Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy discussion
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"Empty" feeling after finishing a book/series
I had that feeling with the last iron fey book. But the author is writing a spin off series so when that series ends, I'll go through the whole empty process again. Lol
I was talking on another group about this very same thing not too long ago and another member said that it was like having a "book hangover". I so agree.You feel sad and a little lost and it is really hard starting something new afterwards.
I felt that way after the H.P. series was over, the Vampire Academy and the Georgina Kincaid series. It almost feels like losing a friend (as silly as that sounds) when they are over.
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Definitely like losing a friend!
Yeah, post series let-down. It's so depressing. I sometimes go back and reread my favorite parts before I let go. And then I try to find a series or a book that's similar or at least as good.
I totally understand. It's like you just finished this amazing book, no way is any other going to possibly top that. Or if you read a terrible book you scramble to find something to take away that painful memory lol.
i felt the same when i just finished reading darkest powers series. Actually,more of because there will be no derek and chloe anymore. I heard they will be appear on darkness rising but it wont be enough. Darkness rising is the spin of series. I havent read it but already dislike it because i was like ''how dare you,kelley armstrong! Write about whole different new charactersn in the same world while chloe and derek are somewhere in that world,together,doing something but you dont let me to know how they are!!'' :( there's an empty place in my heart. Im scared to move on cause im gonna forget about them. I was crying when the book ended. Now all i can do is just keep playing 'chloe and derek's' moments and keep reapeating it in my head;(
I got this after reading fifty shades of grey and the books by Jessica Shirvington with angels I don't know if its because I spent so much time reading them but I did feel like I lost something I may of felt the same way with the twilight books but then the movies came out so it made things better I think all good book series should be made into movies tho sometimes the actors can be a let down with the fifty shades I went back and re-read them skipping over parts to my favorite parts where they talked and what not then jump into the books by Jessica to try and take my mind off them but then at the end I was right back there with them best thing to do I think is read something close that's not in a series of books so you don't get into them as much maybe.... Lol but if someone else has a better way please tell!!!!
Book hangover is the perfect term. I get one after every really good book--it's like when that magical feeling of being transported to another place has to end because the book does, my mind and body struggle to make the transition back to reality.Because sometimes, reality can suck.
Yep, sounds like a book hangover: "Inability to start a new book because you're still living in the last book's world."
Got that after the HP series! Wandered around feeling sort of lost for a few days, but didn't want to start anything else because nothing else would be the same!
HP for me too, definitely. I was making a fire in the fireplace the other day and thinking that the sticks would make good wands. And it was years ago I read those books.
Definitely Harry Potter. That's the series I've been the most emotional over when it ended.
I'm gonna go nuts when skulduggery pleasant ends.
Joseph wrote: "Yep, sounds like a book hangover: "Inability to start a new book because you're still living in the last book's world.""I have that a lot!
I usually feel like that anytime I finish a book because I always have the desire to start something new right away but have a difficult time deciding what I want to read next.
Valerie wrote: "HP for me too, definitely. I was making a fire in the fireplace the other day and thinking that the sticks would make good wands. And it was years ago I read those books."I know! I STILL think about it! It's amazing that a series of books can stay with you permanently. Hmmm, I may just have to reread them all now...
I always feel this way after finishing a great series/book. I especially feel sad after I read EVERYTHING by a favorite author and then run out.Like many people here, I'm also a writer, so I feel the same sadness after finishing a series/book because I miss my characters. They really do become friends.
Yup I've had empty feelings after I finish books, it happened to me when I finished Mockingjay, Before I Fall, Shadowfever and The Silver Kiss. And for the record I loved all of these books. I just can't explain why I felt that way. :)
mockingjay was one of my favorite books of all time.
If You guys ever get the chance read the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series By: J.R. Ward and also read the Blue Bloods Series by:Melissa De la Cruz
Cameron wrote: "If You guys ever get the chance read the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series By: J.R. Ward and also read the Blue Bloods Series by:Melissa De la Cruz"I've read BDB. I love the series. I'm a huge fan.
Cameron, why did you like Mockingjay more than Book 1, The Hunger Games?
I completely feel an empty feeling when I finish a book or series. If I really got emotionally invested in the character 's & the world as seen through the athors descriptions , when the whole thing ends I feel like I just left summer camp,& probably won't ever hear about how things went after the "events of the book". If I really liked it I feel like I've been spat beck into my apt. In my mundane life.. Till I get sucked into the nest one.
