Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke & The Bookish

Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders

I was excited to see this week's topic, because I've been thinking a lot about how the end of the series is really what makes or breaks the entire experience for me. Though I don't think that's the case with everyone. If I'm not satisfied by the last book, or the conclusion, it's hard for me to think fondly about the rest of the series. With so many beloved series ending soon, I'm nervous/excited to find out what happens with all of them. 

Let's start with the bad. 

Worst Series Endings

NOTE: There may be some very mild spoilers in my thoughts. Be careful about reading them if you haven't finished these series.

This pick should come as no surprise to you all, as my woes over Boundless the final book in Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series are well documented. Though I am disappointed that my "team" didn't win, what upset me the most is how the triangle was handled in the final book. Especially, the fact that Clara, whom I previously admired, seemed to backtrack on her maturity where Tucker and Christian were concerned. I literally start crying if I think too much about the end of the last book. This was a terrible blow after adoring Unearthly and Hallowed so much. I even wrote a blog post extolling the series (before I read the final one). This series just firmed up my resolve to avoid love triangles at all cost. 
_________________________________________________________________

First of all, I'm not even sure how I made it through four of these books. The love triangle is so maddening that I've had to erase them from my mind. I don't usually get too ranty in reviews, but I just couldn't help it in my thoughts on Tiger's Destiny. The main character Kelsey makes me seriously stabby. The thing is, this time my team did win, but it took until the very end of the fourth book to get there. By that time I had no positive emotional connection to the story - or Kelsey, and could not enjoy it. I can barely handle love triangles, and I've learned that I cannot handle them at all when we're kept guessing until the end. Verdict: Beware of the LOVE TRIANGLE OF DOOM.
_________________________________________________________________

I enjoyed Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series over all, but after three books with these characters, I needed a happier ending. I can't do self sacrificing at the end of a big series where I all along I'm worried about what will happen to the characters. It's not an unhappy ending, but it just wasn't what I wanted and that unfortunately set the tone for the entire experience for me. I also avoided starting The Diviners for so long because of my fear that it would happen again. Thankfully, I'm rectifying that right now. It's also a very different type of series. But still, I'm nervous! 

(A few) Favorite Series Endings

Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade trilogy is an example of a series where I loved the final book so much that it put a rosy glow around the entire experience. In Shine we finally rid ourselves of the pesky triangle (or that awful love pentagon that happens in book 2 Shift - I'm not even joking about that). Not only do we get to experience our happy couple together, but Aura matures so much that she made me proud. 


______________________________________________________________

I read Cate Tiernan's Immortal Beloved series this summer, and it was a wonderful experience. Don't be fooled by those silly titles. These books feature a feisty heroine, whose personal growth over three books is quite astounding. I don't think it's possible not to love Nastasya by the end. But truly, I loved her all the way through. There's also a lovely slow burn romance, and I adored how everything came together in the last book. I especially love the last chapter of the last book, which gives us a taste of the future for these characters without getting cheesy or over the top about it.* 


_________________________________________________________________

I know not everyone likes the end of Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but I seriously loved Forever. Stiefvater is another author who likes endings that seem a little bit open, but for me, Forever was the perfect spark of hope that it left me with a warm glow. AND with Cole and Isabel getting a book next year, really not much could be better.* 


_________________________________________________________________

Melina Marchetta sure knows how to weave together characters and make a beautiful tapestry out of them. I especially love that MM gets so attached to her characters that she wants good things for all of them, especially after the trauma she puts them through. The entirety of her Lumatere Chronicles series is magical from beginning to end. 

