Poll

I'm in the minority (I prefer to wait for all books) but I do have an additional reason for this that isn't impatience: I've been burned too many times by series that never continue or never end.

For example: Gates of Thread and Stone, Tandem, and Reliquary

While someday these series may get another book that properly wraps things up, since the authors have expressed it being possible and none of the three are dead, so much time has passed since these titles' initial releases and the authors have said so little on new books in the years since that I'm pretty doubtful.

I absolutely hate getting into a series that I can never see the end of, so I usually wait things out, then once everything is available, I can pick up the first book and, hopefully, like it enough to read my way through all the remaining books in one go.

I used to try and wait for all books but always found myself starting prior to completion when I couldn't find anything else to read. Sadly, I forget a lot of the details and nuance and therefore lose interest so I have a huge number of incomplete series under my belt.

I read what’s out but sometimes not all of them at once. My tbr list is mountainous so I jump around a lot in different series. Waiting always sucks but it’s not like I don’t have something else to read in the meantime. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I feel like I need to qualify my vote lol Most of the time I'll immediately start a new series if I think I'll like it, whether or not the entire series is out.

There are a few exceptions though. Mary E. Pearson is one of my favorite authors and I knew I'd love her new duology that was completed this year, but I also know she has a habit of ending on wicked cliff hangers. So because it was only two books, I bought the first one immediately then waited to start reading until the second one was released.

Debating doing something similar with Sarah J. Maas's new series as well. She likes to change the hero after the first book and I don't want to root for the wrong couple for a year or more and then have to change to someone else. That was a major complaint in her TOG series. It took so long to actually even meet the endgame hero that some people never got over the original pairing.

Super long-winded, but my answer is that it depends on my history with the author!

I usually jump right in but there is the odd time you get burned - looking at the Mistress of the Art of Death series, where the author passed away, and the most recent book had ended on a cliffhanger. That was difficult.

Sometimes I will jump right in. If the series intrigues me enough. But usually, I like at least most of the series to be published. I'm not a very good waiter, and lately it seems the authors I like are writing every series, but the one I want them to finish. 🤷🏾‍♀️

Reading is my primary form of escapism.
I’m not an advent fan of tv with few exceptions, & the tv shows I do watch I wait to marathon once the season is complete.
You’d think I’d have the same patience with books but the truth is In general most of my purchases are new releases, I find interesting. The other half are from known reliable authors producing quality material not fast fiction. Authors like Sarah J Mass, Faith Hunter, Patricia Briggs, Laurel K Hamilton, Pippa DaCosta, Kim Harrison Debra Dunbar, A.K Koonce, Ilona Andrews, etc. who are on my auto
buy list. If I’m waiting a year I expect excellent editing, a tight story arc, & for the plot to move forward. I’ll deduct stars if the ending is a cliffhanger unless the story was incredibly engaging.
It’s been my experience If an author is producing books like a an assembly line without a ghostwriter a la James Patterson, s/he produces an inferior product. It’s a completely different type of author think fast food vs Michelin meal. I’ll also wait if the author is known to have abandoned a series. Which most of these assembly line authors tend to do.

This is just my opinion & it’s not all inclusive.

although that only happens to me when I don't know that I'm reading a trilogy or a saga, otherwise, I wait for it to be complete

⋆☆☽ Kriss ☾☆⋆ wrote: "I'm in the minority (I prefer to wait for all books) but I do have an additional reason for this that isn't impatience: I've been burned too many times by series that never continue or never end.

..."
Yes to everything you said.

I have three important reasons to be cautious and wait until the series is complete.

Mismatched covers










Unfinished series



Cliffhanger endings
(Insert any heavily promoted fantasy series of the past two years)

Yet, in a few occasions I threw caution to the wind and get into a new series immediately if the blurb and the reviews draw me in. Some books look so interesting that I just can't wait.

Parvati Patil wrote: "I have to important reasons to be cautious and wait until the series is complete.

Mismatched covers..."

I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT MISMATCHED COVERS! My books need to have matching covers (and all be the same format: hardcover, paperback, etc.)

Ember in the Ashes played me on this especially. I ended up selling my physical copies and getting ebook copies because if book #4 brings yet another change, at least my files can be updated to make them all match :/

I also, sadly, have to look at the misery that is Shades of Earth in hardcover after these two beauties: Across the Universe A Million Suns. I've wanted to replace my hardcovers with matching paperbacks for years.

⋆☆☽ Kriss ☾☆⋆ wrote:
I also, sadly, have to look at the misery that is Shades of Earth in hardcover after these two beauties: Across the Universe A Million Suns. I've wanted to replace my hardcovers with matching paperbacks for years.."
I'll edit to include that travesty of bookcover change.

I'm terrible at waiting so I do prefer it when they are all out before i start reading HOWEVER if its one by an author i know ill love ill start it right away ;)

One of the worst feelings in the world is getting excited about a new book, reading it, then realizing in your excitement you didn't see it was a series...and the next book doesn't come out for a year! I am a binge-reader, so I finish books I like in 2-3 days max. So, if a book is a series I'll wait to read it as close to the release of the next one as possible.

It isn't really ideal, but I will forget about books if I don't read them as I find them - so waiting for the entire series doesn't work.

