The biggest problem with marvellous favourite series is that…they end.
Dang it.
If I get really obsessive about a series, I most emphatically do NOT want it to end. I want that glorious flailing, magnanimous, ship-sailing, glory-shedding, huzzah-giving finale to go on and on and on. I want to have that “next book” to look forward to! I don’t want to return to normal life! COME ON.
If they have to end (life is so unfair) then it needs to be AMAZING in order for me to be satisfied.
I just spent how many years with a series?! I need all that pain, the feels, the screaming, the anticipation to be worth the finale.
No pressure, authors, nooooo pressure.
So, what do I want and yearn for in Epic Book Series Conclusion?
I’m very glad you asked that, because I naturally have a list for you. Just a small list. Let’s not go overboard, my bountiful blogglings.
1) I Want Blood
Okay, that sounded really masochistic and sort of psychotic. BUT LET ME EXPLAIN. I’m not really an axe-murder. I just want finales that have realistic repercussions. If I’ve spent 5 books reading epic fantasy battles and NO ONE EVER DIES, I will be greatly put-out and extremely dubious of the author’s soft heart. People die. (That’s what people do.*) No matter how much I whinge, I want my heart ripped out with some deaths of awesome characters.** I need this.
* You get cake from the dark side if you understood this reference.
** It is NOT acceptable just to kill secondary characters that no one cares about. Some of the top characters need to go out with lightning and a bang, thankyouverymuch.
2) I Want Ships To Sail
In secret selfish honesty…I want my shi
ps to sail. I want the couples I’ve been routing for to get together. BUT. I get it. Authors don’t always know what I’m thinking. (I’ll change that when I rule the world, of course, but for now: I have to put up with it.)
But some ships have to sail. I’m not a soppy person who awws excessively over true love. I’m a realistic person who sits there with a 700-page paperback thinking, “I’ve been stuck with your angst and drama for 6 books and several thousand pages…SOMEBODY MARRY THESE TWO AND TELL THEM TO SHUT UP SO I CAN HAVE CLOSURE.” I’m very romantic, you see?
3) I Don’t Want Everything Neatly Packaged
I love open endings. I like it when series end, but there could possibly in my wildest dreams be more books one day. (Like The Hunger Games! Ha. I make myself laugh.) I want a few loose threads. I want enough so that my mind can conjure “extra scenes”.
4) I Want It To Stretch The Characters To The Extreme
The finale of my childhood favourite series, The Ranger’s Apprentice: The Royal Ranger is a grand example of a series petering out into nothingness. There was no wowzer ending. No battle. No plot twist to throw the brain into a knot. No gross sobbing as characters fading into the distance. It just sort of…chuffed into extinction.
I want endings that force characters to make 
bad decisions and deal with the consequences (hey, don’t look at me like that…bad decisions are more fun to read about). I want characters to collapse at the end EXHAUSTED.*
* Naturally, I want to collapse at the end exhausted too. I can’t if the characters just finish up the finale with tea and jam.
5) I Want An Extraordinary Last Sentence
Maybe this is being too picky…but a book goes up in my esteem if the last sentence is worth crying for. Or screaming. Or shrieking. Whatever. I’m flexible with the emotion.
Last sentence of Sinner (The Wolves Of Mercy Falls series) by Maggie Stiefvater:
But we did it better together.
Last sentence of The End (A Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket:
Beatrice.
SEE?! It makes a difference. Particularly if it manages to sum up the series as well as be a poetically glorious conclusion. Or, in Lemony Snicket’s case, just makes you wail because the word Beatrice means a lot in his books.
I know, I know…I ask a lot.
But a lot of series finales live up to my expectations! I adored Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins and City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare and Light by Michael Grant OH AND Allegiant by Veronica Roth.
Finales I haven’t liked so much? Well, The Royal Ranger by John Flanagan and Rebel by Amy Tintera weren’t my favourites.
I just want glorious finales that are worth the fangirling and the feels.
It’s not too much to ask, right?
how about you?! how do you take your series finale? what are YOUR requirements for the finale-of-your-dreams? do your ships have to get together for the finale to be successful? open endings or everything tied up in a bow? do last sentences matter to you? TELL ME IN THE COMMENTS.
Cait has been very slow at writing posts this last week. She has the ideas just…no motivation. She blames it on Christmas busyness and also on the puppy (everything is blamed on the puppy) and on the sudden panicky thought that 2014 is nearly OVER FOREVER. Can we freak out yet?!
I DO NOT HANDLE SERIES ENDERS WELL. I am so, so, so picky when it comes to that . . . and more often than not they don’t live up to my expectations. But hey–sometimes they do, and isn’t that glorious? But most of the time I just wish the series would go on and and on forever. Unfortunately I was one of those people that didn’t really like the ending of Allegiant. I respected the realism of it, though, but I think by that point I was just a little sick of the story. =/ I don’t really like “happily ever afters” either. They’re boring. And predictable, and I’d just rather not. And YES! Last sentences are so very important.
Kara @ Diary of a Teen Writer recently posted…Sunday Weekly Wrap Up (41) & Stacking the Shelves (22)
OH GOOD. I\’M NOT ALONE IN MY IRRATIONAL BADLY HANDLING OF SERIES FINALES. I\’m not a fan of happily ever afters either….eh. I mean, when does that happen IRL? I WANT REALISM. *nods and flails flag of realism triumph*
Wow, it’s been forever since I commented on your blog! Since I’ve read your blog! I blame life. It caught up to me.
You got the new blog up! Yay! I love the design! I realize you’ve probably had it up for months now and I’m just now catching up on your postsXD
I love this post! I just started a trilogy and will be referring back to this later! I started it in November, but didn’t know it was going to be more than a stand alone until…three (?) weeks ago. Pretty much everything got planned last weekXD For the finale: deaths, check (I just have to decide who). Ships will be sailed (well, they won’t be married, but exactly, but it’s basically said that it will happen eventually). I will find an epic last sentence, because, yes, last sentences do matter. There will be loose ends (seriously, if you knew the world my characters now live in you would understand that it would take a series spanning 20+ years to even attempt to fix it). And yeah, my poor characters will be stretched to the max. Poor Gwen looses it for a bit after book 2 (like rampaging almost psychopath bent on killing the people who hurt her).
Wow, this turned into a really long post, so I’m going to shut up nowXD
JORDAN. HELLO!!! HERE IS A NAME FROM THE PAST. LOL!! Oh the design is new! Just this December, really. So you\’re good. 😉
AHhhh, good luck with your finale!! I\’m glad you think last sentences matter too. *nods* I think they\’re grossly overlooked sometimes, but they rooooock like nothing else.
I just want to say quickly that I’m glad that I’m not the only person who liked the endings of MJ or Allegiant.
And I got the Moriarty reference.