_________________________________________________________________

The end of Mockingjay, is another series conclusion that seems to illicit strong reactions from people. But I'm here to say that I loved it, epilogue and all. I hope Katniss and her guy are enjoying a life of peace together.* 

_________________________________________________________________


I read all of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series in a week. In fact, the last two books are the first two books I read this year. This is one intense ride, but it was all worth it when I got to the end. She answers all of our questions and of course Barrons is there in all of his male glory. I still get happy thinking about Shadowfever.* 

_________________________________________________________________

Gayle Forman is the master of the duet. I loved Just One Day so much earlier this year and I was so worried about whether I would connect as well to Willem's story Just One Year. I was especially fearful that I wouldn't be happy about how it all ends. But I shouldn't have been. This series shares a really amazing symmetry and I was truly blown away by how it was all put together. I also really, really loved the way it concludes, which surprises me still. 

*Of note, all the starred series I read back-to-back in a week or less. I don't know if it would have changed my reaction to them if I hadn't. But reading that way definitely makes the series momentum stronger, and I usually do a lot less analyzing when I read a series in quick succession.  


What are your favorite/least favorite series ends?


23 comments:

  1. Awesome that you included all of the book covers in the series in your list this week; I love it when the book covers are consistent <3 (well, minus Moning's last title, lol)

    My TTT

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just One Day is on my to-read list. She's a great author and I'm glad that the series is one where each book is as good as the other!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Whats funny is I read the Gemma Doyle Trilogy so long ago, that I know I liked the series, but I can't remember is I loved or hated how it ended. I will have to re-read it again for sure.. But I will also, have to find the book again, as it got packed away when I was younger.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really loved the ending of the Gemma Doyle trilogy, precisely BECAUSE it was so unlikeable, but I'm strange that way. I also was NOT a fan of Mockingjay at all. I actually wound up being fairly disappointed by that one, sadly. HP7 ranks among my top series endings, though, as does Into the Still Blue, Where She Went, The Piper's Son, and The Amber Spyglass. LOVE the ones you mentioned, though, Lauren! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree with Mockingjay, however from your list i haven't really read many of the others. Though i see a Cate Tiernan series that i may have to check out, i loved her wicca series as a child.

    My TTT

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am so happy to see the Fever series and Forman's books on your list Lauren, they were definitely favourite series of mine too! I remember devouring the Fever series in a few days, I just couldn't get enough of Barrons. And Forman just literally tore my heart apart with both of these books, they were so beautiful! I haven't read a lot of the other series that you mentioned, but I too was disappointed with the way things were dealt with in the Unearthly series. Thanks for sharing your great list with us! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yay Barrons! I just want to lick him. :) I have yet to read any of Marchetta's books, but soon, very soon. Great choices this week!

    ReplyDelete
  8. My problem is that I don't make it to the end of very many series. I gave up on the Gemma Doyle series about 1/2 way through book 2 (liked it but didn't love it so it got set aside). However, the series I make it all the way through, I LOVE. The Shade trilogy, for example. And Moning's series, of course!

    ReplyDelete
  9. SHADOWFEVER LAUREN! *happy dance* That book just blew me away and made me absurdly happy. I remember taking the whole day off to read it when it came out, just flipping the pages as quickly as possible looking for Barrons to enter the picture again and for KMM to finally explain some things about what he is. While I'm still not entirely clear on exactly how he came to be, it doesn't even matter, knowing everything about Barrons would ruin him. I like not knowing:) And now that I've made this whole comment about Barrons, I'm going to go. I just can't talk about anything else when he's been mentioned. It's getting to be the same with Ryodan. I may have cried when Burned got pushed back to July:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Ohhh..... the Tiger books! I loved the first one, my review of it praises the author for not falling into the love triangle. Yep, I regretted that one. I read the second book but couldn't convince myself to read the third because I was so angry.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You and I are on the same wavelength here, L:) I still can't believe you read the entire Tiger series!! I couldn't even make it through the first book, ha! And your post reminds me that I need to read the Shade trilogy and the Moning series too! I keep hearing about Barron--must meet this guy! Great list, chica!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I didn't love MockingJay :( The ending I didn't love at all, it.. OK. Do I get it? Yes! I do! I honestly think it was realistic in a way, but it was too.. not hopeful for readers which usually is why they read books. To escape and see that there is hope after all the darkness that may come. I guess the only thing that felt hopeful was when Katniss talked about sunshine lol. Anyhow, Shiver! YES!!!!! I can't wait for Isabel and Cole. I love these two and this open ending was a good piece of work which suited me fine :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. OMG! You included the ending of the Gemma Doyle series in your list of worst endings!??! I really hope I'll disagree with you!! I just LOVED the first book and I will be so disappointed if it's sequels won't be at least as good as it was...
    GREAT LIST!! I agree with you about Shiver and THG.