Every time i finish a series or have to wait for the next book to be published i feel like someone rips a piece of my soul. I feel like i lost something and i don't know what to do next to fill the void.And that's how i feel about all the series i've read because i only read what i really love and haven't regretted reading a book ever.
I always get that "book hangover" after finishing a really good series. Mockingjay & Shadowfever really stand out. I remember I could not stop thinking about them, & just couldn't start another book bc I wanted to still live in their world.
Mlpmom (Book Reviewer) wrote: "I was talking on another group about this very same thing not too long ago and another member said that it was like having a "book hangover". I so agree.You feel sad and a little lost and it is r..."
I feel like it is more of a breakup than a hangover. When I stay up all hours of the night because I can't put down a book, the next day I definitely have a book hangover. lol
I am currently experiencing that empty feeling after finishing Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi. That series is amazing and the next book wont be out for another year.
"Book hangover" is a great way to describe that feeling!It's depressing, but when you come right down to it, I guess it's a testament to the author's talent. I'd probably rather be left wanting more than be left not even bothering to finish the series because it went downhill to such a huge degree. Unless of course that its "downhill" would still be better than anything else around. ...Still, when a beloved series ends, it is rather like losing a good friend. That's why I like writing; you can write your series until you get tired of it and not have to worry about it ending before you're ready.
Years ago,one of my sons and both daughters started reading the five book Belgariad series by David Eddings. We shared each book and drew straws to see who got it first. On the last book, my son slowed down his reading. We were just about standing over the top of him waiting for him to finish. We thought he was being obnoxious, as only a thirteen year old can be, but then we noticed we all did it. We slowed down at that last chapter of the last book because we didn't want it to be over!I can't start the same type of book afterwards either. I have to read something completely different or it just doesn't measure up.
So glad I'm not alone in my weirdness!
So it's not just me! I do hate it when I'm reading a book that I'm so into that I look up and realize that I'm not where the characters are--I'm at home or work or whatever, in the real world. And then when the book is over, it's even worse, because it's like you miss friends that you want to visit with but you can't. I've actually caught myself wondering days later what they were up to, like they were real people! (lol)
It was the worst with Harry Potter. Is it ridiculous to miss the character like they're an old friend that moved away? lol
I have that feeling all the time, but can never reread it because it just isn't the same. But authors should feel delight that their books can leave such a lasting impression on their audience.
I would have to agree that how the series ends is an important part to how I feel after finishing it. The right ending should answer all the loose ends, but still leave some hope alive that the author may return to that world one day. The wrong ending can either make you angry you ever bothered reading any of the series in the first place, or leave you mad that you didn't get the scene or book you wanted. It's a delicate balance.
Elizabeth wrote: "I would have to agree that how the series ends is an important part to how I feel after finishing it. The right ending should answer all the loose ends, but still leave some hope alive that the au..."Me too! I guess that's why I like a series. If the book is good and I love the characters I just love when the story continues to unravel. It all started with Sookie and then BDB and well then I was just hooked on one series after another. iAD, Jeanine Frost, Breed, Moning, Fosg, crossfire, LOTU, I can keep going you get it I am sure. Lately notmonlyndomi want a series but I am into all of the heated fiery lusty romance. So I guess I will just keep reading and sometimes Rereading lol. I sometimes spend days aftEr the last book rereading favoriTe scenes before I move tO the next book.
Mlpmom, hey was just reading you had that empty feeling after reading vampire academy. do you no Bloodlines is a spinnoff of it ? Rose is actually in the beginning of the book and Adrain is a main character. also many of the old characters are in it. I loved thse books &couldn't wait for the next one to be released. now im on to this series amoung oth ers. but I believe the 2nd book is being released very soon if not was in Nov. I'm kinda behind. It is a good book i breezed through it. just wanted to let you no incase you didn't.
I also felt bereft after the Kushiel series ended. Never quite got into the other one she wrote. Also the Archangel Protocol series. Dang.
I felt the same after Kushiel's Legacy! There was no fix for it. I remained let down afterward for some time with every thing I read. The world she built and her writing skills are IMHO are unparalled.The Outlander story still remains my fav, but the writing skills just can't match up.
I consistantly look for a read to give me the same feeling!
A lot of people have told me that they experienced it after finishing the Twilight series. I had that happen after The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Each of those books were pretty massive (900 pages or more) and after spending that much time in another world, it was hard to get into another one. I had this lost "Well, what am I going to do (ie..read) now?" feeling. I like the expression "book hangover." It's fitting.