*eats cake*
Nadja recently posted…Whomas #1
OH YAY AN ALLEGIANT FAN. *tackle hugs you quickly because feels like we are the only Allegiant fans in the universe* >.>
It was necessary for *spoilers for anybody who hasn’t read it yet but accidently reads this* because it totally fits her complete personality! It’s brave AND selfless.
Nadja recently posted…Whomas #3
DIBS ON THE DARK SIDE CAKE. Oh yeah. I mean, I’m awful at finishing series. There are so many series where I’ve only read the first book from or whatever. But I want the whole shebang, you know? I want death, I want love, I want really powerful scenes, and I want an amazing final sentence. Otherwise I will ssssskin them and turn them into shoes.
Inge @ Bookshelf Reflections recently posted…The Grinch’s Christmas Giveaway: Day 14
*hands you one crumb from dark side cake because has consumed the rest already*
I\’M AWFUL TOO AT FINISHING. I was trying to think of series to mention and I realised, um, nope I haven\’t finished Grisha or Laini Taylor\’s or Inkheart or Partials or JUST ABOUT EVERYTHing ARghhHHH.
I want death and love, hopefully simultaneously because heartbreak. yus. I don\’t like to feel happy anyway.
If I don’t cry when reading a book it is not a good book. – That’s my motto.
Now, as about the finale, let me tell you this: I love it when things are all wrapped up; when there is nothing left to worry about anymore; when everything is the way it is supposed to be. Because that means I don’t have to worry about the series anymore. I don’t have to obsess over everything that was unanswered. I don’t have to wonder. I don’t have to be on the lookout about whether or not the author is ever going to publish another book. It’s exhausting. Take Midnight Sun for example. Do you know how long I was obsessing over this even after Stephenie Meyer announced she wouldn’t be finishing it? YEARS. I still check sometimes.
I have to admit, though, whilst it kills me for my beloved characters to be killed off, and whilst it makes me HATE the author, if she manages to do it in a realistic way? I’ll sob myself to death for a few days (I’m not even kidding. The night I finished Allegiant I cried for hours and during Sunday Brunch my parents kept asking me why my eyes are so red and puffy and I would break out in tears all over again. – It’s sick, I’m telling you.) and then love it. I’m a sadist. I know. A masochist too.
But I also always need the ending to be something… more. I’m not even discussing my ships. If they haven’t gotten together by the point the series has reached it’s middle I am not ok with it. I need some steamy scenes to go on. So, I need action. I need feels. I need hurt and pain and betrayal and revelations.
Really, I love it when someone who we REALLY assumed to be a good guy turns out to be a bad guy, or THE HEROINE HERSELF turns out to be the bad guy without us even knowing the whole time! I just feel so hurt and betrayed and led on and… I love it. When it all makes sense.
Now, those generic endings of the battle being over in the chapter before and then showing them all happy and EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER no matter if secondary or not ends up in a happy relationship out of the blue? Nope. That knocks a star or two right off the ending for being so fucking cheesy and predictable.
Karolina @ Bookshelf Reflections recently posted…The Grinch’s Christmas Giveaway: Day 14
OMG YOU ARE SO RIGHT. I looooove that bad-guy-is-good-or-vice-versa. It\’s probably my favourite plotline of the world. Blurred lines and grey areas = my life and heart are happy and gleeful.
For sure. *nods*
I LIKE IMAGINING WITH OPEN ENDINGS. I like fretting. lol Not at the time….but in retrospect I do. Like City of Heavenly Fire? BEST WRAP UP. EVER.
Predictable is NOT OKAY.
I want fireworks and tears of anguish and blood.
But a little bit if cake and happiness.
Omg. Allegiant made me cry ugly ugly tears and I LOVED IT FOR THAT.
I’m going to make it my life’s goal to end a series with tea and jam, but still please you. IT WILL BE GLORIOUS.
The only problem I have with Harry Potter is the ending. Oh gosh. No spoilers, Emily. OKAY BUT YOU HAVE TO READ THEM. PRRRRONTO.
Also, I did get your reference. Love it 🙂
OH OH OH AND I GOT YOUR CHRISTMAS CARD TODAY <3 It's beautifullllll. Your birthday present is going to have to be EXTRA excellent now (it will be late, unfortunately, because I'm planning to get it while I'm in England…but no more questions, you have to wait).
Emily @ The Loony Teen Writer recently posted…Stacking the Shelves + Past and Future Book Week
OKAY YOU DO THAT. I\’M SURE YOU CAN DO THAT, ACTUALLY.
Ahhhh, I promise I will finish HP next year. NEXT YEAR. It\’ll be like my 2015 goal. Actually I\’m going to write a list of books I swear I\’m finishing next year. Like Laini Taylor and Leigh Bardugo. o.O Urgh I\’m awful with not finishing things.
I HOPE IT MADE AN EPIC MESS ON YOUR FLOOR AND ALL OVER YOU. GLITTER IS THE MEANING OF LIFE. lol Awww, omg, you don\’t have to buy me a birthday present!! SERIOUSLY!
Series finales I’m very picky about. Blood of Olympus and The Last Olympian were fantastic endings, open, brilliant, full of the action, nice rounding off, brilliant I tell you. Still Point made my heart flutter and created this open ending too of a future for these characters, I liked it. But there’s been some that didn’t quite hit the mark and haven’t felt perfect, but hey, I like some characters to die, no matter how painful, I like realistic endings too, like no too simple battle or ending thing, and I want some emotion, some passion, relief, love, heartache, something, ANYTHING, it matters hugely. Fantastic post Cait, I’m pleased by this! 🙂
Amanda @ Book Badger recently posted…In Bed With Badger #40 – THE LAST OF 2014
Emotion, passion and relief and heartache, yessss, I AM WIth You ON THIS. Ugly feels, peoples, I want ugly feels. Ahhh, and I need to read more Riordan. >_<
I agree with practically all of these. I want epic battles, I want the characters to make life-altering decisions, I want scenes that will make me shriek and flail and cry and most importantly, I WANT MY SHIPS TO SAIL! Like I just recently finished rereading the Percy Jackson series and honestly, that was one of the best finales EVER. I also recently finished Blood of Olympus and I was quite disappointed because the battle wasn’t nearly as epic and the ending was a bit meh (I wasn’t as satisfied, but I think Rick Riordan left it like that because I have a feeling the characters are going to make an appearance in his new series) whereas in Percy Jackson, so many characters died! I don’t like it when characters do die because it tears my bookish heart in two, but it’s much more realistic ESPECIALLY if it’s such a hectic battle. Fantastic post, Cait! <3
Kyra recently posted…Mini Review – Goth Girl and the Ghost of Mouse – Chris Riddell
SHIPS SAILING IS A REALLY NICE AND AWESOME TOUCH, I THINK. Firstly I want the epic and emotional shattering character arcs, buuuuut, SHIPS. Ships make me happy. ^_^ Ahhh, I want to read Percy Jackson. xD I\’m going to next year. It\’s like top of my to-read list now. *nods*
READ IT. It’s literally one of the best series ever. Persassy Jackson is sassy and Annabeth is snarky and clever and awesome and they’re so adorable and eek! Let me know when you read it!
