Thursday, November 14, 2013

Reviewers' Roundtable- Let's Talk Series


The Reviewers' Roundtable is a weekly discussion feature hosted by me and Emily from Read Your Bookcase.  Each week we discuss a different bookish/blogging topic and hope you guys will share your thoughts too! 

Go HERE to find a list of past/future topics.

The Hosts:




Series- What Hooks You and What Makes You Pass?



Ok so let's talk about series.  I read a lot of Contemporary YA so I can definitely be more picky about what series I want to start.  It seems like most fantasy, paranormal, and dystopian are all series these days.  But Contemporary has a lot more standalones.  I consider this good and bad.  Good because I really DON'T like to read a ton of series and I guess it's because it's a lot to keep track of.  Like I have all these characters' stories in my head and I have to keep them there because their stories aren't finished yet.  With standalones I don't have to actively keep the story in my head.  If it sticks, it sticks.  On the other hand Bad because if I truly love a book and a character, I get sad to have it end.  I get to hoping someday the author will change his or her mind and decide to make it a series.  And that rarely happens, so :(

These are my reasons for staying with a series:

1.  The First Book Rocks My World- obviously if I'm in love with the first book I will want to continue.

2.  There's a MAJOR cliffhanger that shocks me- Yeah I'm a sucker for good cliffhangers.  Even if I don't love love the first book, I will sometimes read on with the series to find out what happens.

3.  Most of the series is already published- If there's no waiting for books to be released sometimes I'm just like why not?

4.  Other Bloggers assure me that it's worth continuing- I trust my blogging buddies and if they say it gets better, I'll give it a try.


Here are my reasons for DNFing a series:

1.  The book offends me- Sometimes I think my personality just clashes with certain topics in books... and if we're really not getting along, I usually will just call it quits on the series.

2.  The cliffhanger at the end takes a bad turn- There have been books *cough* Wake *cough* that are one way throughout the entire book and then right at the end it turns the book into being about something completely different.  I Don't Like THAT!

3.  I don't click with any of the characters- I've been reading a lot of books lately where I am not liking ANY of the characters.  I can't imagine reading a drawn out series if I don't like at least one of the m/c's.

4.  The series keeps going and going and going and going- Really I'm probably only good for like 5 books.  So if the author is planning on more than that, I'm bound to get bored and quit.  HELLO Sara Shepard!


Series I'm Addicted to Right NOW:

  • The Jasper Dent series- Serial killers scare me and I like Jazz a lot.  Plus the 2nd book had like 3 intense cliffhangers going on so...
  • The Mara Dyer series- Creepy and cool and I once I start I can't stop with these books
  • The Shadowlands series- Ok so this kind of broke my rule for changing what the book was about right at the end... but man it was a mindfuck that actually liked.
  • The Visions series- I LOVE Jules.


Series I've been avoiding/ones I've quit on:

  • The Lux series- I wasn't sure how many books were going to be in the series... but I was starting to get nervous.  I think there's only going to be 5, so that is do-able.  But IDK about aliens.  Will I really like a book about alien love?
  • The Selection series- Yeah I just don't think the feminist in me can do this book.  It's too Bachelor sounding.  Girls standing around hoping a guy will "pick" her... and insta-love.
  • The Dream Catcher (Wake) series- I just didn't like that ending in book 1.
  • The Princess Diaries series- WOAH too many books.  I read the first one and I heart Mia and Michael... but I think I'm too old for these books.  AND like I said the series goes on forever.
  • The Gallagher Girls series- I don't know if I like books about spies.  I *think* I do, but do I really?
  • The Jessica Darling series- I've read the first 4 but I've been putting off reading that final book because book 4 pissed me off something terrible.  Jessica was NOT the Jessica I wanted her to be.  She was the same girl at 22 or however old she was as she was at 16.  I wanted her to GROW and she just didn't.


So what makes you want to continue on with a series.  Are you one of those people who will push through and read the series even if you weren't feeling the first book?  Or do you call it quits?  Is there anything that will make you change your mind about continuing on?  

Have you read any of the series on my list of ones I've been avoiding and are they worth giving them a try??

10 comments:

  1. I've read the first book in the Lux series to complete a challenge, but it was okay. Nothing too special, so I don't think you are really missing out on something good :) Series that keep going and going are annoying *looks at The mortal instruments and all the other series in the same world* Sometimes you know when to stop, because often it makes the series only worse.

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    1. That Mortal Instrument series has too many prequels, spin-offs, and stuff like that. Who can keep track of all that? I think Cassandra Clare and Sara Shepard should be friends since they take an idea and RUN with it!

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  2. Cute post idea! Besides stuff that I read when I was a kid, I don't think I've ever read a series that was more than 3-4 books. I just started the Lux series and want to continue, and I think that'll be the longest one I've ever done. It just seems like way too big of a commitment! And I have a lot of problems remembering stuff that happened in the previous book when reading series, so I don't think that style of reading is for me.

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    1. I want to start the Lux series. I really do! I'm just intimidated by the alien thing. But everyone says it's awesome, so I'm gonna do it soon :)

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  3. If I don't like the first book all that much, I'll usually see if the second one is at the library, but if I don't like that one, BYE BYE!! I haven't actually read the second book in the Jasper Dent series *hangs head in shame*. I read the first one a few months ago, and I keep telling myself that I need to read the second one. I pretty much quit the Mortal Instruments series after reading half of book three and deciding that it wasn't worth all the hype. As for the Gallagher Girls, I ADORE them, but I have friends who couldn't make it through them, so I guess it's just personal preference.

    TRQ @ We're All Mad Here

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    1. I am hopeful about the Gallagher girls series. I got the first book from the library and then I had to take it back before I started it. I need to just do it because it sounds adorable. And I'll finally find out if I really do like books about spies! You should totally read the 2nd Jasper Dent book. I think it's even better than the first!

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  4. I have different reasons for wanting to read a series. One is if there is a series by an author whose books I enjoy, I'm thrilled to find a series by that author.

    Or, the world in the series is just so awesome I want to figure out how everything works there. But I do need at least one characters I truly enjoy - whether it's because I love them or hate them (although, I'm better at sticking with the characters I love).

    Deal-breakers in series for me are if an important character shows no growth, but continues to do the same stupid mistakes over and over. Or if one of the characters I really enjoy suddenly feel like they had a brain transplant.

    I'm not afraid of series that are really long. One of my favorite series is The Hallows by Kim Harrison, twelve books are already released, and I am so amazed at the character growth, the way the world is still being revealed (even if I know a lot about it already) and the over all story arcs are so well done! Something happened in the second book, and it had an impact on something that happened several books later. Of course, I had no trouble remembering it, because I read all twelve books this summer :)

    Great post!

    Lexxie @ (un)Conventional Bookviews

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    1. Wow that sounds really fun to read a 12 book series all in one summer!! Then you can just become immersed in it and not lose anything with long waits in between. I know exactly what you mean about character growth and brain transplant. I am not a fan of those things at ALL. That's why I haven't read the final book in the Jessica Darling series. In the 4th book I expected her to have grown a little and she didn't at all. She still acts like a 15 year old :(

      Thanks for stopping by!!

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  5. I've heard so many good things about the lux series, I think I'm going to pick it up soon!

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  6. Wow some of these sound really good, like that lux series i think i will have to read it i love series thank you for your reviews

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