Top 5 Tuesday || Books Where Something Went Right

Now, let’s look on the other side of the coin.

After looking at everything getting messy in books last week, now it’s time to look at books where something went right! There’s something satisfying about seeing all the threads come together for a victory lap, and thanks to Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads hosting Top 5 Tuesday, today’s the day we’ll explore that!

Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody

Without spoiling too much about the book, there are two scenes near the end that I love with my whole heart, because the universe finally does right by Enne, our protagonist. In one, she gets to deliver the justice one absolute pig of a man has had coming, and as gruesome as it was, I cheered.

And in the other? She manages to do the near-impossible, and it’s the first step toward becoming the girl gang boss she’s born to be.

Listen, I love a good story that’s got con artistry in it’s roots, and this is it. 😎

 

Belle Révolte by Linsey Miller

If Belle Révolte does one thing well besides delightful character relationships, it excels at shining up its roots. It’s a retelling of The Prince and the Pauper, and when our main characters switch places, everything is upended. I loved loved loved seeing Emilie and Annette find the very best parts of themselves while leading their double lives, and it’s enormously satisfying to see the full scope of the power they learn to wield.

 

Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire

Rose Marshall may be dead, but she’s not done fighting yet.

This is another one that’s a little tricky to describe without spoiling things, but the main thing you need to know is that Rose Marshall finally gets what she deserves. And I mean that in the most adoring way possible, not in the way that sounds vaguely like a threat. She’s spent an afterlife wandering the roads, trying not to disappear, and all of her travels are worth it.

Also, when Rose Marshall gets shit done, she gets shit done. That’s satisfying as hell in its own right.

 

Beyond the Black Door by A.M. Strickland

I will always and forever be completely floored by the scene where Kamai learns how to map herself on a soul chart, and gains sudden clarity in regards to her sexuality. In that moment, she realizes she is asexual and demi/biromantic, while her friend comes out as a trans man. This is the very first time I have felt so uniquely, specifically seen in a book, and I could feel Kamai’s rush of clarity all the way in my bones.

There’s nothing like that light bulb going off, like finally having the words and the confidence to describe yourself. 🥺

 

The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

YET AGAIN, we stray dangerously close to spoiler territory, so all I will say is this: Fie handles that final confrontation like a true chieftain of the Crows, and I adore her for it.

It’s such a ridiculously clever, vicious scene, and it provides such an excellent parallel to the money dance scene that comes in the first few chapters of the book. It may not be the end of Fie’s story, or her troubles, but it’s an outrageous, deeply satisfying moment of success, and I’m STILL thriving on it nearly a year after reading it!

 

Admittedly, today’s topic was a little tough to cover without spoilers. So often, in books where something went right, the triumph lies at the end. Hopefully I didn’t give too much away, though!

Which books do you think had the most satisfying successes, though?