Kyra recently posted…Mini Review – Goth Girl and the Ghost of Mouse – Chris Riddell
I WANT ENDINGS THAT ARE NATURAL AND CARE NOT IF THEY ARE OPEN, AMBIGUOUS OR NEAT. AS LONG AS THEY’RE NATURAL. Which you can always tell. The natural progression of the plot line. It just feels right to end there. Unfortunately, this doesn’t happen very often. Endings are sadly so contrived nowadays. All these plots are left untouched (in the way that it feels like they’ve been abandoned), all these characters never get a mention again…I don’t know, there’s this very specific feeling.
BUT LIKE YOU, I WANT A TEST OF CHARACTER, OF WILL, OF STRENGTH. I want the protagonist to question everything–morals, the meaning of life etc. I want them to make the wrong decisions and learn from that. I want them to know pain but know kindness.
I want myself to stop commenting close to midnight because I don’t think I’m lucid enough, tbh.
Jess @My Reading Dress recently posted…Seeking Saturday’s Read #16: Retreating From the Online World, 2015’s Darkling and Next Week’s Ambitious TBR
I WANT NATURAL ENDINGS TOO. But then I guess that depends on who\’s version of \”natural\” it ends up with, right?! I mean, I actually struggled to list any book endings I didn\’t like. *gasps* Maybe I\’m easy to please, but I really enjoy most finales! I usually rate them 5-stars and go away squeaking like an octopus of happiness.
THEY MUST KNOW PAIN. THEY MUST. AND THERE MUST BE CONSEQUENCES. Otherwise it\’s just not fair and it\’s not real and I just go away crying that it feels unreal.
I am terrible with endings of books. I actually agree with all of those points – those are all things I want to see in the end! And I want to be satisfied, knowing my characters are going to be okay now, whether the ending is open or not. But if the ending of a book (series or not) is so good I will go, um, high level fangirl mode. At the end of the Gone series I cried, and squealed in my car for about ten minutes before my Mum was going to ground me if I didn’t be quiet. At the end of Ender’s Game I had so many feels and was so mindblown that I jumped up and down, then jumped on my bed and cracked one of the supporting planks beneath it (again, didn’t go well with Mum xD Who said reading wasn’t a dangerous activity?)
Check out my review: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2014/12/only-g…
Olivia recently posted…Only the Good Die Young (Review)
THAT\’S HOW I FELT ABOUT THE END OF THE GONES SERIES. BECAUSE OF YOU-KNOW-WHO DYING HAPPENED TO BE MY FAVOURITE CHARACTER AND FJASDKLFD IT WAS PERFECT AND RIGHT BUT I CRIED AND CRIED. *ahem* Yes. Feeeeels. I have them.
Yes, yes and yes. I definitely agree about open endings, that’s why I adore the end to the Legend series – Marie Lu left it open for the reader to decide what happens next.
I also like a series to end with a bang, like Allegiant. While it was sad I thought it was a great series ender and I don’t know that a happy ending would have worked.
Rosie recently posted…Warm up in the shower with LUSH’s Hot Toddy
AHhhh, I need to finish Legend too. *facepalm* I\’m so bad at finishing things. Heh. I LOVED ALLEGIANT. I\’m so glad to find people saying they liked it toooooo, because all I hear is hate on it and I loved it so much. *fangirls irrationally*
Champion is amaaaaazing. I get all excited when I read people saying they like Allegiant too! I thought the ending was right, I don’t think it would have worked any other way.
Rosie recently posted…Learn To Speak Cat 2: The Latest Mews – Anthony Smith *
AGREED. I agree with all of your points! I hate when finales are just “meh”. Like when there’s so much build-up in the earlier books and you’re expecting some gigantic, mind-blowing finale – but then it’s just not as epic as you anticipated.
I loved the last Heroes of Olympus book, but I was just a tad bit disappointed…and while I was reading your post, I was like “Yep. Yep. Yep. That was what was wrong with BoO…” So yeah, spot on.
Hannah Mary recently posted…Christmas Reads // the sequel
Finales have to be the BEST BOOK OF EVER. Because it\’s like the finale goodbye, the curtain close…it\’s what we remember the most, right?! Everyone knows beginnings and endings are most memorable. XD
I prefer series ending where everything wraps up nicely 😀 Love your lists Cait 😀
Stefani recently posted…30 Day Book Challenge | Day 14
Haha! It does let the mind be peaceful, right?!!
I am weird. Finales are not the end of my universe, even if they are done badly. Case in point, Shadow of the Dragon. The first book was INCREDIBLE! I needed the sequel like I needed air. The sequel (and final book) was very…I’m not even sure. I mean, it was a fantasy with dragons, and then we got time travel thrown in and I was just like what? Also, my ship didn’t sail 🙁 I was, however, right about who the prophecy was about, and I like being right, so it wasn’t all bad. It smashed cliches too, so I shouldn’t really complain 😉
The final Heroes of Olympus book was AMAZING! But nobody else seems to think so…Everyone’s up and arms about how Percy and Annabeth didn’t have a point of view. At the risk of getting flamed, I was glad about that, I mean, I do ship them (everyone does- it took five books, after all!) but I don’t want everything to be about the romance. Ships getting together is actually at the bottom of my list for an AWESOME finale.
Top of my list? I want to know what happens to my favourite characters. If they die, I want drama, and I want to see the reactions of the people closest to them.
Being right is awesome. It does make my day when I\’m right. *coughs*
I don\’t want everything to be about romance either! I just want the romances to make a decision. Usually I find romance just oh so angsty and frustrating in books. >.> BUT I\’M PICKY AND VERY UNROMANTIC AT HEART. lol I haven\’t finished any of Rick Riordan\’s series, or, um, started them….eh. I read the firs book and finishing is on my 2015 to do list. xD
Ugh, main characters HAVE to go out with drama. I MOSTLY WANT THEM TO LIVE. Like the writing half of me wants them dead, but the reader half wants them to live. XD
I am so sending a certain scene in my book when I finish writing it just to have your opinion on it. (hint: I thought of it while reading point number one. Also, I want to see if I can rip out someone’s heart who hasn’t read the whole book, just that one scene.)
(okay maybe this evil writer should calm down now)
(maybe)
Lisa Canfield recently posted…And this little piggy got a haircut
OMG. YES PLEASE I WANT I WANT I WANT.
