Not many things are perfect in this world, but does that stop my intolerably high standards and demands? Haha. No.
Although when I say “not many things are perfect” I obviously exclude MYSELF who is a pocket sized catastrophe that is in want of no improving. And also the actual existence of cake is perfect. It’s doing a great job, do not criticise it.
Now I accidentally started a bit of a blogging-series that can absolutely be summarised as: CAIT PICKS SOMETHING AND LAYS ALL HER DEMANDS FOR ITS PERFECTION ON THE TABLE. Not a concise title so I went with the “What should the perfect [insert something here] look like?” and this the series was born. Of course the point is: this is my wishlist and opinion! My “perfect” list of criteria is going to look different to yours. Not to say my opinion is better but…YET…
Anyway!
Today I’m going to talk about what makes the perfect YA trilogy!
So let’s get started on my list of impossible demands!
✓ EACH BOOK NEEDS TO HAVE ITS OWN EPIC PLOT.
You’d think this isn’t a wild thought, buuuut apparently it is. So many trilogies use the 1st book to just set up the plot —> the 2nd book to angst and fill in time —> the 3rd to roll out the battle and actual high stakes. And if I haven’t wandered away before that time IT’S A HEAVEN SENT MIRACLE. So all I ask is that every book has a plot! Goals and stakes to achieve! No “filler” content thanks I get that enough when I eat unsatisfying cereal.
✓ AVOID SECOND-BOOK-BLUES, PLEASE I’M FREAKING BEGGING YOU.
This does come off the back of the last one! BUT. Second-book-blues almost always happen when the first book is EPIC and the finale is going to be EPIC but what happens here??? Do we??? Do we, um…break up the thin romance? ✗ Make everyone go WALK somewhere to kill time?? ✗ Change everyone’s personalities for lolz to shake things up??? ✗
Things I like to see in sequels are:
- the stakes get HIGHER
- new characters get introduced so there’s plenty to kill in the finale (JOKING ABOUT THE KILLING…sort of)
- the scenery changes!! don’t let us stagnate in one setting for 3 books
- emotions get compromised, allegiances form and break etc.
- someone gets a frikkin’ nap because they probably didn’t in book 1 and i care about your sleep cycle
- smaller goals ARE attained so you realise there are monster-bigger-goals underneath #yikes
✓ DON’T LET IT BE 3 BOOKS OF THE SAME THING
This is a hit-or-miss one for me, because for instance: the Lara Jean trilogy is basically the same plot for ALL THREE BOOKS. I still loved it. But I did find myself slightly disappointed by the end that the apocalypse didn’t start or anything. For fantasy trilogies: when I’m in a world for 3 books, you better heckin’ show me the world. For contemporary trilogies: the character dynamics need to change and MOVE in every book with new struggles to overcome. Because 3 books wondering WHO WILL GET TOGETHER is thin soup. I asked for bone soup. Give me bonnnnnes. *
* That sounded creepier than I intended…no wait. No I intended it to sound creepy. WELCOME TO MY BLOG.
✓ PLEASE DON’T LET THE FINALE BOOK BE A 500 PAGE BATTLE.
I’m sobbing. That puddle in the corner? LITERALLY ME SOBBING. This only goes for fantasy trilogies obviously, but holy heck I hate extended battle scenes. Is this just me?! I cannot keep up with all the people swinging their swords around and why that’s interesting. Just hit some people and move on, Morris.
✓ IT WON’T HAVE TOO MANY “SPOILER TROPES”.
I’m not opposed to tropes, heck no, I love so many of them and will happily read about awkward wizards and sassy thieves till death do us part. (And then I will come back as a GHOST and keep reading. Ha!) But when the spoiler tropes show up, I feel I can predict the whoooole ending and my life turns into a damp egg.
For example:
- suddenly introducing a new narrator in book 2 or 3 —> THE ORIGINAL PROTAGONIST IS GONNA DIE
- introducing a new handsome bOY in sequels —> oh love triangle
- breaking up the romance in book 2 —> you know it’s going to get back in book 3, this is tiring
- dropping lines like “I’ll tell you later when we’re safe!” —> you know someone’s getting kidnapped and taken away
Predicting things is OK! Just not with too many cliches, you know?!
✓ CLIFFHANGERS ARE A MUST ACTUALLY (I CAN’T BELIEVE I JUST SAID THAT)
Looooook I hate waiting a year in aGONY too. But I need it! I need cliffhangers otherwise I honestly will lose that motivation to find out what happens next. Seriously I am the WORST at finishing things. I’ve started 3989 series and finished, like, 2. So I need that extra slap of motivation. Bring it. Throw me off a cliff. I’m ready.
✓ START EACH OF THE SEQUELS WITH A RECAP OF THE LAST BOOK!!
Can you imagine the LIVES this would save?! The entire world would literally spin faster on its axis in pure happiness! (Um…is that a good thing?? Probably not but don’t science @ me.) If I have to go 12 months between books I LOSE THE PLOT. Literally. Figuratively. Emotionally etc. etc. But, dude, if I go a week I also lose the plot. So. Recaps! I know a lot of blogs are dedicated to this, but books could also do it for us?? Pleeeeease.
✓ CHARACTER ARCS ≠ CHARACTER PERSONALITY FLIPS.
The only thing that needs to flip in a book is MY EMOTIONS when a cute dog comes on the page…and also, you know, I enjoy flipping the actual page too. Characters should develop and change but not so they’re unrecognisable!! It literally destroys me when I can’t even recognise my favourite characters by book 3. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE. WHERE ARE MY ORIGINAL CHILDREN.
They still need arcs! Emotional changes! Proof that they’re growing up and not stagnating! Things they’ve learned and are doing differently! But ugh @ so much change that no one’s the saaaaaame at all. A great example is Rhy in A Darker Shade of Magic, learning how to be an actual responsible prince instead of rambunctious EGG…but he’s still the same joking, loveable Rhy in book 3! Plus, you know, traumatised.
✓ HURT THE CHARACTERS AS WELL AS AXE ‘EM OFF.
I’m all for killing your darlings. I AM. But also pain and ruin work A+ as well, even more so sometimes?! Like if you continually take things that mean a lot to the character = yessss. Making a stolid character cry is more devastating than killing them off. And making them lose something irreplaceable (maybe their good name?! maybe their homeland?!) will have you weeping in the cellar without getting to bk 3 and having EVERYONE BE DEAD.
That is so awkward. 2/10 do not recommend. I have done this and it ends up just being a bunch of ghosts sitting moodily around for the finale, complaining about their lives and lack of pizza.
