I am an avid Book Series Finale Procrastinator. Seriously, it needs to be a job position because I would ace it and get a pay raise and everyone would be in awe of my ultimate procrastination abilities. I HAVE TROUBLE LETTING THINGS GO OKAY?? If I don’t finish reading the series — it’s still vaguely going on inside my head. Also BONUS: all my favourite characters haven’t died yet. Ahem.
But book finales have SUCH awful potential to explode in your face. There are several reasons for this, which I’ll kindly list, because I’m just that nice of an overlord. (Sheesh. I need to work on my evillness.)
Reasons Finales Often Are Perilously Not Good
- The author is under a LOT of pressure (especially if the previous books did really well) and is flustered trying to end it right AND please an audience.
- The author is just an EVIL TOOTHY GUAVA BRAINED FIEND and enjoys people crying, ergo ends the series hopelessly sadly.
- The characters have all gone through A LOT — ergo they’ve changed to become different people who make odd decisions…that boggle we readers because THIS ISN’T WHO WE STARTED READING ABOUT.
- The ending is actually FINE. It’s we readers who are the problem and aren’t ready to let go and we turn into picky watermelon seeds.
- The author has used up the HUGEST climactic plot twists too early in the series. So the finale seems like a limpet.
- Ships sinking. I SEE SHIPS SINKING EVERYWHERE. This is usually dissatisfying if the hero goes through soooooooo much and is rewarded with spinach soup for dinner and no one to share their toast with.
- The book is too LONG while trying to wrap up a ton of sub-plots — ergo, it ends up being boring.
- IT ENDED, DANGIT, WE DIDN’T WANT IT TO END. STAHP THIS NONSENSE AND WRITE MORE BOOKS, AUTHOR, PLEASE. PLEASE.
Clearly writing GOOD finales is as tricky as baking a blue cake on raft in the middle of the Pacific with an electric oven and a shark sous chef.
Not impossible. But definitely HARD.
When it comes to series, not all the readers are going to be satisfied. NOT EVER. Someone’s expectations will always collapse.
But I mostly stand by the fact that I think authors DO know what’s best for their characters and do accordingly. Even if it makes the series end sourly. (Well, I mean, there are definitely some series where the finales ruined it for me. SO. I’m a hypocrite of my own statement, buuuuuut….I’m also overlord and queen so. I say what I want.)
ERGO! THis is an awesome moment to discuss the TYPES of series finales! AND I ALSO HAVE A QUIZ FOR YOU. Because quizzes are freakishly fun and we haven’t done one in a while. (What is wrong with my slack dragon secretaries. Seriously. They fail at blogging so often. #ShameOnThem)
FYI YOU CAN GET THIS MUG FROM MY SOCIETY6 STORE
(Click covers to go to Goodreads.)
I also want to point out that 2016 is apparently THE YEAR IT ALL ENDS…because there are SO many series finales out this year. I’m dying. Remember me whilst I wither with feels upon the ground.
(Alrighty, let’s get to the reason we’re ALL here for this post.)
1. THE HAPPILY EVER AFTER
It’s like a happy Christmas package tied up with a nice bow and presented to you lovingly by the author. Happily ever afters are the “fairy tale dream”, naturally, but they’re also for the SATISFYING books. The couple get together. The evil is defeated. The lost queen sits on the throne. The cake is saved. Everyone goes home and has SOUP AND TOAST and probably snuggles a duckling.
PROS: You feel happy that it all turned out.
CONS: Sometimes they’re unrealistic because when does real life end so easily??? And seriously, the heroes all survived????? As if.
2. THE MASS DEATHS OF EVERYTHING OF EVER
Let’s go for the heavy-duty-realism, right? Because war doesn’t play favourites, darlin’. And PEOPLE YOU LOVE WILL DEFINITELY DIE. These finales are heavy on the feels factors. They terrify you. They haunt you in your sleep. They emotionally cripple you so you end up as that puddle of nope in the corner, rocking and crying gently. Even the HEROES aren’t safe here.
PROS: It feels realistic and you also get to be emotionally destroyed. (Somehow that’s a GOOD thing???) Good books make you FEEL!!
CONS: Sometimes it makes the book feel pointless when everyone dies anyway. It can also just make you angry/sad because NOTHING WENT RIGHT. #AllMyFriendsAreDead
3. THE OPEN ENDER BECAUSE WHO NEEDS CLOSURE HA HA HA (CRIES)
When does life ever wrap up in that nice little bow? NEVER. So these kinds of finales make sure to a) not tie everything up, b) leave you with questions, and c) drive you 97.3% insane with QUESTIONS THAT WILL NEVER BE ANSWERED. But at least you get the feeling that the characters’ lives aren’t over. Hurrah! They’re still off adventuring and (hopefully) staying alive.
PROS: Your imagination has room to flap about happily/anxiously/both-together. And it’s very realistic.
CONS: The questions literally kill 9 of your braincells and you eat a brick wall with WANTING TO KNOW. It can also feel like cheating and/or pointless because nothing is solved.
4. THE STRESS FEST
Let’s just have battles! Plot twists! Chases! Escapes! Explosions! ALL OF THE TIME. These finales are ultimately exhausting and you only need to nap for 58 years to recover. Nothing seems to go right and everyone is CONSTANTLY in peril. But you end up feeling really exited and energised with that feeling you just read an amazing book.
PROS: It’s epic! No snivelling around! Let’s just SMITE ALL THE THINGS and stretch everyone to their limits! Also they’re very hard to put down.
CONS: They can be SO stressful that you don’t want to read. Especially not knowing if it’s going to end in mass-calamity. Also the action/plot-twists can get over the top and feel try-hard.
5. THE RUNAWAYS TO A NEW SERIES
This just involves the characters solving a FEW of their problems, but ultimately running away in to the sunset — or darkness. It has feelings of “YAY THEY ESCAPED” or “OMG RUN AND DON’T GET CAUGHT AGAIN”. You get the feeling that their adventure is so not over. It has closure in that the plot DID wrap up. But you can definitely envision them having another series. And oftentimes they DO get another series!
PROS: You get another series to look forward to and promises that you don’t have to say goodbye yet.
CONS: It’s potentially unsatisfactory and can also feel like it’s being spun into unnecessary books. You want answers, but, dangit, do you have to read like TEN MORE BOOKS to get them???
Can my gloriously intelligent quiz predict what kind of series finales YOU like best???? Be sure to let me know in the comments if it was right or waaaay off!!
As a reader, I love numbers 2 and 3 of your little quiz, Cait. Because seriously Closure is for LOSERS!! and DEATH AND DESTRUCTION ARE MY LIFEBLOOD!!!!
Ahem …. so yes, I would totally choose those two.
As an author …. I CHOOSE DEATH!!!! Because you can never have enough death and destruction while writing. and I feel kinda obligated to let people know that: FLUFFINESS IS OUT PEOPLE!!!! BLOOD AND DEATH IS THE NEW NORM!! Now you all get on that train of thought ….. I have cookies … and cake for you, Cait! *shoves cookies and cake at everyone*
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YUUUUUS. ME TOO. I 100000% AGREE. Who wants to be calm and relaxed while reading anyway? Pffft. (And omg I ALWAYS write tragic endings?! It’s nearly a problem, but I love it so much. #mybad 😂)
AWWWW CAKE FOR ME? YOU ARE OFFICIALLY THE BEST CLEARLY.
That is so interesting!! I never knew this kind of app/quiz thing existed.
I didn’t know there are so many series ending this year! I need to read at least one of them…. (Haven’t read a new series since Divergent. SHAME ON ME.)
I think I’m a combination of type 1 and 2. I like happy endings, but like you said, they’re sometimes not realistic! But then mass murders leave me broken and empty. Perhaps a happy epilogue can make up for it??
I got the open ending type which is not me at all! Hahaha I don’t know what went wrong. Requiem by Lauren Oliver slightly pissed me off. I didn’t read those 3 books for an indecisive ending!
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Well I did make the quiz, but YES! Playbuzz is awesome for making up quizzes. Definitely check it out if you like that sort of thing *nods* And ZOMG I know right?!? ALL THESE SERIES. *flaps about* I’ve only read a handful so far, but it feels like EVERYTHING is ending this year and the emotional trauma is huge. 😂
Omg quiz fail though, eh?! hehe. I kiiiind of like open endings?! It makes me imagine things! But TOO many questions just is frustrating.
Love this post, Cait! I took the quiz and turns out I like Stress Festy finales XD
Eeeep!! THANKS FOR READING! 😀 And I’m glad the quiz worked for you?! 😉
SOMEHOW I got the Stress Fest. IDEK. It’s probably true though. I like intense finales where you go like WTF IS GOING ON I CAN’T STOP READING WHO NEEDS FOOD AND SLEEP ANYWAYS WHAAHHH.
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SAME!! I took the quiz (which is kind of hard since I MADE it so I know where all the answers lead?!?) and got the Stress Fest too. 😂 WHICH IS TRUE. But I also don’t mind it when everyone dies. I’m so morbid. 😂 😂
I got the THE STRESS FEST too 😀
Thank you for making the awesome quiz 😀
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I am the HEA type mostly… and according to the quiz. XDDD
OMG YAY QUIZ WIN!! *collapses in relief*
APPARENTLY I LIKE THE STRESS FEST??? this explains so much about why it takes me so long to read books actually…
this was a GREAT POST CAIT, thanks. I’ve never thought about the different types of finales – I’ve definitely come across most of them, and I think when handled well, any of them can work. It just needs to fit the story type – do not give me a unrealistic happy ever after for a dystopian tale please – and be written well.
also please never give me a cliffhanger at the end of a series i might actually hunt down the author and force them to sit and write me a proper ending…
YAYYY I’M GLAD THE QUIZ WORKED. 😂 (Quizzes are seriously hard to make sometimes, haha, ahem.) But omg VERY true about needing-a-finale-to-fit-the-genre. Like you wouldn’t expect a Happily Ever After at the end of a dystopian for sure…or even like a massive sci-fi battle or whatever. It has to FIT.
But omg I have read series that ended with cliffhangers and I’M STILL EMOTIONALLY SCARRED. 😂
Haha! Loved the quiz! My result? The mass deaths of everything of ever. That was spot on in my opinon so good work! =D
OMG QUIZ WIN!!!!! HUZZAH!!! *awards self cake for effort*
*shares cake with you because is nice*
😂
(You made a statement about working on your evilness…NO. JUST NO. YOU’RE EVIL ENOUGH. STOP ALL THE DEATH, PAIN AND MURDER OF FICTIONAL CHARACTERS. Just let me be happy and eat my cupcakes. Please. I’m too scared to even read your blog posts sometimes, in fear that YOU’LL KILL SOMEONE I LOVE ps: totally not over the ending of The Dead Boy and the Paper Cut)
I loved thia quiz! I got open ender because i live the pain? *sobs*
Also, I’m terrified of series finales because SO MUCH CAN GO WRONG and SO MANY CHARACTERS CAN DIE and SO MANY SHIPS CAN BE SUNK and MY FEELINGS WILL EXPLODE AND GET ON EVERYTHING.