*grabby hands*
*evil author happy dancing* I shall send when it’s written. But I don’t know how soon that will be. But you WILL GET IT I PROMISE YOU THAT.
Lisa Canfield recently posted…And this little piggy got a haircut
OKAY I\’LL PRETEND I\’M PATIENT. ALTHOUGH I\’M NOT REALLY. BUT I\’LL PRETEND.
*pats your head and gives you cake* good pretending.
Lisa Canfield recently posted…And this little piggy got a haircut
I do want lots of emotion, a feeling that good things are still coming for the characters…and a grand finale is a must.
Thanks for sharing…and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
Laurel-Rain Snow recently posted…AUTHOR’S HOME PAGE
ALL WE NEED IS LOVE AND FIREWORKS AND A BIT OF BLOOD AND SWEAT AND TEARS.
I hate when I get to the series finale, I don’t like saying goodbye to a world and characters that I’ve spent so much time with. But unfortunately, the end must come. Really the only thing that’s a must for me is my closure. I have to feel satisfied with the way it ends or it drives me crazy! Although, I do love me some bloodshed too 😉
Christy @ Novel Ink recently posted…Sunday Showdown (25) Roth VS. Zayne
I don\’t want to say goodbye either. *sobs in the corner* I\’ve invested so many hours into a series and the characters just start to feel like my besties after a while. DON\’T MAKE ME SAY GOODBYE. Closure is niiiiice but I do like some crazy open endings. 😉
Believe it or not, I actually like the endings of books. Most of the time. I’m dying to know what happens and how everything is resolved. Then I can [usually] go on Pinterest and fangirl and cry over images.
But Blood of Olympus did not satisfy me. *SPOILER* There were no deaths. Not even a bit of blood [except for Percy’s nosebleed which set off the entire rising]. EVEN THOUGH THIS BOOK IS ABOUT DEMIGODS AND THE EARTH EING EVIL, IT CAN BE THE TINIEST BIT REALISTIC AND SOMEONE CAN DIE FOR GODS’ SAKE.
Some of my favorite endings though are Harry Potter, City of Heavenly Fire, Allegiant, Mockingjay, and Sisters Grimm [an old childhood series]. I like endings with epilogues, though, so everything wraps up nicely and I know exactly how it ends, with them marrying and having 6.4 kids, driving a blue VW Bug, and living in San Francisco in an apartment. I LIKE THAT. HOWEVER, UNCLE RICK DOES NOT.
As you can tell, I’m still not over BoO.
Chloe @ Free As a Girl With Wings recently posted…Book Review: Pretties by Scott Westerfield
Pinterest is epic for like post-book-series-finale-traumatic-stress-relief. I ALWAYS NEEDS IT.
OMG THAT IS NOT OKAY ABOUT BLOOD OF OLYMPUS EVEN THOUGH I HAVEN\’T READ IT SO I READ YOUR COMMENT CAUTIOUSLY BUT THAT\’S OKAY. Now I know. Gawsh. That\’s a little cheaterish of Rick Riordan. 😉 Yaaaay another Allegiant lover! *hi fives* We must band together, honestly. We are small in numbers. xD
I LOVED the end bySnicket. I want to read that series again.
One thing I require in a series finale is what I call the moment of ultimate pain. That’s when wearers shown quite starkly how different a character we loved from the beginning has become
I LOVED IT SO MUCH TOO. Are you reading his new series? I\’m sad because it\’s only 4 books and the 4th comes out next year and I have to say goodbye all over again. *cries* I love Lemony Snicket.
I want everything you want, which I think is why I’m always so disappointed. It’s so hard to squish all the awesome from the series into a neat little package – but I want it damn it!
AND YES the last line! Even though it’s not the last in the series, I had a problem with the last line in THIS SHATTERED WORLD. I just had a way more epic line in my head and I wanted to share with the world!
Thanks for the discussion Cait!
Amber Elise recently posted…Weekly Wrap Up: December 17-December 13, 2014
It IS so hard to get all these into one finale, right?! I mean, loads of authors do it perfectly…but it is a high bar to throw a book across. xD
*goes off to reread last line in TSW* eh, yeah. It was lacking. I prefer the one in These Broken Stars. More sweetish. xD
CAKE FROM THE DARK SIDE FOR ME. *stuffs face*
Agreed on every single point! I want blood, sweat, and tears, and lots of ’em. The last sentence of a beloved series is usually what makes me collapse into a puddle of feels. The first and last lines of my books are always the one I take the longest to write, because they have to be perfect.
The best finales I’ve read, hands down, is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. There was laughter, tears, death, and epic battles. What more could I want?
The season finales for TV shows are almost always spectacular, too. 🙂 (Uh, hello, “Sherlock” Season 2? FEELS.) And I’ve gotten to the point in “Supernatural” that I start crying during the “Carry On My Wayward Son” sequence. That song will never be the same again.
The Magic Violinist recently posted…‘Bout This Blogger Tag
HA. I AM NOT SURPRISED YOU GET THE CAKE.
Blood, sweat and tears are so so needed. It just doesn\’t feel worth the fangirling trauma if there\’s not. IT DOESN\’T. I don\’t ask for much, right?!
Ah YUS this all goes for TV finales too. HEEEEH. Sherlock, I hate that show. I HATE IT I HATE IT. <– Translation is: I love it so much it has melted my braincells and made my fangirl cries turn to tears of agreeable trauma.
Bah. Carry On my Wayward Son makes me cry every time. I don\'t even care if it\'s out of context I still cry. There\'s a REALLY beautiful version in S10. Just wait. It is so gorgeous.
Wow, now I’m going to start judging the last sentences of series finales in order to see if they shape up to the book finale of my dreams!
For me the author has to really show that it’s the last rollercoaster spin in the whole series: this is it, it has to go out with a bang! (so explosions, FEELS, lights, camera, action, a fast paced plot, a DRAMATIC and AWESOME climax = the end of a book series!). And they do matter to me a lot, for the most part with me I won’t have the whole series on hand, and may have started the first book a whole year before I got to the last one, so the last one has the most impact on me, y’know? So it needs to affect me, kick me in the feels, make me scream in happiness, EVERYTHING! The writer has to pull out the big guns, y’know?
In the case of ships I don’t want them to get squished together at the end of the series if they’ve been having a real SLOW-burn romance throughout the whole series – it just detracts from their appeal for me. So I guess I wouldn’t mind if the couple don’t get together in the end book…as long as everyone’s gone through a real crazy hoot-hoot of a time I’ll be happy. Forget the romance, we can sort out an epilogue or a novella or something for them. 😛
also, NO LOOSE ENDS, please. I can’t stand them, especially in the end of the series! I mean, all the other books in the series may have loose ends, but this is the last book! Everything neatly packaged, please! 😀
Mawa Mahima recently posted…This Week of Wordiness: New Themes, Funny Times, and Praise for Ness
I want to do a post on last sentences (like I did one on first sentences) but I\’m worried about spoilers. 😉 So noooo for now. But they totally do need to rock!!! They\’re as important as first sentences, Imo.
