Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"Ione didn't move. Her entire posture had gone rigid, those hazel eyes widening at his please. Almost as if she'd expected him to force her hand open." p 83

TITLE: Two Twisted Crowns
AUTHOR: Rachel Gillig
PUBLISHER: Orbit
GENRE: Fantasy
RELEASE DATE: October 17, 2023

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books That Surprised Me

*in no particular order

10. THE ETERNITY CURE by Julie Kagawa--I remember this one surprising me with Jackal's character! He came off as villainous in the first book and this one was a game changer!
9. INTERTWINED by Gena Showalter--definitely my first heartbreak too since it was cancelled at the last book. But I remember this one surprising me with how much I LOVED it due to the male protagonist! It was really one of my first male MC outside of the MG books and oh how I LOVED it!
8. BEAST by Lisa Jensen--this one surprised me with just how beautiful the book was! I love a good TB&TB retelling and this one was different but wonderful!

7. TEN by Gretchen McNeil--yeah that twist...didn't see it coming! It was one of my first thrillers and I have since learned my lesson. Lol.
6. CRUSH by Tracy Wolff--so many shocking reveals in this one I was pretty much surprised throughout the book!
5. WICKED RESURRECTION by Nancy Holder & Debbie Viguie--this one really just surprised me by existing! I thought the series forever cancelled but it was revived 6 years after the "last" installment. It's why I always held out hope for my other series, but those have long past that 6 year mark. 

4. REMEMBRANCE by Meg Cabot--this one surprised me simply by existing as well! I LOVED The Mediator series and for Meg to return to her YA series and make it "adult" was a delight!
3. SUCCUBUS BLUES by Richelle Mead--I remember discussion board friends telling me to read this one! I had thought it would have too much romance in it given that the heroine's a succubus, but it definitely surprised me by having the romance as a side element!
2. VAMPIRE ACADEMY by Richelle Mead--the book that brought me back to YA! Those same discussion board friends told me to read this one as they thought I would like it and assured me it didn't have that teenage drama or angst I was experiencing in the last round of YA contemporaries I was "forced" to read when there wasn't any paranormal ones to read and it was basically a match made in heaven!

1. LEGENDARY by Stephanie Garber--naturally a Caraval book is here! Lol! I think I was pretty surprised with this one given the reveals! Granted I started speculating at some point in the story, but confirmation always comes a nice surprise too!

Let's Discuss: Sequel Reviews

 

So as I was scrolling through the day's posts at some point this week, I saw a review for a book that's a sequel of one I need to read. I couldn't bring myself to read the review for reasons, but it got me wondering if anyone else does this?

Avoiding Sequel Reviews

So say you have a quartet you need to read and you've read book 1 and book 3 has come out and you see a review of it posted somewhere. Are you going to read it? If it was me, I'd probably avoid it for fear of spoilers. Even more so if it was a longer series and I was still a few books behind. It's just hard for me to do that because while I sometimes have a spotty memory, I would definitely remember something mundane that can come off as a spoiler. Say the heroine gets a new boyfriend or whatever and I'd be waiting for the old one to die or some tragic breakup or something.

I don't know why I am like this. I just am. I won't even read what the next book is about in a series if I am behind in it. Like I am seriously behind in Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series but I continue to buy the books for the day I get caught up and I'll have them at the ready. Lol. But yeah, I've no clue what's going on in the series at this point as I won't even look at the cover description these days. 

Anyone else like this? Do you avoid spoilers or word about what's going on in a series if you're not caught up? I remember one time at a signing I had to close my ears to avoid potential spoilers as I was still a book or two behind!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

Enchantra by Kaylie Smith (5 stars)
One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (3 stars)

Currently Reading:

Two Twisted Crowns by Rachel Gillig

What I Plan to Read Next:

The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry

Other Posts of Interest:

Let's Discuss: Series Cancellations
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #192
Books from the Backlog #131
Book Blogger Hop #354
Stacking the Shelves--A Book & Lots of Magic Edition

Stacking the Shelves--A Book & Lots of Magic Edition

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Reading Reality.

Another meh week. Still trying to find myself a multi author event to go to this year but sadly just can't seem to find anything that has a good attendance list that's worth whatever cost it will take me to get there and attend! Lol. So many are on the other side of the country and that just costs a boatload to fly there and would take days of driving plus multiple hotel stays along the way, so yeah, that attendance list has to be on par! Otherwise my week was once again just blah. Nothing exciting, nothing terrible. Just ordinary. This week, I am finally sharing the item I mentioned a few weeks ago, probably near a month now or very close to it! I was waiting on extra "parts" to add to it to make it a superb addition to my eventual library room!