    Sapir @ Diary of a Wimpy Teen Girl

    ReplyDelete
  14. Re: The Unearthly Series, I'm so glad I read this and discussed it with you, but I disliked it and put it on my list for different reasons as you, which is so much fun. I just flat-out hated the very end of the final book and the dumb, dumb, epilogue. So strange and weird and you and I could've done it better.

    I've said it before and I stand by this: I will never forget your Tiger book love triangle rant. I LOVE IT.

    Forever's ending tore me up and made me actually cry. CRY OVER WOLVES, which is downright embarrassing, but it ended up being okay once I sat back down and took a breath. I honestly was freaking out. But I'm actually REALLY looking forward to Cole's book because YOU KNOW I LOVE HIM SO MUCH, SO SO MUCH. Maggie cannot let me down with this.

    I'm SO surprised by how many people have liked Mockingjay today. I thought it stunk BUT I read it quickly and I read that series back-to-back, which is kind of a double-whammy for me. I need to do a re-read for sure because it's just quirky enough that I might like it on a second go-round. ALSO it should be noted that I read it when I was beginning to read YA, so there's that. I wasn't really used to YA, which can be kind of oddball and crazy at times.

    You saw my favorites and least favorites. Of them, the Lost and Found series by Nicole Williams is one I think you should give a shot, particularly since there are no love triangles and there are HEA's AND my opinion changed with one of the heros - I went from hating him to loving him A LOT. Highly recommend, which you know, and I will continue to do so until you cave and read them. (:

    ReplyDelete
  15. It was your review of Immortal Beloved that encouraged me to pick up the series this summer, Lauren. Overall, I really enjoyed the trilogy, so I thank you for the introduction. :) OMG! I felt the same way about Forever. I felt warm and content at the conclusion of the series. From my experiences with Maggie's books, (I've only read 4), she likes to keep her endings realistic and hopeful. With her stories (which do get emotional), I feel this is the best gift possible. I still have more to read from her, so I could be wrong about her style, but so far, I've been very happy with her conclusions. As for the conclusion of The Hunger Games, I remember enjoying it. I really liked it, but I didn't love it. After everything Katniss and Peeta had to endure, I was happy to know they were alive and well. I still have to read Quintana of Charyn -- which I will be doing VERY soon. I'm excited to finish up that beautiful trilogy!

    On Boundless, I agree, the ending did need work, but for some reason, I didn't allow loose ends or the way the love triangle was mishandled to diminish my overall experience with the series. This is rather odd because Requiem, the final installment in the Delirium series, suffered from similar issues. But whereas Boundless was a fun and thrilling read (not including the ending), Requiem was not. If I ever do reread Boundless, I may have a change of opinion, but for now, I think I've accepted its conclusion (which I'm not sure is a good or bad thing)? lol

    ReplyDelete
  16. I don't remember being very upset by the ending of The Sweet Far Thing. I mean [SPOILER] Kartik turning into a tree was sad and I was all like WTF how does that even make sense[/SPOILER], but I still feel like I enjoyed it overall. I look forward to reading your thoughts on The Diviners (which I quite enjoyed), by the way. I know most people seem to have hated Boundless, and I wasn't enamored with Unearthly, but I feel kind of compelled to read Hallowed and Boundless just to see what happens lol. At least they're fast reads, so I probably will some day. I REALLY need to re-read Finnikin and move on to the other two in that series ASAP. Great picks, Lauren!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I think Hunger Games is the only series here that I finished. I loved the epilogue and parts of the book, but for the most part I didn't love it. I was just... I don't know. I should read it again.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Oh Lauren, do NOT even get me started on Boundless. That ending just made me so ridiculously frustrated. I liked the guy she ended up with, but I hated how everything happened and felt like I didn't even recognize Clara in that last book. It was so weird and not fitting for the rest of the series.

    IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY THAT YOU ALSO LOVED MOCKINGJAY! I always feel like I'm in the minority for loving that ending.

    Also, YAY QUINTANA! It was a bit of a "perfect" ending, but I didn't care in the least bit. I loved that book so much!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Mockingjay made my list too. It was sad, but I thought it fit the series (which was dark). I actually enjoyed Boundless, but I was a bit sad about how one character's ending was handled (really a non-ending). ~Pam

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm thrilled to see Mockingjay make your best list-I've seen it pop up on a bunch of "worst"s and though I wasn't impressed with it on first readthrough, I'm hoping a more mature read soon will help me to process it and appreciate it for what it is.

    I'm also pleased to see Boundless on your worst list as I was also very disappointed with this conclusion.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I can see why the ending of the Gemma Doyle trilogy wouldn't be a favorite, but for some reason, I tend to like those endings best, the ones that leave me mourning the series' end most because of how tragic they are. I still need to read Finnikin...I know so many who love it and I'm just afraid I'm going to be the weirdo who doesn't. :(

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hey, Lauren. I am so late to finally returning your comments but... o.O YAY I'm glad I'll be somewhat caught up with your blog.

    Hmmm, I don't know that the ending of a series will make or break the series as much as that one book. Or so I'd like to think o.o. I don't think there's ever been a book I hated later because of that... Which of your beloved series are ending soon? I think you like Shatter Me, but I'm not sure which else.

    Oooh, ouch on Unearthly. I haven't read Boundless yet, and I hadn't heard that about the LT :/. The only review I'd seen said that the book handled angel issues really well, but I'd already lost interest in reading the final book. It's a shame you wrote an ENTIRE post and then had everything turned upside down. Honestly, love triangles - that is a topic that would probably ruin most series. You've made me think of one. Have you ever read the Nightshade trilogy? Le sigh. It's just a disappointment how LTs are handled, especially with regard to the heroine and how she waffles between her choices to up the drama.

    Your thoughts on the Tiger's Curse series echo mine. It is a huge love triangle of doom that reminded me, at many points, of the LT in Twilight except Kelsey kept "sticking" to her choice. Not really, though, right? I heard that that's not the last book, though? I think I'd seen on GR that there was one more left.... have no idea what would be left but since it's got that dream in the title, i'm thinking neither of us will pick up?

    Really? I actually really liked the Gemma Doyle trilogy ending. I thought that tone worked really well with the tone of the series in general o.O. Hmmm, I would probably be nervous if I were you too re: Diviners and wondering if the same will happen. I don't know the ending of her other Printz winning book, but if it's about a guy with mad cow disease, there might be not be a happy ending there either. In which case: pattern forming o.O.

    Huh, I've not finished any of the series whose endings you like except for the Hunger Games and the Fever series. I'm a little surprised that you like the Mockingjay ending, given your reaction to the Gemma Doyle ending. Fever series... can we even say that's done yet? Have you read ICED? Arrghhhh I want BURNED to come out soon o.o.

    Huh, I haven't finished reading Just One Year yet, so I want to refrain from commenting on that, but but but I flipped to the end and how could you like that??? TOO OPEN. I WANT MORE. WHYYY WORLD WHY.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Least favorite endings of all time? "Breaking Dawn", by a long shot.
    My favorites are too many to count. "Reached", maybe - it's one of the few love triangles that is handled with kindness and respect on all three sides, sensibly so, as they have a pandemic and a revolution on their hands.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...