I used to participate in Top Ten Tuesday when I first started blogging and it was a wonderful way to meet fellow bloggers! I thought with coming back from a hiatus, and a bit of a lack of inspiration on my part, participating again would be a great idea. So, every Tuesday (if the topic interests me) I’ll be sharing a Top Ten Tuesday post. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl! Make sure to check out her page explaining everything you need to know, including future topics.
This week’s topic is a Spring Cleaning Freebie. I wanted to go back in time and see which series I’ve started but never continued. So, I’ve shared 6 series (or trilogies) that I don’t ever see myself picking up again. But tell me, do you think I should? Let’s get into it…
RED QUEEN by Victoria Aveyard
Goodreads
Red Queen is a book I genuinely thought I liked when I finished it but the more I thought about it the more I realized I just did not care about the story and that most of my “want” to read the book came from the fact that everyone on bookstagram liked it. That’s it. Years later, I honestly cannot tell you what the heck this book is even about. I kept holding onto the first two books just in case I felt like ever picking it up, but I just never had the desire. So, it’s been unhauled. See ya!
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AURORA RISING by AIME KAUFMAN & JAY KRISTOFF
Goodreads
I think I just need to come to terms with the fact that I’m not actually a big fan of Kaufman and Kristoff writing together. I didn’t love this or Illuminae. Although, I did manage to finish the Illuminae series because it was easy to read with the style of storytelling. I just don’t think I’ll ever continue with Aurora Rising. I actually gave it 1.5 stars and a full review on my blog if you’d like to check it out – click here.
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THE LUNAR CHRONICLES by MARISSA MEYER
Goodreads
I really loved Cinder, really loved Scarlet, really hated Cress, and stopped caring halfway through. Yep, I DNF’d Cress many years ago and I’ll ever pick this series back up, even though the first two are two of my favorite books. In fact, I’ve already unhauled this series except for Cinder because I got it signed at Yallwest. I might just google how it ends but, I don’t know, is this something that is worth finishing if I hated Cress?
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MISS PEREGRINES by RANSOM RIGGS
I was genuinely surprised when I saw this series was still going. I didn’t hate this book when I read it, I just didn’t love it. I think there was a cool concept in there, even though it really reminded me of X-Men. There just wasn’t enough to make me continue it. Now there is SIX books?! Yeah, I’ll pass on catching up on this one. I don’t even know anyone who has continued with this series. Have you?
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HARRY POTTER by J.K. ROWLING
Goodreads
GASP! I know. Don’t hate me. I’ve only ever read book 1 and book 3. Book 3 I read in middle school (the first two movies had already come out so I didn’t care to read them) and I read book 1 a couple years ago for the first time and I disliked it. The only time I’ll ever read this is if Emerson wants me to in the future…otherwise, there are so many other books I want to read. Please forgive me.
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STALKING JACK THE RIPPER by KERRI MANISCALCO
Goodreads
I adored the first book in this series. I had full intention to continue it. In fact, I own Hunting Prince Dracula. . . but now I’ve fallen so far behind and have so many books I just don’t know if I’ll ever get back to this one. I want to but I don’t have a burning desire to find out what happens with the characters. I haven’t technically unhauled it out of the hope I may one day continue, but it is one that is at the bottom of my list to ever get to. I’ll revisit it in a year when I declutter my bookshelves again 😆 I did review this one if you’d like to read my full thoughts.
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Are there any series you’ve given up on? Do you think I should continue with any that I shared?
41 Comments
Great list! I really enjoyed The Lunar Chronicles, but if you didn’t like Cress then why force yourself through the rest of the series? I thought Winter was a pretty weak finale tbh! And you don’t need to apologise to anyone for not reading HP–again, why force yourself through something you don’t want to read?
That’s so interesting you think Winter was a weak finale! All I keep hearing is that Winter was a great finale! I’m so torn on whether I want to continue it or not. But yes I totally agree – why continue things we don’t like!?
I also gave up on a few of those, some I never even tried. If you aren’t enjoying Harry Potter then don’t force yourself to continue, I feel like I wasted so many months reading that series when I didn’t even like it!