Here's what I got this week:

Watch Me by Tahereh Mafi

Then my A Touch of Magic Designs order came in at last! I ordered this back in February and it only just shipped a few weeks ago. I guess they no longer have a US distributor...as I thought they did at one point? So it came all the way from Australia!

Naturally, I bought the newest OUABH piece that's on the right
the OUABH piece in the middle is one from a previous drop that I waited to buy until there was more that I wanted!
The ACOSF on the left was a freebie print, which was odd since I didn't order enough to get it. I don't know if it was included because of the wait time or what! Thankfully, I did like that book so I'm not upset about the new piece!

Then I got my latest Pages of the Night order! Britnee outdid herself with her latest Spring preorder! I am loving her new mushroom houses, so I bought myself another one! I think they will look great in upcoming pictures once I can find some faery books! Now granted, I have tons of these, but most are in storage, sigh...

I got an adorable blue mushroom house with butterflies on it! Now I just need a mini Tella fairy to complete this! Lol.
a fairy door that I thought was just too pretty, I always kind of wanted one and think this will look great on my bookcase once I get that library set up somewhere down the line!
and finally I couldn't resist the OUABH mini cake! It was hard choosing between the archer or the fox symbols but I ended up liking this one best! Lol.

Then I got my preorder incentive for Holy Terrors! No idea how much room was on my last pin banner. You might be guessing that's in my storage unit too...you'd be right! I've got a drawer filled with pins that need pinning! Lol.

THANK YOU MacMillan!

And finally, the latest addition to my library room...whenever I get that library room...

It's an American Girl BELLE doll! Yes, American Girl is apparently doing Disney! 
I remember their first round was of Cinderella, Ariel, and Tiana and they were gorgeous! I thought if they ever did a Belle doll I'd be in trouble! Lol. I was silently stalking the site for a little bit. I signed up for emails to get an exclusive coupon, but then for whatever reason, I held off another day or two and she went on sale that was better than my coupon! I did try to use the coupon still, but alas, they didn't let me double dip. But had to try! Lol.

Sadly, they did not give her a wardrobe like they did with the first dolls. Which is odd since Belle had 4 dresses in the movie. The first three all got 3 dresses so I had hoped they'd have Belle's green library dress or even her pink dress, but sadly, they only did the yellow ball gown and her blue peasant dress. I decided I actually prefer her blue dress, so I had to buy that separately. Now I just need a craft fair to see if anyone makes a green library dress. I scoured Etsy but with no luck. Found plenty for me to wear if I knew my dress size which is always different based on store brands. Lol.

 I forgot to take a picture of her in her ball gown as I was struggling to switch her into her blue dress. The hair was the struggle. There were bobby bins and several different rubber bands to undo from that particular hairdo to get her in a ponytail! Luckily I still had the brush from my doll as a kid!

I even managed to find a mini basket for her as you can see! AND a book! But not just any mini book, it's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST! I was trying to track down a mini book for her to hold in the basket and then a search brought these Disney ones up and I vaguely remembered them! I had tracked down a steal on Pango Books for a copy of The Little Mermaid, but after a few days, it was cancelled. Not sure if the seller sold it elsewhere or what, but I was basically back to square one. I ended up just ordering a "new" copy at B&N as I ultimately was only saving like $2-3 off cover price after shipping on Pango, plus I had a gift card and free shipping so it was only $5! I love that it's truly the perfect size for her to hold in her hand like this!

So that was it for me this week! Not too much in books, but I got some nice other goodies and the rest of "add ons" for Belle came in, including the stand! Now I just need a house with a library room and more bookcases, and I'm all set! Lol.

What did you get this week?

Review--One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

 

For fans of Uprooted and For the Wolf comes a dark, lushly gothic fantasy about a maiden who must unleash the monster within to save her kingdom--but the monster in her head isn't the only threat lurking.


Elspeth needs a monster. The monster might be her.

Elspeth Spindle needs more than luck to stay safe in the eerie, mist-locked kingdom she calls home--she needs a monster. She calls him the Nightmare, an ancient, mercurial spirit trapped in her head. He protects her. He keeps her secrets. But nothing comes for free, especially magic.