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(Omg that was like one of my most FLUFFY books, Kat. How are you going survive my next one?!?!??? SERIOUSLY. IT IS 100000% WORSE. Ahem.)
AHHH I’M GLAD THE QUIZ WORKED FOR YOU THEN. 😂 I always get worried about my quizzes omg (but they are fun to make!!) And I hear ya with the terror. *pats shoulder* *feeds you cake* I have a zillion series I’ve never finished because I am a nervous grape sometimes.
I got the stress fest. Accurate. I like endings to keep my blood pumping. I mean, it’s the climax, right? Supposed to be exciting, yes? Give me no breaks. And, let’s face it, endings where at least one person doesn’t die? Not exciting enough.
AND OF COURSE I AM A DRAGON. HOW COULD YOU QUESTION THAT?
I TOTALLY AGREE: SOMEONE HAS GOT TO DIE. Especially in fantasies/action-adventures. Like it’s just UNREALISTIC if everyone scrapes through, right!? I wanna have my feels shredded. (Um…there is totally something wrong with me. Ahem. IT’S THE BOOKWORM WAY, THO, RIGHT?!)
There is totally something wrong with us all. Yes, it is our way. And we shall never abandon it. Bookworms are a murderous lot. *deranged laughter*
WINNER’S KISS IS MY FOREVER FAVOURITE. *ahem* Anyway, if you couldn’t tell by my previous statement, the Winner’s Kiss finished off the series so well, and I am still in book hang-over from it. I love how it ended SO MUCH.
I got ‘stress-fest’ on the quiz, which is fairly accurate because it seems like some kind of necessary obligation for every fantasy book to have a billion battles and make me wonder how the bad guys are like, everywhere. Sometimes I swear they have mastered the art of teleporting. Or stalking. Oh, and I love your quiz <3
Amazing post! 🙂
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I READ THE WINNER’S KISS RECENTLY TOO AND JAFDKSALFD IT WAS BEYOND PERFECT. *sobs happily* I’m just so so pleased with the direction it went in. <3 That's DEFINITELY how series finales should be done *nods*
Yayyy and thank you!! I'm glad the quiz worked!!
The stress-fest. Okay, I admit, that’s probably true. I HATE happy endings where everything is wrapped up with a bow – where’s the sacrifice? The characters shouldn’t win without sacrificing something (or someone…).
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DUDE YES. ABSOLUTELY. I feel cheated if everyone scrapes through to the finale, kind of? We need blood. *cackles evilly* *attempts to regain control and look normal*
I got the Stress Fest. Interesting, since I THINK I prefer (I’m not 100% certain, but pretty sure) that my favourite series endings are THE MASS DEATHS OF EVERYTHING OF EVER and the THE OPEN ENDER. But I haven’t read a series finale in a long time, so I could be wrong. Anyway, loved your post! I wonder what sorts of series finales I’ll end up writing in the future…
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ME TOO. 😂 I mean, I MADE the quiz so taking it was kind of a problem, but I honestly looooove open endings SO MUCH or ones where everyone dies. <3 It feels more real?! And it always sticks with me the longest. Eeeeep. (As a writer, I'm definitely guilty of writing everyone dead. hahaha. Ahem. #mybad)
I’m a Book Series Finale Procrastinator too! I can take one week to read the first two books in a trilogy, and take two more weeks to finish the last book because I don’t want it to end.
Based on the quiz, I’m a Stress Fest reader apparently. Looking at the series finales I loved, this is actually very, very accurate. I feel like I’ve discovered something new about myself. Thanks for letting me know. Haha. Is there any series in this category you would recommend?
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I can take YEARs to finish a series because I don’t want it to end. 😂 I’m sooo bad, eep. (But sort of trying to get better at this?!? Ahem.) AHH BUT I’M SO GLAD THE QUIZ WON! YAY. Have you ever read the Red Rising trilogy?! Muchly stress. Muchly glorious.
I haven’t read Red Rising yet. I have the first two books already. Just need to find some time and hunt down that last book. Thanks for the recommendation!
Jamie @ Watch Game Read recently posted…I Love Fantasy
MY FAVOURITE TYPE OF ENDING IS THE STRESS FEST! WHAT? AND OF COURSE I’M A DRAGON.
but seriously, i suck at reading series, especially the second book when everything is just long sometimes.
anyway, beautiful post as always <3
Aww, thank you! 😂 AND YAY FOR DRAGONNESS. I AM A DRAGON CLEARLY TOO. DRAGONS ARE THE BEST.
I do like things a leetle open ended, so I declare this quiz ACCURATE. I do feel sad when I have to read series finales, but I also want to know what’s going to happen. I just read The Rose and the Dagger and I LOVED it a lot. (as in, I’ve spent a lot of time this morning making quote fanart.)I also finished The Crown this morning, and I liked it best out of all the Selection books. (but I dearly hope it’ll be the last one.) Dreams of Gods and Monsters wasn’t as good as it could have been compared to the first two books I think, same with Trickster’s Queen (but they were like 3-stars. just not as good as the predecessors). Yay, this post is awesome. (though I think that every year people decide this is the year of every series ever ending– I remember the same thing last year and in 2013. anyway)
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YAYY FOR ACCURATE QUIZ WIN! I AM SO GLAD. (Relieved actually. 😂 Ahem.) AHHHH I need to read TR&TD. Guess what? I’m procrastinating it. *buries self* I wasn’t such a fan of Dreams of Gods and Monsters though? I feel like a huge minority there, but I kind of lost the plot after the first book. 😂 The writing WAS beautiful, but sometimes confusing? Ahem.
I just hope I fall in love with a bunch of new series this year!! BECAUSE I NEED MORE BOOKS TO LOOK FORWARD TO DESTROYING ME. (agh, next year will be the end of Illuminae and THAT is going to hurt. I 100% know it.)
I got the Happily Ever After ending on the quiz, which is absolutely right. I like it when all the plot threads are tied into a neat bow . . . or at least a mostly neat bow. If the ends are a little ragged or the loops not quite even (e.g. if a character died or if not everything is *perfect*), that’s fine . . . but there’s closure and there’s the promise of hope and happiness and I can sit back and be happy.
That being said, the ending that spins off into a new series . . . well, I’m certainly not opposed to it. 😀 I mean, more books. What’s not to like, as long as they don’t ruin the originals? (One of my favorite authors, Bryan Davis, successfully spun his first series into not just one but two successive ones- and he probably could’ve pulled off a prequel series too if he really wanted to.)
I do NOT like the “everyone dies” ending or the “open-ended” ending . . . or at least not if it’s super-open ended? I need closure. Like, really super much.
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I agree, I really need closure when I finish a series, or even a standalone. I’m okay with a few people dying… but not everyone. And I do like Happily Ever Afters, but I really like the Stress Fest type, since I really like the stakes being high. 😀
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@Sarah: Yayyy for a quiz win! *collapses in relief* 😂 It’s being a bit hit or miss I’ve noticed ahem. I do like closure too? But I kiiind of seriously love not having answers as well. I DON’T KNOW WHY. APPARENTLY I LIKE THE PAIN?!? I have problems. Ahem.
Yup, I was right, Stress Fest. I figured, mostly because I loooove books with more action. Feels are okay, but I want loooots of plot. 😀
Plot is good! I like plot! I LOVE PLOT. 😂 I do like it when characters develop a lot in finales though. :’)
I got The Stress Fest in the quiz! Pretty spot on 🙂 I LOVE books/finales that I cannot put down.
And usually, I do not procrastinate reading finales, on contrary. I need all anwers as soon as finale is released.
And this year, as far as series finales go, I absolutely loved Moning Star. However, The Winner’s Kiss was a bit of disappointment for me because as you mentioned, I don’t like when characters became completely different people as their were before (especially if such change does not feel realistic or believable). Now I am curious how I will feel about Raven King (I am in the middle of The Dream Thieves right now) and Crooked Kingdom!
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YAYYY FOR A QUIZ WIN!! It’s been pretty hit or miss so far. 😂 hehe. AHEM. BUT ANYWAY. I’m glad you don’t procrastinate them! You’re much wiser than me. XD
Morning Star was AMAAAAAZING OMG. Although I’m opposite to you for The Winner’s Kiss and I adored it. <3 hehe
Great post Cait! Nothing is worse than a bad ending – and I always get so angry with myself when I put it off for so long and the anticipation then makes the fact the series is ending even worse 😫 You just can’t win.
One of my all time favourites of the PAINFULLY HORRIBLE endings was Lauren Oliver’s Delirium series. Urghhh that woman and her endings. She’s a massive fan of leaving her readers dying of lack of closure *wails*
And I totally just got the KILL ALL THE CHARACTERS ending for the quiz. I’m clearly a terrible person – just gotta love a traumatic character death. *flash backs to Harry Potter* *collapses*
Also, stop flaunting those beautiful mugs at me, dang flabbit. I’m going to be broke if I keep buying them 😰
AGH. IT IS TRUE PAIN. No one can say the bookworm life isn’t rife with agony. And another person mentioned Delirium’s open ending…ahhhh, I haven’t read that series yet. BUT NOW I’M SCARED. (Actually, I’m like 99% more intrigued because I secretly LOVe open endings.) 😂
Also I’m all for finales of mass destruction. :’) If *I* can never read more books in the series…THEN EVERYONE MIGHT AS WELL BE DEAD.
#sorrynotsorry about the mugs 😂
I got the Stress Fest! Which, well … I guess. Yes, actually, it’s pretty accurate. 🙂
As for series finales, my favorite is probably Omega Dragon by Bryan Davis (which was the ending to three different series with 12 bks total that were all right after another), and I had been reading the books for YEARS. Like, I started reading them when I was maybe 8/9 (wow! I was young!), and the finale was last year (when I was 13). OHMYGOODNESS, bittersweet. BUT! The dragons, deaths, and guns!!!!!!
Least favorite? Um, I HONESTLY DON’T READ SERIES FINALES ALL TOO OFTEN. Not because I’m nervous about them, but because I’m reading SO MANY books right now! Gah! So … maybe The Blood of Olympus? For some reason, I just didn’t enjoy it all too much. I felt that Rick Riordan could’ve stopped at Percy Jackson bk 5, TBH. *shrugs* I dunno. What do I know? Dangit, Cait, you’re making me doubt myself! *eats cake*
AHHH what can go wrong with dragons, death and guns?! That sounds ENTIRELY epic. <3 (Although reading series ove ra long period of time is SO bittersweet, I Agree! That was me for Ranger's Apprentice. I started them when I was 15 and like the spin-off book came out last year so ahhhh it's never over. <3)
So many people have said they don't love Blood of Olympus! I actually way prefer the 2nd series to the first. 😂 But I AGREE that BoO was a bit underwhelming.