DEFINITELY. The big guns have to come out and fire laser beams and canons and the works. There can be nothing half done. *nods* BURN THE WORLD!! *evil cackle*
I totally agree with you on all of these points – blood, ships, open-endedness, extreme situations, and punch-in-the-gut last lines are all definitely things I look for in my series endings. I want epic scenes! Passages that make me tear up and give me chills and dissolve me into helpless laughter! I stand with you on this!
And I also wholeheartedly agree on the count of THE ROYAL RANGER. I just… I did really enjoy it as a standalone, but I didn’t think it did justice to those characters and that world as a finale. BECAUSE WILL AND HALT AND THE GANG ARE FOREVER. (Also, I will be FOREVER sore over Alyss.) But honestly, I just didn’t want this series to end. Despite the fact that there are, y’know, twelve books.
Probably one of the best series enders I’ve read is THE BITTER KINGDOM by Rae Carson, which I think fulfilled all of these counts. Also DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS by Laini Taylor. I CRY FOREVER ABOUT THOSE BOOKS AND THEIR BRILLIANCE. I also really loved CLOCKWORK PRINCESS by Cassandra Clare as a series conclusion, though the epilogue specifically was a bit of a letdown for me. (I’m desperately hoping that the fourth Raven Cycle book next year and Marissa Meyer’s WINTER and the last Throne of Glass book which comes out SOMEDAY will live up to these expectations.)
Great post, Cait – your wisdom knows no bounds, it seems 🙂
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Ergh yes. Why wasn\’t The Royal Ranger a standalone??? It just wasn\’t a finale and the series DESERVED a finale. Imo, I loved book 9 and after that it all kind of went downhill for me. 😐 Nothing could top Halt in book 9. AND OMG ALYSS THOUGH!!! That was so random. It was like \”oh, um, waht should book 12 be about….just kill Alyss, that\’ll do.\” Like, that\’s not how you kill a main character. I\’m forever upset about that.
I NEED TO READ DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS BUT I DOOOOON\’T WANT THAT SERIES TO END. *cries* They are so wonderful.
YES!!!! I agree with all of this!!
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YAAAAY.
There needs to be bloodshed. It needs to be tough. I need to be sucked into it and terrified for everyone’s survival. I like my series finales brutal, I guess. Usually, I prepare myself for the worst and all I ask is that my OTP comes out okay (they often do, but I’ve been heartbroken several times…ick.) My favorite memory from a series finale was the last Unwind book (and yes, I will ramble about those EVERY TIME xD). I read the entire second half of the book on a homeschool field trip in about three hours, and there were definitely tears and a few instances of shouting at the book in public. It’s just not a good finale if it’s not gripping.
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Brutal. YUS. Me too. I want to have my feels ripped out though then I go whine about it for days. ha. My OTPs are pretty important, but I\’m willing to forgive….soooometimes. >.> I will not be okay if a few series don\’t end the way I want them to next year, lol. XD
I don’t always read series finales. Sometimes I just can’t. Some series I just have to leave open and unsure. (Case in point: I refuse to read Mockingjay, I sent the last book of the Underland series back to the library unread, and I stopped reading Unfortunate events at the Slippery Slope. I just couldn’t handle them anymore.)
But when I do read series, I want plot twists. I want some closure, but not complete, for I want to know that, should the author decide to revisit this world and write something more, he or she could. (Case in point: Percy Jackson left a thread open that lead into the Heros of Olympus). I want some ships to sail, and I want them to be adorable in doing so. If I have come up with an idea for the ending, I want that to happen. (The Unicorn Chronicles, for instance. It took me forever to find the last two books, so in the meantime, I fantasized an ending, and I was very pleased when the ending happened very much like what I had imagined. I was just so happy!)
As for last sentences, I like them to be epic and tie up the series, but they don’t usually stick with me.
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REALLY?! Omg, I would die not knowing! MOCKINGJAY IS AMAZING AND PROBABLY THE BEST OF THE SERIES. Seriously…I do recommend reading it. 😉 Buuuut, I won\’t be pushy. *slaps self*
Plot twists for sure! I want to be gobsmacked and hopefully clutching the pages begging for more. Although I mean, that\’s not always in line with the KIND of story. I don\’t often feel that way in contemporaries. Last sentences don\’t stick to me like first ones do, but I still LOVE them and think they\’re super important!
For me, I’m definitely a fan of book endings that bring on the feels. I’ve fallen in love with endings both happy and sad, but either kind needs to resonate with me, and often the ones that stick with me the most are the ones that are kind of bittersweet. Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, the Gemma Doyle trilogy; and can we talk about The Scorpio Races, which is fairly happy but has that underlying melancholia and honestly just makes your heart hurt? I prefer my endings to be a little bit open; I feel like it’s a little too neat when EVERYTHING resolves perfectly. And, like you, I feel like there should often be realistic consequences, although that doesn’t mean kill off ALL the characters. Like, I’m so glad that most of the Fellowship of the Ring survives, because THEY’RE ALL AWESOME. Also, that end is heartbreaking enough. Seriously. Every time I rewatch the movie or reread the book I dissolve into a blubbering mess. *ahem*
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I can\’t even remember the end to the Scorpio Races. *cries* I\’m going to reread it next year because I finally bought it. YAAAAY. It\’ll make book 3 in my Maggie Stiefvater collection. xD for a favourite author I really suck at owning her books, but I\’m sooo fixing that ASAP.
Too neat feels off. It feels like all the realism and wonderfulness of the story is being thrown out the window and you\’re jerked into, this, like, pretend world. I like feeling like I\’m reading something that could actually happen. You know, hold all the paranormal/supernatural stuff. BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. XD
Yes! Which isn’t to say that it’s never realistic to have things fall neatly into place, because I totally believe that things like that can and do happen IRL. But still. The fact of the matter is that a lot of stuff goes down in a book, and all those things have to have believable consequences and conclusions. And “believable” isn’t always synonymous with “neat”.
I loved The End. I didn’t really like the last Narnia book, because it was confusing. I loved Echoes of Us by Kat Zhang, it had the fighting and separationg (not so much blood) but I loved the way the the conflict resolved. Dreams of Gods and Monsters had exactly the right number of ships (the problem with talking about end of series is Spoilers, because that one DoGaM ship *aawwww*) And the FitzOsbournes at WAr didn’t end too apruptly and important people died/were injured and lots of ships sailed. Plus Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. Series finales tend to be amazing or…that went quickly…
Allegiant does tick most of these boxes, but maybe there were too many sacrifices 🙁
I did like the last Narnia book until….Susan. I\’m still mad about that. So so wrong CS Lewis and I am NOT impressed at all.