I know I’ve mentioned this before bu t the Eragon books and (the Australian editions of) the Montmaray books have the summary at the beginning and I ADORE IT. I think the Monmaray books are a great example of a trilogy where every book is totally fresh and surprising (I’m a rabid fangirl, what can I say). The shift in location from books one to tow, and then from peace time to wartime in books 2 and three works perfectly. I do really like duologies! but in terms of trilogies, I think Daughter of Smoke and bone worked well, because each book is quite different. And I ended up really disappointed by the last Lara Jean book, but that was because it was really predictable and annoying *sigh*
Why can’t ALL books do that, though?! Seriously it would be revolutionary and the world would change for the better.😂
I sooo loved the Lara Jean books but I couldn’t quite give the finale 5-stars haha, just because I was expecting a bit of a difference?! I mean it was satisfying and left me feeling all the squees buuuut it did have the exact same plot as books 1 and 2 so yeah. Whoops. (But then Riordan always has the same plot too so maybe I shouldn’t complain.😂)
I prefer longer series. Except when they take too long to be finished which is always. Honestly, I do like to see more of a world and have a longer story, but the main reason my favourites are longer is not because the’re longer, but just because they’re my favourites. If that makes any sense.
One of my favourite stories was going to be a trilogy, was plotted as a trilogy. Opening, introducing, dealing with the first big problem, then opening it up, making everything worse, breaking out hearts and going into a slight cliff-hanger, finishing with very intense stakes, a countdown and several battles. However, when it ended there was still a country to rebuild, bad guys to catch, and the heroes ex-best friend from the other side who saved his life. The guy who usually dies and is remembered as a hero, is less convenient when he survives. So the trilogy gets a sequel which flows quite naturally, has great character development, and stakes of defending whatever happiness and stability they’ve managed to build.
Another great trilogy I’ve read, Dystopian this this time, has the Main character die off at the end of the second book and there was no other POV introduced. It was also done a Dystopian trilogy that I dislike (because of expectation, not because it was badly written). One begun the third with the Protagonist reviving, and the other added two POV’s of characters who had to deal with her death. So there are ways of very much surprising the reader with deaths.
And I can’t forget the Sword and Staff Trilogy with Patrick Carr. He does trilogies amazingly. (Though I don’t think they are actually YA) The first book you collect a bunch of characters and introduce a big problem they start dealing with, the second book you let them run wild all over the world doing things, and the third book you have to pull them all back together for the ending. I only read the first and third books the second time I read the trilogy and so, so much was missing.
It makes sense! If I’m obsessed with a series, then I want ALL the books.😂 Like the Mortal Instruments (it has 6) and The Raven Cycle (4 but getting a spin off!) are my favourites and I’d read even more books if there were some!!
Aww that’s awesome that your trilogy just took a hold of things itself and told you what to do.😂 I’ve written a contemporary trilogy (but it’s my only ever written trilogy!) that was supposed to be a standalone. I mean. These books…they walk out here and ask for more all the time ah hhaa.
That dystopian trilogy sounds really interesting?! But you didn’t tell me the title! I’M SO CURIOUS.😂
Satisfying trilogy would be Bartimeaus trilogy (surprise) and dissapointing would be Snow like Ashes. I feel like it falls into all of the things you mentioned here. ._. Especially the second book and the whiplash a character gave me in there. And it sucks because I loved the first book so much.
I’m still annoyed at myself for not having read those books yet! (I DID read the graphic novel for book 1 though, so that halfway counts?!😂) And omg I quit the Snow Like Ashes series after book 2…it was just not doing it for me.😂
Second-book blues are the WORSTTTTT. I hateeee it. Especially when they make the characters walk through the effing desert and nothing happens. And then they end the book with a cliffhanger like how dare you play with my feelings like that??!!?!?
omg agreed, how dare books come into our house and ATTACK OUR EMOTIONS and then throw us off a cliffhanger at the end as a farewell. Rude.
😂😂
I know right, and then you obviously have to buy the third book and oh my god where did all my money go?!
This post is a must for anyone writing trilogies, absolutely love it. And there are so few trilogies I feel actually do this. I think especially middle books are a problem, like I just finished Insurgent which mildly disappointed me because of having 0% plot. I honestly prefer four book series because that’s long enough for lots of character development and also fixes the middle book problem because THERE IS NO MIDDLE BOOK BWAHAHAHA!!!!! And if the two “middle books” are bad then you can blame the series
Aww, thank you, Frank! I’m so glad you liked it! And honestly I’m finding a ton of trilogies a bit unsatisfying these days.😂It’s those darn second-book-blues that keep hitting. I feel like if the middle isn’t as epic (ore MORE) than book 1 than just make it a duology already and spare us getting bored before the finale haha. Although I’m guess this is me being salty and the author of that trilogy probably doesn’t think it’s boring.😂 *smothers self*
(4 book series are definitely becoming my favourites. AKA THE RAVEN CYCLE.)
Haha, Yes Kill the character if you must authors but maKE IT PAINFUL FOR US TOO! LET ME FEEL ALL THE EMOTIONS HIDDEN UNDERNEATH ALL THIS DARK MAGIC PLEASE!! No consideration to unfeeling dark mages who watch the world burn for a living…
I would say that I love Trilogies more… but then again it kinda depends on the book. Like with the Lunar Chronicles, I was very happy to have four books… but like with some stories maybe four books is too long??? Does that make sense???
Plus, something about having sets of three books is satisfying??? Easier to hug??? A 3 Course meal??? Who knows why?
Example of Trilogy that was done excellently and I will forever cry about it; The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare…. A+ trilogy… all the points.
I tend to pick up books all, ” I want to FEEL THE PAIN!! BRING IT ON BOOK!” …. but then when I finish the book and am swimming in my tears, I’m surprised????
It does exactly what I wanted it to do… and I get offended…
I know right?! We are here TO SUFFER. As much as we complain, a trilogy is literally so unsatisfying unless it rips out a few feels now and then. 😂 And honestly I’m finding more and more quartet books are awesome? AKA the Lunar Chronicle sand the Raven Cycle to start with! But yeah I think 3 often LOOKS more satisfying too. Isn’t 3 supposed to be the perfect number?😂 3 course meals will confirm *nods* And fajskdla I love the Infernal Devices for sure, and also the Dark Artifices. Cassandra Clare is just queen.
