Tuesday 8 October 2013

top ten tuesday: series endings


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.


top ten seven series endings about which i have feelings


I tried really hard to shake things up so these series' weren't exactly the same ones as in my top ten mid-series installments post from a couple of weeks ago but that didn't really work! I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS ABOUT THESE SERIES' OKAY?!?


I LIVE ON WAR STORIES WHICH ARE HOPEFUL AS WELL AS DEVASTATING
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling (Harry Potter #7)
The older I get the more problematic I find aspects of this series and certain aspects of the conclusion (yes, the epilogue is meh but I also hate that Ginny never got to kill a Horcrux as closure for her possessed-by-Voldemort arc in CoS and would have liked to see Neville face Bellatrix) but The Forest Again is a chapter that exists and I don't think I'll ever be over it. Harry's arc in this book is PERFECT.
The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (His Dark Materials #3)
As a whole I'm not sure if this is my favourite book in this series but there are so many moments/sentiments etc. that I adore that it definitely warrants a place here.
Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking #3)
Probably the best exploration of war in modern YA lit. Brutal, hugely emotional but full of hope, this made me cry on a packed commuter train.


DISAPPOINTING
FitzOsbornes at War by Michelle Cooper (The Montmaray Journals #3)
I'm still not entirely sure why this disappointed me so but something just didn't click for me.


SQUANDERED YOUR POTENTIAL
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games #3)
I've ranted about this before - the things I love (GALE!!!!!!!!) I really love and everyone ends up pretty much exactly where I expected them to but everything else is terrible!


YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT IT ALONE
Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares (Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants #5)
A perfect case for not returning to a series you've already finished. This really doesn't do the rest of the series justice. You can read my initial review here.


I'M STILL NOT SURE
Spellbound by Rachel Hawkins (Hex Hall #3)
I was so thrilled with this when it was first published last year - this was one of those series where I cared about the characters WAYYYYYYYYY more than the plot and all of my favourites got what they wanted (they're going to college together and it's WONDERFUL!) so I was really happy. I re-read the whole series earlier this year though and this really fell flat - I still loved Sophie and Jenna and ARCHER but everything else is really flimsy and half-baked so I'm conflicted!

8 comments:

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    1. It does seem to be showing up a lot today! It's nice to see how many people still love it!

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  2. Hah, interesting separation of the books :D I liked HP and THG endings, the rest I still have to finish. :X
    Happy reading!

    My TTT

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    1. Thank you! Looking down my Goodreads list it was interesting to see how many series I've never followed up on after reading the first instalment - I'm obviously quite picky!

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  3. I loved the last Harry Potter book. The ending of the book was epic and I couldn't stop reading it =)
    Nice list!
    My TTT

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  4. 1. The Deathly Hallows: I love how this book is basically on everyone's TTT post. <3

    2. The Amber Spyglass: Okay, I absolutely adored THE GOLDEN COMPASS. THE SUBTLE KNIFE was still pretty good, but for some reason, I just couldn't get into SPYGLASS! I have no idea why. It was just really slow-moving, and being a pretty impatient person, I just gave up on it. I really don't want to let such a good series go to waste, though, so I'll probably give it another try in the future. I'm glad that it made it your great enders list!

    5. Mockingjay: I loved the book as a series ender on the whole, but when it comes down to the actual ending - the epilogue - I DO NOT APPROVE. Peeta? Are you kidding me, Katniss? My heart will forever remain with Gale, so I was so angry when Katniss married bread boy and had kids.

    I haven't read the rest, and I'm not sure I want to, especially for HEX HALL. I've heard lots of great stuff about the books, but to be unsure about the ending? That's a little bit better than hating it, but still not that good. >.< I might give the CHAOS WALKING series a go one day, too, since I really want to try out something by Patrick Ness. Great list, Hannah!

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  5. Oooh, I have to disagree with you on Sisterhood Everlasting. I loved the development of the characters and I appreciate how Brashares brings them to that point in their adulthood when they realize investing only in themselves is no way to live. It doesn't have to be motherhood that provides that way to give of themselves, but the issue of how the girls relate with their mothers is there throughout the books so it makes sense to bring it full circle to some degree. I don't really care for the adult books Brashares has written, but her Sisterhood characters are forever etched in my mind. However, at the end of the book in a Q&A section with Brashares, she says something about exploring a relationship between Bridget and Brian. WHAT? No. I just couldn't handle that.

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