THERE THERE. DON'T DOUBT YOURSELF. *sprinkles cake in your hair*
Are you telling me that Six of Crows is only going to be a duology 😱 Nooooooo, I need way more of Kaz and his gang! Also I definitely took a wrong turn in your quiz haha. I got the open ender even though I dislike those haha. I love it when there’s an epilogue that tells me everything turned out good for the survivors 😉 like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter. I need that closure after all those feeeeeels
YES I KNOW. I’M REALLY SAD TOO. 🙁 I though it’d AT LEAST be a trilogy?! But noooooo. Leigh Bardugo is being cruel to us. *sobs* I could read a gazillion books about Kaz & Co.
When I tried to take the quiz, it opened up to lots and lots of HTML.😭
I don’t really mind series finales, but after I finish it, I always find myself thinking no, that can’t be it! There must be more books!
I just finished The Crown, and it was amazing! While there is still romance like the rest of the series, it really focused on a power play from a former ally to get the throne, and it felt very realistic, until the last ten pages, where even though it wasn’t set up for a HEA, that was how it ended. But despite that, AMAZING!
I also read Stars Above, but who doesn’t like The Lunar Chronicles?
I haven’t read The Mirror King, and I’m not going to. The Orphan Queen had a perfect and satisfying ending until the last two paragraphs, as if the author thought, But I want to write two books! just before she finished it.
I don’t usually procrastinate books. I’m one of those people that will go to the bookstore and buy it the day it comes out! And if the bookstore doesn’t have it, then I get it on Kindle because I am such an impatient reader!
OMG I’M SORRY AND SAD. *glare at computer* I should’ve done a direct link but I forgot.
(I’m with you though. 😂 I almost ALWAYS want more… Dangit authors, can’t you write infinite books for us?! *puppy dog eyes*)
I’m pretty sure the Lunar Chronicles is universally loved, right?! 😂 I NEED TO READ STARS ABOVE. I just don’t want it to be over!! (Winter was amazing though!)
OMG. THE ORPHAN QUEEN WAS SO CRUEL. *flops onto the floor with a howl* It was abrupt…now that I think about it… 😂 But I will climb a mountain to get to The Mirror King, omg. I need answers.
I wasn’t really sure what my favorite was, but the quiz declares “open ender,” and the quiz doesn’t lie! Although maybe not for series endings, I do like open ended, erm, endings for standalones. Ambiguity is not a bad thing if it’s done right.
Basically my series finale criteria is 1. Pain, and lots of it 2. A few casualties, if necessary 3. Bad guy = defeated 4. MY SHIPS WILL SAIL INTO THE SUNSET, DANGIT 5. Probably tears that 6. Will cause a book hangover.
So my favorite series finales have been Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Winter. But Allegiant? Ummm . . . *sounds of me flopping over in despair in the distance because whyyyyyy* It could’ve been better. Like a lot.
BUT YES, I PROCRASTINATE SO MUCH. I’ve had Stars Above for like three months and I’ve read mayyyybe two stories because I don’t want that world to end!!
OF COURSE THE QUIZ DOESN’T LIE.
I AM PERFECT.ahem. But yes! I mean, I’m a huge fan of open endings…as my writing usually shows. 😂 But I need SOME questions answered or omg it just plays on my brain and I combust. Very messy. Not so good.SHIPS SAILING IS REALLY GOOD, OMG. And I find they usually sail?! Which is a relief for my delicate emotions. <3
I still stand by Allegiant being good. 😂 But I think the plot could've been a bit more INTENSE...
The series finales. They never end. I have mixed feelings about finales because I don’t want the book to be over, but I do want it to be over, so everybody can live happily ever after forever. If I could pick a few finales of my own if I were going to write another novel (Camp Nanowrimo for example :D,) I would have to have a runaway to a new series or the happily ever after. 😀
Oh, the quiz was AMAZING! Yes, I am a dragon in disguise. 😀 My result of the quiz was the open ender because who needs closure? *inserts the ha ha ha’s here* Anyway, have a great day Cait and I hope you read plenty of books!
Maddie c:
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Oh oh I so get that! I’m the same! I want to KNOW but I don’t want it to be over…and I end up procrastinating horribly. 😂 DRAGONS IN DISGUISE FTW THOUGH. *shares dragon cakes with you*
*laughs* I got the THE MASS DEATHS OF EVERYTHING OF EVER!
I don’t mind the death of characters if it fits in the story–like Joeffery finally biting it in GoT. Ned’s death took me by surprise, but 3 books in I understand it was necessary to the story as a whole.
And Hazel and Augustus…can you imagine the story if either of them was miraculously healed? That would have been weird!
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YES! Ned’s death was definitely needed as a catalyst? Or else things wouldn’t really have kept going…but it was pretty startling :O
And also agreed *nods* about Hazel and Gus…although I could’ve handled if the book ended JUST before death?! SAVE ME SOME TEARS. 😂
My favorite series ending was possibly The Death Cure. Even though it SHATTERED ME. But Blood Of Olympus is my least favorite series ending. It wasn’t bad, per say, but it was underwhelming.
I’M SO SCARED TO READ THE CROWN. IS AMERICA GOING TO DIE? WILL IT BE SAD? WILL I GRIEVE THIS BOOK FOREVER AFTER?!!!!!!!!! Ahem.
Needless to say, my favorite kind of ending is the one that makes me cry and sob. *coughAllegiantisagoodexamplecough*
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OMGGGG IT’S SO NICE TO FIND ANOTHER FAN OF THE MAZE RUNNER! *shrieks and flails with you* I am DEFINITELY still damaged from The Death Cure *howls* I didn’t expect most of those deaths. (And while I loved BoO…yeah, it was a bit underwhelming. I think someone should’ve died tbh. :/ Yes, I am just that mean.)
THE MAZE RUNNER IS AMAZING. I don’t understand why so many people dislike it :/
AND YES I THINK SOMEONE SHOULD HAVE DIED IN BoO. Although that would have broken my heart.
I got the mass character death ever xDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
Not sure if it’s acurrated
AHHH QUIZ FAIL THEN. 😂 Blame the dragon secretaries. Not me, of course.
I’m always innocent of all failings.I have different prefference when i’m reading, like when I read fantasy/dystopia I like everything ends well with a few characters die (but not too much and please not my baby [but duh usually my babies die so who am I kidding]), but when I read contemporary… I LOVE it when it has sad ending. I’m not a sociopath, I promise, it’s just happy ending is too over rated for contemporary! And if I read thrillers, open endings are the best! Let me go mad trying to guess what actually happened and how it actually ends! (I get the open ending one from your quiz, so all is well!) I dislike Allegiant not because of the death of certain character, but how many characters that had to die for nothing! It’s really pointless and serves nothing for the plot. I do love the ending of Legend trilogy. It’s bittersweet, and it’s a bit open ending that it drives me crazy what happens next! (but I love love it!)
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(Why do the best characters always die though?! *shakes fist at authors*) Ahem. 😂 BUT I TOTALLY GET IT! I like sad endings too for some reason!? Like I am ALL for endings of mass destruction. Totally. :’) And I agree that it depends on the genre. Like open endings are more often for things like thrillers…or contemporaries too? Because real life doesn’t wrap up in that nice little parcel like it can for an epic fantasy adventure. *nods*
I loved Allegiant. <3 But I felt like it needed more of a concrete plot. 🙁 It almost felt like the only "interesting" thing happening was waiting to see who'd e killed off next... :/
Apparently I like the stress fest the best, according to your awesome quiz. Most of the time I’m so anxious to read finales. I have such mixed feelings about finales, because a part of me wants to read them SO BAD so that I know how everything turns out and I JUST NEED MORE BOOKS BY THAT AUTHOR, and then another part of me wants to CRY because who gave the authors permission to stop writing their addicting and absolutely incredible book series????
I don’t want it to end! But wait, yes I do! Except, no I don’t! That’s basically my brain speaking its opinion freely. BUT, I can always read the whole series again and again, which is one of my favorite things to do. I kind of dread humongous endings, though, because I don’t want the end to be dragged out. I felt like Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor was a kind of really loooonnnnggg ending to her series (even though it was beautiful and I love it). I didn’t even finish it the first time I was reading it because it was so exhausting thinking about how long it was going to take for me to read it. And knowing me there was probably another book that I would rather have been reading at that time. Like right now all I want to read is The Raven King. *sigh*
I’m always anxious about finales. *howls* The more I love the series, the more I DO NOT want to read the ending. It’s a problem tbh. 😂 AUTHORS JUST LIVE TO TORMENT US BASICALLY GAHHHH. And I’m the same! I want to know the ending, but I don’t want it to BE the ending. YA GET ME?! *cries piteously*
THE RAVEN KING GAVE ME ALL KINDS OF ANXIETY LEADING UP TO ITS RELEASE. But it’s like the first finale I didn’t procrastinate. 😂 I started it as SOON as I got my clammy paws on it. :’)
mine is definitely happily ever afters. I am a hopeless romantic. Also I like books on robbery where the villain escapes (I cant think of books about that. But surely those movies! Sigh!!). And I have one very very VERY important question for you. Listen carefully and answer carefully. (hear in a whiny screaming voice) How do you buy sooo many books? Tell me your secret!! I am broke
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Yay for HEAs! They are quite satisfying. :’) (Although I’m a mass-destruction lover myself. 😂)
Okay, so I DON’T buy a lot of books! I use my library and get ARCs for about 80% of my reading. And I freelance for book vouchers, which ends up with me being 3 or so books per month. But that’s all the books I buy! 😛
That is awesome. I did not know we could freelance for book vouchers. That was new to me Cait. 😛
If you find a blog or bookstore willing to pay or hire, it’s awesome! 🙂
I got the Stress Fest, which sounds about right. And I procrastinate. So much. However! I am reading the Raven King right now. I’m loving and dreading every minute of it!
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AHHHHH infinite Raven King feels! *HOWLS* I LOVED THAT BOOK SO MUCH But omg so much anxiety. 😂 It’s like the first series finale I actually didn’t procrastinate though! I started listening to the audio on the very day it came out. <3
From what I can tell, all of theses basically end with a reader destroyed from feels and a cackling author. Especially the ones that end in mass deaths, because HOW ARE THEY ALL DEAD, and I’VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS SERIES FOR YEARS and THIS ISN’T FAIR. And then I cry a lot and attempt to find good fanfiction where they are all alive. Maybe not all happy, but I’d settle of all alive.
YES THERE IS A BIT OF A THEME LIKE THAT GOING ON, ISN’T THERE?! Well, except for HEA’s. They’re usually ending with everyone having squishy happy feels. (“Usually” being the key word here…ahem.)
When you said that “war doesn’t play favorites”, that reminded me of when Pierce Brown said that he FREAKING PULLED A NAME OUT OF A HAT to decide one of the people who were going to die exactly because “war doesn’t play favorites”. And apparently, that’s the type of sudden deaths that I like, because I got “THE MASS DEATHS OF EVERYTHING OF EVER”. Perfect. XD
And this year truly does seem like the series finale of all books. Though, do you ever have those books that end, and two years later you refuse to believe that they’re over? DENIAL IS A WONDERFUL THING.