When Elspeth meets a mysterious highwayman on the forest road, her life takes a drastic turn. Thrust into a world of shadow and deception, she joins a dangerous quest to cure the kingdom of the dark magic infecting it. Except the highwayman just so happens to be the King's own nephew, Captain of the Destriers...and guilty of high treason.

He and Elspeth have until Solstice to gather twelve Providence Cards--the keys to the cure. But as the stakes heighten and their undeniable attraction intensifies, Elspeth is forced to face her darkest secret yet: the Nightmare is slowly, darkly, taking over her mind. And she might not be able to stop him.

I finally picked up Rachel Gillig's One Dark Window as I learned she's touring to my city next month and thought it was the right time to binge the duology that I've had in my TBR pile for over two years! What unravel from this book was a somewhat complicated fantasy that had me a bit puzzled and confused at times, but there were also times I was very much enjoying myself. I perhaps should've paid closer attention to the comparison novels mentioned above as one of them was another that left me feeling overwhelmed and somewhat confused.

I know we're always being told when writing that we should show, don't tell. Well, sometimes, you just need to tell! The showing of an aspect of this magic system took quite a bit to get through and it just had me struggling to understand what it was and how it worked and just about everything pertaining to it. In this world, there are Providence Cards that let the wielder of said cards to have magical abilities that come from the card. Basically they can use them like a wand but it's usually for only one purpose. A complete deck has never been found or had as there's one rare elusive card that no one has ever been able to find.

In this world, we also learn of a plague that when a person gets caught having said illness, they are pretty much put to death in order to protect everyone else.

Then we meet Elspeth who is our heroine and the teller of this story. When she was a child she caught this plague and her father kept her hidden from anyone who would have had her killed and she was sent to live with her uncle. It was around that time, Elspeth learned she had a "presence" of sorts living inside her head. A presence who gave off dark vibes, but had always been something that protected her from danger.

Elspeth's path eventually crosses Ravyn, who is a guardsman for the king and is usually one to take care of the plague victims, but Ravyn is also apart of a group trying to help save the plague victims from the sickness that slowly kills them. Ravyn and his group are trying to complete their deck of Providence Cards in order to heal one of their own who is sick. While keeping her specter presence a secret, Elspeth thinks that there could be a chance that a full deck would heal herself and possibly rid her of this being that shares her headspace, so she agrees to work with Ravyn...while pretending to be his new lover.

This book was very intriguing and I enjoy the characters, but honestly, it was sometimes hard to follow because everything was surrounding this magic system. And as I said, I was struggling a bit to grasp it and how it worked and everything because of the sporadic moments of showing that made it hard to put the pieces together for a clear picture and understanding of what it was.

I did enjoy the tension thought! There was always this sense of danger with Elspeth because she was basically one of the people that is meant to be killed on sight for having had the illness that caused so much chaos. That she survived it as a child was miraculous in itself. Then you add in the romantic tension between her and Ravyn! I do love a fake "engagement" that eventually turns into true feelings. While Ravyn and Elspeth never came out as engaged, they were merely courting.

The ending was quite exciting and chilling! Things are definitely in dire situation and I am eager to see what will happen next in this duology! Despite a few hiccups and rounds of confusion, it was overall a pretty good read! It just took a bit of meandering to get through this magic system but hopefully in the next book it won't be as convoluted since it's already established!

Overall Rating 3/5 stars

Book Blogger Hop #354

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

This week's question is: Do you know the Night Song in the Jungle? (submitted by Aishwariya @ Aishwariya's LittLog)

MY ANSWER: I am not familiar with this. Google shows me that it's a poem...if that's the right answer. So many possibilities as I did see video posts too. It was an interesting poem, but I am not one to interpret poetry. I felt like I always got in wrong in school. I mean I would think it's one thing, but my teachers were always like no, you got it totally wrong. 

Guess those poems weren't things that could be interpreted differently than what it is meant to be. Pretty much made me afraid to ever discuss poetry ever. 

And yes, I meant those two "evers". ;)

Books from the Backlog #131

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

Rune Germaine moves to a boarding school outside of Paris, only to discover that at this opera-house-turned-music-conservatory, phantoms really do exist. RoseBlood is a Phantom of the Opera–inspired retelling in which Rune’s biggest talent—her voice—is also her biggest curse.
 