Absolutely yes to the actually functional sequels! The second book syndrome is way too real. And yes, I agree about the battle scenes – actually, there are very, VERY few books where I enjoy reading about fighting at all xD I tend to want to skip, lol.
Also – ten points to Slytherin for all those Brooklyn 99 GIFs you used.
Second book blues are KILLERS. It almost always makes me never finish the series! (I’ll blame all my unfinished series on that, and not that I have an attention span of a mouldy banana leaf.😂)
And fight scenes are great in movies, but I’m less invested in books looool. I don’t have enough imagination to figure out all the moves they’re using? ALSO YES I’LL TAKE ALL THE SLYTHERIN POINTS. Brooklyn 99 is kind of becoming my favourite show obsession.😂
I agree with so many things you mentioned! Especially the cliffhanger part, why would I otherwise continue..
I prefer trilogies or longer series, definitely when all the books are all ready out, so you don’t have to wait!
As satisfying trilogy I would say the mistborn trilogy (currently reading the last book) and every book has lots of action but also plotting parts!
I actually did not like the LOTR at all, especially the second book where they just kept walking, I mean I got tired reading it..
I complain about cliffhangers for NO END but I also love the.😂 Make me suuuuffer haha. And omg it was really good reading the Chaos Walking trilogy recently because they’re all out (including novellas!) and I get to just read not have to wait in agony.😂 (And I couldn’t handle LOTR either so I’m with you there.😂)
Exactly!! I need that totally kick to keep invested haha. 😂 And reading the whole series in like one gulp is SO satisfying…although I never can wait that long and I always end up reading them as they come out.😂
(I didn’t even go past LOTR book one haha, but the movies were excellent!)
MUST: Kill a main-ish character off…if the genre is fantasy and involves conflict/battles/fighting. I’m sorry but you can’t have all this effort put in and build-up towards a battle that everyone then survives (*cough,cough* Twilight series). It’s just not realistic.
MUST NOT: Have a love triangle. Seriously this is way overdone and seriously irritates me these days. The only love triangle I’ve actually enjoyed was the whole Tessa/Will/Jem debacle in The Infernal Devices and that was because Will and Jem loved each other too.
One YA trilogy I distinctly remember leaving me pissed off and angry was the Nightshade trilogy by Andrea Cremer. It actually fulfilled both of my requirements above, but…….no. Just no. It was not okay.
I KNOW RIGHT?!? PEOPLE GOTTA DIE. Wait…😂I swear I’m not a stabby creeper here, I just need book that rip my heart out occasionally.😂 But holy heck I will gladly see the love triangle rest forever. I have some that I enjoy!? But they’ve got to be done well. And I just HATE when the triangle is introduced in book 2. Like the couple does all that work to get together and then —> the second someone pretty enters the scene, they’re straying away?!? How can I ship it! They weren’t loyal at all!
I can’t even. -sits back and enjoys the amazingness-
You basically summed up my rant with YA perfectly. I LOVE YA, BUT PLEASE NO MORE TROPES AND BORING THINGS.
When I read a fantasy series–as someone who is that speck over there on World of Warcraft or Skyrim inspecting the pretty bushes because EXPLORATION–I need to see a fantasy world. This is one of the biggest reasons YA fantasy is a joke to me. My stakes were set high when the first fantasy novels I read as a kid were Lord of the Rings, Robin McKinley’s Blue Sword and Hero and the Crown, and the Inheritance Cycle by Paolini. All of which are amazing examples of what to do with a fantasy book. You grow your characters, make them cry, kill off some, and don’t forget to explore because even the non-adventurous want to picture the world they’re in.
Also second-book-syndrome kills me. -looks at almost every YA series ever- Just sayin’, authors. Write a better second book and maybe people will enjoy that third one more.
I think sometimes we just hit slumpy YA books, but I’d never say YA fantasy as a whole is a dead loss.😂Just my opinion haha. But I do feel fantasy YA could be way better with the stakes/tension/romance…maybe less romance and more stabbing.😂
Thanks for the great list! First to my mind of a Trilogy I was titally satisfied with was Hunger Games, great main theme, many mini story arcs, great continuity. One I was not was Divergent (I will be honest, the next to last chapter in the final book made me want to throw it against the wall as I had hoped for a torally different ending). I love well written trilogies but a set of two well done or a multi book series works too (in multi tho the stories HAVE to have multiple arcs and plots).
I’m so glad you liked the Hunger Games too! I ADORE that series and I think it did everything so so well…I mean yes Catching Fire had the sameish plot as book 1 with the arena, but everything was different and there were tons of new characters and it just blew me out of the water. One series were there was definitely NO second-book-blues that’s for sure!! And I did like Divergent at the time, but I’m not so enamoured with it now.😂 I thought the ending was good though looool.
Second book blues are the worst! It’s part of why I’ve been happy with lots of duologies lately, because that just avoids that issue completely 😀 Sometimes I feel like certain trilogies would have been better as more fast-paced and compressed duologies. Awesome post, as always 😀
Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles
I know right?! I’m really loving the duology trend at the moment because we totally skip all the annoying parts.😂Although 4+ books (*looks lovingly at the raven cycle*) also seem to do really well!
Oh I SO agree about the plot and second book blues! It’s like wait…this is literally just a slog to get through before everything gets concluded? Why?? On the whole, I actually don’t read many trilogies (I say with my shelf full of trilogies lurking in the courner) I prefer duologies or longer series (but not really over 5 books because…well mainly I want it wrapped up)
I also would have to say that I like when the authors have (at like the ending of book one) a character who gets like one snarky line and then in book two you realize their major importance. (Not that I’ve had this much…but it’s still nice like oh not a throw away character!)
😊 Anyways, Dragons and cake are always needed…especially in fluffy contemporary books. 📚🐲🎂
Exactly! It’s just unnecessary and annoying! If it’s just building up for the 3rd book then…lol, just don’t.😂 Although I KNOW this is only personal opinion and I’m sure the authors/publishers don’t feel that way haha. But I’d rather go from “introduction –> exciting conclusion” without everyone just sitting/walking in the middle and agnsting.😂
Yeah over 5 books gets exhausting, although I do so love The Mortal Instruments!! But I don’t think I really follow series longer than that?! Riordan’s are usually trilogies or 5 right?
I’ve apparently had really great luck with my YA trilogies! I love trilogies so much and I read them most often – either trilogies or stand-alone books. And most of the ones I’ve read have a had great second books…. I rarely get tired or fed up! But I 110% agree that the second book in a trilogy needs to raise the stakes and/or kill someone we care about. And I like it when something happens to devastate the main character.
