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Silver Linings: “Series Syndrome”

There’s been a lot of talk recently about how there are no singular books anymore. It’s always a trilogy; or has a sequel; or will be a bestselling series. People have called it “series syndrome” and are disgusted when they see a cliffhanger, or a notice for the next book in the novel that they just finished reading.

Some people speculate that it’s just because the authors and publishers want to make money. This may be true – doesn’t everybody? Some even go so far to call publishers and authors “greedy” in which I say, shame on you. They’re making a world that you devour, and just want to allow some readers to continue the experience.

What I think, based on personal experience, is that I just don’t want to give up a world that I’ve been a part of for so long.

For example, Harry Potter. Where would we be today if Harry was only a part of one book? It would have been another “good” book. My favorite books were the thicker ones, around the fourth and the seventh. Where would Harry Potter be? Would Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe have a completely different childhood? The answer is yes, because Harry Potter was an integral parts of almost all of our lives. Some people have spent years devoted to Harry and we followed him through the Triwizard Tournament, The Chamber of Secrets, and his quest to find the Horcruxes. The Sorcerer’s Stone isn’t even considered one of his biggest triumphs!

It wouldn’t have developed into the worldwide phenomenon that it is today. On July 15, 2011, many readers and movie-watchers said teary goodbyes to the world that they craved. People were sad, so J.K. Rowling decided to create Pottermore.

This “interactive reading experience” made a lot of people happy with the prospect, and I suspect that it will be majorly (even more) talked about when it releases in October. Why did this happen? Because the series was never going to be forgotten. Readers wanted to live in it forever.

Everybody who says that they’re sick of series, I respect your opinion, I really do. But judging by my reaction when a series ends, I would be happy if it just went on forever.

Whenever I read the final book in a series, when I finish it, I start sobbing. The final book leaves me with a feeling of exhilaration, anticipation, and a cold sense of dread. I want to read it, but I know that it will mean that the story world created will be closed off to me forever. I look forward to it, but I know that every word will add up to a bittersweet ending.

The worst is when said book has an awful, awful ending. How would you be satisfied after that if it were only a single book? For example, I HATED the ending to Ally Carter’s Only The Good Spy Young. It’s an amazing series, and was one of mNowhere had I found an article or news piece or anything that said that the series was going to continue. I had thought that it was the last book!

My mom asked me why I was crying. I somehow managed to choke out that “that book had the worst ending and now it’s over” and I was incontrollably sobbing for the rest of the day. The next day, a blog or something posted that Ally Carter was currently working on “GG5” and it wasn’t over.

I’m hoping that the next novel has a great ending. Because then? The ending to the previous wouldn’t even matter! Everything would be magicked away with the magic wand of Ally Carter’s words.

Also, a trilogy is perfect for most. There’s a killer intro book, a delicious middle, and an intense final book. There’s one original, one interesting filler, and one conclusion. It usually satisfies everybody, and makes sure that you don’t drag the same plot lines over and over through the dirt.

Some authors hit the big time with ten-series books (ahem, Rachel Caine!) while others fizzle. The only problem with having a really long series is when nothing happens in a few books. Some authors seem to think, oh well I have one major twist in here, that qualifies for a book. What we really want to see is MANY twists. It’s only THEN when a long series seems worth reading.

Take J.K. Rowling. Yes, I keep using her as an example, because she planned it out and executed her series PERFECTLY. Each book in her Harry Potter series added a lot of major details and plot points, and had a definite conclusion, while still dangling storylines that would be added up to the bigger picture of the showdown between Voldemort and Harry in the 7th book.

There was the Vampire Academy series, which was amazing and hugely successful. Once people read one of the books, they are addicted. Richelle Mead’s writing, her brilliant plots, and her wonderful characters made up for a well-loved series. It was so successful that she even created a spin-off series after the Vampire Academy series ended.

Then there was the popular MG series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians which has been made into a movie and has persuaded many younger kids to start reading. The Lightning Thief was one of my favorite books when I was younger, and the series was perfectly written, exploring Greek myth in an engaging way that also allowed me to get interested in mythology.

Some series that I had religiously devoted myself too (House of Night and Maximum Ride) were starting to lose their appeal to me. Like I said before, I needed a book to have several huge events in it to make it worthwhile to read. I needed to have something happen, or I wouldn’t buy the book.

To be honest, for those types of series, I just read the reviews or wait until somebody that I know has read it. If they say that it was really intense or “nonstop action”, then I’ll buy it. Something has to happen for a series to be worthwhile. I can not emphasis this enough.

Some extremely elaborate worlds needed the extra book or two. Christopher Paolini, author of Eragon, said that he originally planned for the last book to be Brisingr, and it was originally supposed to be a trilogy. However, as he kept writing, he realized that Brisingr would have been even longer. Those of you (I know I have) who have read Brisingr, you see how that would be. Brisingr is a HUGE book, 764 pages!

And so with this, he is writing Inheritance, the final book in the Eragon series, which is supposed to be 800 pages! If he had ended with Brisingr, it would have been 1564 pages, which would make it the longest book that I have ever read, previously War and Peace. In this novel, we are expecting a showdown between Eragon and Galbatorix and we will discover if the Varden will triumph over the empire.

Then some single books that were a perfect hit. They were either a smaller plot on a smaller scale or an explosive read that would be dulled if stretched into a series. One of my favorite books is actually a single, Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly. Brilliant and beautiful, it is one of those books that would appeal to teens or adults and will remain one of my favorites for a long, long time. I think it may even be one of my favorites for the rest of my life. It is one of those books that will never leave you.