WHAHAHHAHAHT. Did he seriously do that?!? *HOWLS* I was actually really surprised the death toll wasn’t higher in in Morning Star tbh. 😂 That as a REALLY good ending. *shrieks* (Although, while I’m relieved, I actually don’t mind tons of deaths because…it’s realistic. And totally mangles my feels which is somehow a good thing?!?)
I got the Happily Ever After … which is about right… as long as it makes sense. 🙂
I totally get that!! HEA’s are really awesome and satisfying, as long as they don’t sacrifice realisticness. 😂
I got The Stress Fest, and it TOTALLY fits me. I love an action-packed, ALL THE FEELS, stress-tastic finale. But I too am so afraid of them. I have a tendency to put them off. There is just so much riding on them, and you want the characters have completed story arcs. I want everything to be okay, and everything to BURN at the same time. So they are intense.
I think some of my favorites are Quintana of Charyn, The Last Olympian, The Raven King and Endure (Need #4 by Carrie Jones). I don’t know if there are many finales that I outright don’t like; I think there are just ones that I’m a little disappointed with–too high of expectations and all that jazz.
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YAYYY FOR QUIZ WIN!! (Well semi-win?! hehe) And I totally get the “I love it but I’m scared of it” feeling. That’s ME and series finales in general. 😂 It’s a HARD LIFE wanting everyone to die, but also have good endings. >_>
AFJDKSALD TO THE RAVEN KING. <3333 SO MUCH LOVE I NEARLY EXPLODED. (And also had anxiety over that book for months. 😂 AT LEAST IT WAS WORTH IT.)
SOOOO TRUEEEE! But uuuh… I always forget what I need to say after coming all the way through.. Oh wait wait…I remember a bit, yes we anticipate the last book for so long but when it finally comes out… I remember reading a series final after 6-7 months of delaying because I did not want it to finish and also because you can read it only for the first time. I mean you can reread it but first time comes only once. Also I’m a sucker for HEA! So… yeah after all those troubles, if the main character ends up dead, I turn into a dragon! Because that’s unacceptable to me! And also because I’ll be forever scarred! So yeah, a bit of realistic and HEA makes me veeeery happy!
Great post Cait!
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YES –> the first time comes only once. *cries* Sometimes I really wish I could have a memory wipe so I could read books again for the first time, eheh. BUT THEN…re-reading is great, too, because you can sometimes read the finale calmer because you know how it’ll go? So there’s good parts. 😂
I don’t mind being forever scarred by a book personally…YEAH, I KNOW. I’M THE WEIRDEST. 😂
One series finale I liked and one I disliked… hmmm. Okay.
I did like Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy, even through the last book (which is rare for me). There were some unanswered questions, but most things got tied up. There was death and destruction and possibly the end of the world… but the author managed to handle all these things in a way that didn’t seem cheap.
I did not like Kelley Armstrong’s The Darkest Powers trilogy. The final book was just… well, nothing. Nothing happened, nothing was resolved, and it just spun the readers into the next trilogy. I really didn’t like that. I want a series to be able to stand on its own.
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I do think series SHOULD stand on their own *nods* Like it’s great if they get spin-off series, I think?! But I still think the original series should complete itself. Like I was SUPER happy with how the Red Rising trilogy finished (!!) even though I know there’s going to be a spin-off series.
LAINI TAYLOR WRITES SUCH BEAUTIFUL WORDS I WANT TO EAT THEM.
That quiz was so fun! I got Stress Fest. I think that’s be quite accurate, but with the last few chapters wrapping up into a semi-fairytale-like ending. Not TOO perfect – just moderately good for all the main characters and/or there’s hope on the horizon for a better life after the series is over. I GET SO SAD WHEN THINGS END SADLY FOR PEOPLE I LOVE. But the characters I dislike?? GIVE THEM ALL THE PAIN AND LET THEM DIE ALONE.
Wow I didn’t realize how vicious I was until now lmao.
Ellie | On the Other Side of Reality
BAHAHAH. You are a vicious little pineapple frond now there, aren’t you? 😉 BUT FAIR ENOUGH. If I hate the villain, omg, I want them to come to PAIN. (Although I tend to be a bit of a soft piece of popcorn when it come to villains and I want them to become better people. <3 😂)
Yes so true about endings!!! I agree us readers can be pretty picky about the ending. The worst is when your ship sinks though. 🙁 I’m headed to check out your quiz now! 😀
Omg I got the stress fest!! SO TRUE THAT IS ME! I like to be amped up at the end and I want characters to actually be in danger and maybe someone actually dies or something. I like to put down the book and be like WOW and have so many feels. Lol. Great quiz, that was fun. 🙂
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AHHH QUIZ WIN!! *awards self with cake*
*shares a few crumbs with you too because am so nice*
Ahem.
I REALLY want high stakes in a finale, especially if the books have all been super action-y so far. I hate it when a series is mega-action-y and then the finale isn’t. SAY WUT.
I received “The Stress Fest” after I took your quiz. I think that is pretty accurate, as I LOVE it when you are overwhelmed while reading the climax of a book (or series) and then you don’t know what to do with yourself after you finish it. I applaud authors who are so good at what they that they make me sit there doing nothing for a good two hours after I finish their wonderful creation.
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YES. Those authors that give us book-hangovers are to be applauded. And screamed at? 😂 JUST KIDDING. We love having our feels stomped on.
I got the Stress Fest. That sounds about right, I sometimes (usually) feel stressed on how my favorite series will end, even though I know I can do nothing to change it. I hold all the answers in my hands already, I just have to finish it. I am scared of The Throne of Glass finale. I never want it to end, and I want to grab all my favorite characters, and hide in a safe room for the rest of my life. One series finale I disliked was the Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. I mean, COME ON. So close but yet so far. I won’t say anymore because I don’t think you’ve read that series yet. I have a whole bunch of series endings that I love. A few are Half Lost, Tiger’s Curse, and Legend (even though it broke my heart). Also please tell me that The Yellow Brick War is not the last in the series. I thought Danielle Paige was going to write one more book. Also Mirror King? Is that a duology? I can’t wait for Last Star, Black Key, and Midnight Star. I NEED THEM! I also love the cute book gif “All My Friends Are Dead”. You always find the best gifs:)
SAME. I was so so ridiculously stressed for The Raven King. Don’t worry! I won’t say anything about it 😂 but I WAS SO ANXIOUS LEADING UP TO READING IT OMG. (I haven’t read Leviathan BUT I’M GOING TO I PROMISE.)
AHHHHHHH YOU LOVEDH ALF LOST TOO?!?! *CRIES WITH YOU BECAUSE OF THE WONDERFULNESS* I know most people hate it, but omg it was perfect for the characters.
I got the stress fest!…which makes sense since I always scream at these types of finales and try to hide under imaginary covers, but they’re always the endings I rant about to the point where my friends want to rip my head off.
So other than the obvious (Shadow Throne from False Prince series) there are a couple of finales that had me ranting about: Monument 14, Everlost, any Rick Riordan book, Hamilton (book, musical, what’s the difference yo?). and I don’t know if I’ve ever read an unsatisfying ending. But that’s probably because all my friends warn me when something gets bad (I read legend by Marie Lu, but my friend told me that the ending wasn’t good and NOW I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO!)
Omg, THAT WOULD BE ME TOO. 😂 I mean, I kind of like ALL the endings if they’re done well!? (I’m a mass-destruction sorta person mostly. :’) But ahhhh, screaming the struggles at friends is glorious. They seriously don’t appreciate us enough. *sniffs*
AHHH I NEED TO FINISH THE LEGEND SERIES TO. 0_0 I liked the first book? But wasn’t, like, totally captivated so I kind of just never read on. BUT I WANT TO. *adds to 938399 book tall TBR pile*
DO YOU HAVE SOME KIND OF MAGIC?! BECAUSE YOU JUST REPRESENTED MY BOOKWORM LIFE IN THIS QUIZ.
no but seriously, it’s so fun. and so REAL. i got open endings, and they are the BEST. i LOVE to keep imagining what’s happening next, and knowing that characters lives are STILL GOING. but i also love those books that destroy you *cough* Clockwork Princess *cough*. i mean, GIVE ME THE PAIN. I LOVE IT.
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AHHHHHHHHHHHH QUIZ WIN FOR ME!!! OMG!!!! I’ve found that the quiz is being hit/or/miss bahah, ahem. But yayyyy for open endings! I LOVE THEM TOO. I think they’re so much more realistic and that’s awesome. :’)
OF COURSE WE LOVE THE PAIN.
We bookworms have problems…Omg, I love your list of series finales! I actually identify with this list pretty hard as an author. For the last book in my Nogiku Series, I thought long and hard about what I expected out of other series as a reader and then came up with a list (much like yours) as to what I wanted to accomplish. 1) There had to be an HEA for the main romance storyline AT THE VERY LEAST. In reality, I gave them their HEA but everyone else was pretty destroyed. 2) Yes, some people had to die. I killed off one of my favorite characters. 3) I put the characters THROUGH THE WRINGER. One person who gave me a 1-star was pretty pissed at me for making my characters work for it. I still laugh whenever I read that review. 4) I made sure to tie up just about everything except two plot lines which are good material for later series but have no real bearing on the main characters.
It’s so hard to balance everything, as I’m sure you know and understand. Ending a series was tough on me too! I cried for like a solid week when it was all said and done. Sigh. Good stuff.
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Omg you have them a HEA and everyone else was pretty much destroyed. < -- THIS IS WONDERFUL. 😂 I'M CRYING/LAUGHING. AHem. But that sounds like a very good way to end a series imo. *nods* SERIOUSLY YOUR BOOK SOUNDS REALLY AWESOME. I actually have never written a series finale! *hides* Tying up standalones nicely is hard enough omg. I always ALWAYS procrastinate writing sequels. When I was 16, I had a 7-book series planned out. I wrote 6.5 books and then bailed because I didn't know how to end it. 😂 Plus I was going down the George RR Martin road (not that I'd read him at the time) and was...killing everyone. My sister (who was my only reader) threatened MY LIFE if I didn't stop. *ahem* 😂
Your quiz told me that the Stress Fest is my favorite finale, which is 100% accurate. It’s the end! Things are happening! The more stress, the more exciting it is! And the more emotionally devastating sometimes, so I’ll have to go with mostly happiness for the VERY ending.