Rune, whose voice has been compared to that of an angel, has a mysterious affliction linked to her talent that leaves her sick and drained at the end of every performance. Convinced creative direction will cure her, her mother ships her off to a French boarding school for the arts, rumored to have a haunted past.
 
Shortly after arriving at RoseBlood conservatory, Rune starts to believe something otherworldly is indeed afoot. The mystery boy she’s seen frequenting the graveyard beside the opera house doesn’t have any classes at the school, and vanishes almost as quickly as he appears. When Rune begins to develop a secret friendship with the elusive Thorn, who dresses in clothing straight out of the 19th century, she realizes that in his presence she feels cured. Thorn may be falling for Rune, but the phantom haunting RoseBlood wants her for a very specific and dangerous purpose. As their love continues to grow, Thorn is faced with an impossible choice: lead Rune to her destruction, or save her and face the wrath of the phantom, the only father he’s ever known.

I added A.G. Howard's Roseblood to my TBR pile in May of 2016. Not a BEA one, just one I preordered! Lol. I enjoyed Howard's take on Alice in Wonderland so I was eager to read more of her fairytale like reads! I know Phantom of the Opera isn't fairytale per se, but it still sounded good! I am so behind on Howard's books!

Can't Wait Wednesday #192

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

SHE'LL BURN BRIGHT ENOUGH TO RIVAL GODS

Separated from everyone they know and love, sworn warriors (and warring allies) Bellanca and Carver are on a gods-given travel to the famed realm of Atlantis, fight through every danger that awaits them, and find the Shard of Olympus in order to end Atlantis's generations-long magical punishment—all in Zeus's name.

Zeus needs an army if he has any hope of stopping Olympus's bloody coup, and headstrong fire Magoi Bellanca knows it's her duty to deliver one no matter the cost…to herself, to her own growing magic, or to the man she's come to desire with all the flames in her heart.

He left everything behind in order to guard her back as she faces down her destiny, and Carver swears that together, they can overcome any obstacle. But finding the shard is no easy task, and it's not long before Bellanca and Carver are dragged into the center of a deadly game of gods…one not even their combined hearts may be strong enough to survive.

I loooved the original 3 books of this world! I didn't pick up the 4th one right away for some reason or another. But glad I'll have this one to go with it! Also kind of glad the cover/size change waited until that the fourth one to change as the first trilogy was more Cat's story and this is just expanding the world with other characters. Still excited for it though!

TITLE: Beneath the Burning Sea
AUTHOR: Amanda Bouchet
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Casablanca
GENRE: Fantasy Romance (I'm sorry, I just can't get down with "romantasy" lol)
RELEASE DATE: May 27, 2025

Review--Enchantra by Kaylie Smith

 

Ready or Not meets Throne of the Fallen in a spicy, enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance, where an Italian getaway turns deadly after a young woman is trapped in her host family's cursed game.

Ready or not, the game has begun.

Genevieve Grimm has felt adrift ever since her sister became the head of the family. So when a mysterious friend of their mother's invites her to Italy, she accepts. She arrives at his grand palace, expecting passion and magic, decadence and luxury... perhaps even a midnight ball.

She doesn't expect the owner's ruthlessly handsome son to slam the door in her face. Rowin Silver is tall, dark, and exceptionally rude, and invitation or not, he demands Genevieve leave and never come back. But Genevieve follows nobody's orders, especially those of arrogant rich boys. She slips inside—and immediately discovers her mistake.

Rowin and his family are caught in an insidious game of hide and seek, where only one can win. The rest will be trapped in Hell... until the competition begins again.

Genevieve must either join the hunt or forfeit any hope of escaping. But to her dismay, her best chance of survival lies with Rowin. Since lovers may play as a pair, Rowin and Genevieve agree to form an alliance under the guise of a fake courtship. However, as they race through the game's elaborate labyrinth, trapped among gleaming gold and shining marble, their loathing gives way to irresistible attraction. Only Rowin is keeping secrets, especially when it comes to his ruthless family, and Genevieve can't help but wonder if she's trapped in two treacherous games: Enchantra and the one Rowin is playing with her heart.

I knew going in that I was going to love Kaylie Smith's Enchantra! Genevieve gave me all the Tella from Legendary vibes, albeit as an older character and I LOVED her! This story was so freaking fantastic that I enjoyed myself from start to finish.