I felt that after Twilight too, though I resisted reading it for a long time. Once I got into it, I loved how she went into Jacob's head so we could experience him as well. She got the longing and "I can't believe he chose me" really well between Edward and Bella.I'm having a difficult time getting into new series now. I must be getting old or something - the instant sex on page one is getting to me. I just find I can't connect to the characters. I like relationships that build and develop and have all sorts of barriers so when they finally get together you really feel it.
Mocha Spresso wrote: "A lot of people have told me that they experienced it after finishing the Twilight series. I had that happen after The Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon. Each of those books were pretty massiv..."
This happened to me after finishing the Outlander series. It's great to get so caught in a book that you feel part of it.
Not only do I feel that way when I finish a series, but I also can't stand it when I have to wait years between books. For instance The Outlander Series, or The Game of Thrones Series. I get so caught up in the books and then bam I have to wait a couple of years before I can find out what happens to my characters.
Bella Andre told us this is why authors who write series need to put out a novella in between novel-length books to keep the story going. I do love series. One of my favorite series is Nora's "In Death" futuristic series under the pen name JD Robb. I loved what Nora said when she won the RITA for From New York to Dallas this year - "Nora's gonna be be so jealous!" Eve Dallas is such a nuanced character, and her relationship with Roarke never seems to get stale.
I don't mind so much when a series ends with a satisfactory conclusion, like some of Elizabeth Moon's stories. Yes, I'll miss the characters, but one moves on and finds a new author to enjoy. It's hard to wait for books in a series that continue. I'll read anything by Terry Goodkind and will snap up his books as soon as they come out. But it's worth the wait.
Ayalla wrote: "I had that after Kushiels Dart as well, this deep desire to read more, to go back into the world. But no way to do it. So depressing. .."I felt the same way at the end of that series. I was so sad to be done, and the last one was so so so good. I want to read Imriels books but I am taking a little break. I don't know how they could be as good.
Carolina wrote: "Bella Andre told us this is why authors who write series need to put out a novella in between novel-length books to keep the story going. I do love series. One of my favorite series is Nora's "In..."
I agree that this is one reason writers put out novellas, so readers have something to hold them over and the writer doesn't feel so guilty that it's taking so long to get the next story out. :) I did this for the first time with my paranormal warrior series because readers were begging for the next story and it's not finished yet...and won't be for several months. Another reason writers do this is, as in my case, it might be a prequel or tell a part to the story that's a different direction or time, but it might not be enough material for a full length novel. I just read a novella by Diana Gabaldon. Her books are so long it does take her a long time to write the next one. I loved this last one which took a look at Roger's parents.
Carolina wrote: "Bella Andre told us this is why authors who write series need to put out a novella in between novel-length books to keep the story going. I do love series. One of my favorite series is Nora's "In..."
Nora is amazing. She writes so fast she doesn't need novellas. :) I do a few signings with her every year and each time I'm astounded that she has a new book out. She's a writing machine. She owns a wonderful inn and each room is based on characters from a romance. One of the rooms is the Eve and Roarke room. Lovely inn and the bathrooms are to die for!
Bella Andre told us this is why authors who write series need to put out a novella in between novel-length books to keep the story going.
I agree. Sometimes I don't like to start another series unless I know that all or most of the books are already published. I hate to have that feeling and then don't find out that the next book won't be published for a couple of years. I don't plan on having a novella in between my own series but I already plan to release the second book just three months after the last so that my readers don't have to wait too long since I, as a reader, dislike waiting.
Recently I've been having that empty, unfinished feeling after reading the Joss Stirling's Benedicts series. Can't get enough of those brothers.
Hi Venise,Are you already at work on the third in the series? I am kind of glad few people have found my first book so far because the second in the series has just as much history in it and it takes time to weave that into it :-)
I can sympathize, been there. You become so absorbed into the story and characters that it's hard to take when your done and your left feeling empty.
Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy
Books mentioned in this topic
Shadowfever (other topics)Poison Study (other topics)
Seduced in the Dark (other topics)
I have the "need" to keep reading but I am done and there is no new book in the series.
It is a really bothersome feeling and not sure what to do.
Anyone else experiencing this kind of feeling after finishing a book?
I had that after Kushiels Dart as well, this deep desire to read more, to go back into the world. But no way to do it. So depressing.
Ahh, what to do? Starting another book? Rereading the last one? I wish I hadn't finish the book and could go back to it :/