Things I hate hate hate in a second book are predictable love triangles, zero plot development, and breaking up the main couple – it’s wayyyyy too obvious that they’ll be back together. 😂 So basically agreeing with all of your points, lol
Some really good YA trilogies for me are Caragh O’Brien’s Birthmarked trilogy, which had a very cool plot even if it had the predictable break-up; The Hunger Games, obviously; and Marie Lu’s Legend trilogy, which was really interesting and shook things up when I didn’t expect it!!
Ahhh I’m really glad! And honestly I’ve got SO many trilogies that I absolutely adore and I just finished the Chaos Walking ones and ajfksld SO SUCH PERFECT. I even think the middle book was my favourite?! It was incredible. 😍 So definite proof that middle books can raise the stakes and be super exciting! But yes let’s please skip the part where we all have to suffer through a “surprise” love triangle in book 2. I’m so over it haha.
I need to finish the Legend trilogy!
YES WITH EVERY BOOK IN A TRILOGY HAVING ITS OWN PLOT. Why do you think we read Percy Jackson book after Percy Jackson book? Because they all have different plots, it’s not just two cool books and then three books of fillers. I think that’s why I prefer duologies, honestly, because you don’t have to worry about the filler plot in between. But duologies are so few and far in between.
AND PEOPLE DON’T SEEM TO GET THE CHARACTER PERSONALITY FLIPS ARE NOT THE SAME AS CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. A character’s personality can dramatically change, especially if they go through trauma, but there has to be some major inciting incident other than, like, a significant other breaking up with them.
YES EXACTLY. You’d think this wouldn’t be a mind blowing revelation but apparently it is.😂 And even though Percy Jackson has the same plot set up, it always has a different adventure + different scenery + different characters being introduced. Riordan truly is a master at keeping attention tbh.
Ugh I’m so over character-personality-flips. And it’s happening so much now??? Like the sequel to the Diabolic did it too and I’m just so DONE. I’m not here for suddenly random new characters. I want the old ones = JUST GROWN AND MATURED.
This is such a great list Cait! I agree with these points. I have a love/hate relationship with trilogies so I tend to enjoy longer series more. I wish more series, like you said, would do a recap of the last book, but I don’t always read a series back to back. I read so many books all the time, so the stories can get a bit muddled.
Aww thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And DEFINITELY a love/hate relationship for me too.😂I kind of like longer series but I can also lose interest when it takes 5 years to get the finale, you know?!
Well, my favorites series have 4 books (or more) e.g. Percy Jackson + Heroes of Olympus, Harry Potter, Raven Cycle
I just can’t seem to let go of characters that’s why 3 books are a buzzkill. I love Uncle Rick’s trilogies tho (I’m a Riordan loyalist, no surprise here). They are middle-grade books but I think they’re *almost* YA like The Kane Chronicles and Magnus Chase. I’m really sad that Uncle Rick didn’t make more Kane books because I miss Carter and Sadie so much. He just makes characters that are EASY TO LOVE and are HARD TO LET GO. I love Magnus Chase too because it just screams of diversity and the diverse characters do not seem forced at all. I think even when I’m 72 yrs old I’ll still love Uncle Rick like I love him now.
One YA series that surprised me in terms of improvements is A Court of Thorns and Roses. I think the first book was just meh. It took all my willpower not to put it down and I actually survived the ordeal. The ending was corny as well but I gave the series a chance. I read book two and IT JUST BLEW ME AWAY. The second book was perhaps the best book in the series (which is unusual in trilogies) and the third book was fantastic.
I weirdly liked The Magicians too. The protagonist was infuriating and the plot wasn’t original but there was something about it that made me read all the way to book three. The series wasn’t a five-star read but I enjoyed reading it. At least the books didn’t bore me to death.
I think the trilogy that disappointed me was Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (this is a trilogy right?). I’m not sure if it’s a trilogy because my memory sucks and I never finished reading the series. The first book bored me so much but because of the hype, I was motivated to finish it. The second book just didn’t work for me so I put it down and never looked back.
I have high standards in trilogies. First requirement is that the books should give me the feels I want. I will give the first book a chance but if the second book still doesn’t punch me right in the feels, I’m dropping it to Tartarus.
SAME! I’m realising most of my favourites have more than 3 books?! Which is super cool because I hate saying goodbye haha (*ME = WANTING 3989 RAVEN BOY BOOKS FOREVER AND EVER*)
I love all the Riordan books too!! (Well actually I didn’t enjoy Kane so much oops.) But Magnus and Percy are amazing AND I LOVE THE APOLLO ONES NOW. They’re making me laugh so much.
Lollll I am very much not into Sarah J Maas books I admit. I don’t think they’re YA? The characters aren’t teens and there’s a lot of sex for it to be considered YA.😂 And I want to read the Magicians sometime! I’ve heard there’s a tv show too??? Oh I was disappointed with Miss Peregrine’s too. i never read past the first book.😂
Lol I agree with ACOTAR not being YA. The adult scenes make me uncomfortable too. I think the Magicians isn’t YA either because of its dark themes and well the characters GREW UP real fast in the course of three books. I actually read the trilogy for the tv series because I just feel superior reading the books before watching the adaptation *evil laugh* but I was disappointed. Well, they changed a lot of things in the series and I know they’re allowed to do that but it just bothered me so I stopped watching lol
I NEED YOUR HELP CAIT. I’m reading TMI right now (I’m in the 3rd book) and I just wanna ask: WILL THE JACE-CLARY SITUATION BE RESOLVED? I really enjoy the books but Jace and Clary bother me so much that I want to put the book down. But at the same time, I can’t stop reading. I hate this dilemma so pls save me.
Well I love Shadowhunters lol lol so of course I’m going to say read on! But yeah if you really want to know…Jace/Clary sort themselves out. 😉 They aren’t siblings.😂
Once upon a time when I was in grade 7 I tried to write a trilogy without plotting. I made it through books 1 and 2, and book 3 is still only partially done. The idea was good. The writing was horrible. I’m embarrassed beyond belief that I let people read it. (And that I had like 70 main characters by the end of book two?? What the heck me.) I want to rewrite it someday and have fun killing off most of the characters because they’re uSeLesS.
