How do you feel about cliffhangers in a book?

[Dvora]

I am currently writing my first paranormal romance novel. I already have a sequel in mind. I would like some feedback on the following 3 questions:

1. After reading a book with a major cliffhanger, does your mind ever change about the outcome after giving it some thought, or does it usually stay the same?

2.When rating a book that has a major cliffhanger, do you rate based on your gut reaction or do you wait until you have thought about it?

3. Would it matter if it was an author you already know about vs. a new author?

[Dvora]

Tay, how would you suggest ending a book that is going to have a sequel?

[Alana ~ The Book Pimp]

It depends how bad the cliffhanger is, but I agree Opal's was quite extreme. John Corwin originally had book #2 in his series be a huge cliffhanger, and all the betas demanded and HFN (Happy for now) ending. He ended up stopping the book earlier where there are plenty of questions and "I want to know what happens feeling" but not leaving the reader on the edge, or even falling off that cliff. It's like he stopped halfway up the cliff.

[Alana ~ The Book Pimp]

You know there is more, and that tantalizes the reader, but won't keep us up at night, pissed off.

[Alana ~ The Book Pimp]

There are still ways for wanting to read the next book without leaving the reader hanging. There are some people that refuse to start a series if they know there will be a cliffhanger. They will wait until it is all written before they read it. It can be a polarizing issue for readers

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Agreed. I'm becoming rather notorious for cliffhangers in both my YA series so far eek! But I think I'm done with them! So I'm trying something new with Fire Country, and ending it HFN like Alana said. You know there's more to the story and you want to know what happens next, but you don't stop right after a major revelation or in the middle of action (or with two lovers on opposite sides of the fence like in Delirium!)

Take Harry Potter as an example. Rowling ends each book with a finite ending (usually the school term) with Harry and his friends having conquered whatever evil they had to face. And yet you know there's a lot more to the story and you love the world so much that you'll read the next book regardless. I think that's a good example.

That being said, I've had some success with my cliffhangers too LOL! Sorry, I had to say it! So Dvora, I think you'll have to decide what's right for your series and how evil you are LOL. Although I'll leave you with this thought: The longer the time period planned for books in a series, the more damage a cliffhanger could do :)

[Rebecca]

It depends on how long I have to wait for the next book.

[Sherry]

Everyone I know seems to hate them, however, they also seem to hunger for them! They want them, and they want more!I have actually written a cliffhanger excerpt from my novel which can be found on www.sherryallred.com. It was for the purpose of introducing my novel...getting people hooked.I wrote a page or two every day, leaving the reader wondering what was going to happen next. They had to come back to my website the next day or so, to find out more of the story. Anyone picking up the story now can read everything written so far. I have decided to stop adding posts and finish the book and publish it. If you like, you can read it and tell me what you think :)

[Sherry]

By the way...My novel, Clarence Moon, is not a cliffhanger...it actually ends without leaving you jaw gaping over ambiguous overhangs.Only for the purpose of hooking people did I create the chapters in cliffhanger format. The book will have a sequel, but you will not be left to wait for it...and hopefully you will be enticed to read about Clarence again.

[DeAnna]

I'm one of the few that likes them. I've read some books that things seemed too wrapped up, to the point that I was wondering what a sequel could possibly be about. I love cliffhangers when I can pick up the next book, but the one at the end of Insurgent is driving me nuts! lol But I agree with David that Harry Potter handles book endings pretty well.

[Chiqui]

I usually don't mind cliffhangers, as long as the second book has some kind of quick summary on what happened beforehand? It's helpful to refresh my memory of the first one. And also if I have to wait years for the next book I probably would be a bit pissed with the cliffhanger lol.

But yeah, I agree with the HP book endings too and I would more likely buy a single book in a series if I know there's a definite ending for say, a Book 1-specific plot, even if the overarching story obviously won't end in Book 1. If there are cliffhangers I usually wait until the last book is released (like THG, for example) before I buy the entire series.

[Katrina]

I say I hate cliffhangers (I usually do) but secretly I kinda love it. I mean I get frustrated as hell when the action gets cut off at the most interesting part and I have to freaking wait a freaking year to get the next one and why must you do this to me, author? but there are just cliffhanger endings that are perfect. There is no better way it could have ended.

I do prefer it if it ended with a proper ending, like someone mentioned above with HP. If I'm not interested enough in the book, there's a high possibility I'm going to forget what happened in the previous book, especially if there's a year that separates the two apart.

[Rachel]

I have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. Hate it because ugggggh, makes me wait and think about what will happen next. But love it, because it keeps me wanting more, and it makes things more interesting ;)

[Jazzabella ~*~ Catherine~*~]

I don't mind a bit of a cliffhanger especially if I know that I'm not going to have to wait forever for the next book. If I know that a series has a few big cliffhangers and the books have a long time between releases I will wait until a lot more of the series is out before I read it to save me from getting too frustrated.

