In January, February and March and April (yeah, we still have snow shower in April, so for me, it still counts as a last winter’s month) š I read around 41 books. I think this is the year I read most so far, not counting the years I wasn’t registering every book I read on Goodreads, but with this large enough number, I considered writing a blog post with short reviews on all the series I will (or not) go on reading.
Series I won’t go on reading.
In the last four months, there were around four first-in-a-series books that I would react to with, āNope! Not at all,ā either because the books were written to another audience, or because the books were really beyond terrible, so I decided to drop their series, even if I am a series follower at heart.
I considered talking about these books here, but on a second thought, that would make this post too ranty, so if you are curious to see which ones, take a look at my list of āseries-I-will-not-finishā onĀ Goodreads.
Series I will (eventually) go on reading (or not, it depends on my TBR)
Wither (The Chemical Garden #1) by Lauren DeStefano
A quite dark dystopia, this first book just felt like an introduction to the story world since not many questions were answered here. Letās see what the next books will bring.
The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
I found this story quite original. I also liked the characters and their original world. Blue with the clairvoyant mother and friends and the raven boys. That said I think that things moved at a much slower pace than most YA books I’ve read lately, not many answers were given at the end and the characters seem to be still at the beginning of their journey. Even though it was an original book, so I may go on with this series even if I rated the first book 3.5 stars.
A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab
I liked the story world and most of the characters. The story wraps up quite well in the end, without giving many hints on how the characters or the story could go on. So Iāll probably go on reading this series, even if I see no reason to hurry.
Matched (Matched #1) by Ally Condie
This book is slower paced than most science-fiction dystopia books Iāve read, but this perhaps due to the characters relationships being in the foreground. This slower pace, in my opinion, also created a better world description and story development, so it was all right. I liked the way the story was told even if the book finishes with a hook. And the touching role the Dylan Thomas poem played in the story was so beautiful, that it alone won my good opinion on this book. I’ll probably finish this series later.
Guilty Pleasures (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1) by Laurell K. Hamilton
I wasnāt too impressed by the first book of this series, but it could be due to me getting a vampire story overload? At the moment Iāve already read more than thirty books with vampires on them, so I feel I’ve seen a lot of the tropes already. This book was written in 1993 before vampires acquired the twilit hype that would also weaken them, so itās not the book’s fault and Iāll probably read a couple of books more to make up my mind about this series. Iām just not in a hurry.
Series I will (definitely) go on reading.
Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson
This book is so good you will take your time reading it, so it lasts longer. And so far I can remember, it’s one of the best epic fantasies I’ve read. So I’ll definitely go on reading this series.
Queen of Hearts (Queen of Hearts Saga #1) by Colleen Oakes
I really liked this book and I’m curious to read the next book in the series. IMO the first book of a series has to leave enough mystery, enough hooks for the second book, otherwise, I don’t feel so eager to read it. But this first book was quite successful in that, so I can’t wait to read the sequel.
Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas
I didn’t start reading this series now in winter but read The Assassin’s Blade (Throne of Glass 0.1 – 0.5) and Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) in January. Ā So even if I rated both books 4 stars and felt a bit wary of the heroine changing her mind about love interests all the time, I’ll go on reading this series.
A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas
After reading the Throne of Glass series from the same author I was seriously underwhelmed by two-thirds of this book. The story only starts to go at a faster and more interesting pace after page 250, when the heroine finally starts to commit to her journey and Rhysand, the best character in this series, finally gets a more central role in the story. I found the second book much better than the first. This was a book I felt like fist pumping and shouting ‘yes’ with the heroine choices. I couldn’t put the second book down. So let’s see how the rest of this series will develop. I’m even afraid of the next book not managing to be as good as the second one.
Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard
Iāll go on reading this series even if I always complain in the reviews about the science fiction component of the story being forgotten in name of romance and action.
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1) by Patricia Briggs
I read Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson #9) and read that the next book will be again someone getting kidnapped, a plot similar to other books in this series, but since I like the characters Iāll go on reading this series, for now.
Magic Bites (Kate Daniels #1)Ā by Ilona Andrews
Series I finished.
(In the rain, a violin plays a dark melody of longing.)
The Selection (The Selection #1) by Kiera Cass
I read the five books in this series in one week and consider them all highly entertaining page-turners. An ideal series if you just want a break.
Shadow and Bone (The Grisha #1) by Leigh Bardugo
The Grisha Trilogy, in my opinion, deserved all its hype. I read it on my e-book reader, but Iām seriously considering buying the whole series in paperback just to have it. I liked the series enough for that.
And you, have you read any of these series and had a different opinion on them?Ā What is your favorite unfinished or finished series? Do you know any YA, Fantasy or Science fiction series you would like to recommend to me? Or do you preferĀ reading stand alone books?
Let me know in the comments.
My Reader's Journey 