But anyway, I don’t really read trilogies. It’s like I either read super long series or solo books. I own one trilogy from like… oh gosh it might’ve been from that same grade 7. It’s called The Blackwell Pages (though why I have no clue it has nothing to do with that) and I never read it. At least the covers look good. 😂
Hey I’m pretty sure all we writers have that series-we-did-in-our-beginning that was secretly awful.😂 But people were also so supportive so?!?😂 GO US. I had a 7-book fantasy series when I was 15 and IT WAS HORRIBLE but I learned a lot.😂
I read a TON of standalones now because less commitment. I’m so great.😂
Omw, literally everything on this list!! I admit, I read this from a writers perspective (I don’t read as much as I want to :'( ) , and I’m pretty pleased to say that I’ve followed all of them so far in my fantasy series (which is not a trilogy… it’s /going to be/ six books, but hey! The rules still apply.)
I hate it when people kill their characters. Pain is so much more effective!
As a writer, I’ve been told not to do recaps of the previous book because we don’t want ‘info-dumps’, but honestly, I have the same problem as a reader where I forget what happened in the previous books. It doesn’t need to be a huge dump of info, but at least the basics would be nice. Thus… that’s a rule I happily ignore.
From a writing standpoint, I like longer series. From a reading standpoint, I’ll read anything that can keep my interest.
One fantasy trilogy I really liked was The Ascendance Trilogy by Jennifer A. Nielson. The last book was mildly disappointing (and rather forgettable) but the series as a whole is very cleverly written, in my opinion.
Ahhh I’m so glad you liked this! MAKES MY DAY! And also going from a writer perspective for this post is a lot of fun too, I confess I’m trying to write a trilogy and kind of kicking myself over most of these too.😂I’m terrified I’ll write a dull second book!? All these demands are a lot harder than they sounds loooool.
(Also a six book series is super ambitious! GO YOU!!)
And for the “Recaps” I literally mean like…a blurb/recap thingie in the start of the book.😂That you could skip or not! Not the characters monologuing awkwardly. I obviously should’ve explained that better LOL.
Second books are so hard! But looking at the writing style of your blog so far, I find it hard to believe you’d be able to write anything dull, so no worries there 😉
(Hey, thanks! I find it quite impossible to keep my stories short XP)
Oh, that /would/ be interesting! Like in tv shows. “Previously, in the land of such and such…” That would be totally awesome!
Awww AREN’T YOU SWEET.😍😂My biggest problem with sequels it that I kill off too many people in book 1 and then book 2 and 3 is full of ghosts.😂
And totally right!? So if you WERE binge reading the series, you could just skip that recap and it wouldn’t disrupt the actual prose of the story!
I prefer duologies (or *gasp* series with more than three books!) precisely because of the second book slump! I really hate recaps, though. This is mainly because I will re-read previous books in the series before a new one comes out…or at least cheat and look over a Wiki summary…Since I do my own little refresher it gets SO boring hearing something that isn’t new. But I get why readers who don’t do that appreciate it. What would be really cool is if, instead of summarizing in the story, they packaged a little cheat booklet that fills the “Last week, on [fill in tv show title here]…’ here. That way, you get a mini book with your actual book! Get to it, publishers.
I also find that 4+ books also skip that middle-book slump!? WHICH IS GOOD. I LITERALLY LOATHE SECOND BOOK BLUES.😂 I want recaps that aren’t like IN the story though, but just a blurb/summary before the book starts so you can skip it or not?! If the characters are doing like an awkward “let’s talk about what just happened” it always feels unnatural and forced. bleh.
I love this! I like what you said about recapping. It’s one of those things that some authors do (sort of) but not all. And your tips for a good sequel were good! You should write a whole post on what makes a good second book, if you haven’t yet! Cause you’re opinions are The Best.
I’d prefer like a little synopsis/blurb before the book starts over the characters doing an awkward “Let’s catch everyone up” monologue though.😂😂 But aww thank you Hannah, YOU ARE SO NICE!! There’s so many things I can do with this series lol lol, a sequel edition would be good too!
When I was a younger reader I used to hate those subtle recaps some authors give you at the beginning of the book. But even though it can be slightly bothersome if you’re binge reading a series, when sequels have those they literally SAVE MY LIFE now. Because where does my memory go??
I also really love it when the second book is even better than the first and each book should have it’s own unique plot!! I don’t know if I can agree about the cliffhangers though because they literally slay me and if the next book isn’t availible ASAP everyone around me has to handle the reprecussions of that struggle…
a.k.a me right now waiting for The Dreamer trilogy of the Raven Cycle even though I am so late into the fandom game for this series.
My recent post: http://oliviascatastrophe.com/2018/04/sunflowers-in-february-book-review/
Yeah I agree, those can be so awkward!?? Like they generally don’t make SENSE for the characters to start monologuing about what happened “Last week”.😂It’d be better just to have a little recap summary in the beginning!!
Dude, I’m sitting here saying “yay cliffhangers” but I’ve spent the last 6 months screaming my head off about the Lord of Shadows last cliffhanger.😂 That was SO MEAN.
I prefer trilogies because they’re not too short (like duologies tend ti be for me) but they’re not too long like other series.
I loved the Legend trilogy, personally. The whole story kept my attention and the ending sTRAIGHT UP RIPPED OUT MY HEART
Honestly, your demands all line up with mine (and I’m very much resisting the urge to start talking about my trilogy wHOOPS)
Whyyyy haven’t I finished the Legend books UGH I’M SO BAD. And hey don’t resist talking about your writing too, it’s all fun! I love chatting writing! I’ve actually only ever written one trilogy and I’m trying to plot out another which is going … horribly. I need to take note of my own post.😂
(Also I feel SO BAD but I literally forgot I was writing that post for you…how would you feel about swapping to sending me interview questions? *offers cake as an apology*)
READ THEM THEY’RE AMAZING AND RIPPED MY HEART OUT
okay maybe you should ignore that last bit
Lol we all need a dose of our own medicine. Which should make mine chocolate so I can eat more chocolate.
(Yeah, interview questions will be fine! Just send me an email whenever you get the chance! I don’t want to rush you or anything!)
Yes yes yes!! Totally agree with everything you said. I love cliffhangers, hate the second-book-blues, and can’t stand it when the last book is just bloody fighting. And personality flips drive me insane. I’m like, “What happened to the smol character I thought I knew??” And all 3 books shouldn’t be the same, but I also don’t like it when one book is super exciting and another is just dull and boring. XD
Love these posts, Cait! I wish I had thought of this idea but ahahahaha alas I’m slowww. XD
AGH it’s so frustrating when they just battle the whole last book.😂I mean, I like battles in theory but they get so tedious looool. Is it too much to ask for every book to just be as epic as the last?!
