Series I’m Not Going To Finish

Recently, I’ve been considering the series I’ve finished, those I currently have ongoing, and those I want to start. With that in mind, I decided that there are a few series I started years ago, and am just not going to finish.

1. The Wool series by Hugh Howey

My uncle recommended this to me ages ago and I started it with high anticipations. Sadly, Wool and I did not hit it off. This sci-fi dystopia had an interesting premise – humanity has moved into underground silos because the earth is no longer inhabitable and any talk of ‘going outside’ is a punishable offense – but the plot was incredibly slow. Most of the characters weren’t particularly likable and the narrative slowed the plot even further, so I’m definitely not carrying on with this series.

2. The Tales of the Otori series by Lian Hearn

I read the first two books in this series when I was younger and thoroughly enjoyed them. But then I started reading a wider variety of genres and never got round to buying the third book. I’m at the point now where I’m no longer invested in this series enough to continue, so I’ll probably end up unhauling the first two books, but they’ll remain novels I’m fond of.

3. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

I know this is a slightly controversial one, but I’ve decided I’m not going to finish the Percy Jackson series. Don’t get me wrong – I loved the first book (it was hilarious), but I’ve tried twice to finish this series, and each time, I re-read the third book and then don’t pick up the fourth. When I consider going out and buying the fourth book, I know I’d end up spending my money on other novels that I’ve a lot more anticipation for.

4.  The Shannara Chronicles by Terry Brookes

I watched The Shannara Chronicles when it was airing on TV and loved the adventure of it so much that I had to immediately pick up the book once I was done. I’d read that the books were companion novels, so you could start anywhere in the series, and I wanted to start with the book that the TV show was based on, The Elfstones of Shannara. Oh, how my disappointment rang true. This was a rare occasion when the TV show is better than the book. The novel was a mundane version of The Hobbit, with more travelling across endless countryside, less wit, and fewer dwarves. I’m definitely going to watch season two of the series when it airs, but I’ll not be reading the rest of the books. Sorry Terry.

5. The Next Together duology by Lauren James

I had high hopes for this book, but I was slightly disappointed by the outcome and didn’t feel like picking up the sequel; however, I recently read Lauren James’s The Loneliest Girl in the Universe and really enjoyed it. So while I may not finish this duology, I’ll definitely be reading more of her books in the future.

6. The Shadow Fall duology by Audrey Grey

The last 100 pages of this book saved it from getting 2 stars from me, but didn’t save it enough for me to finish the duology. It was a bit too generic and tropey, and lacked diversity.

7. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 

My exact thought when finishing this book was ‘meh.’ I wasn’t a fan of the 192395 male characters and one female character and the writing style was pretty mediocre. I felt this book was purposefully aimed at younger male readers, and as such I didn’t find it stimulating at all.

8. The Ender’s Saga by Orson Scott Card

This book was a great, fast-paced sci-fi, and the twist at the end was so unexpected. But, after reading the book, I found out that the author has strongly homophobic views, and I now no longer want to support him by finishing the series. Not sorry at all.

9. The Millennium trilogy

I was gripped by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but I’ve never got round to picking up the second and third books; other books have always grabbed my attention much more and I’ve picked those up instead. I actually own the second and third books, but they’re waaaay down my TBR and I just don’t think I’m going to pick them up. There are other books being released that I’m way more excited about.

10. The Ink and Bone trilogy by Rachel Caine

I had every intention of finishing this series, but it’s just fallen further and further down my TBR. Now, when I look back at the writing and plot, they don’t seem as fluid as they could have been and, although I love reading about the Great Library of Alexandria, I don’t feel connected enough with this novel to complete the series.

11. The Talon series by Julie Kagawa

I really didn’t enjoy the first book in this series. I found the characters immature and the narrative lacking in cohesion , so I won’t be finishing this series unfortunately.

12. The Passenger duology by Alexandra Bracken

I’m torn with this one because I really enjoyed Passenger, but every time I’ve had the chance to buy Wayfarer, I’ve gone for other books instead. For some reason I just don’t feel motivated to finish the series, so I’ve added it to this list, but I may pick it up again some day. Just not right now.

Just because I don’t plan on finishing these series, doesn’t mean they’re not good books. If your favourite series is on here, please don’t take it as a personal attack. We all like different books – that’s part of what makes us a diverse community of readers – and these series are just no longer for me. Most of them I really enjoyed at the time, but I’m more excited about other series and new releases now and have moved on.

Are there any series that you’ve started and decided not to finish? Are there any on this list that you think I should stick with? Let me know!