It’s Tuesday yet again, so that means time for another Top Ten Tuesday post! Today’s initial topic is a Thanksgiving freebie, but since Thanksgiving isn’t a thing here in Europe at all, I decided to go rogue. I will be next week too, so I therefore am compiling lists that are quite connected to each other. This week, I will list ten duologies, next week I will be listing ten trilogies. So, are you looking for a series that isn’t too long? A duology might be what you need! Due to spoilers, I will only link to the Goodreads page for the first book in each duology.

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

1. The Shepherd King by Rachel Gillig – If you’re looking for an atmospheric duology that gives of autumnal vibes? This one is exactly what you’re looking for. This duology consists of the books One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns. The magic system is unique, but the vibes are excellent too.
2. The Crimson Moth by Kristen Ciccarelli – Probably one of the most surprising duologies of the past few years. It’s YA, but doesn’t really feel like it. I read The Crimson Moth/Heartless Hunter, but I still need to read Rebel Witch.
3. Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor – One of the duologies I learnt to appreciate later on is this one. The writing was a bit too hard for me to understand as I wasn’t as experienced in reading in English back then as I am now. However, Strange the Dreamer and Muse of Nightmares are unique in its concept, writing and storytelling. Are you looking for something different from what everyone else is reading? These books might suit you well.
4. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – Probably one of the most popular duologies to ever exist in young adult literature, but one I just can’t get behind. I mean, it’s not bad, but just not for me. I had high expectations for both Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, so I was a bit disappointed.
5. These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong – I know this author wrote another duology, but you have to read These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends first for that one to make sense. You might need a little time to get the hang of this story, but it’s really good.
6. Villains by V.E. Schwab – Another duology that wasn’t particularly for me, so I read Vicious, but never Vengeful.
7. Monsters of Verity by V.E. Schwab – I always have a hard time with books by this author, even though the premise always piques my interest. But somehow, the execution often fails to captivate me. This duology was no different. I therefore only read This Savage Song and left Our Dark Duet for what it is.
8. Everless by Sara Holland – Another duology with a interesting and unique concept. When Everless (the first book of this duology) got released, I was fairly new to the YA genre, so I ate everything up. I probably shouldn’t have given it 5 stars in hindsight, but I didn’t know a lot back then LOL. Honestly that was a bliss! However, this first book was amazing to me back then, whereas Evermore, the second book, was terrible. It was just too much and this duology would have been better off as a stand alone with just Everless. But don’t let this hold you back from giving it a try, maybe this is something you would enjoy!
9. Stream Raiders by Sara Raasch – I know I know, duologies are not my favourite kind of books, because I always feel like they are falling short. This duology is no different. I remember having high hopes, but pirate stories turn out not to really be for me either. I read both These Rebel Waves and These Divided Shores, but felt unimpressed. Such a bummer as these books were everywhere at the time.
10. Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram – Okay okay, this duology has just been translated to Dutch in 2020, but I loved it nevertheless. I was afraid that this would be a very superficial story considering the blurb, but this was untrue. There are so many deeper layers and a deeper message behind it, especially in the first book, Cinder & Ella. The second book Happily Ever After is enjoyable too, but didn’t have that same spark for me.

Apparently, duologies seem to be very popular within the fantasy genre! Do you enjoy duologies and which one(s) is/are your favourite?