⋆☆☽ Kriss ☾☆⋆ wrote: "I'm in the minority (I prefer to wait for all books) ...

..."I wait too. I don't know how many times I've started a series and have waited over a year (sometimes longer) and the series never finishes. I feel like I hate to get invested in characters and a plot if the author may not follow thru.
I too, also forget what happened in the book because I've so many books in-between so I have to re read the book.

HilZie wrote: " I too, also forget what happened in the book because I've so many books in-between so I have to re read the book."

I've gotten in the habit of rereading prior books before picking up new releases in a series, just so everything is front and center in my mind. I make exceptions if a release isn't that far apart from my last read of a prior book (lots of kindle series have releases that are only a few months if not weeks from each other) or I feel like I remember a story well enough to skip, but rereading everything beforehand usually helps my overall experience, since I love binging a series from start to finish, one book after the other.

I am a one-sitting kind of reader, so I really prefer to have all my duckies in a row and shoot them one after another because having to wait for even one book is a) emotionally taxing b) usually takes some enjoyment out of the book because it stops my momentum - you know how reading a series can feel like a race, things and characters changing and growing, until you can wistfully look back and realize what a journey it has been... So taking a break before the grand finale is absurd! I will most probably read several books in between and lose some details and the connection I had with the world which means I am not getting the best experience I can from that series.

I only break this when I feel like I might not even get to the second book or... are absolutely confident I want to savour and willingly suffer and bemoan the wait to irrationally prolong my relationship with the world.

So looking at your (and mine) answer, I added another option, which actually seems the most probable - a combination of tactics. Alas, the life of a reader is rarely so organized that one can plan and chose and control oneself to such a degree, when new books are so exciting and they come out like, every day! Mine definitely is. Though I still do try to do my best to avoid the frustration that comes with reading the final lines of a book, especially those suckers with cliffhangers, knowing I will have to wait for the next one to be written and published.

I wait for all the book to come out or the final book is about to come out. I do this because I can wait and I have way to many TBR books to read while waiting :)

I used to wait for the next Harry Potter book because I hated all my friends (reader and Non readers) who wanna spill spoilers because they got their hands on the book first.

⋆☆☽ Kriss ☾☆⋆ wrote: "I'm in the minority (I prefer to wait for all books) but I do have an additional reason for this that isn't impatience: I've been burned too many times by series that never continue or never end.

..."

Same here! If I have to wait too long I’ll get started on another series and forget I was waiting on a certain book to come out. I’ve done this at least three times.

I'd rather wait.

For me it depends on the series but more often then not I prefer to just binge the entire series in one go.

SWEETY wrote: "I need a series to be finished before I start it. I’m just that impatient. Plus in the recent years I don’t have the energy anymore to read series that are super long, or are never ending like Bell..."

Same

I do prefer if it’s finished but if it’s just starting out, on KU, or half way inbetween the next release I’ll bite. But it really does depend sometimes on my mood lol. Like sometimes I don’t want the emotional commitment of waiting, I am pretty impatient. 😬

SWEETY wrote: "I need a series to be finished before I start it. I’m just that impatient. Plus in the recent years I don’t have the energy anymore to read series that are super long, or are never ending like Bell..."
Oh my goodness! I was just telling someone else that I’ve really grown to dislike never ending series. I need there to be a finish line somewhere!

I have series I read that are not finished but while I wait for those books I start a series that is finished to pass my time. Some of the books I read have serious cliff hangers and cause me to have book hangovers for days or weeks so it’s easier to read series that are finished in between.

I definitely prefer to wait till all the books are out so I don’t forget what happens especially whenever the series or like seven or eight books long however I found a great resource online bookseriesrecaps.com. you can find almost every young adult series on this website and it will help you remember exactly where you left off so you don’t have to reread the entire series again just to catch up I use it all the time… That said I still will wait for the series to be finished if I can help it.

I tend to read the first book, decide if I like it, and then wait til the rest comes out, read the first again and then read the rest. Or if I really can’t wait I just read them as they come out

Sometimes if i wait too long i will loose interest, so i will read what is available. If there is a massive cliffhanger I will wait ;That depends on how many books are out and publication date. if its published quickly i will read but if its more than a year to wait i will pile it up if i am hooked on the series.

I always reread every single book in the series before I read the newest addition so I don’t mind an unfinished seriess. Sometimes if I’m not super interested in the book I’ll just wait until the full series is out though.

I used to wait until the entire series was out but then i spoke with some authors that changed my mind. They pointed out that they write as a business and if people are not buying they may not continue writing. Now when i see an unfinished series i often wonder whether it is unfinished because the author has writers block or because they thought people were not interested enough to continue.

I start reading the first book, and if I don't like it, then I will not read the series.
But, to be honest, I do not like series. If it's an author that I love, then I will invest in the series. I'm usually a stand alone, happily ever after book.

There was once a great book series called A Song of Ice and Fire that forced me to watch a tv series called Game of Thrones, even though I am not a fan of tv.

Thanks to GRRM, I make sure I only start series that are finished. Unless its a group read that I want to participate in.

I also hate waiting for the next instalment because I almost always have to re read the previous book to remember where the story was.