Here Are 25 Book Series That Actually Got Better As They Progressed

Catching Fire is better than The Hunger Games.

We asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which books series actually got better as the series progressed. Here are some of the best responses:

🚨Some mild spoilers ahead!🚨

1. First, the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

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"A million times Throne of Glass. The first book is pretty basic, pretty juvenile, the second improves on that, and from the third book onward it's just fire. The characters and morals grow more and more complex. You see more of the main character's flaws and how they change over the course of her life. The world building just gets better and better. The female friendships are amazing, the male friendships are sweet and nontoxic, and the fact that not all romances work out for the best is so real and heartbreaking. Also, the series gets even better when you re-read it because Maas snuck so much foreshadowing into books one and two."

—thewitchofthewoods

"The first two books are nothing overly special, I loved them but wasn’t addicted. But then came Heir of Fire and I lost all chill and haven’t gotten it back since. The series owns me body and soul and I’m re-reading the books for the third time this year!"

—ashleyp4a2a2147f

2. The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare

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"It's sort of a joke among fans how bad the original Mortal Instruments series is compared to the other series. The prequel novels, The Infernal Devices, show huge amounts of growth in writing, and the latest addition to the series, The Dark Artifices, is straight-up fire. The newer characters have so much diversity and depth, and the world building has become incredibly complex. It makes me sad that people may not continue with the series because they're thrown off by the first few books."

—scrambledmeggs

3. The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan

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"The books get more mature as they go. There is so much depth and emotion, and with each book it gets more complicated — in a good way. Characters aren't static — they grow, change, and learn to make hard choices. One of my favorite series to this day."

—emariasheldon

4. The To All the Boys I've Loved Before trilogy by Jenny Han

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"The first two books are great, don’t get me wrong, but Peter and Lara Jean’s relationship in Always and Forever, Lara Jean develops as they deal with real problems. Most of the issues in the first two books are petty high school drama, and while that’s interesting, seeing more relatable problems and great relationship development is what makes the third book so good."

—devyn101555

5. The A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

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"The first book is okay, but A Court of Mist and Fury POPPED OFF. Sarah J. Maas truly did not have to go as hard as she did. Her depictions of grief and trauma are so realistic. All of the new characters who are introduced are amazing, and the characters from the first book are developed so well. A Court of Mist and Fury and A Court of Wings and Ruin made the series one of my top three favorites of all time!"

—morganr47b650c06

"The first book, A Court of Thorns and Roses, is a basic 'boy saves girl' storyline, but the second book, A Court of Mist and Fury, and the third, A Court of Wings and Ruin, turn the normal love story on its head and it becomes an empowering story of growth and strength. It's amazing."

—audras40ba7dcb9

6. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins

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"Catching Fire is the better Hunger Games book, but Mockingjay didn't live up to Catching Fire's standards."

—swimmer712

7. The Handmaid's Tale books by Margaret Atwood

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"Not that The Handmaid's Tale is bad, but The Testaments surpassed any preconceptions I had for a sequel. The way Atwood delves into the psyche of the conditioning girls go through in overt religious settings mixed with the later conditioning of women trying to assert their autonomy in a world where they can’t. After finishing it, I felt like she had read about my own struggles with religion and how I was raised."

—rockergirl743

8. The Infernal Devices series by Cassandra Clare

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"Every book is better than the last and Clockwork Princess is INCREDIBLE. I’m not always the biggest fan of love triangles, but this one is wrapped up so well. Cassandra Clare's series almost always get better and better; she really knows how to write an ending."

—amd1134

9. The Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi

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"I read the first book thinking, 'This is one of the best fantasy books I’ve ever read' and then I read the second one and it got even better. Tahereh Mafi truly outdid herself on the second and third books. Her figurative language is like nothing I’ve ever read before, and she deserves every bit of praise and more. If you haven’t read these books, drop everything and do it."

—lilithstormgoddess

10. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

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"Harry Potter starts out being a regular fantasy book for children, but as the series progresses, everything gets more complex and dark. I think The Prisoner of Azkaban is when you can really sense the change."