Ahhhh I need to read DoGaM but I don\’t want that series to end!! AND IT\’S HUGE AND INTIMIDATING. omg. That book must be the size of a small planet. >.>
Oh, I am very, very bad at series endings. Very bad indeed. Basically, either I am thrown into a book hangover like none other, or am so dissatisfied that I am mad I ever read the series. My ships don’t *have* to end up together… unless they DO have to. (I know that makes no sense, so hear me out.) Like, if Katniss had chosen differently, I’d have hated Mockingjay because it would have made no sense and been rubbish. Same with Juliette in Ignite Me. But then there are some that I would have been okay (or even HAVE been okay with) not happening.
As for open versus closed endings, I don’t like complete bow wrappage, but I do like MOST loose ends tied up. Now, I get that not everything can be answered, but I hate like, endings like Requiem where the book literally stops mid-battle. What was I supposed to do with that?!
So best series finales for me would have to be Mockingjay (of course. This should shock exactly no one.), Ignite Me, Haven (the 4th book in the Apocalypsis series by Elle Casey), Monsters of Men. The worst for me were Allegiant (sorry!), Requiem, Raging Star (the Dust Lands by Moria Young), Graduation Day (The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau) and the worst of all time “what kind of fresh hell are you throwing at me?!”, Dead Ever After by Charlaine Harris, the 13th and final Sookie Stackhouse book that left me full of ALL the rage.
Basically I hate when things end, and I hate change. I get so excited for series finales, but good or bad, they kind of break my heart.
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I hate things ending so I HEAR YA. I do love Allegiant but I\’ll give you that. 😉 FAIR ENOUGH. Like it was pretty wild and crazy and sad…ergh. I\’m still sad and I read it like a year ago. *sigh*
OH I loved Ignite Me and Mockingjay so so much. I\’m really impressed with Ignite Me, too, just the fact that it changed the romance and YA\’s hardly EVER do that! I don\’t even know why. Why do teenage girls meet one guy and he\’s The One Forever?! Sometimes the first guy you meet isn\’t the right one!! AHHH. Anyway. XD
I need to read Dustlands. *adds to to-do list in 2015*
I totally agree. An amazing series needs to end with a bang!
Your points are all great, my ships simply have to come true as well. There is nothing worse than the main character getting the WRONG PERSON!
I also reckon that the characters should have some regrets at the end of the book. You can’t come so far without some regrets. While partying, they should remember what they did wrong.
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A big nasty beautiful bang. That\’s all I ask. Totally not much and I\’m so not demanding, right?! 😉
Oh, come on, I think those are reasonable things to ask considering the amount of time and emotion you put into when you read a series. I know I ask the same thing 😉 I want it to take my breath away and I demand it to haunt me for the next three years minimum lol.
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Exactly! It\’s like hours and days and years of emotion put in and you need totally a good ending to make that all worthwhile. XD Oh book endings of my childhood still stick with me. XD
*sulks in the corner of your blog* uGH. THIS POST. AS IF I NEEDED REMINDING THAT I’VE ALMOST FINISHED THE SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT SERIES. I have just the last two books (out of nine) left to read, plus a novella that is set between books #8 and #9. And I’ve been procrastinating by reading other books because I just don’t want this series to end! I like the anticipation and the not-knowing!
I know #1 and #4 will definitely happen – they’ve happened already. #3 and #5 would be nice, but IDK about those just yet. #2? Well… most of my brotps (of which there are a lot! This series has the bestest friendships) are still intact, but… anything I shipped romantically has gone all wonky. 🙁
THIS SERIES BROKE MY HEART OH MY GODDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.
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I procrastinate finishing books too!! I need to read Black Heart and finish the Curseworker trilogy but…but endings. >.> I DON\’T WANNA END IT.
Erp. I\’m behind in Skulduggery. I\’M ALWAYS BEHIND WHY IS THIS?!! But I will get there. They go really dark and awesome,d on\’t they?!! I heard people end up shipping Valkeryie and Skulduggery and I feel weird about that, but we\’ll see I guess.
DOOD YES I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. But like, I want something really good to happen, but I also don’t want everyone to die because it’s painful. But then again ALL THE FEELS is what makes the finales good, yes? BLOOD EVERYWHERE.
Actually, I haven’t finished many series. It was very painful for me to finish Dreams of Gods & Monsters because 1) it was intimidating and 2) IT WAS THE END. But yeah, I think endings are the best when there’s some HUGE PLOT TWIST. Because gah, those are the best.
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I want them to die but I DON\’T want them to die. Like, there is no sense in this BUT IT\’S HOW IT IS. MY BRAIN DOESN\’T MAKE SENSE. LEMME CRY UGLY TEARS ANYWAY.
Ahhh I need to read DoGaM. It\’s huge. Like, a small planet could thrive and live on there. I just ahve to get over my hiccups and just go read it and be done with the whole thing but I don\’t waaaant it to end.
Hand over that cake, Cait, or I’ll burn the heart out of you 😉
And honestly it could be the most perfect series ender in the entire world and I will still not take it well. I just don’t do well with things ENDING, because that means it’s CHANGING and I don’t do well with change O_O I really don’t even know what I’m going to do with myself when Throne of Glass ends. Probably the same thing as HP – reread all the books about thirty times because I can’t let go of anything.
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*hands over cake and runs away screaming in terror*
ENDING IS NOT OKAY. WHY DOES IT NEED TO END? WHY CAN\’T AUTHORS WRITE INDEFINITELY? Don\’t answer that. -_- I know. I know. I\’m not making sense, buuuuut. I\’m a fangirl and I\’m not meant to make sense. *sighs* I\’ll die when ToG ends. I\’m too involved. TOO INVOLVED, I TELL YOU.
Yes! It’s so hard when you have invested so much time and love into a series and you just need something AMAZING to sum it all up! I’m glad I’m not the only one who appreciated Allegiant too! 🙂
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It has to be phenomenal. I DON\’T ASK MUCH. XD
Yaaay another Allegiant lover!! *hi fives*
Unlike you I look forward to endings, indeed I hope for them to come as soon as possible because I am very impatient and I hate waiting not to mention I am tired of everything being a long series..and tired of all the YA trilogies that would be better as duologies or even single books.
