“The Road” by Cormac McCarthy held me captive, staying up all night immersed in its pages, awakening the next morning with a lingering sense of melancholy. Stephen King’s works, especially “The Shining,” share that unique ability to make you eagerly anticipate the next page, constantly wondering what twist awaits.
When I was little, Harry Potter and Warriors (the cat books). Now I’ve been obsessing over the unabridged version of Count of Monte Cristo, especially since knowing about Dumas’ life it makes sense how Haydee and Dantes hook up at the end. Dumas was the grandkid of a slave who married her enslaver.
I see your mention of Warriors, and raise Guardians of Ga’Hoole by Kathryn Lasky.