This week's question:
What's your preference: SERIES or STAND-ALONE?
Confession: I suck at trilogies. I'm always excited to see a new fantastic-looking series announced, but in the back of my mind, I have to face the facts that unless I absolutely am jumping up and down in love with the first book, the chances of me actually finishing a three-book (or more) series is slim. And sometimes not even then. I've left trails of unfinished series in my wake that I actually loved: Unearthly, The Dark Divine, The Body Finder, The Ghost and the Goth, and soooo many more. I do hope to finish them someday! Some of my favorite successes at finishing 3 (or more) book series:
(Cinder is, of course, not done yet, but I would stick with that series if she wanted to put out ten of them!)
(Oh, and there are more, I promise. These are just what comes to mind right now!LOL)
So I have to admit that when a book comes out as a stand-alone, it catches my attention even more. Oh, the joy! To know that I'm going to get the entire hopefully-fabulous story arc in one shot, that there will be no fear of the dreaded second-book slump, that Iwon't be left hanging off cliffs at the end in a devious ploy to tempt me back for the next book, and that a sweet and glorious finale is not two or three years away. Unfortunately for me, my favorite genre is fantasy and paranormal, so we all know how often one of those comes along as a stand-alone. Rarely, at best. Here's a few of my favorite stand-alones:
(Those last two are part of a "series" but each of the books are stand-alone.)
BUT what I do LOVE LOVE LOVE is the growing trend toward DUOLOGIES.
Yessssss.
These, of course, have always been around, but it seems like we're starting to see them a bit more often, and that makes me ecstatic! Perfect for readers like me, who fall in love with a story and it's characters, need just a bit more than one book to get our fill, but want to know it's not going to be drawn out for-freaking-ever! Anna Dressed in Blood is my favorite in this catagory---I adored those books. Loved Masque of Red Death but haven't read the second (yet!). The other four, I'm just super excited that they are planned for a two-book series!
SO basically, here's my answer: I love them all, but I tend to fail at series with 3+ books. ;D
How about you? Prefer trilogies? Stand-alones? Duologies??
Oh and hook me up! Any duologies or paranormal/fantasy stand-alones you're excited about?? Do tell!!
I really don't have a preference. If I like a book and the characters of course I want to read more. I don't like when I'm reading a book and I think it's a standalone and then surprise the author plans to write another book because the first was so successful. I like before I start a book to know how many books are planned. I'm not a fan of 17 books to a series, even I get sick of the characters after awhile.
ReplyDeleteHaha, I have to agree with you there, that is some definite dedication that keeps a reader reading 17 books into a series!
DeleteStand-alones. Series seriously bug me. :)
ReplyDeleteI have moments when I feel that way! :D Especially when you come across a series that you can really tell was one fluid story that just got chopped into 3 parts.
DeleteI love trilogies, but hate the waiting in-between the books. I have this feeling (which is totally selfish and wrong, of course) that the author should be taking care of ME and writing the next book as soon as she possibly can. But I like how the story and characters develop in a well-planned trilogy.
ReplyDeletewww.ofdragonsandhearts.com
Oh I know, I hate the waiting, too! If I had an ounce of self-control I would wait until all three books were out and read them all at once....but I don't!
DeleteYay :D Amazing post sweetie. <3 Ack. So many amazing books. Heh. I also have TONS of series that I have yet to finish because I ended up getting bored waiting, lol (A) but one day. Hopefully. But Cinder. Sigh. That is one of the best series. <3 And ohh. In the Shadow of Blackbirds! One of the best standalones :D But sniffs. I didn't want it to end like it did. Heartbreak. But so good.
ReplyDeleteDuologies! Yess. I love those. ALL OUR YESTERDAYS! Love love love that book. Dying for the second one. September cannot get here fast enough. <3 If only they don't push it back.. *fingers crossed* Anyway. Amazing post sweetie :)
I didn't get a chance to read All Our Yesterday, but I heard amazing things about it. And knowing that it's only two books makes me want to pick it up even more! :D
DeleteI don't mind if a book is a standalone, duology or trilogy, but if I'm reading a lot of series' than I like to have a break from all the cliff hangers and grab a standalone to read. Great discussion, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteVery much agreed! I think I do that will everything tho...like I read a bunch of creepy books and then need something light and funny to break it up. LOL
DeleteI don't mind, as long as an author writes the amount of books needed to tell the story. I have a feeling some of them just put a lot of effort in creating a trilogy, when the actual story could have been told in two books :) So I'm very happy with the upcoming duologies! But at the same time, if a series is really good I also don't mind more books (like Harry Potter). So it really depends on the story and the characters :)
ReplyDeleteYES, I hate when you can really tell that a story arc has been intentionally stretched as far as it can go so that it covers three books. Ugh.
DeleteI DID finish all of Harry Potter. LOL Add that to my above list of successes!
You just plucked what would have been my answer from my mind! I find myself often not finishing trilogies, except those I seriously love. Often I even read two books and buy the third and proceed never to read the third book. But I love picking up standalones because they're that story in one little package for me to devour in one sitting without postponing anything or tapping my foot waiting for a next book. But duologies! Oh, they have my heart! Somehow I can commit to two books so easily, and so many series that are trilogies would benefit from only being two books.
ReplyDeleteI so agree, though, that I'd read the Lunar Chronicles books forever. There could be fifty, and I'd wait for each one impatiently. :) Great post Becky!