(unpacking)

Everyone does it. We start a series and then, for one reason or another, quit reading. Now, there are plenty of series I’ve started and never continued because I simply disliked the first book. A couple examples: Tithe, The Knife of Never Letting Go, Dreaming Anastasia, The Golden Compass, Miss Peregrene…etc. There are also a few sad series that were so lovely but whose contracts got cut before the series finished. Boo! And of course, there are those series where not all the books are out yet, so of course I haven’t finished, or I just started reading the books and simply haven’t had time to finish. But even cutting all these out, there are still dozens and dozens of series that I started and never continued.

I think maybe it’s time to get back into some of these, but there are so many that I’ll need some reader advice and recs! I’m going to break all these down into categories, and you guys let me know if I’m missing out on something great!

Category #1: I liked the first book a lot, but by the time I got around to the second, I no longer cared if I continued on. Should I keep going?

• The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
• The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
• The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann
• The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani
• Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
• Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
• The Scorpion Rules by Erin Bow
• The Cage by Megan Shepherd
• The Diviners by Libba Bray

Category #2: I liked the first book and continued past it into the series, but eventually came to a book that I disliked or couldn’t finish (or in some cases, became indifferent like in category #1). Should I power through?

• Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (stopped after Fragile Eternity)
• Evermore by Alyson Noel (stopped after Blue Moon)
• Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (stopped after New Moon)
• the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde (can’t make it through The Well of Lost Plots!)
• the Flavia de Luce series by Alan Bradley (liked two of the first four books, after which I stopped)
• the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (quit earlier this year halfway through The Shadow Rising but MAN I really want to make it to the Sanderson books…)
• the Patternist series by Octavia Butler (I love the first few books but I hear they get weird sci-fi after the ones I’ve read…)
• Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl (stopped after Beautiful Darkness)
• the Game of Thrones books by George RR Martin (stopped after A Storm of Swords)
• A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (quit halfway into Shadow of Night)
• the Poldark books by Winston Graham (quit after Demelza)
• Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan (quit after Untold)

Category #3: I was on the fence about the first book and wouldn’t normally continue, but other readers just rave about the series. Will it get better?

• Throne of Glass by Sara J Maas
• Delirium by Lauren Oliver
• Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
• Storm Front by Jim Butcher
• Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano
• A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

Category #4: I initially liked the book but had my feelings turn sour after a negative experience. Should I get over myself?

• Ash by Melinda Lo (negative author experience)

Okay my friends – what am I missing here? Are there any book that have you thinking, “I can’t believe she quit!!” or “Definitely don’t read further!”? Let me know!