Monday, March 21, 2011

When the Book Disappoints

I've been a fan of a certain historical romance series for years now. I've savored each and every book the author released in this series. I totally got caught up in the world the author had created, in her characters and their lives. When the series was canceled, I advocated for its return.

Then I heard the series was indeed returning to print with an all-new story and I was thrilled.

Well, we all know where this is going, right?

The sequel, which did get a fair amount of good reviews, was a complete disappointment for me. I felt the author spent too much time rehashing all the things that had gone on in previous books -- right down to listing the dates of the events -- taking away any forward momentum the story had.

Also disappointing was the unfolding of the hero and heroine's journey. To me, the hero was far to dismissive of the heroine and completely unworthy of her love. Instead of fighting for her and being concerned about her welfare, the "hero" threw her away because he was certain she rejected him -- even when all of the evidence proved to him that she hadn't.

So now I'm torn. Do I go on advocating for new books in the series or do I let it fade out quietly as this book certainly could be a fitting end to the ongoing series? What about you? Have you ever been so disappointed in a book in an ongoing series that you stopped reading it altogether?

1 comment:

  1. I rarely make it though an entire series. If it's the same characters starring in every book, they eventually lose their shine (and my interest). I won't name names, because that's a good way to pick a fight!!

    That said, there are family sagas I've devoured, and because I love the family and other characters so much, I'm willing to overlook the flaws in the later novels.

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