Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish
This week's topic is difficult. I read to much to be able to remember the specifics of series endings, so this list is about the last book in the series - not how the series ended. And it's not a rating of the series as a whole - it's just the titles I found first while browsing my goodreads lists. (Clicking the cover of a book will take you to the Amazon page via affiliate link.)
Top Ten Best/Worst Last Books in a Series
Worst
1. Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
I just never cared for the last few books in the Anne series. Love the first three. (Kindle edition is free if you're interested in deciding for yourself.)
2. A Duke's Promise by Jamie Carie
I really did like the first two books, but the third one seemed to target a different audience - one that was a bit more mature, but also one that was more apt to like fantastical twists to their historical adventure fiction. Here's my review of each book: The Guardian Duke and The Forgiven Duke and A Duke's Promise
3. A Texan's Choice by Shelley Gray
Again, I enjoyed the first two books but book three seemed to try to tell too many stories at once and didn't spend enough time on the story I was most interested in. Here's my review of each book: A Texan's Honor (#2) and A Texan's Choice (#3)
And I'm going to have to leave it at three because I can't find another series whose last book I didn't really like close to the others. Now if we were talking about TV series season endings… that's another matter all together. The dramatic and traumatic endings of Downton Abbey Season 3 or Sherlock Season 2 and the seeming never ending wait (although I just watched all the episodes for the first time last weekend so I don't have as much to complain about).
Best
1. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
Further up and further in!
2. Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs
Only two books in this series, but I love how this book wraps up the story. Which reminds me, I should put this on my reread list.
3. A Home for the Heart by Michael Phillips
The series The Journals of Corrie Bell Hollister is eight books long and I liked that last two books best.
4. Falconer's Quest by T. Davis Bunn & Isabella Bunn
I didn't care very much for the other books in the series, Heirs of Acadia but the last one was good.
5. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
A great series all the way through. Here's my review of book one and two: Dealing with Dragons and Searching for Dragons
What series endings (story line or book) do you think are the best/worst?
Worst
1. Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery
2. A Duke's Promise by Jamie Carie
3. A Texan's Choice by Shelley Gray
And I'm going to have to leave it at three because I can't find another series whose last book I didn't really like close to the others. Now if we were talking about TV series season endings… that's another matter all together. The dramatic and traumatic endings of Downton Abbey Season 3 or Sherlock Season 2 and the seeming never ending wait (although I just watched all the episodes for the first time last weekend so I don't have as much to complain about).
Best
1. The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
2. Mine is the Night by Liz Curtis Higgs
3. A Home for the Heart by Michael Phillips
4. Falconer's Quest by T. Davis Bunn & Isabella Bunn
5. Talking to Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
What series endings (story line or book) do you think are the best/worst?
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I had forgotten about the last in the Anne of Green Gables series. I too was a bit disappointed by it. I loved the first few!
ReplyDeleteIf there's ever a 'best series beginnings' then Anne of Green Gables would certainly be on that list.
DeleteLove that you mentioned C.S. Lewis and Mine is the Night by Higgs, both are definitely on my bookshelf :D
ReplyDeleteBoth are great series. I really need to get those Higgs' books for the library here.
DeleteI loved books 1,2, 3, and 5 (Anne's House of Dreams) of the Anne of Green Gables series. The others just seemed so different. I never even got around to reading Rilla of Ingleside.
ReplyDeleteI loved C.S. Lewis and Patrica C. Wrede endings!
It took me a long time to like Windy Poplars and it's been a while since I've read the 5th book. But I agree the first ones are best.
DeleteRandom trivia: Did you know that TALKING TO DRAGONS was written BEFORE the other three books in the series??? That's right! I was totally shocked, but Patricia C. Wrede wrote the other three books as prequels.
ReplyDeleteI liked reading your answers. I've never finished reading all of RILLA OF INGLESIDE, but I liked the name "Rilla." Thus my first Abyssinian (cat) was named Marilla and called Rilla for short . . . :)
Really?! That very interesting. Now I need to go reread them. I'm reading the first book to fifth grade right now so maybe I'll just continue on myself. I've never heard of three prequels that then form the majority of a series.
DeleteRilla is a nice name, but yeah, that story wasn't like the rest of the series. Have all your pet's names started with M from the very beginning? :-)
Thanks for stopping by and sharing that interesting information!