I’m not sure if Shanah knows how enlightening these Top 5 Tuesday posts are! It seems like every week I’m discovering something new about myself, that I didn’t realize.
I know that I’m a character driven reader. I can read a book with zero plot, as long as the characters and their development is phenomenal. However, apparently the destruction of a character will also completely ruin an enjoyable series for me!
Each of the series below I stopped reading because I was distraught, or angry, over a beloved character. Some would say I’m overly emotional.
Be prepared. I’m very passionate about this subject.
Top 5 Tuesday was started by Shanah at Bionic Book Worm!
Highlight for spoilers!
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
Throne of Glass started off decently strong. The first book was entertaining, even if it wasn’t my favorite, and I was eager to move on. I read the second book voraciously, loving it, up until my favorite character was mistreated and unfairly persecuted by the main character. For those that have read the books, (sp) the way Celaena treated Chaol was CRAP! Even if she’d known about the assassination rumor, would she really have let Chaol die (end sp)!? I could have handled that, I could have, except I went searching and found out that it was pretty much the end of their relationship. I felt hoodwinked. I’ve read a lot of books, a lot of romance, and when the heroine says “You’re my home” it’s forever. You can’t take it back. Period.
Experiment in Terror by Karina Halle
I was obsessed with Experiment in Terror. I loved the setup, the world, the relationships, the characters… I especially loved Dex Foray. He was pervy and odd, but still somehow so so sexy. Reading how Perry and Dex’s relationship developed was the highlight of the story, because it was so fraught with tension and drama. I’m not normally into all that, but in this series it worked. I was enamored, all the way up until Dex and Perry made it official. Then, Karina Halle killed Dex. Not a spoiler, because he was physically still alive in the story. He just wasn’t the same character. He’d been castrated. It was like, a sorceress had put a spell on him, so that the only thing he ate or breathed was Perry. It wasn’t romantic; it was pathetic. I stopped reading, and I’ve never looked back.
Sookie Stackhouse by Charlaine Harris
Two words sum up the whole reason I read this series in the first place: Eric Northman. I love a great anti-hero, and Eric Northman was a great anti-hero. He was so bad, but when he was good, it was so good! I know, I know, we’re supposed to like the good guys. Well, this is a story, not real life. I can like those morally ambiguous characters if I want to. Anyway, I kept reading for more of Eric and Sookie’s tension filled love affair. I was a couple books behind when the final book came out, but as soon as it did (and the world was screaming about that terrible ending) I knew I was done with the series. If you want to know, I heard that (sp) Eric sacrifices himself to someone who tortured him for a millenia, going back to be tortured again, and Sookie doesn’t save him. It ends with her moving on with her life, with Sam-wtf, and leaving him like that (end sp)! What I heard could be wrong, but either way the story was ruined for me. I won’t waste my time.
Dark Swan by Richelle Mead
I loved Richelle Mead’s Georgina Gentry series. When I finished it, I dove right into Dark Swan, loving how she wrote Urban Fantasy. I fell in love with Storm Born, and especially with Keo. I loved how he was a Kitsune, and I thought his tender relationship with Eugenie was so sweet. I definitely liked him more than Dorian. Then, of course, it all went to shits and the author had Keo act completely outside of all the character traits she gave him. I don’t care what anyone says, (sp) in nature fox fathers are one of the most devoted out there! There is no way Keo, as a fox shifter, would have been willing to kill his children (end sp)! The story was ruined for me.
Shattered Realms by Cinda Williams Chima
Of all the series I’ve quit, this one hits the hardest. The Seven Realms series, the series this was a spin off of, is one of my favorite fantasy series. Everything about the series was brilliant, but I especially loved Han Alister. To date he is one of my favorite characters of all time. When Shattered Realms was announced, and I heard it would be the next generation (Han’s children) I was thrilled! But then (sp) Han died in the first chapter! He was killed. With a sword. The most powerful Wizard was killed with a measly sword! In the first chapter (end sp)! I quit. Immediately. I may have even thrown my Kindle. Now, I can’t say I’ll never go back and read this series again. I might, eventually. I just don’t know when, because I’m still devastated. If I do, I’ll definitely skip rereading chapter one.