I think realistic endings are a must and I like happy endings too but the occasional traumatic one is good as well. Realism is good and I hate when things are wrapped up so neatly with overly convenient circumstances that insult my intelligence, which just happened today. Lol
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Ha! Okay I completely understand feeling like that. XD Although usually if it\’s like a favourite series with too many awesome characters? I do NOT want it to ever end. I will be horribly messy when Throne of Glass reaches the end. XD
YES. I found the series finale to the Women of the Otherworld series to be really boring because a) no one died (it seemed like one secondary character was going to die, but LOL NOPE, just injured in a fairly minor way), and even though the romantic pairing she’d been building to for the better part of 13 books finally happened, they had zero chemistry so I was cranky about it.
I swear, I’m still going to be angry about that finale in like 10 years time…
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I FEEL HORRIBLE BUT: PEOPLE HAVE GOTTA DIE. It\’s just how it is. I get way more attached if I\’m sobbing grossly. Although, you know, part of me feels relieved if they stay alive…a very small nice part of me that I don\’t talk to very often. >.>
Oh my gosh, that Mawwiage gif, I can’t.
“I Want An Extraordinary Last Sentence.” THIS. The last sentence or word alone has the power to make me cry, usually because it’s heartfelt or relates back to the beginning of the story and I’m just like *sobs* We’ve come so far!
“I love open endings.” Cait, noooo! :O I’m exactly the opposite xD I like everything tied up with a bow, I can’t stand those What If questions xD I NEED TO KNOW THE ANSWERS!
And I feel somewhat heartless because for some reason the end of a series doesn’t bother me as much as the end of a television show does, not sure why, haha.
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Every post can ALWAYS be improved with The Princess Bride gifs tho. XD
Last sentences are SO underrated!! Like we rave about first sentence, but last need to be just as awesome and powerful and freakishly fantastic. Whyyyy is it not more common?!! I love books that actually come in a circle. Like when they start telling the story at the end? IT IS SO COOL.
Series END? WHAAAAAT? (This is my way of saying I will prolong reading a final book to the point where I don’t even remember what happened in any of the others book anymore. Can I blame this on my dog?)
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Anything and everything can and should be blamed on a dog.
I blame my dog for the fact that I\’m taking so long to answer comments, even though he is (in fact) sleeping right now and being nice and quiet. STILL I GET DISTRACTED BY FANDOMS AND FLAILING.
Blood? Ooh, you viscous little poppet. I like my villains to be punished, none of this running off into the sunset after they’ve learnt their lesson kind of business either. The first thing I need from my finales is an actual ending. Whether it be good or bad, I need closure and the only reason I can think of for authors not to comply with my wishes is that they might try to resurrect the series to milk more sales in the future. No open endings. Shame on you!
Viva la endings! Thinking about starting my own rebel group. Being bookworms and all, we won’t be all that tough, but we’ll have matching jackets <3
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*hides bloody axe under the bed*
Yes I have a bit of a dark side, but I keep it secret, I DO. I\’m only dark 79% of the time. Awww, punishing villains?! BUT IT DEPENDS ON THE VILLAIN. Sometimes I want them just to escape. President Snow needs to die, but Loki…Loki needs happiness and a family and maybe a cupcake.
I am with you all the way girl. Maybe not so much in ships, because I kinda like the characters to be happy with their own decisions and stuff, because in the end it’s their happy (or not so happy) ending and not ours (don’t judge me, they’re real people sshhh). But if those ships sail, I’m one happy reader. Also, the finally simply must be grand. It cannot snuff out like you mentioned.
All hell MUST break loose.
The best characters MUST die.
THE WORLD MUST BE CHANGED FOR ALL ETERNITY.
And, you know, a bunch of other essential stuff to meet my very low level of satisfaction.
Happiness is nice. *nods* For sure. And if they\’re not going to sale on their ships, I at least want promises of a canoe and a paddle or SOMETHING. I feel too invested to get nothing. XD
ALL HELL HAS GOTTA BREAK LOOSE I AGREE. IT IS A MUST AND NEED.
Great post! I want my characters stretched to amazing development levels by the time the series wraps up. I want to feel their growth and watch them get their closure (whether romantically or from the villain of the story). The series ender needs to be epic and wonderful. No good story should just fizzle out.
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Development is a MUST!! It\’s so so crucial and I think that\’s why Clary from TMI lost me because I really don\’t think she developed much. 0.0
I usually delay reading the series finale. It’s like I want to read it, but then it means it ends, and I can’t handle it when I don’t want the series to end, and I am so afraid of what will happen to my favourite characters. I do expect blood, too, and for the evil people to get what they deserve. And I also want that fantastical last line. It does make a difference 😉
Dre @ Sporadic Reads recently posted…Review 221 : Red Rising by Pierce Brown
AHHH I AM THE SAME! I literally have a bunch of books I\’m not reading the finales of because I\’m \”saving them\”. lol XD I just don\’t want to know the ending yet! I WANT IT TO GO ON FOREVER.
I’m afraid to comment now bc I hated Mockingjay and was Meh on Allegiant. BUT I do agree otherwise with your list. I do love open endings-I mean I want my big burning questions answered, but then I want to be able to take the characters I’ve lived with and imagine them doing whatever I want for life now.
I’ve been afraid to read Into the Still Blue all year bc I don’t want it to not end the way I’m hoping. And I still need to read Dreams of Gods and Monsters bc I’m afraid my heart won’t take it.
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THAT\’S OKAY!!! I\’m good with opposite opinions here. *nods* Oh but definitely: it cant just drop off and not answer any big questions or leave gaping holes in the world-building. I WANNA KNOW THINGS. But if there\’s still loose threads, that makes me happy, because I feel like the book is still privately going on in my head or something. XD
You and me both for Dreams of Gods and Monsters. XD I want to read it BUT I DON\’T. XDXD
I’m lovin’ all the Princess Bride (and Friends + Sam) gif! And yes, finales have to be suuuuuuuuuper epic. All the ships need to sail! But I hate when people die (I actually love the happy endings … as long as they make sense with the story, of course).
And yessssss. Awesome closing sentences are as important as great opening line!
Great post, Cait!
….Now I want to rewatch and reread Princess Bride… /thanks.
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PRINCESS BRIDE GIFS MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER. Fire and ships and partying, that\’s all a finale needs, right?!! happy endings are nice, but I admit….the sad ones stay with me more. XD
I think finales are important and I have ridiculously high expectations. I loved Deathly Hallows because it had everything I needed. There was fighting, death, my ship finally sailed and my heart was broken and repaired. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Mockingjay because the book was slow, boring and Katniss was far too crazy to follow and she sat out on all the action. I didn’t get the epic fighting end that I was promised because she was unconscious for most of it. And the deaths were badly done. I don’t want character deaths because they break my heart, but I kind of feel they’re necessary. If no one dies then it feels a bit too happy and like it’s been tied up too nicely. I have such exceedingly high expectations when it comes to series enders that I am not sure how any author could truly get it 100% right.