I’ll probably only continue HP when my son gets older and he wants to read it haha
I read Red Queen too a few years ago, and I had a similar experience. I liked it but I honestly didn’t care enough to read the rest of the series, and it felt like a genetic YA fantasy. I have read the rest of the Miss Peregrine’s series, I’m actually going to be reading the last book soon. I really enjoyed the first three books, but the ones afterwards have been mostly unnecessary. I’m only reading the last one because I want to finish the series after reading so much of it!
I felt that same way with The Mortal Instruments as you did with Miss Peregrines! I finished book 3 thinking it was done then found out there was MORE!? I was so confused lol I shouldve included TMI on this list because it’s the perfect example hahah
Good for you for knowing your limits!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-books-about-fresh-starts/
I gave up on the Red Queen series a while ago as well, as well as Aurora Rising, The Lunar Chronicles, and Miss Peregrines, haha! I got the furthest with The Lunar Chronicles, but never made it to the last book in the series. Aurora Rising was such a surprising huge miss for me. I love the Harry Potter series, but I also totally understand that they aren’t for everyone. 🙂
hahah so we agree on lots then! I was skeptical going into Aurora Rising since I didn’t like illuminae, so I should have known I wasn’t going to like it lol
I also gave up on the Red Queen series because I hated Glass Sword so much.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/03/09/top-ten-tuesday-306/
I didn’t even give it a chance lol
I love series, but I get stuck in the middle of them SO often. IMHO, the HP series is absolutely worth finishing. I love it. Funny enough, though, my husband is currently reading the series aloud to our 12yo (the first time for both of them) and he’s bored with it. He wants to abandon it, but our daughter won’t let him 🙂 I also liked The Lunar Chronicles series (even CRESS), but I don’t know if you should bother continuing if you hated one of the books. I’ve only read the first book in the Ripper series – I didn’t like it enough to move on to the next one. So…tough decisions here! Good luck with it 🙂
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
hahaha he’s sucked in! If the daughter wants it, the daughter will get it lol! I’ll probably read it once my son wants to read it. So I’ll end up in the same boat as your husband lol
Totally agree with Red Queen – I was meh on the first book and hated the second, so I stopped after that! I would definitely finish The Lunar Chronicles; Cress was probably my least favorite of the heroines, but the way the final book brings everyone together is fun!
ahhh maybe I’ll continue the lunar chronicles. You’re the first person that also hated cress lol most people LOVED that one.
Stalking is one I’ve gone back and forth on. I saw some good early reviews but never did get to it… sigh, story of my life lol. 🙂
hahah well if you have time, it is actually a good book! I hope you like it if you ever get to it!
I’m actually going to be starting Stalking Jack the Ripper soon, but I also enjoyed the Cinder and Red Queen series.
I hope you enjoy SJTR! It’s actually really good!
That’s what I’ve heard!
Okay, I stopped with book 1 of Red Queen.. I didn’t love it. Lunar Chronicles I LOVED! I also stopped with Aurora Rising because it just didn’t blow me away. I’m currently trying to decide if I should continue the Stalking Jack the Ripper series too!
Stalking Jack the Ripper was so good! I finished it quick and immediately bought the second book. I really don’t know what keeps holding me back from continuing lol
lol.. I have that problem with a lot of series that I start too. The first was so good and you get the second book and it just sits there!
As someone who has only read the first Harry Potter book, I can understand not finishing. I’ve seen all the movies, enjoyed them well enough, and I still plan to finish out the series one day, but it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be… I plan to eventually read Aurora Rising and Miss Peregrine (although I have once before tried reading Miss Peregrine and I felt like it took an hour to get off the first page). I actually plan to start reading the Lunar Chronicles really soon! It’s so disappointing when a book makes you stop reading the series, but as you said, you could easily Google the ending. No point in reading a book you’re not gonna enjoy, right?
I’ve seen all the movies too and I think that’s enough for me lol I watch them like every year >.< I read Miss Peregrine so long ago, I just remember not being super into it. I think it took me a while too!