Birdie Bookworm 
Whaaaaat!? Sookie and Sam!? I didn’t see that coming haha
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I KNOW!! I mean, I get it, because he was the only guy she’d live a normal happy life with… but wow.
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I haven’t finished Divergent (the ending just spoiled the whole reading process for me) and a series called The Black Mage that in my opinion should not be named The Black Mage because the author barely mentions about it until the end of Book 3.
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I finished Divergent, but I read the final one right when it came out, otherwise I may not have.
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[…] Birdie Bookworm […]
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I gave up on the Sookie Steakhouse series too. I remember being obsessed with them in my early 20’s (aka the Twilight paranormal phase of my life lol!!) but they’re so over the top with craziness and drama!! But the show…. I could watch Eric Northman all day long! LOL!
Thanks for participating – added you to the list 🙂
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I started the books after watching the show, so Alexander Skarsgard was always who I pictured. 😀
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Same here! Yum 😋
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I’m with you on Throne of Glass. I wasn’t in love with the series anyway, and when Maas threw Chaol by the wayside and picked up someone else instead I was just over it. I agree, you can’t say “You’re my home” and then two books later be in true love with someone else. Her dumping Chaol just makes any other romance she’s going to have seem stupid. How do I know Maas isn’t going to drop THIS guy too? Just because they have crazy graphic sex I don’t want to read about? *rolls eyes* Clearly, you’ve touched a nerve, lol.
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Oh my gosh! I love having someone else sees it the way I do! It makes everything the author writes suspect to me. I can’t trust in anything. And it’s not that she didn’t choose the guy I liked, because that happens often, it’s that she used triggered phrases and then tried to just take them back. Obviously Chaol was the plan when she first wrote the series, and then she just changed her mind. Like, tried to erase everything that happened before. I’m still darn bitter about it. (And I wasn’t in love with the series either, but I did really like Chaol and Celaena’s relationship.)
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I agree, it seemed like she changed her mind halfway through. Especially since Celeana (however you spell it) and Rowan had this whole platonic thing going on that just RANDOMLY switched gears.
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I think I’ve read that she started Throne of Glass when she was young, and as she got older she started seeing it going a different way, so I do think it was on purpose.
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I agree with you on Sookie Wendy! It went everywhere!!! I lost interest in the series.
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Absolutely!
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I’ve considered reading the Sookie Stackhouse books for that same reason, to get more Eric (because you know all I’ll be thinking about is Alexander Skarsgård 🙂 🙂 ) but now that I know this, uhhhh maybe not. I literally yelled out loud “with Sam” as I read your post. Why though? Did they have more of a relationship in the book? I know the show he liked her, but they never went anywhere with him and he found different love interests.
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I mean, there was always an underneath attraction between them. I also remember reading and thinking that their eventuality would be her only chance at a happy ending. I think I could have been happy with it, if everything else was better.
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This is true, but still it just felt really random (but maybe that’s just because I’m going by the TV show) But I can also see that as a plausible ending since how can you have a happy ending with a vampire?
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I agree!
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I did finish the Sookie books… and believe me, you’re not missing out. The last few books were awful, and the final book was the worst. She really destroyed Eric’s character — it wasn’t some noble sacrifice, much more about power and money. Ugh.
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That just makes me so glad I stopped.
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How interesting! I loved the Sookie books and read them all (that’s not how it ends BTW). I thought the TV show ruined the books though, and never ended up watching the final season!
Also, I was also upset with Celaena, but kept reading otherwise, and it gets better (for Chaol especially, he gets his own book!) and it’s still my fave Maas series. 😊
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I am super curious about Chaol’s book, but I feel like it was a huge roadblock for me. Maybe I’ll eventually keep reading. I own the first 3 in print.
I had a feeling as I was typing the reason I quit Sookie that maybe what I heard was wrong. How did it end?
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She definitely ended up with Sam, but I vaguely remember thinking that was ok. I was reading the books as they were published, so it was about 5 years ago, but even though I was an Eric fan I remember thinking all was well. I could be totally wrong, but I don’t remember hating the end? I know I’ve hated other books Charlaine Harris wrote though, so I feel like I’d remember if she did wrong by Eric. Now I’m second guessing myself 🤷♀️ (I did hate the tv show though)
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I didnt finish the TV show either.
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