If the first book in a series is really bad...

[Victoria]

I totally agree about the editing. I take stars off the rating I'd otherwise give it if the editing is bad. The odd typo is one thing, but some of the books are so poorly edited you'd swear the so-called finished manuscripts were rough drafts!

[Amanda]

This has happened to me recently! I'm not going to be liked by many for this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I really didn't enjoy 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. It was OK, just so many more books out there. I started to read the second book (peer pressure), but couldn't finish it. It may have been my mood at the time, I'm not sure. I'll give it another go at a later date. I tend to think my mood influences my choice of read and what I feel about a book lots.

[Joanna Marie]

I'm enjoying the thoughts here actually yeah well mood could be a barrier and I agree about typos..

[Teri]

I'm with you, Amanda, although I actually liked The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I got about 40-50 pages into the second book, and just couldn't finish it, although it was highly recommended by a couple of my friends. Too many books, so little time!

[Bookbringer]

If the first book is really bad then I don't continue reading the series. Maybe I even sell the first book.

[Morgan]

If the first book in the series is bad -- I usually still read the second -- if that one is bad tooo..... then I typically give up hope!! :) Lol

[Donna]

If the first one in a series is bad I don't even finish the first book usually.

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

Dvora wrote: "FYI, I am using the word horrible because that is what someone said about a series. "The series was horrible. Taffy for the brain." As a writer, I am just seeing what a reader thinks of this issue..."

I'm going to say if you didn't like Twilight, not to continue reading. The series is just not for you then. I do agree the books get better as the series go, but there isn't any change in the style and tone. Twilight is a love it or hate it book!

[Jenny, Always smiling! :-D]

What I can't stand is when you love the first book, but then the series goes downhill. The Goddess Test series by Aimee Carter is the one I'm thinking of. The first book was just amazing, the next little novella was pretty good, the second book was just okay, and the third book was downright awful until the end, and then the ending was really good! Go figure.

[Steph is: Pageturning578]

I know this isn't the question but lately I have found that I've liked the first book and HATED the second book. Ever since this has happened I always read the first two books of a series before I decide if its worth buying or not!

[chucklesthescot]

If I don't like the first book in a series I won't read the rest of it. I just don't see the point-if it didn't grab me in book 1, it won't grab me in book 2. But if I love book 1, I race out to get the rest of the series immediately!

[Irena BookDustMagic]

if i didn't like the first one i probably won't pick up the second one. the only exception would be if i heard from other people that it is really good series and that it's getting better with sequels. but if i don't like the second one there's no way i'll read the third one.

[Marni]

If the first book was really bad, there would have to be a really good reason for me to read the 2nd. Too many other books out there!

[Teresa]

I gave up on both the Beautiful Creatures series and Hush Hush. Actually I read the second Beautiful Creatures book before giving up on that series. I know a lot of people liked it but it wasn't for me. As for Hush Hush, I just couldn't get over how creepy Patch was.

[Lam]

If the first book in a series is bad, then I'll probably just scan it over. If the plot still interests me somehow, I'll continue. If it doesn't, then I'll stop :) And if it's so so bad I couldn't even look at the book, then I'll just abandon it altogether :)

[Kristenj2009]

Amanda wrote: "This has happened to me recently! I'm not going to be liked by many for this, but I'm going to say it anyway. I really didn't enjoy 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. It was OK, just so many more b..."

Me too! I need to be in the mood for a certain book which my dad doesn't understand.

[Kristenj2009]

If I don't like the fist book in a series, I will usually stop it. However, if the plot still interests me, I might just read the next one. Case in point: the mortal instruments series. I loathed the first book but I decided to give it another shot after I saw all the hype about it. And now, I'm actually enjoying reading it.

[Paula]

I still read it. It makes me neurotically fidgety if I don't.

[Beatrice]

I still read it. If it's still bad. I gave it up

[A]

I usually wait till the second book to decide if the series is really bad....if the second book also turns out bad, then I abandon not only the series, but also the author.

[Kristenj2009]

I read about halfway, and if the book is bad ie. 2 or 1 star out of 5 then I just stop, put it away and forget about it. If I'm still curious about the ending, then ill just ask someone who has read it. But I don't want to waste my time on something that I won't enjoy.

[AGirlAmongstBooks (Jess Green)]

If i struggle to get through the first book in a series...i may wait to read the others....sometimes i need awhile to digest and think about why i didn't like the first book.

[Gary]

If the first one is indeed that horrible that you just wanted to puke your brains out, then I wouldn't bother reading the rest. For me, there's no point in continuing if you didn't actually care about the characters or the story when reading the first one. Although, when a trusted reading buddy, tells me that it gets better later on in the series then I might give it a shot. Just like what I did with I Am Number Four. I almost gave up, but I held on until Rise of Nine. And I'm glad I did. :-)

[Janie]

If the first book in a series gets below 3 stars from me, probably not. If I am kinda eh about it, it just depends. For example, I just read Article 5...and while it wasn't bad per say...it wasn't great for me either and I don't plan on reading the 2nd.

[Tracy]

If the first book is really bad I won't finish the series. But there are a few series I haven't finished that I did like the first book.

[Caitlin]

Not really. I only read the second book if I really liked the first book or it was a cliffhanger or both.

[Brenda]

The first book usually sets the precendt for me, so depending on that I tend to read on or cut my losses...but havent started one that hasnt had a good rating & if it drags then will pick up the sequel at later date

[Heidi]

If the first book is really bad I don't even finish it. Too many books too little time. I will only push on and go to book two if several of my trusted GR friends assure me the series improves greatly (aka Kate Daniels).

[Zoe]

I've found that the first book of a series is usually the best, so if I didn't like the first one, or if I thought it was just okay, I definitely wouldn't take a chance on the second one. I don't understand the point of reading a sequel to a lackluster book - why prolong a disappointing experience when there are so many other books out there to read?

That said, if I liked the first book but didn't like the second book, I'll often give book 3 a chance. I loved Shatter Me but hated Unravel Me - the first was a 5-star read for me, while the second narrowly escaped getting my first ever 1-star rating on GR - and I'm planning to read the third book in case it measures up to the first, although my expectations aren't high. For another example, I liked Matched, but it took weeks to drag myself through Crossed; I haven't read Reached yet (after how dull I found Crossed to be, it's hard to motivate myself to pick it up), but I do plan to eventually.

What bugs me is when I drag myself through a disappointing book just to see how it ends, and then it ends on a cliffhanger! I'm not going to read the sequel regardless, so I might as well have just put the book down halfway through.

[Carl]

Often what makes the first one the best is that it introduces the concept. The Hunger Games is a good example; the premise blows your mind. The second and third, while good, can't do nearly as much world building.

[deedee]

Usually if the first book isn't that great, I won't continue on with the series, but I'll just feel like giving myself a pat on the book and a cookie with some milk for given effort

But if someone who typically likes reading the same books I do- starts raving about the series as a whole, the same series that I just read the first book to and didn't enjoy- well then after that I consider continuing the series, but I don't ever do it instantly as I'm wary of putting myself through agony again or something.

Like series like the Evernight series, I didn't actually get into it until the second or third book, so I was grateful that I decided to continue the series- as if it was some Christmas present; gotta get through all the wrapping paper and the annoying tape to get to the real good stuff.

But series like the Matched series that I just didn't enjoy at all, and Beautiful Creatures- well those are the ones that I just give up on and have no intention of finishing out.