On Final Installments of Trilogies

Today I’d like to discuss final books in trilogies. Although many times we complain about the “draggy middle parts” in the second book of a trilogy, I often find that the third book in the series I can be even worse.

In trilogies I often see this formula:

Book 1: the world is set up, main characters are introduced, and the protagonist is faced with the main conflict/overarching problem.

Book 2: the plot (slowly) starts to build, with more problems arising and the conflict becomes more severe.

Book 3: the conflict is finally resolved (or was just was resolved in Book 2), and the protagonist now has to face the repercussions from their actions and make some important decisions to change himself/herself and the world for the better.

There have been instances where the climax of the story takes place in the final installment of the trilogy, however there is always wind-down time where everything calms down and starts to wrap up. So since there are many good and bad things that seem to happen with the final installments, I thought I’d share some of my thoughts.

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The wait is finally over! You get to see how the story ends! But at the same time, the story is ending *cries* Anyway, your favorite characters are back for the grand finale. You are so excited to find out what happens to the beloved characters. But look! A wild [insert random unnecessary character here] appears! I know that sometimes introducing new characters into the plot is necessary (like in Mockingjay), but sometimes there are legitimate random characters that pop out of nowhere and completely throw you off guard. I haven't read a third book in a trilogy yet because I found out a random "love interest" was thrown in at the last minute after the main relationship was already established. I mean, seriously?!? Or even worse: the events finally lead up to the final battle with the character's nemesis. The battle that ensues is EPIC. Everyone seems like they're going to make it out alive. But suddenly, your favorite character dies. NOOOOO!!!! (And this happens way too much.)

On the other hand, the characters you love usually get the fate they deserve. But sometimes, if the ending isn't written correctly, the problems all seem to magically be resolved and the characters suddenly have a happily ever after. It would be fine if it’s a fairytale retelling or something, but 99% of the time, they aren’t fairytales. The characters' major problems may have been resolved, but it shouldn't suddenly be rainbows and unicorns unless it's a rainbows-and-unicorns kind of book.

Occasionally, however, the last chapter is so satisfying and does leave a lasting impression on you. You adore that last chapter and savor it in your mind and heart. You flip to the next page. Oooh! A epilogue. I am not particularly fond of epilogues. Not all of them are bad, but sometimes the epilogue messes everything up or throws something in there that you weren’t expecting and leaves you completely off guard.


Is this just me? Am I just being overly critical of final installments of trilogies? What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts!!

~Alexandra

Blog Ahead Challenge ~October 2015~

Hey guys! This challenge came to my attention through my blogging friend Nori @ReadWriteLove28. It is a month-long challenge hosted by Anna @herding cats & burning soup and Kimberly @Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

Blog Ahead 2015

• Purpose: Increase the number of scheduled blog posts you have ready to publish by 31 posts during the month of October. (You can set your own goal) All post will be scheduled from November 1st or later.
• Who Can Join: Any blogger or author can join. Brand new, been around for years.Blogger, WordPress or other platform. Any heat level, genre or theme, etc. If you blog…you’re welcome to join!
• Types of Posts that Count: Any finished posts count! Meme, review, guest post, interview, discussion. Top Ten Posts, Favorites posts, Shopping Guide Posts, Cooking posts, pet posts, photo posts, etc. Posts do NOT have to be book related.
• Required: The post must be complete and scheduled from November 1, 2015 onward. (So not just blurb, buy links, etc for a review post. The review needs to be complete for the post to count.)

I have been really behind on blogging lately and have been posting fewer and fewer posts, so I am hoping that this challenge will push me to write posts in preparation for the months to come (but of course posts for October are first priority since I have plans for October, but haven't actually written most of the actual posts yet.)

~Alexandra

New Blog Design

Hey everyone! If you're reading this, you've probably already noticed it, but I GOT A NEW BLOG DESIGN!!!!! Isn't it absolutely gorgeous?!?!? I love it so much and hopefully you do too!

Hey guys! It's Claudia here. First off, huge thanks to Alex here for being an AWESOME first client! She offered amazing ideas to the blog design and forgave me for making mistakes (and thankfully not yelling at me).

This is my first custom blog design EVER for someone, and I hope you like it as much as Alex and I do! I *might* be opening a shop sometime soon, so look out for that in the future!

