Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke & The Bookish

Top Ten Best/Worst Series Enders

I was excited to see this week's topic, because I've been thinking a lot about how the end of the series is really what makes or breaks the entire experience for me. Though I don't think that's the case with everyone. If I'm not satisfied by the last book, or the conclusion, it's hard for me to think fondly about the rest of the series. With so many beloved series ending soon, I'm nervous/excited to find out what happens with all of them. 

Let's start with the bad. 

Worst Series Endings

NOTE: There may be some very mild spoilers in my thoughts. Be careful about reading them if you haven't finished these series.

This pick should come as no surprise to you all, as my woes over Boundless the final book in Cynthia Hand's Unearthly series are well documented. Though I am disappointed that my "team" didn't win, what upset me the most is how the triangle was handled in the final book. Especially, the fact that Clara, whom I previously admired, seemed to backtrack on her maturity where Tucker and Christian were concerned. I literally start crying if I think too much about the end of the last book. This was a terrible blow after adoring Unearthly and Hallowed so much. I even wrote a blog post extolling the series (before I read the final one). This series just firmed up my resolve to avoid love triangles at all cost. 

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First of all, I'm not even sure how I made it through four of these books. The love triangle is so maddening that I've had to erase them from my mind. I don't usually get too ranty in reviews, but I just couldn't help it in my thoughts on Tiger's Destiny. The main character Kelsey makes me seriously stabby. The thing is, this time my team did win, but it took until the very end of the fourth book to get there. By that time I had no positive emotional connection to the story - or Kelsey, and could not enjoy it. I can barely handle love triangles, and I've learned that I cannot handle them at all when we're kept guessing until the end. Verdict: Beware of the LOVE TRIANGLE OF DOOM.

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I enjoyed Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle series over all, but after three books with these characters, I needed a happier ending. I can't do self sacrificing at the end of a big series where I all along I'm worried about what will happen to the characters. It's not an unhappy ending, but it just wasn't what I wanted and that unfortunately set the tone for the entire experience for me. I also avoided starting The Diviners for so long because of my fear that it would happen again. Thankfully, I'm rectifying that right now. It's also a very different type of series. But still, I'm nervous! 

(A few) Favorite Series Endings

Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade trilogy is an example of a series where I loved the final book so much that it put a rosy glow around the entire experience. In Shine we finally rid ourselves of the pesky triangle (or that awful love pentagon that happens in book 2 Shift - I'm not even joking about that). Not only do we get to experience our happy couple together, but Aura matures so much that she made me proud. 

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I read Cate Tiernan's Immortal Beloved series this summer, and it was a wonderful experience. Don't be fooled by those silly titles. These books feature a feisty heroine, whose personal growth over three books is quite astounding. I don't think it's possible not to love Nastasya by the end. But truly, I loved her all the way through. There's also a lovely slow burn romance, and I adored how everything came together in the last book. I especially love the last chapter of the last book, which gives us a taste of the future for these characters without getting cheesy or over the top about it.* 

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I know not everyone likes the end of Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls series, but I seriously loved Forever. Stiefvater is another author who likes endings that seem a little bit open, but for me, Forever was the perfect spark of hope that it left me with a warm glow. AND with Cole and Isabel getting a book next year, really not much could be better.* 

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Melina Marchetta sure knows how to weave together characters and make a beautiful tapestry out of them. I especially love that MM gets so attached to her characters that she wants good things for all of them, especially after the trauma she puts them through. The entirety of her Lumatere Chronicles series is magical from beginning to end. 

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The end of Mockingjay, is another series conclusion that seems to illicit strong reactions from people. But I'm here to say that I loved it, epilogue and all. I hope Katniss and her guy are enjoying a life of peace together.* 

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I read all of Karen Marie Moning's Fever series in a week. In fact, the last two books are the first two books I read this year. This is one intense ride, but it was all worth it when I got to the end. She answers all of our questions and of course Barrons is there in all of his male glory. I still get happy thinking about Shadowfever.* 

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Gayle Forman is the master of the duet. I loved Just One Day so much earlier this year and I was so worried about whether I would connect as well to Willem's story Just One Year. I was especially fearful that I wouldn't be happy about how it all ends. But I shouldn't have been. This series shares a really amazing symmetry and I was truly blown away by how it was all put together. I also really, really loved the way it concludes, which surprises me still. 

*Of note, all the starred series I read back-to-back in a week or less. I don't know if it would have changed my reaction to them if I hadn't. But reading that way definitely makes the series momentum stronger, and I usually do a lot less analyzing when I read a series in quick succession.  

What are your favorite/least favorite series ends?