(For anyone just perusing the comments section – LUNAR CHRONICLES AND HUNGER GAMES SPOILERS AHEAD.)The two series finales that are coming to mind right now are Winter and Mockingjay. I really liked Winter, and I devoured it in about a day, and for most of it, it was a complete stress fest. But I went into that book ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED that someone was going to die. I doubted it would be Cinder or Kai, but one of the main eight HAD to die, right? And then…they didn’t. I was happy that everyone got to live happily and that I didn’t end up sobbing over a death, but at the same time, I got a bit let down. I know – characters are alive and I’m disappointed. That’s a bit weird. But I’d spent so much time psyching myself up for it that I didn’t know what to do when it didn’t happen. And then Mockingjay…I know it’s been a LONG time since I read it, but after LOVING The Hunger Games and then Catching Fire being one of my favorite books ever, Mockingjay was a bit of a letdown. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t as good as the other ones. And then there’s In The Afterlight. I know you haven’t read The Darkest Minds, but In The Afterlight was this perfect mix of a little bit heartbreaking, a little bit open, and so, SO satisfying. (I mean, it’s not really a finale because there’s a long novella that comes after it, but I’m pretending that it is.)
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YAYYYYYY. QUIZ WIN!! OH CAKE FOR US BOTH, CLARA!! *sprinkles cake in your hair* And I DO like it when an ending is so totally stressful that it’s just 100% exciting and I CANNOT PUT IT DOWN < -- Definite sign of a good book. 😂 I actually agree about Winter. Like I LOVED it, but I honestly was underwhelmed. I think it was too long and lost a lot of the stressy-ness? But then...they ARE fairy tales, so I felt the Happily Ever After finale DID work. But all those characters did aaall that rebellion stuff and EVERYONE LIVED? Hmm. I actually do think it was too convenient. But I'm opposite about Mockingjay! I LOVED IT. <3 I am so totally broken after it though. 😂 I think it really stayed true to the world and themes of death...and how death is meaningless and unfair and hits everyone and leaves a huge impact forever. SO YEAH. (Although I mean, arguably, Katniss spent the entire series trying to save Prim and she FAILED in that...so it does leave a bit of a bitter "what was the point" feeling? Although, again, I guess that can be real life...)
Yes, the quiz got it right. At this point in my life, I’ll take HEA over realism any day (as long as isn’t so unrealistic that it ruins it).
It’s not just the finale I’m scared of. The further I get into a series without stopping, the harder it is for me to start the next book. This is probably why my list of series I’ve actually finished is so short.
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YAYYYY QUIZ WIN!! So far the quiz is being pretty hit or miss, omg. 😂 Ahem. But I so hear ya! I rarely finish series. I am a chronic let’s-read-the-first-book-and-no-more. 😂 It’s nearly a problem.
I am contemplating a post on series I HAVE finished, simply because there are so few of them. Although I’m not sure I would have enough material to make it worth while if I only included the ones where I was happy with the ending.
That makes sense! 😂 It’d be interesting to discuss which series you liked vs which you didn’t, though, right?!
This post is perfect because I’m reading Winter by Marissa Meyer right now. I’m a known procrastinator when it comes to reading the finale of a series, too. I can’t wait to read the ending but I also don’t want to, if that makes sense.
I got happily ever after in the quiz, which I think is pretty accurate. But I know there are books where happy endings could not be possible and that not all main characters survive. I don’t mind if it’s not HEA exactly, so long as it’s a satisfying ending. As an author that’s what I strive to give to my readers, and as a reader it’s what I search for in a book. As long as all the loose ends are tied up in the end, I’m okay with it. 😉
Ahhhhh best of luck with Winter!! I listened to the audio, which actually turned out well for me because I couldn’t rush and I had to pay attention to ALL the parts. 😂 Usually I rush to the ending because AHHH I NEED MY ANSWERS. *howls* I still have to read Stars Above yet though.
I feel like HEA’s are kind of just the “satisfying” ones. There can be tons of damage still! But for me, it just defines the protagonist getting-what-they-wanted and hopefully going off to have a nice life. 😂 HOPEFULLY . haha.
According to the quiz, I like Happily Ever Afters… and it’s not completely wrong: I don’t mind being punched repeatedly in the feels throughout the series, but FOR THE LOVE OF WHAT REMAINS OF MY SANITY at least let it end reasonably well and let it make sense.
Alexa
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Yayyy! Semi-quiz-win for me then. 😂 Ahem. But omg sanity? WHAT SANITY? DO WE BOOKWORMS EVER HAVE SANITY???
THIS. I completely agree. Series finales are so difficult to do, and when they’re not done right it can make your outlook on the entire series drop. But when they’re done right they’re absolutely amazing.
1). I love happy endings, but they have to be done realistically. There’s a balance between a happy ending and a happy ending that has rainbows and unicorns and feels just a bit too happy to be real, you know?
2). YES. Even though they break my soul, I love these because they’re realistic.
3). It’s interesting because I like open enders in standalones (The Giver and Flipped are THE BEST), but in series finales I just don’t like them. I feel that after so many books
4). I feel a lot of series finales fall under this category. Everything has to be tied up in the final book, and action / battles / etc are how that’s done. I don’t especially love them, but they’re entertaining enough.
5). Meh. Unless it’s an author I adore (*cough* Rick Riordan *cough*) I’m not usually a huge fan of spinoff series. There’s just a point where you have to let things go, you know?
Thanks for sharing Cait and, as always, fabulous post! ♥
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EXACTLY! I’ve read awful series finales that ruined the entire series for me…*cries over Raging Star* Ahem. 😂
And totally YES. “Happily ever after” doesn’t actually HAVE to be all rainbows and unicorns. It just means the protagonist achieves their dream and goes off to have a semi-nice-life-afterwards, I think. Although there can be tons of collateral damage and all that TOO.
And so so true: open enders are perfect for standalones! Because it kind of underlines the fact that real lives don’t just wrap up in a neat bow once the revolution/adventure/magical quest is over, like for fantasies. *nods*
I kind of DO like spin-off series though! I think it’s awesome when authors get the opportunity to do stuff like that! Because the publishing world is SUPER tough and authors actually have it pretty hard at times, especially trying to make a career? So it’s really cool when they can continue writing in a world they love. :’) I WILL READ INFINITE BOOKS BY RICK RIORDAN OF COURSE OF COURSE. (Have you read Trials of Apollo yet?!? SQUEEE. I AM THE EXCITE FOR IT.)
I got the Stress Fest. I don’t mind that so much, but my god do I need answers. And I absolutely HATE HATE HATE it when the MC dies at the end of a book or series. WTF was the POINT then?!!?
Hehe, I do understand! I don’t mind it when the MC dies?! Especially if it really fits with their character. <3 IT BREAKS MY HEART AND I LOVE A GOOD HEART BREAKER. But it has to be done RIGHT or else it feels pointless for sure.
The Stress Fest, very accurate. That’s me I love stress.
WELL YAY. QUIZ WIN. 😂 And of course you love stress. We bookworms adore torture. I’m sure it’s healthy.
So many books ending in 2016! Get ready for all the feels and angst! And some fluff. I hope. WAIT Crooked Kingdom is the last?? NOOOOO I WANT MORE KAZ. Can’t wait for the Midnight Star! I wonder what state Adelina will lead the country into. Is it prospering, or is everyone living in fear and anguish? I so agree, the happily ever after endings are great, but so unrealistic! Like 0.1% of people in the real world gets to ride off into the sunset. Open enders are quite frustrating! If done horribly, it feels like the author just couldn’t be bothered to write an ending for their characters. This is such an awesome post!
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AHHH I KNOW RIGHT?!? They’re really showing us NO MERCY with the feels this year. <3 And YES. Six of Crows was only a duology. *cries* I could've read a LOT more books in that series I knooooooow. Ahem.
And I kind of do like the finales that go with the grittier side. Sometimes too much "happily ever after" makes the story seem anticlimatic??!
RUNAWAY TO A NEW SERIES! Yaaaaas! I hate the ones where the MC dies, *cough* Allegiant *coughs*
Bahahha. 😂 I did like Allegiant, but I do understand why it miffed a lot of people!
I got the Open Ender HAHAHAHA WHATTTTTTT NOOOOOO. Why would I do that to myself?!?! But actually, I kind of do read a lot of books with open endings & love them. So again, WHY DO I DO THAT TO MYSELF. because its horrible xD
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WHY DO WE EVEN READ, TRULY?!?! It’s full of heart breaking finales and feels smashing characters and *SCREECHES* We bookworms have problems basically. 😂 LOVE IT BUT OW IT HURTS.
I got the Happily Ever After as I knew I would. I don’t like when characters die, it upsets me massively. I suspect this will be an issue when it comes to writing because I never kill my own characters either. Sometimes I pretend like one is going to die, but then they don’t. I’d rather they just lost a leg. Mind you, I would probably make it grow back. It’s a terrible habit honestly.
I JUST WANT EVERYONE TO BE HAPPY, OKAY?
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That is totally cool though! (AND YAY QUIZ WIN.) Because we kind of need happily ever afters. HOPE AND HAPPINESS. :’) I’m always a mass-destruction kind of person. Fair warning for my writing too. 😂 bahah. AHEM.
Well the quiz gave said that I love open endings which is SO NOT TRUE. One of my favorite series was kind of wrapped up with an open ending this year and I was rather miffed… Even though I still loved the book because most of it was good and ugghh with those characters I fell in love with I couldn’t help it. In general, I think the “everyone dies” ending is kind of my favorite… As long as it’s done right. I dread it, but I appreciate it way too much. (even if that means I end up sobbing over the book for hours)
Tamara @ Tamaraniac recently posted…The “Tamara Attempts to Hold A Ridiculous Amount of Books” Haul
AHHH QUIZ FAIL 😂 Blame the dragon secretaries. Ahem.
Not me because I am perfect still. But tbh, I think my favourite is when everyone dies to. I MEAN I COMPLAIN A LOT?? But I secretly do like it. 😂AAAAAAH THSI IS LIKE THE MOST FABULOUS POST OF EVER OKAY FREAKIN G OUT I NEED HELP .*pants for oxygen* So literally everything you said here is so (so SO) SPOT ONNN. Like, you are so wondrously practical with your pros and cons and each type of finale is so accurate. :’) this post just made my soul happy, okay?? OKAY. (ALSO THE QUIZ. THE QUIZ IS AWESOME I GOT THE RUNAWAY PEOPLE BOOKS WHICH IS PROBABLY COMPLETELY LIKE ME ALTHOUGH I’VE NEVER READ A BOOK LIKE THAT?? I THINK?? idk. xD Anyway, I like the idea of getting most of the answers in a finale WITHOUT it feeling like there are loose ends << VERY HARD TO ACHIEVE RIGHT HERE. AHEM.)
I also feel like killing everyone does kind of make some stories pointless? Like, NOT ALL BOOKS DO THIS but sometimes there is just SO MUCH DEATH that it’s like, “oh, that character died? hm. predictable.” *goes back to drinking tea* YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?? If character deaths are done right then they can be super good and smash you in the feels, but if they’re done poorly you’re like, “WHUT WAS THAT. why was that. gimme some meaning.” uuuuh I’m blabbering but yeah. hi. XD
ALSO ALSO! I feel like the “stress fest” books can be somewhat uninteresting?? AND OFTENTIMES ANTICLIMACTIC. Like “OH LOOK ANOTHER FIGHT ANOTHER MASSACRE TOTALLY DIDN’T SEE THAT COMIN YO.” uuugggh i don’t even knowww but I just get overwhelmed by stressful books like that. By the time I get to the climax I know exactly what to expect bc i read it like 800 times throughoUT THE BOOK ALREADY. aaaeeeuhhhh. *bangs head on something* anyway that’s just imo. XD
CAIT YOU DIDN’T TELL US WHAT YOUR QUIZ RESULT WAS. I DEMAND TO KNOW.
