Cliffhangers. So many mixed feelings about that word. When it comes to series, I hate them, but appreciate them at the same time. Okay, maybe saying appreciate is a bit far fetched… but still, while cliffhangers may be annoying, sometimes they can be worth the wait. My big problem with cliffhangers is not the fact that sometimes they don’t turn out the way you want to them to be, but instead the time that passes from one book to another. I get it, it takes time to turn out a high quality book, but sometimes, I’m sad to say, the wait is just not worth it.
It annoys me to no end when I have to wait more than a year for the next book to come out. Not only does that mean I have to reread the book that comes before the new one, it also usually means the publication date has been changed several times. In addition, if I have to wait a long period of time to read the next book in the series, the series often becomes less and less relevant to me as time goes on. Sadly, I’ll forget the fact the there actually is going to be a next book and I’ll miss reading a gem from a series I loved.
Another problem is that sometimes you’ll wait all this time for a book to come out and expect it to be great. No, better than great. Awesome. BUT, it doesn’t even turn out to be good. A lot of times, I feel like I spend a lot of time tracking down release dates (especially if they keep changing) only to find out I’ve been wasting my time. Reading the next book wasn’t worth it. All the hype that kept building with the wait, only brought it down. They turn out to be sadly disappointing.
Even worse than a disappointing sequel is loving the first book (and the rest of the series) when you first read it, and then read the sequel and wonder “how did I even like this series?” People change over time and with that, their preferences change as well. Nothing is more depressing than waiting all this time to read a book only to change your opinion about the series it belongs to. If only the book came out sooner, maybe I would have kept enjoying the series.
And then there are the next installments that seem like they are never going to come out. For example, L.J Smith’s Night World series has been expecting the book Strange Fate for a while now. For almost 15 years. Every year a new release date gets set. Every year the current release date gets pushed back. Will the series ever get the finale it was promised?
How do you feel about late installments to series?
I don’t mind cliffhangers if I have the next book in my hands……I read the Lux series by Jennifer L Armentrout and I had the first four books at my fingertips to read. But if I didn’t happen to have those first four books, it would have bugged me.
One series that I have been waiting for a long time for the next book is the Montmorency series by Eleanor Updale. Book four ended on a terrible cliffhanger, and the next book has yet to come out……….And book four came out in 2006.
For the most part I wish that there were more standalones and companions. Code Name Verity was a brilliant standalone, but the author also did an even better companion Rose Under Fire.
I agree! Standalones and companions are the best! And you’re right, cliffhangers aren’t that bad if you already have the next book… but if you have to wait for it… 🙁
Thanks for stopping by Em! 🙂
Once I finish a good book with a cliffhanger, I can’t wait and all excited, but yes, a year is a long time and you tend to get excited about different things etc. Sometimes it works… when you read the sequel it’s like meeting up with an old friend.
Very true! Still the wait for the next book is usually exciting enough that the wait for the next book after a cliffhanger usually kills me.
Thanks for stopping by! 🙂