For me a good ending is when the book ends at a logical place with a bit of a clue as to what is going to happen next to keep the mystery.

[Karen’s Library]

I guess I also have a love/hate relationship with cliffhangers. If the story is well told, I will wait as long as it takes to read the next book! I have been known to throw my book across the room in that moment of realization of a seriously evil cliffhanger, though... And 2 minutes later, I'm over it and looking up when the next book will be released eagerly anticipating. As long as the series ties everything up at the end of it all, I'm good! So cliffhang away!

[Bridget's Quiet Corner]

It really does depend on how I feel about that particular book. If I wasn't crazy about it but finished it but have no intention of going on..then the cliffhanger may drive me nuts! lol..Like with Evernight...I wasnt crazy about that book at all but the only reason I went on to Stargazer was because I wanted to know what happened next..but by the middle of Stargazer, I was upset!! lol...But I scanned through the rest of Stargazer and refused to continue on in the series...


(Please no give-a-way or event invites...thank you) :-)

[Sophia]

3 words: OH THE AGONYYYYY Dx

Nah, I hate some of them. Some of them are awesome.
Most aren't.
Most I'm still hanging... and hanging... for a longgg time .-.

[Ruthy]

As much as I hate them I love them. Especially when I like the book it tells me that there will be a next one. Now the waiting... not so much.

[Tana]

I hate cliffhangers, I was reading a series and someone posted a review about the newest book and the cliffhanger, so then I thought about it and decided not to purchase the book. I hate when your so involved in a series and you find out you have to wait 3 to 6 months for the next book.

[Beatrice]

Love:
- It makes me curious even more.
- There's thrill in the end.

Hate:
- I HAVE TO WAIT FOR A YEAR TO GET THE NEXT BOOK! >:)

[Alana ~ The Book Pimp]

There is one cliffhanger I can think of that I did love in a way...

The ending of the book was CRAZY and there is a 1 year wait (at least) between these books... but somehow, I accepted this one. Because I knew no matter how bad it seemed, it just had to be 'fixed' in the next book, or there couldn't be a next book.

It also reminds me of the X-files... and one episode where Moulder seemed like he was DEAD. No coming back dead... but it started with "trust no one" instead of 'the truth is out there'... so it gave a clue about not 'trusting' the cliffhanger ending

[Alana ~ The Book Pimp]

I know I just totally dated myself and there are probably some of y'all that never even saw the X-files

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

I love X Files!!

[Alana ~ The Book Pimp]

Yeah.... I'm not the only one! Are you by chance a Dr. Who fan, too?

[Karen’s Library]

Loved X Files and started watching Dr. Who on netflix a few months ago! :)

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Hehe I've never seen Dr Who, what's that?

[Alana ~ The Book Pimp]

Ack! Never? NEVER? Go out there and watch!

I've been watching it (off and on) since like the early 80's. GREAT British Sci-Fi show- Dr.Who is a time lord. He travels around time and space in his space ship, the Tardis (that looks like an old school police call box from UK)

Here is a Wikipedia about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Who

[Rebekah]

David, please let that just be a sarcastic comment. I find it hard to believe you haven't experienced the awesome of Doctor Who!

[Rebekah]

Martha wrote: "So I just finished a book with the biggest cliffhanger in I've read and it's driving me CRAZY!"

Which book?

[Karen’s Library]

Dr. Who can be quite cheesy at times, but it is fun!! I go through Dr. Who phases where I'll watch 3 episodes a night and then others where it's a bit too cheesy and I'll watch 1 a week.

And David, I had not heard of Dr. Who up until a few months ago either!! I found out about it through a GR thread somewhere. ;-D

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Lol! Uh, yeah, I was being sarcastic (*whispers to Karen* "thanks"). Lol I'll have to check it out!!

[Sophia]

Karen wrote: "Dr. Who can be quite cheesy at times, but it is fun!! I go through Dr. Who phases where I'll watch 3 episodes a night and then others where it's a bit too cheesy and I'll watch 1 a week.

And Dav..."

YESS! I'm not the only one who hasn't heard of Doctor Who! *o* No really... I haven't. I mean, I have, but I never paid attention to my friends babbling about it. If they even do o-o

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

Lol Sophia!

[Dvora]

I can't even begin to thank you all enough for your feedback. Oh what to do, what to do!?!? LOL

[Rebekah]

Just do whatever you feel is right for the story. Haha there's my cheesy line for the day :P

[David, Mr. Blue Eyes; He's the Best--Ain't no lie!! ;)]

LOL cheese city! But true. But what is right for the story? LOL that's the hard part! I really struggle with this stuff sometimes too Dvora, it's completely natural.

[Dvora]

Rebekah wrote: "Just do whatever you feel is right for the story. Haha there's my cheesy line for the day :P"

I love cheese!

