I hate trilogies. Pretty strong words. But true.
I LOVE reading a good book. There’s nothing like getting so invested in a story that you can’t put it down. I don’t read as much as I used to, but when I do pick up a good book, reading is all you’ll find me doing in my spare time. I’m often wishing that the story would continue after book one. Many times it does. Book two is almost as exciting as the first, but the thing that book two does that ends up frustrated me is it doesn’t end. Book one usually has an ending that can be the end. Even if the story can be carried into another book, book one can often stand alone. Book two never can. That makes me have to read book three and by then I am usually tired of the characters and wishing the story would just be over already.
Hunger Games…book one could have been the end of the story. I’m glad it wasn’t, but Catching Fire had to have a sequel. I loved the first two books and waded my way through book three. I ended up loving all the movies.
Divergent…loved book one. Insurgent was ok, but then I started Allegiant but never finished it. I skimmed read the last half right before the movie came out just so I would have some idea what to expect.
The first trilogy I remember reading was The Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers. I absolutely loved Book 1, A Voice in the Wind. The main character, Hadassah, taught me a lot about faith. Book Two, As Sure as the Dawn, didn’t delve into Hadassah’s story at all, but focused on other characters. Book 3 tied the two together again, but it was my least favorite of the stories.
Trilogies should not be confused with series. In a series, it seems as if each book stands alone, even though they might reference parts from other stories. As a kid I loved The Wizard of Oz books. There were 14 of them, and each was amazing. Same goes for The Chronicles of Narnia. Each book was good, but I didn’t feel the need to rush out and read the next one immediately because each story ended well.
I say all this to say that a month or so ago I began book three of a trilogy whose name I don’t remember. It was obviously going to be a trilogy from book one because book one didn’t end. I knew what I was getting myself into when I started book two. Sigh.
Midlife Natalie 