me.

Tricky Content: A magic system with spells, violence and death, some intense/disturbing scenes, brief kisses, and drunkenness (portrayed negatively).

I’d Recommend It To: Readers intrigued by the Romanov family, historical fantasy with creative magic systems, and/or Russian-inspired fiction with heart-tugging romance.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

The Princess Bride

Author: William Goldman

Genre: Fantasy Adventure Romance

Target Audience: Readers roughly 12+

What Stuck Out to Me: After growing up with this movie on repeat, I finally read the book this year, and it was such a fun experience! While I’m biased and think I still prefer the movie, I’m so glad I finally dove into this fun adventure. What a ride!

This is such a fun, quirky, and classic tale, and I smiled during most of it. The constant adventurous nature of the story, the unique and memorable characters (which are fascinating if not likable), the upstanding themes, and of course, the humor and dry writing style. I absolutely love this story.

In all honesty, I probably wouldn’t want a sequel to this story, simply because I don’t know how a continuation could ever hold up to the original! But, indulge me, if we knew that the sequel would be just as good as the first story, I’d absolutely be up for more adventures of Buttercup and Wesley and all the rest. Those kinds of books are some of my absolute favorites, and I think the world needs more of them.

Tricky Content: Peril and sword-fighting, mildly-described torture, deaths, brief kissing, one fleeting mention of a woman’s breast, alcohol/drunkenness (portrayed in a negative light), some coarse language

I’d Recommend It To: Fans of quirky, wholesome, and adventurous fantasy stories with memorable characters, witty humor, and charming themes of romance and nobility.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

The Scorpio Races

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: Fantasy

Target Audience: YA and above

What Stuck Out to Me: I’m just starting to re-read this one, as it’s been a couple of years and specific memories are fuzzy, but this has been one of my favorites! I love the descriptive world-building, the unique and creative story premise (a dangerous November race with mythical water horses), the realistic and likable characters, and even the romance threads woven through.

Most of all, I love Stiefvater’s narrative voice. It’s beautiful, lyrical, and flowing, and yet relatable and clear. I aspire to write like she does.

I would love to read a sequel of this book as it’s just one of those stories that sticks with you. Every fall I think of it, and the world itself is so unique and vivid that I would like to dive into it again. It’s probably a selfish request, as the ending is satisfying and I’m not sure where a sequel could go that’d possibly live up to the first book, but I would enjoy getting to adventure with those characters again.

Tricky Content: Brief suggestive references, some language (including using the Lord’s name in vain), references to gods and goddesses, mildly descriptive brutality during the races in particular.

I’d Recommend It To: Teens/adults that enjoy fast-paced, high-stakes fantasy with vivid characters, intriguing plots, and creative settings.

Here’s the link to add it on Goodreads!

Because there are so many bloggers participating in Five Fall Favorites this year, we’ve been split into teams! There’s no competition – only the opportunity to ensure everyone’s posts are shared.

I’m part of Team Aspen (see the graphic below), and I highly encourage you to check out the rest of my teammates’ posts for their recommended books today. That’s where I’m headed!

Here’s the list of bloggers in Team Aspen (click each name to visit that site):

Lydia @ Beyond History’s PagesHannah @ H. S. Kilian’s blogVirginia @ Books By VirginiaErika @ Resting LifeGabriella @ her SubstackFaith @ Faith on the Farm

Thank you so much for joining me today! Have you read any of the books I shared? Are there any that stick out to you? I’d love to hear from you, so drop a comment below, and we’ll meet again tomorrow for Five Fall Favorites day #2!

Remember to go enter that giveaway HERE!

Top 5 Books I Wish Had a Sequel (Five Fall Favorites 2025)The Goodreads Blog TagThe Sunshine Blogger Award (2025)