Oh wow. Lots of hot takes here! 😉 Cress was my favorite book in The Lunar Chronicles, so yeah, I’d say if you didn’t like it, don’t bother with the rest. Ha! I also only read the first Miss Peregrines and haven’t continued, so I get that one. But Harry Potter??? Oh goodness. It always hurts me physically when I hear someone hasn’t read it or didn’t like it. I think each book gets better, but it’s only when I hit about book 4 and 5 that they became more adult worthy. I’ve read through the entire series twice and I didn’t read it until I was an adult. I do understand the hesitation more now with the author’s problematic issues, but I hope you give it another chance someday. <3
hahahah I always hear HP gets better as the books go on so maaayyyybe one day? Like I said, probably when my son wants to read them lol
Miss Peregrine’s now has *six* books? Seriously? Had no idea. I read the first book years and years ago, back when I would actually read something I had little interest in just because it was hyped. LOL It thought it was *okay* but there wasn’t enough there to make me want to pick up the second book and find out what happened.
RIGHT? How could the story possibly have enough to go that long?! It was okay, but I didn’t love it enough to continue either.
The Glass Sword convinced me to give up on the Red Queen series. I have no idea why that series went so wrong so quickly.
LOL I didn’t even give book 2 a chance haha
I also gave up on the Red Queen series, so totally agree on that one! I did enjoy The Lunar Chronicles and the Aurora Cycle so far, but you’re right to stop if the books are just not for you any more!
I was sad I didn’t like Cress because the first two were my favorite books at the time! That’s why I’m tempted to continue lol We’ll see!
I feel this whole post SO HARD. I have given up on HP as well, yay, we’ll be dodging thrown objects together 😂 I was reading them with my daughter, and she was pretty into them through the 4th book, but it took us a literal YEAR to get through 5. And she just was so bored (and frankly, I was too) that we just kind of gave up after that. Plus, JKR being The Worst™ isn’t exactly motivating us hah. I never got to Cress, actually! I read Cinder and Scarlet, and I liked them, but I didn’t love either? I still own them because I am crap at unhauling (“what if I want to go back to them some day?” she says, knowing she will never ever go back to them). I actually liked Aurora and bought the second one when it was on sale ha. But I was disappointed by the end of Illuminae, so my expectations are low tbh. Sorry you hated it that much- I read your review, and I do own Starflight so I will need to read that! I DID unhaul Red Queen because after not reading since it was an ARC, I knew it was never happening. I do still want to read Stalking Jack the Ripper, and now I do even more since I liked the author’s most recent book… whatever it was called hah.
hahahah oh man even your daughter was bored with HP!? We’ll all dodge thrown objects, indeed lol I did really enjoy Cinder and Scarlet, 2 of my favorite *at the time* (which was like, almost a decade ago at this point). But if you didn’t love those, then yeah, don’t bother lol Cress is terrible >.< I just really disliked her as a character. I had to unhaul a bunch of ARCs that I got from Yallwest in like 2016 because I Was like ok, I'm never going to get to these obviously. It was a hard thing to do, so I totally get the "what if" part of unhauling haha
I really enjoyed The Lunar Chronicles but if you didn’t love Cress, and its a chonker, why force yourself?
I also did not finish Miss Peregrine, Red Queen or Stalking Jack the Ripper. If I find the books of Stalking Jack the ripper cheap I might still continue but it certainly didn’t make too much of an impression on me to continue.
Omg. I hated Aurora rising! Like we’re they high when they wrote it?? Seriously..If captain handsomeness and his stupid dimples were mentioned one more time, I would’ve torched the book on fire and been happy to pay the fine at the library.
HAHAHA I don’t remember it well enough to even remember the dimple thing but that is hilarious!
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I’ve DNF’ed Red Queen and Miss Peregrines too, but still on the fence with The Lunar Chronicles despite haven’t been continuing the series for years. I just keep saying “one day..” without actually picking the book up lol.
Haha might be time to let that one go 😉 I do that with a lot of books. Something I usually do is I see if my library has a copy and if they do, I’ll unhaul the physical book since I probably won’t be getting to it any time soon.