Pineapple Abbie recently posted…Real Life Saturday (Episode 12)
I’M GLAD YOUR SOUL IS HAPPY. HERE. MAKE YOUR SOUL HAPPIER AND GIVE IT CAKE. *shares cake with you* And zomg, so like semi-quiz-win-but-fail?! 😂 Spin-off series aren’t THAT common, tbh, but I was struggling to think of 5! I mean, 5 positive ones? There are tons of negative ones but it’s all soooo subjective. GAH. THE READING LIFE IS SO VERY HARD, AHEM.
I DO know what you mean about killing-everyone-makes-the-story-pointless. *nods* I mean, NOT always??? Sometimes it’s actually needful and those books DO stick with me a lot longer. One of my favourite series of EVER this year killed off all the main characters. <33333 I'm in love.
(YEAH I’M KIND OF WEIRD BUT SHHH DON’T LET ANYONE KNOW.)AND YES. Stress fests have to be careful. Particularly if they use up all the punchy scenes TOO FAST and then the ending is just “merp”. < -- actual word for actual feeling there. I'm an eloquent writer, I swear. #lies 😂 😂
Oh noes! I GOT THE OPEN ENDER ENDING! Argh… haha. I don’t mind them actually, if they’re done well. I do like there to be some sort of closure, though – especially for a series I’ve been invested in for, say, six books or so.
I don’t really procrastinate on series finales, unless it’s starting to hurt too much to continue. I usually do have to put them down and walk away for a little, though that usually consists of going for a jog and then diving headfirst back into the glorious torture. Like in Winter… ugh, I had to walk away and let myself cry before I could function enough to keep on truckin’.
I tend to like most finales, honestly, I feel as though they are usually on one end of the spectrum or the other. They’re either amazeballs or a huge let down. Most of the finales I’ve read have been on the amazeballs spectrum, Last Sacrifice (VA), Winter (Lunar Chronicles), etc. BUT, there are some that fall woefully short or annoy me half to hell. The Death Cure falls into that zone, as did Breaking Dawn – though it at least wrapped everything up. I just felt like it needed more.
Love this post, and the quiz. It made me giggle XD
We shall shriek “QUIZ FAIL THEN” and blame it on the dragons … not me. Because I’m perfect OF COURSE. The dragons, however, sometimes make bad quiz decisions. 😂 Ahem.
Ahhhh Winter was EPIC. I listened to the audiobook so it took me FOREVER, but it was good because I read it all calmly without rushing too much?! I’m sooo guilty of rushing through series finales just to fIND OUT ANSWERS and then I end up missing too many details. 😂
I do SO love The Maze Runner series. <3 And while I STILL gave The Death Cure like 5-stars...it was the weakest one I still agree. 🙁 *SAD NOISES* It was too open also? And I felt everyone just died too fast to be meaningful.
AHH I'M REALLY GLAD YOU LIKED THE QUIZ
The seventh question of the quiz was hard because I normally get ALL THOSE FEELINGS IN ONE BIG SOGGY BALL OF FEELS. Also the first time I took the quiz I got the Open-Ender and then the second time I got Mass Deaths. Welp.
Anywho, I love this post. Like, a lot.
Ooh, COLLISION OF THE QUIZ DECISIONS THEN. 😂 But I’m glad you enjoyed it!! *flails happily*
I like the Open Ender? For Real? UMM… OK, may be every now and then… or may be I’ve just read too many of them that all I can ever imagine are open enders? I’m so used to it that I don’t even know how to imagine something else?
By the way, Mewage? For real? I was just about to click on that because of “mewage”, but it was still mewage so I didn’t… did that make sense?
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Oops, quiz fail then?! 😂 hehe, BLAME THE DRAGON SECRETARIES. Ahem.
Ohh…the Mawwage is a quote from The Princess Bride! HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THE INFAMOUS PRINCESS BRIDE?? *gasps*
When I was 10ish… May be it’s time for a rewatch…
Maliha recently posted…Book Review: Coin Locker Babies by Ryu Murakami
I hate the open enders. THAT IS NOT AN ENDING!
Kill all the things,well, at least that’s final. OR IS IT ????
Oh and I can’t get the quiz thinger to show up. IT IS HIDING.
Omg, sorry about the quiz hiding! I should’ve manually linked to it too. *facepalm* BUT YES. Sometimes the open enders feel like a cop-out 😂 but at the same time I do sort of like them because it makes me THINK. :’)
HOW ABOUT JUST NO ENDINGS EVER. like, i love happy endings but at the same time they’re unrealistic, i get that. so then i’m like, add a little tragedy but not too much or you might kill someone i like just NO> NO ENDINGS> no endings would make everything better.
i loved the quiz. LOVED IT. 😀
I CAN GET ONBOARD WITH THIS IDEA TOO. 😂 Endings are so so traumatising to read. AHGHHGHHGH.
THAT PICTURE DOESN’T HAVE A MAGGIE STIEFVATER BOOK IN IT. CAIT, ARE YOU OKAY??? DO YOU HAVE A FEVER???? ARE YOU SICK????
(also what pens are those. Are they Staedtlers???)
(i feel like my comments lately don’t actually relate to the post. I’M JUST DISTRACTED BY THE SHINY. I promise I actually do read your posts and love them)
(for the record I would rather have a pet//friendo dragon I can ride on than BE a dragon myself.)
YES. I’M OKAY. I’M TRYING TO EXPAND MY HORIZONS OKAY? SHUSH NOW. 😂 (And yes they are Staedtlers! The super fine tipped ones because I bought them for one of those adult colouring in books so they wouldn’t lead through the pages. Though who has time to colour? Not me. 🙁 *HOWLS*)
OKAY JUST CHECKING CUZ I WAS CONCERNED THERE FOR A MINUTE.
I bought some Staedtlers for my Bullet Journal and I luuuuuuuv them. I’m tempted to try coloring with them, but I usually use colored pencils in my adult coloring books so…. maybe XD
Coloured pencils seem like a GOOD idea for colouring books, tbh. 😂 I LOVE PENS THOUGH. And I cry because my bic markers and sharpies all bled through. THE WORLD IS AGAINST ME, LISA. *collapses dramatically* I need more hours in my day so I can go back to colouring though. :’)
Pencils are great for coloring books. But pens look so niiiiiiiiice. Aish, choices XD I keep trying to make more time to color and it’s so HAAARRRRDDD. I feel your pain.
I got happily ever after which is accurate. Although I think I might have confused your quiz because I’m all over the place. AND ALSO I LOVE THE FAULT IN OUR STARS AND HARRY POTTER. So clearly I’m just a mess :’)
YOU ARE A MESS. Blame it on the books. I’m like sure 94% of our emotional damagedness comes from BOOKS.
I really really dislike the spin-off series (with a few exceptions) because it just feels so cheap, especially if I didn’t really care for the main series. The same applies when an author feels the need to extend a series because the publisher is pressuring them to make it longer. Sometimes less is more.
After that negative note, I must say that I loved your quiz! So fun! Apparently I’m a happily ever after, but I’m not so sure, haha.
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Totally agree with the “less is more” although I honestly always withhold judgement about spin-offs these days, considering how complex I’m learning the publishing industry is. 😂 Plus, I always do cheer for authors when they make a career out of their writing…because IT’S SO HARD. SO YAY if they get to write more. But it is hit-or-miss whether the secondary series is good. :/
YAYYY that you liked the quiz!! Even if it was a semi-fail?! 😂
I apparently want everyone I love to die? XD This sounds about right actually because this is EXACTLY the type of books I gravitate towards. Why do I hate myself so much, Cait? Why can’t I love lovely contemporary where people frolick on the beach and the worst thing ever is a bad hair day? Why do I love GRRM and SJM and Pierce Brown and people who cackle as they drink their reader’s tears?
I HATE open ended ending though. It’s like NOPE. Did not pay all the money for this. I need my ANSWERS. I am OK with spin off series, gives all the hardcore fans expansion on the world and I am also OK with ignoring it if the spin off is crap.
Beautiful and thought provoking post, as always <3
AHHHH. I TOTALLY KNOW HOW YOU FEEL. Me too. I mean, I complain? A LOT. But I kind of secretly love it. <33 Ahem. Pierce Brown HURTS and GRRM needs time out, basically, but afjdsklfad sign me up to read all their books. I HAVE PROBLEMS. 😂
Spin offs can be such hit or miss right?!? I try not to judge, because writing IS a career and I think it's awesome if publishers give writers the go-ahead to give more books but...eh. Sometimes the quality really does decline. :/
I am such a sucker for happy endings but YOUR QUIZ THINKS I LIKE STRESS FESTS, CAIT. THIS IS A LIE. STRESS FESTS MAKE ME FEEL….STRESSED. SO STRESSED. TOO STRESSED.
But really, I definitely don’t like it when a finale is all sunshine and daisies. But I’m getting kind of tired with constant death, both in books and on tv. It’s just exhausting to watch and read about all the time. I recognize that it can be necessary to move a plot forward and just to show how high the stakes are but CAN EVERYBODY JUST STOP DYING ALL THE TIME THANKS.
OMG. QUIZ FAIL. 😂
There is a lot of death and destruction atm, isn’t there?! I guess everyone is just in a morbid mood?? hehh. But it probably also explains why I keep avoiding series finales! I DON’T WANT ALL MY FRIENDS TO BE DEAD.
No to deaths and open ends and stress and runaways (okay, sometimes a runaway is okay) AND YES TO HAPPILY EVER AFTERS!!! Also the quiz got me right! Buuut I was fairly obvious. *COUGH* Pretty much though if all the characters die I’m going to hate it, and open-enders without answers MAKE ME SO ANGRY. EATING A BRICK WALL OVER HERE. (Series of Unfortunate Events had some of that… >.>) I guess the stress COULD be okay as long as it’s worth it and happy in the end? And plot twists and exciting stuff can be good. *nods* But yes, EXHAUSTING! So you have to be in the mood. 😉 And… well… for the last one, only if I WANT a spin-off series? I guess? Cuz that can be cool, but also yes, it’s hard to wait for ten more books for answers BECAUSE WHO HAS THAT KIND OF TIME.
So. Mostly I need happilies. Pfffft to them being unrealistic. If I want realistic stuff I will read biographies about real people and their sad lives. AND I NEVER DO READ THEM SO. This must be a sign. 😉
Oh, oh, but here’s the REAL question: WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE KIND OF SERIES FINALE, CAIT???