Genevieve is traveling throughout Italy looking for answers about her mother's past and herself and the abilities she has to turn invisible. Her quest leads her to the door of Enchantra where she meets Barrington Silver, a man who was once in love with her mother before meeting her father. Assuming her identity to get into the door, she's hoping that Barrington can provide answers to all the questions she has, but finds that her arrival couldn't come at a more terrible time, for it's time for the annual Hunt. 

The seven Silver children, who are all adults and not at all human, play an annual game of "Hide-and-Seek" but deadly style. They are watched by many spectators, led by Knox, a Devil who controls the game. There can only be one winner left standing, meaning the others must die...temporarily. And because of her illy timed arrival, Genevieve must now play the game, even though she is mortal. To give her the best chance at survival, Barrington decides to marry her off to one of his sons, and Rowin is the lucky winner this time.

Rowin is none too pleased to have to marry a mortal woman, and one he must somehow keep alive during the Hunt. But naturally, we begin to see him and Genevieve, for that matter, change their tunes. Genevieve is a headstrong young woman who isn't afraid to say what she's thinking or going after what she wants no matter the cost. Even if means teaming up with the beastly Rowin in order to survive.

The heat between these two was intense! Rowin isn't one for romance, but that doesn't mean he doesn't indulge in physical pleasures. Genevieve must try to keep her heart close to her chest or she may just lose it to this immortal who cannot possibly love her. But naturally, you kind of know where that's going to go if the first book was anything to go by!

The deadly game of hide-and-seek was quite the thrill chaser. I don't do horror movies, so I'm not familiar with the aforementioned one in the book description. But being a reader, I am vastly aware of all kinds of deadly games! Lol. The Caraval vibes continue to run strong with this series and likely will continue to in some aspect given the series name is Wicked Games!

Despite not being the biggest romance fan, I enjoy it more as a side element than the main course, what kept me going with this book was definitely the characters! And with so many siblings I can definitely see some of these characters becoming a lead role in future books! 

We did get to have a nice little popup appearance of Ophelia and Blackwell towards the end in this one which just had me giddy! I love when series change main characters but you still get to see the previous ones! I'm hoping this cycle will continue throughout the series. 

All in all, Enchantra, was yet another amazing and steamy read! I love that there are these deadly games that become a focus point for the story! That mortals and immortals continue to be thrust together in order to survive! While some general themes repeat with these two books, they are as different as night and day and that's because the characters are very different! I am definitely hooked into this series now and cannot wait to see where it will go from here! If you love spicy spice and paranormal entanglements with life and death on the line, then this is the series for you!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

"'Oh, I guarantee I'm dying to know whatever ludicrous explanation you have for your ghastly hospitality.' she told him. 'I grew up in a house full of dead people, and it was less hostile than this. Were you all raised by the animals in your portraits? Do you have rabies? Or should I be concerned about the water?'" p 42

TITLE: Enchantra
AUTHOR: Kaylie Smith
PUBLISHER: Forever
GENRE: Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: April 8, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

This week's topic is: My Top Ten Unpopular Bookish Opinions 

*in no particular order

10. I DIDN'T LIKE TWILIGHT--I read this more out of morbid curiosity and was at a time when the TBR pile wasn't really built up yet. And I was just meh over it. I didn't get the appeal.
9. I LIKED ALLEIGANT--I know a lot of people hated this book but I actually liked it. I didn't love the ending, but did think it was somewhat fitting after everything.
8. I DON'T CARE FOR CLASSICS--you'd think as an English major I would love these. I don't really. Unless you count the OG fairy tales!
7. ROMANTASY IS NOT NEW--this one really aggravates me. I feel like everyone is thinking this is a hot new genre. It's not. Just no.
6. I DON'T CARE FOR EBOOKS--yes, I know many people love them for their portability and how you can have as many was you want and have physical space everywhere but just the way they read I don't care for it. I do it when it's absolutely necessary but it's never a first choice.
5. I USE BOOKMARKS AS BOOKMARKS--I know some people will dog ear or grab whatever is handy for a bookmark, but I just can't! I need an actual bookmark for my bookmarking purposes.
4. POPULAR BOOKS SCARE ME...SOMETIMES--sometimes if a book gets too popular I am hesitant to read it.
3. I DIDN'T LIKE THRONE OF GLASS--I tried reading it, but I just couldn't get into it.
2. I LIKE MEDIUM SIZED BOOKS & I CANNOT LIE--yes, big books are nice and all but I like a good medium sized book, over 200 pages but under 450 would be nice.
1. I THINK PUBLISHERS SHOULDN'T BE ALLOWED TO CANCEL A SERIES AT THE LAST BOOK--not sure if it's an unpopular opinion, but yeah, I really tire of series being cancelled at the final book because of low sales. There should be a law banning this. Lol.