And if you haven't already, go and follow the lovely Alexandra right now. Like, seriously. That should've been the first thing on your to-do list. Fabulous blog + fabulous personality = AMAZINGNESS

Hey guys! Alexandra again. I just wanted to say that the new blog design is EVERYTHING I could have ever wanted. A million thanks would not be enough to express my thanks to Claudia. Thank you for everything, Claudia! <33

~Alexandra

Making Waves (2)

Making Waves is a weekly question feature created by the Waterwitch Babes (part of Susan Dennard’s Truthwitch Street Team). Every Thursday, we’ll have a fun question that all are welcome to answer on their blog. Anyone can join! The questions will be random and/or relate to the upcoming book Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. A linky is provided so that everyone can link up their post and participate in the fun!

This week's question is... Which Truthwitch character would you love to have as a best friend?

I have only read the first few chapters of Truthwitch (via Sooz's newsletter) and the character bios she posted on her Tumblr, but by gut instinct I am going to have to choose Safiya fon Hasstrel. I definitely relate way more to her Threadsister, Iseult, but I feel like she and I are too similar. I need someone who can balance me out. Also, I would love to have someone more spontaneous to help me open my eyes, see the world in a different light, and grow as a person. I think Safi would help me do those things, and we'd have a lot of fun along the way.

~Alexandra

Waiting on Wednesday (15)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

A Step Toward Falling by Cammie McGovern
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Page Length: 368 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: October 6, 2015

Via Goodreads:

Sometimes one mistake can change everything.

Emily doesn’t know why she froze. Or why Lucas did too. Afterward, she thought of different ways to rationalize it. But the truth is, they could have helped Belinda, and they didn’t. It’s a mistake they’ll both have to live with. 

Sometimes doing nothing is the only way to cope. 

Belinda doesn’t want to talk about what happened. Because when she does, it feels like it’s happening all over again. 

Sometimes good can come from bad. 

Emily and Lucas’s punishment is community service at a center for people with disabilities. People like Belinda. Soon they feel like maybe they’re starting to make a real difference. Like they would be able to do the right thing if they could do that night all over again. Like they could help not only those at the center but also each other. 

But when Belinda returns to school, Emily and Lucas have to figure out if they can do anything that will actually help the one person they hurt most.

This book sounds really intriguing. I'm really curious to find out all the details of the event that took place and the mistake that Emily and Lucas made, and am really looking forward to seeing how their relationship with each other and with Belinda develops over the course of the book.

September is For Sequels 2/3 Update

Yesterday marked the official 2/3-of-the-way-done mark for the September is For Sequels Challenge, so I thought I'd give a quick update. I honestly give myself too much credit when I sign up for these challenges... It's been 20 days and I've only read one sequel (and only two books total) this whole month. I've just started another sequel, but nonetheless I had much higher expectations for myself.

I need to learn that when I sign up to read 8 books for challenges of any length it's just not going to happen... 8 has pretty much been my goal for every reading challenge I've participated in and I've never read more than half of that by the end of the challenges.

Finished:

Currently Reading:

Are you participating in the September is for Sequels Challenge? How are you doing so far?

~ Alexandra

Coffee Book Tag

I wasn't tagged by anyone, but I saw it a lot on BookTube (it was created by BangadyBangz) and recently saw it again on a blog I follow (Novels and Necklaces), and really wanted to do it. So here we go!

1. Black: Name a series that's tough to get into but has hardcore fans.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely ADORE Harry Potter, but it took me a while to actually convince myself to try it after not getting past the first chapter the first time around, and I fell in love with the series after giving it another chance.

2. Peppermint mocha: Name a book that gets more popular during the winter or a festive time of year.

This book is so adorable and festive and I just love it! It embodies the holiday spirit and I'm probably going to pick it up again around the holidays :)

3. Hot chocolate: What is your favorite children's book?

I'm not sure if I would consider this my "favorite" children's book, but I definitely have fond memories of reading The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane :)

4. Double shot of espresso: Name a book that kept you on the edge of your seat from start to finish.

5. Starbucks: Name a book you see everywhere.

6. That hipster coffee shop: Give a book by an indie author a shoutout

Ummm... I'm not sure I've read an indie book...? I mean I probably have but I honestly don't really know. I used to read on my Kindle/phone way more, which is probably where I would have read them, but I really have no idea.

7. Oops! I accidentally got decaf: Name a book you were expecting more from.

There was just so much hype around this book, and it just didn't quite do it for me. It was a decent book, I just didn't adore it like everyone else seemed to at the time.

8. The perfect blend: Name a book or series that was both bitter and sweet but ultimately satisfying.

I can't even explain how many feelings I felt, but even though I cried more than I've ever cried while reading a book, it was such a fantastic read and I loved it so so so much.

I'm not going to tag anyone specific, but I tag anyone who wants to do it!

~Alexandra