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Ahhh, I kind of thought you were a happily every after sort of person. 😉 YAY THAT THE QUIZ WORKED!! *awards self cake for efforts*
I’m TOTALLY all for mass-destruction though. #mybad I don’t even know why?!? I just sometimes feel like if I never get to read anymore stories in that world then….eh. Everyone might as well be dead. 😂I KNOW. THIS IS TERRIBLE. HELP ME. 😂 (I still have 24309 questions about A Series of Unfortunate Events…that’s for sure.)
Oh a quiz this is so much fun, I love quizzes!
So I got stress fest, which I think is mostly right because I love those intense kind of books that you just can’t put down because you must know what happens next!
Though I think it was a close call for me between stress fest and happily ever after, because I’m also a sucker for happy endings, but then again I don’t like too happy either, because like you said if it’s too happy it does not feel realistic. So I’ll go for a little pain, a lot of stress, but a mostly okay ending 🙂
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YESSS. I love it when a book is like “YOU CANNOT SToP READING ME”. I mean, they’re demanding little beasts sometimes BUT WE LOVE THEM. <3
This is a pretty awesome post!
I think Winter was the happily ever after kind, but I treated it like a stress fest, because I feared for their lives! (Okay, I got stress fest on the quiz.) I usually procrastinate on series finales too. I don’t want it to end and there’s so much pressure to get it just right, you know? But I guess real life doesn’t have a ‘just right’ ending, so what are we even whining about here? We want it to be realistic but we want it to be perfect? Do we even know what we want?! I can feel every authors’ struggle right now.
YAY THANK YOU ASHLEY. :’)
And I did stress over Winter too. omg. I was TERRIFIED everyone would die, but that’s because books have given me trust issues. 😂 ahem. And it’s so hard to know what the “perfect ending” is anyway. Like for some books that IS the happily-ever-after. But other books, it just wouldn’t be realistic if everyone lived. NO WONDER AUTHORS GO KINDA INSANE WRITING FINALES. (Or maybe that’s just me writing finales and going insane. 😂)
Apparently I’m a Happily Ever After type of chick. Which I wouldn’t have chosen for myself in reading through the options, but my friends all say is super accurate. They claim I’m basically like a little bunny. Okay then.
*whispers* but I”m an EVIL bunny.
*cautiously feeds your evil bunnyness evil carrots* 😂 So like semi-quiz-win then?!
That quiz was SO MUCH FUN!
I loved the dragon question!!
I got the Stress Fest…which, looking at the options, would be my favourite type of finale…GIVE ME ALL THE STRESS!!
I wouldn’t say I’m scared of series finales, but I do put them off sometimes. Mainly because I like to read them in one sitting (because I can only handle so much stress), and I need time to sit and read it.
A series finale I loved was RAVEN KING!!!! And the last Harry Potter, the last Percy Jackson, the last Mara Dyer book (SOO much stress), Oh, right, you said one…
A series finale I didn’t like was the end of Delirium. WAY too open ended for me. Like, the series ends just as they’re starting the ‘final battle’…so, the bad people are shooting at the good people and people are dying and that’s where it ends. Like, we don’t even find out everyone who dies??
I felt like the author was either a) being lazy, or b) afraid of disappointing anyone.
Cassie recently posted…April Wrap Up: Being social, Allegiant movie and RAVEN KING
YAYYY FOR A QUIZ WIN! 😂 It’s honestly being 50/50 with chances for working at the moment. BLAME THE DRAGON SECRETARIES. Actually, do not, because they are delicate souls and must be coddled. *pets dragons* *loves dragons*
THE RAVEN KING WAS BEYoND BEAUTIFUL BUT GAVE ME SO MUCH ANXIETY I THINK I LOST 9 YEARS OFF MY LIFE. <33 So not regretting it. (And guess who's currently procrastinating the last Mara Dyer book? YUP.)
I haven't read the Delirium series but DANG. I like a little bit of closure. Like I can handle not TOO much??? But still. 🙁
I definitely relate to you on this post! XD I’m one of the world’s worst about reading the final books in a series – I legit get anxiety from it, it seems. Lol. I didn’t even read the last book in the Divergent series, Allegiant, because I was spoiled as to what happened and I was like, “Well, so much for that! At least I was spared the hours of reading only to get to a disappointing ending!” But it still was upsetting, cause I really had liked the series overall.
I think the worst type of ending has to be the ones without closure. (I’m looking at you, Requiem of the Delirium series. >.>*)
Lovely discussion post!
Brittany @ http://www.spacebetweenthespines.com/
Omg I totally get anxiety from series finales too. *hides* I was in SUCH a frantic twist over The Raven King coming out last month. I SERIOUSLY COULDN’T SLEEP BECAUSE I WAS SO ANXIOUS ABOUT IT. 😂 Ahem. Agh though to being spoiled about Allegiant. 🙁 That would turn me off reading it too…although I DO think it was done well and fit with the story. (I’m a minority and actually loved how it ended. :P)
I though for sure I would not like the happily ever after ending.
BUT GUESS WHAT. THATS WHAT THAT TEST SAID I LIKE. *pouts*
Somehow, Cait, that test is wrong. WRONG I TELL YOU. *storms away to retake the quizamabob*
(Lol, sorry bout my dramatic first comment. I’ve been reading your blog for a while now and JUST NOW realized I hadn’t commented yet. So I did.
//Have some peanut butter ice cream cake with sprinkles and sour patch on top!//
UGH. I just redid the quiz, choosing all of my second answers.
I DO NOT LIKE MASS DEATH EITHER. MAYBE I REALLY DO LIKE FANTASY ENDINGS.
okay, so I realize I forgot to state my favorite and least favorite series conclusions.
Favorite: (I have yet to find one)
Least-favorite: THE HUNGER GAMES. I mean, REALLY, Suzanne, REALLY??? Why must Katniss be such a self-serving, unloving, brat?
Ooooops quiz fail. 😂 BUT HELLO AND WELCOME TO MY BLOG! Nice to *meet* you. 😂 *gobbles cake because cake is basically my language*
😀 haha, yeah.
THANKS I LOVE TO BE WELCOMED PLACES :’)
Nice to meet you, too 🙂
Surprisingly, I”m an open ender! But this is probably true
I, too am an avid Book Series Finale Procrastinator! I am just inevitably let down by enders to instead I don’t read them. Of course, TRK was an exception and sigh it was so perfect that I almost can’t read other series enders because they will be a let down!! I think the greatest and most important thing re: enders that MS recently said is that she planned it ALL before a word was written. I cannot stress the importance of this. To me, series fail when the author just writes them/makes them up as they go along rather than planning the entire story arc. That, to me, makes all the difference. Great post and discussion as always!!
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I TOTALLY AGREE. It’s almost a problem to have SUCH high expectations for series finales, right?!?? I never want to read them and be let down. *buries self in denial*
THE RAVEN KING WAS BEAUTIFUL. <3333 I have had basically a bookhangover for it ALL MONTH. AGHHHHHHH. 😂 #noregretstho
I do think it depends though? A lot of authors write differently and to say they ALL "must plan" can't truly work, because we all function as different individuals! I know George RR Martin's plot twists are INSANELY clever! Yet he's a panster and doesn't plan. 😛 I personally am a planner though. 😂 It's the only way I can keep everything together. EEEP.
HI I HAVEN’T COMMENTED IN FOREVER SORRY CAIT.
My personal favorite is bittersweet finales. Not too fluffy, happily ever after, nor too Titanic, tragedy EVERYONE IS DEAD sad.
On the quiz (which was awesome btw like everything else you do) I got the open ender, which is for sure not my favorite and I can annoy me to no end, but if done right then I can be satisfied. I guess. Fan-fiction, right?
Excellent post as always!
HI EMKAY I THOUGHT YOU MUST’VE MOVED TO JUPITER. *gives you welcome back cake* And eeep, quiz fail then. 😂 But still! I like bittersweet finales too! Like a little bit of blood/guts/glory and a little bit of happy? :’)
Awesome quiz! I got the Open-Ender, though I think it’s a bit off. I really prefer books that have at least 90% of the answers. Too many loose ends makes me feel like the author didn’t know how to finish the book, or is just holding off for possible spin-offs that they or a ghost writer might go through with.
Katy recently posted…Wonder Women: Jo Harding & Melissa Reeves
AHhh quiz fail! *cries* 😂 I personally do like the open-endings because I feel like they’re realistic? Real life never ties off so neatly. BUT AHHHH I STILL NEED SOME ANSWERS. 😛
I took the quiz and got the stressfest, which is actually pretty accurate. I’d say my favourite kind of finale is a stressfest with a happy ending – no Hamlet one-man-left-standing style finales for me, please! I like at least a few of my darling characters to come out of the story alive and relatively ok. But at the same time, keep it realistic. As you said, if there’s a war going on, not everyone is going to live.
Though for the most part I’d say I’m pretty ok with any of the series finale styles so long as the feel right and authentic to the story and the world and the characters. Otherwise I’m a grumpy reader. **cough cough The Blood of Olympus cough** My favourite series finale is definitely The Return of the King. Tolkien is the best! 😀
*nods* TOTALLY agree! I like those kind of balanced endings to. Like stab me in the feels, but give me SOME hope, right?! (What didn’t you like about Blood of Olympus?! 😂)
I wanted more Percy in BOO. Also, I felt the final battle was a bit anticlimactic, and the ending was too open-ended for my taste (especially Leo’s story arc). Don’t get me wrong, I still love PJO to pieces. 😀
Ahhh, I do get that! I actually think it’d have been better if Leo died??? Eeep, I FEEL AWFUL FOR SAYING THAT. But it would’ve made the ending more powerful.
Loved the quiz! It’s super cute. 🙂 I hope for more quizzes!
Best series I’ve ever read will have to be: Legend Trilogy by Marie Lu
You will definitely get more quizzes in the future! I try (eek) to do one a month or so. 😂 AHHHH that reminds me I need to finish the Legend trilogy!
I got Stress Fest, ha. I do love having battles! Plot twists! Chases! Escapes! Explosions! haha. I usually like Happily ever afters, too.
Oh man, I’m the worst at finishing series. It’s totally that fear of it being disappointing but also never wanting it to end. I think the only series ending that I really dived right into was The Hunger Games and The Lunar Chronicles. My copy of The Winner’s Kiss is sitting on my shelf looking at me…
Great post, Cait!!
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Oooh partial quiz win!! *HI FIVES* Ahem. 😂 ANd omg The Winner’s Kiss is mARVELLOUS, TRUST ME. I also adored The Lunar Chronicles finale (but I’m procrastinating Stars Above! hehe not that I think it’ll be painful? I’m usre it’ll be adorably wonderful…I JUST DON’T WANT IT ALL TO BE OVER.)
Oh man, series endings make me so sad! MORNING STAR was freaking brilliant though and I can’t wait for Crooked Kingdom! I’m kind of glad Winner’s Kiss is over TBH…I’m too scared to read Stars Above for closure on there lol. HAHAH I GOT STRESS TEST THAT IS DEFINITELY not surprising! I just love my epic endings and having my feels mashed around. hence Morning Star.