YES!! RECAPS!! I’ve always always always thought books should have a “previously on . . .” section when they’re in a series. One of the biggest reasons why I procrastinate reading sequels is because too much time goes by and then I forget what happened in the first book and then I say “forget it, I don’t have time to reread it so I’ll just give up.” That’s something I appreciated in the Harry Potter books, when the first chapter briefly mentioned that “oh yeah, last time we saw Harry he did XYZ, let’s move on now.”
Yess exactly right?! Like in a perfect world we’d have time to reread previous books BUT.😂Some of us don’t have time. So “previously on…” would actual save lives and make me enjoy sequels more.😂Usually I’ll start a sequel like “I’m fine I remember enough!” and 2 seconds later I realise I remember nothing.
I like longer series more than I do trilogies. And YES. Cliffhangers are a must. Like, I will scream, and theorise, and obsess, but a good cliffhanger really does keep you wanting more. 🙂
Nothing like having our feels brutally thrown off the side of a cliff. WE BOOKWORMS ARE FINE. EVERYTHING IS FINE.😂
I prefer longer series. More room to explore. Longer before I have to leave the world. My personal preference is series that are made of mini-trilogies, though. Like the Edge Chronicles. (I was underwhelmed by Quint’s trilogy – prequels just are generally cringy tbh, and Paul Stewart is not a romance author – but Twig and Rook were both awesome.)
Um … any wild demands? Not at the moment. Maybe more food, ’cause I’m hungry.
I have so many longer-series that I love too!! Like The Mortal Instruments and the Raven Cycle! (And Series of Unfortunate Events😂)
Yep, agree with all of these! Cliffhangers though.. if it’s an older series and all of the books are out, I LOVE cliffhangers! If I gotta wait a year for the next one.. not so much.
Also, I love your use of the not-equal-to sign – it’s basically maths, so like.. this blog post is actual science though, which means it’s 100% fact.
*hi fives for our excellent taste* 😂 Cliffhangers are HORRIBLE TORTURE and yet I want them. This is the bookworm life, we are winning here.
(And I’m totally intelligent now if I’m using math signs right!!??!)
this is a cliche answer, but the infernal devices will always be one of my most loved trilogies !! on another note,, this is super far away but do you think you’ll be attending the brisbane writer’s festival this year?? it’s so rare to have an author I know of that lives in the same area as me, but I’m trying not to get my hopes up lolol. looking forward to A Thousand Perfect Notes anyhow :DD
I LOVE all the Shadowhunter books! And especially how Cassandra Clare can do trilogies AND longer series so well. 😍
Ah haha I don’t think so to be honest. 😂 I’m in far north QLD so it’d be a bit of a serious trip to get there. But maybe one day?! (Also so so happy you’re excited for ATPN. Makes my day!)
I prefer longer series, simply because you get more time to play in the world, but honestly, my answer would change depending on the series, the ideal number of books for me is always the number of books that it takes to tell the story and leave me somewhat satisfied at the end, whether it be 2, 3 or more. For instance, Harry Potter has a lot of books in the series, but they all advance the plot and you don’t feel like the series has that many books because it’s trying to pad the series out, it’s the number that is needed to tell the story that JK Rowling is trying to tell. Honestly I haven’t read that many trilogies in recent years, I tend to read more longer series, I found the Shades of Magic trilogy really satisfying, I thought all three books were really good and it didn’t suffer from middle book syndrome. In terms of unsatisfying trilogies, I’m reading the last Rebel of The Sands book at the moment and whilst I loved the first one, I don’t feel like either of the sequels have lived up. I definitely need the series recaps, I often read a sequel more than a year after I read the first one and by that time I haven’t a clue what’s going on!
Agreed! It can so so often depend. Like as much as I do like trilogies (3 is a satisfying number😂) I absolutely LOVE longer series like A Series of Unfortunate Events, Harry Potter, The Raven Cycle, and The Mortal Instruments. Any less books for those would be terrible, right?!
And yesss ADSOM really nailed it with no slumps at ALL. Perfection.😍😍
I actually haven’t bothered with the last Rebel of the Sands book. 🙊The sequel really disappointed me so I’m not keen on the third.
Oh definitely (at least for the ones I’ve read, I haven’t read The Mortal Instruments!). I especially love that Harry Potter and ASOUE have 7 & 13 books respectively because those numbers actually mean something in terms of the series! ADSOM is the trilogy that I think we should all aspire to, really.
Yeah, I have closure issues so I basically have to finish everything I start, but that series had such potential at the beginning and just hasn’t delivered.
Oh man, short plot recaps of previous books should be required. 😂
THEY SHOULD BE. If I ever get to write a fantasy series (😂) I’m going to do it. Just watch me.😂😂
The second-book-blues syndrome is why I’m in love with duology. We don’t have time to have the blues, and to read 158962 sequels, let’s say it.
Yeah for the recaps, that’d be life-saving! 😍
Exactly right!? I sometimes get worried duologies won’t tell enough of the story (SO SHORT!!) but if they skip those second book blues then hello I’m in.😂
I’m always so skeptical when I start fantasies that I know are part of a trilogy and not a longer series because how are you supposed to fit it an epic fantastical world, magic, developed characters, epic plots and subplots and then get readers to *care* about it all when they only get three books of the world?? But then there are books like Nevernight and Godsgrave and the Grishaverse that do literally exactly all of that lol, but generally, I prefer series I can stick with for a long time.
I think that can be fair to doubt, although I’ve read SO many trilogies that I think do it so well!! Like a Darker Shade of Magic = flawless exploration of the entire world. In my opinion anyway.😂 I think it depends on what we want as a reader + if we feel the writer meets our needs! (I LOVE duologies but I do get worried they’re too short haha.)
Your how not to trilogy part perfectly describes the Matched series. And all the walking in the second book… yawn. I love trilogies and longer series, but I haven’t read many duologies, so I can’t fairly say if I like them or not. I would like to see a little more variation in series length though. I feel like everyone is writing trilogies anymore. Give me more Vampire Academy and Bloodlines length series! But not too many, my wallet begs you. My top trilogies right now (mainly because they were the most rcently read) are The Hunger Games and A Court of Thorns and Roses (sorry
Cait, i know that series isn’t your thing).
Ah haha yes I never got beyond Matched #1 to be honest.🙊 I think I like ALL types but trilogies are a great number because THREEEE. But some of my most favourite books are part of 4+ series so I couldn’t be without them either. 😍(And hey just because I don’t like SJM’s books doesn’t mean I’m not glad you like them!)