[Katie]

Hate cliffhangers. Period. If the book ends in a cliffhanger I will give it a two out of five star rating, no matter how good it was up to the cliff hanger.

I firmly believe in the author reader contract that is a complete story will be told in the book. If that story ends in a cliff hanger a complete story is not told and my rating will be lowered to reflect that violation.

I also will stop buying future books in the series because I feel it is extortion to tell a story in one book, but require the reader to purchase a second book to find out how that cliff hanger ends.

And come on after waiting a year to the next book to see how it ends what happens 90% of the time is the cliff hanger is just brushed away in a way that is very anti-climatic.

Also you guys are driving me batty by shortening Doctor Who to Dr.! That's just so wrong.

[Rebekah]

I'm gonna have to munch on a box of crackers to balance out all that cheese :P
It'll come to you, I once had to completely ignore my manuscript for a few days and then I was cleaning when it hit me. Not that cleaning helps writing because I'd deny that to the moon and back ;)

[Ashley]

I love cliffhangers. I love wondering what's going to happen next and letting my imagination run wild with the possibilities while awaiting the next book. And of course, I always buy the next book after a cliffhanger ending.

[Tana]

I am too ADD for cliffhangers, when I am reading a book sometimes I go read the end to make sure I am going to be happy with it. I have stopped in the middle of a book because I've peeked at the ending lmao...so cliffhanger are not my type of book. IT kinda pisses me off. hehe

But I am so glad that so many of you like the cliffhangers.

[Jonel]

I think that cliffhangers are great, providing that it's not by an author that leave a couple of years between each sequel. I find that if you have to wait that long between books then you begin to forget the ending of the first and therefore the second starts in the middle of nowhere.

My mind generally stays the same about the cliffhanger ending regardless of the time since I've finished reading. My reviews tend to go on a lot of gut reaction. The book doesn't change after I've finished reading it. For myself, it also doesn't matter who the author is. I read each book based on what is in front of me, not based on who wrote it. That only helps me pick them in the first place (if it's a favorite author of mine).

[Marla]

I don't mind a teaser for the next book, but only if the book has a complete story line within itself.

I do not like books that are just part 1 without having their own plot. I am usually done with the series unless it was a really good story with compelling characters and then I will give it one more try. But as a whole, cliffhangers irritate me and I feel manipulated. The HP series was well done and didn't use cliffhangers to captivate readers.

Cliffhangers were designed for the old serials, when the next installment was released the next week or the next month. I tend not to read series until at least 2 or 3 books in the series are out, so I don't have to wait for the next book.

[Tracy]

Well now let's see, since I just finished and the next day finished I would have to say I HATE them. Those two books were the most heart wrenching, frustrating cliffhangers that I have EVER read. I don't want to spoil the books for anyone who hasn't read them but come on! You just leave someone hanging like that? Do you know what they would call you in high school if you did that on a date? Seriously, my heart is still hurting for Daemon and Mac, oh Mac, that is just really mean!
OK so I don't much care for cliffhangers but I actually LOVE those two books.

Psstt, Armentrout and Moning you don't have to leave me that way I assure you I am going to finish the series. ;-)

[Lola]

lol I agree authors don't need cliffhangers to make sure people finish their series. I usually don't like cliffhangers, although some small cliffhangers do work sometimes. I prefer my books to have at least some sort of end.

@ Tracy if you read shadowfeverm you begin to understand why she ended it at that place, because there isn't a better ending. btw I thought the ending of feafever was worse.

[Tracy]

Oh Lolita, it's just that I finished two books simultaneously that ended like that and I was soooo frustrated I could have possibly pulled my hair out if I didn't have something else to start right away.

[Meaghan]

I get really annoyed with major cliffhangers where nothing is solved and I usually rate and review immediately after finishing a book. I think a book should end a book that's expecting a sequel with something being solved but still knowing more can happen and, berefore, it keeps my interest. I think Veronica Roth does an exceptional job at this. Divergent is probably my favorite book and I also love Insurgent. At the end of this book I didn't feel like I should throw my book out the window and scream but I still knew there was a lot to happen and it holds my interest. I also think Warm Bodies did a great job at this. I'm excited to read the next book but am not annoyed with the ending of he first book.

[Dalu]

well, because spanish is my first lenguage i didnt know what a cliffhanger was until last week LOL, but then after watching Lauren Oliver's video about Requiem (Delirium third book) i realized that cliffhangers let you keep on making up different endings on your own and letting your imagination get crazy

[Bookbringer]

I absolutely LOVE cliffhangers! I hate it when books end like you expect and without any excitement. I love it when you can't wait to read the next book in a series.

[chucklesthescot]

Cliffhangers are ok by me. If I didn't like it, the cliffhanger won't make me want to read the next one anyway, and if I loved it I'd be buying the next one anyway so that's ok. Either way, I'm not bothered.