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YESSSS MORNING STAR WAS PERFECT. <3 I was really surprised at how perfect it was, tbh! (I was REALLY expecting more deaths?! But not complaining, nooooot complaining at all. 😂) I loved The Winner's Kiss so we'll have to agree to disagree there. 😂 bUT AHHHH CROOKED KINGDOM CAN'T COME FAST ENOUGH. EEEEP.
The quiz tells me I like Open Enders. I am conflicted by this, because on the one hand; okay maybe sometimes. But on the other *clings to books* I don’t like it when they’re mean!
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Ahhh, semi-quiz fail then, eh?! 😂 I agree though! Open enders are good AND awful, omg.
I loved this post, Cait! I got The Stress Fest! I do love an epic series finale!!! But I’m open to the others too, as long as things aren’t left SO open, and I don’t get why the series has ended.
I was REALLY let down by the Rapture by Lauren Kate. I loved that series until that book. It just seem SO easy, they got through everything with no problem, when things were meant to be cryptic, and.. yeah, I just wasn’t happy. And I’ve been let down with every book by Kate I’ve read since.
But I do mostly love series endings! I’m currently reading Winter by Marissa Meyer, and OH MY GOD IT’S SO GOOD! I started this series this year, and have looooved it! I tried to pace myself so I didn’t finish the series too quickly, and I’ve mostly succeeded, but I’ve only read one book between Fairest and Winter! AND MY GOD IT’S BRILLIANT! Eeee, I am so excited! But I don’t want it to end! At least there’s Stars Above!
I do normally procrastinate with finishing series. I don’t like leaving characters behind, it’s so upsetting. Even if I can reread. But I also get super excited to see how everything will turn out. I procrastinate for as long as I can bear it!
(I have been very quiet on your blog lately! I’m sorry! Lots has happened, and it meant I fell behind. I read but didn’t comment to catch up with everything quickly! Sorry!)
AHHHH I’M SO GLAD, THANK YOU JO!! *flails happily* Stress Fests ARE fun. And by “fun” I mean, totally traumatic…but worth it. :’) Although I am a bit of a sucker for a mass-destruction. 😂 I always feel like if I CAN’T read any more books, then everyone might as well die and solve me wondering what happens to them later. (Omg, my logic is terrible. SHHH CAIT. YOU’RE LETTING THEM ALL KNOW HOW CRAZY YOU ARE.) Ahem.
I’ve only tried one book by Lauren Kate and pretty much decided not to read anymore. *hides*
Ahhh I’m glad you like Winter! I think it as a hugely satisfying ending *nods*
(Omg you don’t have to be sorry or worry about catching up. <3)
Honestly, I’d be happy with just about any of these endings as long as they’re done well. I love the test. I got The Stress Fest and it’s so true. That is one of my favorite types of all time. Nice post.
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I totally know what you mean! XD It really all depends on the execution of the ending, right?! (Omg, maybe “execution” wasn’t the best word to use…. 😂)
Love this post! Thank you for another great quiz. This might be my favorite quiz I have taken and it may or may not have something to do with the fact you asked a dragon question. (A thousand slices of cake to Cait!)
THE DRAGON QUESTION. < -- That is the reason for all happiness. :')
PASSIONATELY IN LOVE: The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh, THE WINNER’S KISS by Marie Rutkoski, The Mirror King by Jodi Meadows
ABSOLUTELY WANT TO RIP UP THE BOOK: Allegiant by Veronica Roth, The Crown by Kiera Cass
I’m either two kinds of people when it comes procrastinating series finales. I either go insane, and do whatever it takes to read the series finale or wait a max of two years before I actually read it. It tends to be a timeline of sorts where if the release is under a year to a year and I’m caught up, I read it immediately when I get my hands on it. When its a little bit over a year ago, like say 6 months after the release I’ll end up making my way back to the conclusion, then like I said before, I read it waaay overdue. THEN. Then, there’s the fact of the series and whether I loved it or not. That plays a huge part on my prioritizing my TBR list.
I think I’m all types of series finales, but the quiz predicted a favourite of mine which are the open-ender finales. I love the conclusions that give me enough answers to keep me satisfied but also leave me feeling like the characters are stilling living on.
AHHHH I’M JUST ABOUT TO BUY THE MIRROR KING! *shrieks* The Orphan Queen left me in TATTERS. Like is it even legal to have a cliffhanger like that?!? *stamps foot* Ahem.
And oh oh I totally get what you mean about picking it up faster if it’s a quicker release. ME TOO. Like I don’t procrastinate when I’m only just beginning the series? I only read The Orphan Queen last month, so when The Mirror King arrives I’ll read it straight away. WHILE EVERYTHING IS STILL FRESH. But I think the more the anticipation rises, the harder it is to read sometimes. hehe.
It told me that I like everyone to die. Which is pretty much exactly right, but I feel like there’s something wrong with me if a quiz can tell I like death???
Also the one question that was like, “Which one is you after finishing a book?” I WANTED TO CLICK ON ALL OF THEM. They were all so funny:)!!! I chose the dude sobbing and rocking but the “I love it!”, “I’m gonna take a nap”, and “Is it wrong to want more?” ones were also GREAT!
Had a hard time choosing between Sam and Frodo and Flynn and Repunzel as well:)
Thanks for the fun quiz, Cait!
Omg, there is definitely something wrong with this quiz. ALSO PROBABLY SOMETHING WRONG WITH ME. Ahem. Mass destruction is my favourite ending too. :’) But ahhhh I’m so glad you liked the quiz! 😂
So I got the Stress Fest. Which, let’s be real, is extremely accurate. I’d say that virtually ALL others make me stabby. Actually, even the stressy ones can make me stabby when they are not done right. I seriously think that the problem is me at this point hahahha.
One that I loved? Mockingjay. HAHAHAH sorry that shouldn’t even be allowed to count. Umm OH Monsters of Men. That was epic. One I did not like? All the rest of the enders ever? No? Requiem (still sad that I will never know any of the things), Allegiant (just… yawn- and by the time the “thing” happened, I no longer even cared), Raging Star (blah).. and even though I know we disagree, Half Lost.
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YAYY QUIZ WIN FOR ME. HUZZAH AND CAKE FOR EVERYONE. Just kidding. I’m eating all the cake myself. Ahem.
Tbh, I think all endings make me slightly stabby?! My expectations are always SO HIGH. And I’m always SO PANICKED. HHAHAHA #bookwormproblems Ahem. Mockingjay was perfect. <3 It really drove home a point, I think, and I think a ton of people didn't "get it". *sad noises* I still have to read the rest of the Chaos Walking series. *SHRIEKS* WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING WITH MY LIFE??????
At least we 100% agree about Raging Star.😭😂
This hit the nail on the head for how I felt after reading ‘Winter’. It just flopped for me. I think there was waaaaay to much going on and too many loose ends that had to be miraculously tied. Then you bring in the sheer size of the book and just ugh, no thanks!
I totally get what you mean *nods sadly* I think Winter was WAY too long and it dragged soooo bad in the middle right? I mean, it was a good satisfying ending, but yeah. Not perfect for sure. 🙁
I LOVE THIS. And so, I am a STRESS FEST kind of person according to your quiz and this is PAINFULLY REAL. Because I love these kind of endings, but they also make me want to throw the book out the window and cry or anything. Book endings really are giving me way too many feelings, and if it was so good, I’m hangover for days afterwards. BUT IT IS SO GOOD, SO BRING ON THE PAIN. 😀
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AHHHH QUIZ WIN!! *flails* But zomg those stressy endings?! I’m sure they’ve taken years off my life. :’) #noregrets Ahem. AND THE HANGOVERS ARE THE WORST RIGHT?!? But worth it.
Girl, I remember reading The Hunger Games. The ending disappointed me but I heard that Divergent’s ending is even worse!
Divergent’s ending is definitely….different. 😂 I did like it! (And THG’s ending too!) BUT YEAH. FEELS DESTROYED.
I got the mass deaths of everything ever…which is definitely accurate. I think I used to be the kind of reader that wanted everything to be tied up neatly…but not now. KILL THEM ALL. I mean, you’re not going to get to read about the characters anymore, since it’s a finale, so why not just amp up the angst and kill everyone?
A series finale I loved was the last book in the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson (which pretty much shows your quiz to be successful) because it was awesomeness and plot twisty and there were people dying left and right. And one I didn’t really like was Winter by Marissa Meyer. It felt way too happy with eight main characters and none of them dying. I’d be fine with one or two of the ships sailing (Cinder/Kai yes) but at least one, if not two, should have been torn apart with a death. *grins*
SAME. KILL THEM ALL OF EVER AVAST YE!! I mean, if I have to give up the series because it’s all over, everyone else might as well be dead, yes??! ahem. (Shh, my logic is fine.)
I NEED to finish Mistborn. :O And I think Winter was definitely too easy. Like the fact that they were SO unorganised and had NO plan and yet still won the rebellion?!? Wut. It was really unrealistic.
Your logic is totally and definitely logical. Exactly how I think of it.
Yasss, you do! It’s awesome. And I agree about Winter, although it was more the fact that no one died rather than that they won the rebellion that was unrealistic for me. I mean, it was still unrealistic, but I was expecting it, so it was okay. No one dying though…IT’S A REBELLION. PEOPLE SHALL DIE.
I got open ending WHICH IS INACCURATE BECAUSE THEY KILL ME DEAD, CAIT, DEAD. And yes, I am looking at you and your vengeful ghosts.
EXCUSE MEEEEE??? Pffft. You loved that ending that has no closure whatsoever and causes strife and mental breakdowns all over the world. YOU LOVE IT. I SEE IT IN YOUR EYES.
Uhmmm, let’s see, I have The Forever Song and Dreams of Gods & Monsters yet to read. I got them on release day – actually, I got Forever Song as an ARC, and I am not prepared to let go. Nope. Not me. I started. And then put them down. I’ll have to face sad and angsty moments. I’ll have to say goodbye… Nooooooooo…
The test kinda missed… kinda… because I do love me some HEA, but those that had me crying and sobbing for hours at the end.
Haha I love this! I am like you a lot – I always end up trying to avoid the finale of the book because TEARS. I really really want book series to continue forever with the same level of goodness and always bringing something new to the forefront. Which is impossible but it’s still secretly what I want. I got the Stress Fest from the quiz as well haha 😀 I felt like that really applied to the 5th Percy Jackson book!
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I got the stress fest! Very accurate haha. Ooh I definitely procrastinate finales. Though not for long because it’s hard to resist and the book just goes ‘READ ME READ ME’ so yeah *shrugs* I have such mixed feelings about open endings. I mean, if you wrap up the characters’ story in the book, it doesn’t mean that their entire story is over (unless they’re dead). Even if everything’s wrapped up and all the questions are answered, doesn’t mean I can’t fantasise about what happens after (again unless they’re dead lol)