Charnell @ Reviews from a Bookworm recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: My Top Reads of 2014
I NEED TO GET TO DEATHLY HALLOWS. only a few more books to go….hehe.
WAH. We\’ll have to agree to disagree on Mockingjay, but fair enough, right?! Sometimes when characters don\’t die, it just feels a bit fake, and like the author\’s fantasy instead of being true to their world and everything. (Okay the whole book is the author\’s fantasy, but you knoooow what I mean. xD lol)
A lot of people have hated Allegiant but I loved it! It was honestly perfect for me. I hated what happened, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think there could have been a better ending for the Divergent trilogy.
I LOVED IT TOO!! JAFSDKLA WE MUST STICK TOGETHER, WE ALLEGIANT LOVERS! We are a minority. lol
That’s true, you’re one of the first that appreciated the series the way I did lol
Hahaha yes. Dis post is me to a T (which is appropriate, since my name is Treskie )
DEATH, yes! (I don’t like it when they kill the Main character, but there needs to be a death of someone important, because that makes the risks seems real. Which is why I grew up liking the Redwall books, he always had a epic death, which broke my heart and made me happy at the same time. ROSIE IN MARTIN THE WARRIOR SCARRED ME FOR LIFE. )
I’m not WILD about blood. I mean yeah I know it is realistic, but I don’t do gore…. my imagination does just fine without having it described like “his head flew back, skin parting to rereveal a gaping wound that showed through to his esophagus. Blood squirted like a geyser, splatting the windshield like a red rain. It dripped down on to my hands, stained them scarlet in the dying light. The air smelled like a butcher, slightly sweet, like iron. I used mh finger to smear a message in the thick, still warm, sticky liquid, ‘you’re next’ ”
I mean. Gross.
Sailing ships, yes! Puck and Sean? SHIP IT TO THE CHURCH
I have to feel satisfied, I HATE it when books don’t leave me satisfied.
….yeah. bye.
Treskie recently posted…So we need a little Christmas, right this very minute…
It IS highly appropriate with your name being Treskie and all. GO ME. I am obviously awesome and insightful.
*collapses laughing hysterically at self*
Aaaanyway. I kind of don\’t mind when the main character dies! I mean the story is ABOUT THEM, RIGHT?!! So their death is kind of fitting. Although, awkward, if we don\’t get to read the rest of the book. >.>
BUT YOU WATCH SUPERNATURAL. COME ON NOW, TRESKIE. THAT IS GORY. I\’m not into super graphic gore, but people have got to get hurt and there\’s got to be a bit of blood flowing.
Oops. My psychopath is showing.
Realistic consequences are so important in a series ending. If something’s been building up for the entire series, it’s not cool for it to peter out with a useless explanation. But more than anything, what I want from an ending of a series is an actual ending. I’ve been waiting for the end of the Obernewtyn series for longer than I care to remember and literally ALL I WANT is for it to end so I can go forward in life with some closure.
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It is never ever cool for books to fizzle, I say. THEY NEED EPICNESS. Although I do get that it\’s a lot of pressure on the author. 🙁 Which would be hard, sometimes, right?!!
I hate series’ ending too! That’s why I find the longest series possible! I agree there’s nothing wrose than an underwhelming or awful finale.
“I understood that reference”
I never thought I’d say this but I read a couple of series finales this year that ended with no deaths and surprisingly I was a little let down. I’m not a fan of loose threads but I want the possibility for more. Last sentences are important, so many people forget about them.
There needs to be excitement and raised stakes and yes maybe death and romance, but mostly a big huge epic battle.
Molly Mortensen recently posted…Top Ten 2014 Books I Read this Year
I just never finish the series. xD I AM SO BAD!! I have sooo many series I want to finish next year. I\’m actually going to write a list and try and cross stuff off because otherwise I just push things back ALL THE TIME because I live in denial of endings. hehe.
Cookies from the dark side for you.
Agree with most of your points… I’m just a little unsure with the death thingy. Yes, it makes the book more realistic, especially if you spent so many years with the book. But it has to be meaningful. I like CoHF and the death in that book made sense. Allegiant, not so much. I hated it.
I like open endings, too. Rick Riordan’s Blood of Olympus is sort of open-ended so it makes me think that there will be a next book, or at least some cameos in his new series.
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Oh I totally get that!! I think death should be meaningful too, but that\’s why I liked Allegiant. XD lol I think it\’s awesome how we bookworms CAN have such different opinions. IT ROCKS.
Oh I totally get that!! I think death should be meaningful too, but that\’s why I liked Allegiant. XD lol I think it\’s awesome how we bookworms CAN have such different opinions. IT ROCKS.
Sounds like you like your endings to be dramatic and go out with a complete BANG! I thought you were funny with the authors having a soft heart lol! Sometimes when main characters die for a good reason, it leaves us with a lasting impression, but it has to be for a good reason. I loved how you mentioned the last sentence in Sinner too, I never really thought of that! I only like open endings if there is a reason for it otherwise I am left frustrated. And Yes, please sail some of my ships!
Awesome discussion Cait!
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While I was reading this, I was thinking about my own novel instead of what I personally preferred but (- !!) to my own surprise one, three and four are ticked! Four, I’m working on. I don’t know what tone I want for the end. But two =/ I’m not sure if there IS a ship, let alone if it’s going to sail. I’m considering being cruel (letting it sail then watching it sink.)
I agree with pretty much all of your points. I don’t mind about three so much, and in my mind every story is an open ending. I always think about what happens after the story ends, whether the author tries to disallow it (LOL) or not. But FOUR >=( that is very. very. very important to me. GAH! I have been made very mad when authors don’t do four. e_e
Great point!! i really enjoyed this one. I enjoy ALL your posts but ya know. Just sayin!
Ashana Lian . recently posted…Art: Diversifying Fantasy Archetypes (including Afro Fantasy)
1. ALL THE PRINCESS BRIDE GIFS FOREVER!!
2. “I just want finales that have realistic repercussions” – THAT. That is the biggest, most important part of a finale to me. I mean, I like fluffy endings too, but that’s generally not part of a series that I freaking hardcore love (because those are always in the rip your heart out, put it through a shredder, sew it together only to throw it off a cliff type of books). Mockingjay has to have one of my favourite endings of all time because…how could anyone be ok after everything they went through? How could they not have lasting damage from that? Not only in their social position, but in their emotional and mental well being? I think that is so, so important to show in books.
Elizabeth recently posted…Top Fifteen Books I Read In 2014
I WANT MY SHIP(S) TO SAIL, DAMMIT. While I’m not someone who requires romance in her books, if it’s there I want it to happen my way, haha. It might make me sad for a minute when my ship sinks, but I can live with it. I do, however, love an epic last line or realistic happenings even when it means one of my favorite character has to die.
Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted…TTT 40. The 2014 releases I forgot to read.