Let's Discuss: Series Cancellations

 

Is it me or has anyone else ever had a series cancelled? I feel like I fall too many times for that completely amazing book series that just didn't hold up to publishers' expectations so they cancel it. And they don't just cancel the series...they cancel it AT THE FINAL BOOK!

Series Cancellations

I get it...in some sense. Publishing is a business. Businesses are out to make money. But OMG! WHHHHHYYYYYY must they cancel series AT THE FINAL BOOK?! I think I only ever had 2 series that cancelled at the second book in what was an unknown amount of books to be had. One could've been a trilogy, as it was YA Fantasy and they all love the trilogies for the most part. The other was an adult Urban Fantasy series so it had potential to be any length. But alas, that one only lasted two books. LUCKILY, that author did seem to end things in a conclusive way but always leaving room for the possibility of more. Which was the right way to go.

But all my other beloved--and usually YA series it seems like--series that were so freaking incredible and just had one last epic conclusion to get through to see if our favorite characters lived or died...publishers apparently didn't care that characters' lives were LITERALLY hanging in the balance! I mean again, as an adult I can see the whole business angle, but as a reader? I am wondering what the heck is wrong with them!

Ugh, it kills me, it seriously kills a piece of my heart and takes a piece of my soul to know that these final books are likely never ever to see the light of day. One author I know has pretty much shoved that book idea into a chest and sank it into the deepest part of the ocean. Another author sadly has seemed to left the public light as her Instagram account has been dark for a few years now. She never seemed to expression an interest in writing her own conclusion--which I later learned that authors simply cannot do right away since the publishers still hold the rights to said series. And I'm like seriously?! There isn't some sort of clause that says if the publisher decides to cancel the series before its ending, the author cannot write it themselves with self-publishing?! Why the heck not?! Said publisher already deemed the sales "not good enough" to buy that final book from the author. I feel like the author should be allowed to self-publish that final book then and there if their schedule allows it.

Again, the adult is thinking there's some logical reason as to why they legally cannot do this. Doesn't make sense to me at all since the publisher washed their hands of the series, so why the heck can't the author just write it themselves and foot the bill? 

Another author I follow who went dark on Instagram but recently popped back up is still working on a book that I was SUPER excited to hear about and I think is still with a publishing house...maybe, I think...and should hopefully be coming out sometime soon, maybe next year? She didn't really say. But I remember her mentioning at one point that she had received or was about to receive the rights back to one of her series where the publisher cancelled it, whether it was at the last book or not...again, I don't know if it was super clear if it was a trilogy or longer. But hopefully that might still be on her docket list. She recently just ever so briefly teased about returning to her other series that I adored, so basically I need whatever she's going to write next! Lol.

But yes, I seem to have the incredibly bad luck of falling in love with series that get cancelled at the very last book. And sadly, it seems the authors either cannot legally write the book right away or have the heart to write it when they can. I can understand that in part too. Life happens, emotions change, but omg, the reader in me still cries knowing these series will forever remain unfinished. Will the characters live or die? I mean ever since Allegiant I can never believe that the hero/heroine will live and get a HEA ending, so yes, I NEED TO KNOW what happens in these series!

And sadly, this doesn't just apply to traditionally published series either. I've had self-published or indie published series go dark on me too...and you guessed it, it was at THE LAST BOOK OF THE SERIES! I mean seriously, that is some insanely bad luck I have going here!

How about you? Have you ever had a favorite series get cancelled at the final book? How did you cope? I still feel like I'm mourning these series after all these years. When I am not immersed in my current read my mind wanders and sometimes it gets down this path of sadness and I cry for the loss of these worlds and unfinished stories.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Courting of Bristol Keats by Mary E. Pearson (3.75 stars)

Currently Reading:

Enchantra by Kaylie Smith

What I Plan to Read Next:

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig

Other Posts of Interest:

Let's Discuss: Cover Lovin
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Can't Wait Wednesday #191
Let's Discuss: The Classics
Books from the Backlog #130
Book Blogger Hop #353
Let's Discuss: Release Date Changes
Stacking the Shelves