—tamarac4020cbc5b

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the best book in the series and I cannot be convinced otherwise."

—mollyw4cf9ded60

"All the books are great, but Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows are probably my favorite."

—haleyw4ae66dcb9

11. The Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series by Ransom Riggs

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"Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is just an amazing book from the start, but the two books that came after it expand on the universe so much and make it that much more amazing. The third book is my favorite, and it lives up to the first."

—gbfilms33

12. The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon

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"I don’t know how Diana Gabaldon does it, but every book in the Outlander series is filled with new adventures that leave you on the edge of your seat wanting more and more each time you read. She has her characters grow in each book and makes you fall in love with them while they establish who they are. It's a great series and I always look forward to her newest releases."

—katiek4eb45efca

13. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

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"Definitely The Twilight Saga. The first book is good, but Eclipse and Breaking Dawn are amazing. I've re-read both of them way more times than the first book."

—owlsplusbookslover26

14. The Three Dark Crowns series by Kendare Blake

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"I feel like not many people have read this series, but every book just gets better and better. You should read these books. Seriously, they are amazing."

—therealcoraline

15. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

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"A Series of Unfortunate Events is phenomenal from the start, but watching the Baudelaire children grown up and have to survive against Count Olaf and other villains is one of my favorite things. Also, to make it even better, learning about VFD adds depth to the story and allows for all of the characters to develop and get better. The End isn’t my favorite because I always wanted to know more about VFD and what it truly was, but the series does get better and better."

—elizabethmorganw

16. The His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman

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"It starts off as an amazing children's book and progresses into an incredibly profound and meaningful trilogy for adults alike. It's one of those series that you might have read as a kid, but you NEED to revisit later in life to fully appreciate."

—lauram403c29da7

17. The Selection series by Kiera Cass

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"During the beginning of the first book, I wasn’t sure how I felt, but by the end of it I was hooked! I immediately had to buy the rest and finished them all! They just get better and better."

—chgfy789

18. The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

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"The whole series is great and so fun to read, but as the books progress, Mia really grows and accepts being a princess and all the duties it entails. As she matures, she’s able to let go of insecurities and really embrace and love herself."

—melmaggie62

19. The Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz

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"The first book is fun, but by the end of the series, the characters have all matured to the point where I found the final book extremely satisfying. I think the author has since continued writing them, much to my disappointment because the original end was great."

—trent1479p

20. Cirque Du Freak: The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan

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"These books got better and better as they went on. They lost it around Books 7 through 9, but the story ends with a bang. Please Netflix, make Cirque Du Freak into a teen/adult series, it would kill!"

—theflyjaxx30

21. The Discworld books by Terry Pratchett

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"The later books take the basic fantasy world that the earlier books set up and flesh it out with unique characters that are as complex and human as any living person. Also, there are locations with colorful cultures and thought-provoking storylines that are a trip in every sense of the word. On top of that, Pratchett really did his research when he wrote his later books. I've learned so much about different cultures and historical trivia from reading his books, because he created many of his stories around actual things and events."

—lunalena

22. The Raven Cycle saga by Maggie Stiefvater

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"The first book is good, but it falls a bit too much into the 'paranormal romance/doomed love' category. I'd heard really good things about the series though, so I’m so glad I decided to keep reading, because now they’re some of my favorite books."

—onepieceofstardust

23. The Grishaverse by Leigh Bardugo

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"The original trilogy is good, but The Six of Crows series and King of Scars is amazing. The writing and characters just keep getting better."

—human_being1757

24. The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld

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"Watching the characters progress within their dystopian society, even after being sucked into various 'conformities,' is really inspiring."

—laswett5617

25. And finally, the Fifty Shades trilogy by E.L. James

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"Honestly, Fifty Shades of Grey. I enjoyed reading the later part of their relationship more than the beginning because of how they grow with each other and learn to adapt to the needs of another person."

—arianarose114

Are there other book series that got even better as they went on? Tell us your favorites in the comments below!

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Some submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.