I feel like this should be required reading for any author attempting a trilogy? I was agreeing SO HARD. The spoiler ones might be one of my biggest pet peeves. Like WHY? I wasn’t shocked in Allegiant when the thing happened, because of course it was going to, I knew since the minute the POV thing was announced. So silly.
I have been having a reallllly rough time with series lately. Even duologies, which historically had been a bit better. So, let’s think of satisfying trilogies! Obviously The Hunger Games. And Chaos Walking, yesss. Some that were letdowns… Blood Red Road, which I know we agree on haha. Divergent. Delirium. The Cage. Seems like I could go on all day with the bad ones, SAD.
N’AWW I’M SO HONOURED.😂 I mean mostly this is my wild opinions, but like of course I am 100% perfectly right. My opinions are glorious. Who can deny.
😂😂 And like you know I didn’t *hate* Allegiant, lol lol, buuuut, it kind of has now made me realise that spoiler-trope of adding in the narrators at the end?! Plus Four and Tris had exactly the same voice and I couldn’t tell them apart.😂 Awkward.
CHAOS WALKING WAS AMAZING even though it actually had like a 600-page battle. Somehow I’m still in love. (FOREVER ANGRY ABOUT BLOOD RED ROAD. TOGETHER WE CAN CRY.)
A lovely post, Cait! 🙂 And filled with very useful ideas. I’d love to write a fantasy one day! 🙂 Good to read some very well thought out do’s and don’t’s.
I quite like Duologies these days. Sometimes starting a trilogy is just a bit too frightening for me. My reading list is already so long….
My most recent duology series I finished and absolutely adored (though it freaking BROKE my heart!) was Wolf by Wolf and Blood For Blood by Ryan Graudin. I think she must be one of my absolute favourite authors, she’s so incredible!
And I also loved Eon and Eona by Alison Goodman (and I have started her Lady Helen series which I also love, but that is a trilogy…sob). I thought they were very satisfying but I read Eon / Eona quite a long time ago, so am really keen to re-read them actually.
I am also hovering around your website waiting for you to announce your very special secret project!! You keep dropping hints and I am hoping it is an epic fantasy you have written that I will soon get to read! Fingers crossed.
🙂
Aww thanks, Poppy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And I mean, these are just my opinions 😂 but if they’re helpful that’s awesome ah hahaah.
Duolgoies are FABULOUS. I do love them, although usually end up whining that I want more hhaah. And omg I need to read Wolf by Wolf. It’s one of those ones I’ve had on my TBR for a terribly long time and I feel so bad. hehe.
(Also super excited to announce my secret project! Hopefully will happen in May!)
Long battle scenes tend to bore me to death, but not so much if they’re from one person’s POV…if you just describe what everyone is doing all over the place my brain will short circuit.
Plus fighting for 5 hours is super unrealistic…I mean, almost the entire Gemina book was “a battle” but it happened in little bursts. They weren’t fighting every second of it, but there was still the drama and tension.
What do you think of a dual narrated a book where one of the narrators…died? I think it would be additionally traumatizing to readers if you added in a non-narrating main character as a narrator in the following book. Because that way, that narrator would be a constant reminder of the loss of the old one.
Exactly, right?! I get so bored.😂 In action movies it’s a bit better because you can visually SEE the action, but in books…I don’t have the imagination apparently.😂And honestly in fantasy books…the battles can be unrealistic because wearing all that super heavy arm + swords…you wouldn’t be able to fight on for like HOURS and DAYS.
I’m okay with narrators dying! I just hate it when book 1 = one POV and then book 2 = multiple…because it’s kind of a spoiler that someone will die?! Just have multiple narrators right up front.😂
YES TO THE 500 PAGE BATTLE THING. I read books for their STORIES, not neverending battle scenes–you’re bound to run out of other ways to say “slashed at me” or “took a swing at me” at some point!!! AND PLEASE THE SUMMARY. WHY ISN’T THAT A THING??? I’ve given up on reading so many sequels just because I can’t friggin’ remember what the preceding books were about!
Exactlyyyyy omg why are battles so boring. Like they’re a bit better in action movies because you can SEE the cool explosions, but I’m just not visual enough for actual books to make it a good time. 😂
Have I ever mentioned that I love your blogs and that they inspire me to start my own or just freaking sit down for once and write? ‘Cause they do. And everything is fantabulous.
Also, quick question: Have you read Nemesis by Brendan Reichs? If not, I recommend giving it at least a peak if you want. I’ve spent the past 3 days flailing over the sequel to it because it’s that good, but I understand if you have other plans. Anywho. *hands you cake*
OMG THANK YOU. That honestly makes me SO VERY HAPPY.😍😍
I actually haven’t read it but I’ve heard wildly good things about it so it’s on my list of things-I-want-to-read-someday!!
Trilogies are actually my type of series, they have the perfect length! Unfortunately, 99% cases they suffer from middle book syndrome and sometimes, they are so bad I did not pass the selection and ended up giving up 🙁
Yes I totally relate *cries in bookworm* Like there are so many trilogies I’ve started where I LOVED the first book and then lost interest in the second and then…bleh I haven’t even gotten to the 3rd.😂
Oh snap, you’re pulling out the big guns on this post. Tackling TRILOGIES now? You are quite brave 😉
I have this plan for this super-awesome-amazing trilogy (or maybe a 4 books series…does that even have a name?) I someday want to write when I’m rich and famous, and ONE THING I’m going to super vigilante about it NO BORING MIDDLE BOOKS! Aaaaagh! Why does this happen so often? The first book is amazing and then…and then…nothing. No, I don’t love it enough to see if the 3rd book actually has a plot, my trust has already been broken.
😂😂 I had fun!! I should think up more things to fit in this series hahahah. I’M SO PICKY.
Yesss do write an epic series, I LOOK FORWARD TO IT.
Yes, thank you! I’m not a fan of most series, and a lot of this explains why. Like when the three books are actually one long drawn out story, or when the three books just repeat the same thing. Both are incredibly boring. I think A Darker Shade of Magic did a great job of having a separate, contained story for each book.
I looove how ADSOM did it to be honest! Also proof that cliches done well are lots of fun! Because like a “tournament of magic”?!? at first I was all eye-roll, that’s SO overdone…but it did it so well and uniquely inside the cliche that it was great! Basically let us all learn from master queen Schwab.😂
My favourite series of all time is Harry Potter.! One trilogy that I found really deceiving was Divergent. I loved the first book, the second one was okay, but the last one was horrible (in my opinion). There was a change in the narration between the different books and it annoyed me a lot.