Honestly, most series are perfect. Trilogies become hits and are the perfect length for both seasoned and reluctant readers. It allows for wiggle room, while still keeping things focused. Smaller plots are allowed to melt into the bigger picture and create a stunning ending.

“Series Syndrome”? I think not. I think that it’s perfect. Opinions? Post them in the comments!

Grace

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2 Comments August 2, 2011 Filed Under: uncategorized

A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies

Comes Out: September 27, 2011

Pages: 320

Publisher: HarperTeen

Format: ARC

Source: Inkwood

Age Group: Young Adult

Parental Warnings: none

Buy It On Amazon:

                                                                                        A Beautiful Dark

On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites–like fire and ice–Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move–only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.

In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine.

Skye is seventeen, and she only has her friends to spend it with. Her parents are dead; her “Aunt Jo” is away on business. She told her friends not to throw her a surprise party, and like usual, they didn’t listen to her.

When she steps out for some air during the party, she sees a boy. Mysterious, and just standing outside, they get to talking. After she goes inside, she finds him and some other boy fighting later. From the sound of it, they’re fighting about her.

When she’s around them, strange things start to happen in addition to the strange things that were already happening to her. She wants to know what it is that involves her, and what is going on, and in the process may just be falling in love with both of them. Asher is the charming, mysterious one and Devin is the calm one who makes her feel like she has nothing to worry about.

Yet as she finds more and more about her hidden past, she can’t help wondering: do they really like her or are they just using her? Which one will she choose when it comes down to it?

I really liked Skye. There are those classic heroines; the ones who have the flawed life, are perfect, and don’t realize it. There are the girls who are utterly obnoxious, and think that the world should revolve around them. Then there are the girls who have a fascinating story that you can’t help but be sucked in to, and you find yourself thinking that they could be your best friend. And then you realize that they are fictional, and you want to cry and write “BFF” all over your copy of the book. This is Skye.

Skye was nice, and had good intentions, and I liked her. Sure, sometimes she made a bad decision or hurt her friend’s feelings or got distracted, but I really liked her. She was more than realistic (well, other than the weird things happening part).

Being a Star Wars dork, Asher was in my head, the part of Anakin. Yes, I realize that this is a VERY WEIRD comparison to make, but he was dark, charming, and slightly tortured. He played with your head, and you couldn’t help but love him for it. He was the bad boy who you really knew that you shouldn’t fall for, but you did anyway.

Devin was a spot of calm. He soothed Skye, and made her problems right, and just wanted to help her with everything. He was (no pun intended) her guardian angel about things. He was dreamy and light and seemed like the perfect guy for her. I honestly couldn’t decide between them.

There was a love triangle. So many people have been talking about how the angel angle has been overplayed in the young adult genre, but this was a new exciting version of that trend. It wasn’t the longing-from-afar angle, or the long-lost-love, but it did still give me that  angel story that I craved, without regurgitating previous storylines.

I can’t help but love how Skye loved to ski. I have never heard that in a YA novel, the heroine who competitively skis, at least not in a paranormal book. It was a quirky hobby, and I loved how it deviated from the usual hobbies that are frequently exploited.

I liked this book, but I don’t think that it’s going to be this amazing, hugely anticipated book. It was good, but it wasn’t spectacular. I liked it and I’m definitely going to pursue the sequel, but I don’t think that it will be as popular as Hush Hush or Fallen or Shiver.

There was a twist at the end with Devin and Asher that made you second guess everything! This is a spoiler free review, but if anybody ever wants to talk with me about it, friend me on Goodreads or email me. I need to talk with somebody about it! The intensity at the end drove me crazy, and Jocelyn Davies threw out the perfect cliffhanger that left me thirsting for more. The cliffhanger was kind of obnoxious, and it kind of ended in the middle of the climax, but it wasn’t awful.

A note about the cover: I think that they could have made it so much better, but is that just me? I didn’t really like it. Comments, anybody?

I can’t really think of much else to say about this book other than that the ending was intense! I liked it and it threw in a few changes, but it didn’t allude to a much bigger picture. I wish that Jocelyn Davies had given us a bit more to anticipate in the sequel other than the last paragraph or so.

If you’re looking for a good read, this is a good book. It seems to be perfect for taking up time and enjoying a nice romance with a twinge of romance. I enjoyed it.

Overall, A Beautiful Dark was enjoyable, but not as memorable as I would have liked it to be. Maybe the sequel will be amazing. Who knows? Anyways, it’s the perfect read if you want a slightly-dark love triangle.

Recommended for anybody who loves: Fallen; Hush Hush; Shiver; Prophecy of the Sisters; The Goddess Test; angel books; love triangles; etc,.

Possible book club questions:

Skye says that skiing gives her “a sense of freedom”. What hobbies give you a sense of freedom?
Why do you think A Beautiful Dark was better with a colder, darker setting?
Devin is calm, but Asher was intense and flawed. Which quality do you think is more realistic in a teenage relationship?
What do you think of the ending and how it abruptly cut off? Liked it or hated it?
Skye neglected her friends for a while to spend time with Asher and Devin. Do you think that this happens a lot when you interact with newer people?

etc,.

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1 Comment August 2, 2011 Filed Under: uncategorized

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