I’m one of the few who really did like the ending of Divergent LOL (!!) but I kind of think if I read it nowadays I’d be super annoyed?! I think the whole series was a bit slow too.😂
I like trilogies, but I also like series. (Most YA books, not standalones, are not series’, though, which is kinda annoying??)
Primarily, trilogies have to actually contain enough stUFF to be a trilogy, and not just a big book. I’ve read trilogies where the first book was the good book, the second was all fluff, and the third was just like “well this just ruined it all for me so what do I do now.” and I DON”T WANT THAT. IF YOU WANT TO WRITE LIKE THAT JUST WRITE THE SINGLE STUPID STANDALONE.
I do think it’s unusual to find longer series, which is weird?!? Like the most I can think of are the Shadowhunter books + The Raven Cycle and Harry Potter?! Oh the Lunar Chronicles has 4 books so that counts too.😂 But yeah! Standalones and trilogies are WAY more common.
A summary at the beginning sounds like a great idea! We must make it a thing 😀 I absolutely hate the character ARC being undeveloped and simply flipping their personality. Like, how is that even possible? One minute they’re killing your best friend and the next you’re snogging them in a corner because they’re misunderstood? Uhm, no.
Let’s not forget the books which go beyond trilogies. I have nothing against them but some are nothing are 500 pages of traveling from point A to point B. Which could be fun if the characters weren’t the quintessential teenage angst. Why are you wasting my time?!?!?
So much agreed omg. And the personality shifts can be so wild and unfortunate. It’s so easy to disconnect of a character doesn’t feel logically human?!
And when the books just get longer…😂Like book one is 330 pages or whatever, and BOOK 3 IS 700. HELP.
I have mixed feelings about recaps in book series. If the recap section takes up more than a 100 pages or the author is constantly interrupting the narrative, then me it feels as though the writer has no faith in their own writing abilities and no faith in the reader either. To me, as it sometimes takes an entire year for a book to be published, it’s kind of the responsibility of the reader to keep up to date
Ohhh no I mean the recap to be like a section BEFORE the book even starts.😂😂 So like a little “replay” sort of clip!? Separate to the story lol!
Yessss this is the reason why I’ve been loving duologies lately because they skip middle book syndrome! But oh my gosh so much of this is relatable. Like the new povs, the character personalities dying and just plain boring middle book syndrome and then you just don’t care anymore. GIVE ME CAKE CAIT I NEED IT.
Yesss SO helpful.😂😂 I feel like series with 4+ books often skip it too?! Trilogies need to up their game.😂
Middle book syndrome is the worst😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
You can’t be more right – the amount of walking and when a love triangle is formed in Book 2, I want to figuratively rip the book apart with My bare hands.
And I DEFINITELY agree with you about Cliffhangers. I’m ALLL up for it – the best one I’ve seen in 2018 is The Cruel Prince. It left me shaking in my bones.
IT HURTS SO MUCH. *cries* So much potential left to cry. I just am so DONE with walking/love triangles in sequels. Surely there’s more we can do here ahhahah.
(THE CRUEL PRINCE HAS MADE ME NOT OKAY.)
Yeeeeees! Series books need a recap of the storyline so far at the front of each book, separate to the storyline. I’m not a big rereader and have to read a dozen or so reviews of the last book to jog my memory usually. We’re such voracious readers, I don’t know why this isn’t a thing now.
Also the same storyline for all the books in the series, swapped out with different characters. It’s why I still haven’t read Gemina despite how much I loved Illuminae.
I know, I’ll go hide in a corner now.
Yes yes! Exactly! A lot of people thought I meant a recap within the story but I literally mean like a couple of paragraphs BEFORE the story. And then binge-series-readers can skip it and the rest of us dull brained lettuce can read! Remember! SAVE LIVES!
(Oh I thought Gemina was different to Illuminae haha.)
I must be an anomaly because I prefer single books. That being said, I love trilogies as well. I wish that there were more book series that didn’t have so much romance in them. Like a fantasy series that is just a fantasy series without the romance in it, for example. There is a time and place for romance, and I don’t mind reading books that have a romantic story line, but sometimes I just want a book with no romance or love stuff.
I love single books too honestly! Although my most favourite books in all the world somehow are always series. 😂 And YES. I wish there were more non-romance books too…actually it’s weird but adult fantasy is often WAY less romantic!??
YES- these points are all so true!! I would definitely love the see the stakes (and pain/angst) increase in book 2, and not just leaving everything for book 3! I’m a sucker for angst and despair, haha
I think, if all 3 books are great, trilogies are my favourite (sometimes duologies feel too short). But my favourite series is without a doubt the Ketty Jay series by Chris Wooding, and that is 4 books so…..
We are in SUCH agreement this is glorious *hi fives* And I’m always torn like duologies are amazing but I ALWAYS want more afterwards.😂
Oooooh, I love this list! I love cliffhangers… But I hate them too. Wow, the life of a bookworm is so weird… Now that I think about, I haven’t finished any trilogy… ever… I still gotta read the last book in the Hunger Games and I DON’T KNOW WHY I’M PROCRASTINATING, I LOVED THE FIRST TWO BOOKS, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? With that said, I have to admit it: I like longer-series. Although I just read the Six of Crows duology and I FRAKING LOVE IT, I WANT MORE.
No I totally agree.😂I literally HATE cliffhangers but I also need them, so like?!?!? Why is the bookworm life so messed up.😂 Also I procrastinate finales like nothing else because I hate saying goodbye to characters ahhhh.
Six of Crows is PURE PERFECTION.
“PLEASE DON’T LET THE FINALE BOOK BE A 500 PAGE BATTLE.” Looking at you, Dreams Of Gods And Monsters. Honestly I’ve still no idea what happened for the majority of that book but I do remember there was battling. A lot of battling.
Vee @ Under The Mountain
omggg I have NO idea what happened in Dreams of Gods and Monsters because I kind of tuned out with all the battles.😂😂😂
Omg yess exactly! Each book needs its own plot but the exact opposite happens almost every freaking time 😬
Woah where do you get your bone soup?
YES TO THE FREAKING RECAP my memory can’t handle all that torture, it’s just too much 😭 waiiiit. What blogs do recaps?
Different plots are really important to keep it fresh and not just feeling all bleh. Haha. And recaps would SAVE LIVES. Have you checked out recaptains.com?
I’m going there right now!
THANKS 💕