Series that get better every book. Series that get worse.

[Melodie]

Julie wrote: "Melodie wrote: And the Harry Dresden books have just become phenomenal the longer the series goes. e..."

I'm gald you said that I just picked up the first one!

I think the HON books were go..."

The first Harry Dresden book is a hard read and it really isn't very good, so don't give up on the series because of it. It was truly a bad start.

[Dawn]

Hanane wrote: "...you liked it thats great i think i like it 2 i just started reading the first book, i know this is cheating lol but can anyone tell me who her love interest will be is it TRENT??????????????????"

Who knows...at this point she has relationships with different people, but to me Trent is her HEA ever since he locked her in the cage and forced her to fight the rat. If that is not true love I do not know what is LOL

[Hanane]

Dawn wrote: "Hanane wrote: "...you liked it thats great i think i like it 2 i just started reading the first book, i know this is cheating lol but can anyone tell me who her love interest will be is it TRENT???..."

dawn have you read all the books including the latest????????????????i see a attraction there do you????? between trent and rachel i mean , and what does HEA means

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

HEA = Happily Ever After.

[Dawn]

Hanane wrote: "Dawn wrote: "Hanane wrote: "...you liked it thats great i think i like it 2 i just started reading the first book, i know this is cheating lol but can anyone tell me who her love interest will be i..."

Yep I autobuy her books on amazon, love Rachel even in the less than stellar books

[Hanane]

Suzanne wrote: "HEA = Happily Ever After."

thanks lol

[Hanane]

Dawn wrote: "Hanane wrote: "Dawn wrote: "Hanane wrote: "...you liked it thats great i think i like it 2 i just started reading the first book, i know this is cheating lol but can anyone tell me who her love int..."

i think he is her HEA 2 in my book the one im reading now he is engaged, oh i do hope that he doesnt get married his fiance is a most irritating woman

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

That's okay, I took me ages to get used to the acronyms!

[Dija]

I just finished reading the latest book in the Shifters series. It's definitely one of the series that classifies under "series that get better with every book". ♥

[twinfish2]

Series that are going down hill for me.

1. Christine Feehan- Carpathians, books 1-17 good after that crap

2. Christine Feehan- Jaquars, books 1 and 2 good then down hill on last 2

3. Sherrilyn Kenyon-Dark Hunters, books 1-10 good then skip the rest, including Acheron, not worth the time.


4. J.R. Ward-BDB, books 1 thru 4 great, book 5 is Ok, then it falls off the rails for the next 3 books.

5. Lora Leigh-Breeds,books 1-17 great then starts dying with Coyotes Mate, and kicks the bucket on Bengals Heart, and Lions Heat.

6. Christine Warren-The Others, books 1-5 great, then dies.


7. Karen Marie Moning-Fever series, books 1 and 2 great, then it becomes filler to make money, should have been 3 book series only.

8. Susan Sizemore-Primes books 1-5 great then stops there.

9. Jacquelyn Frank-Demons, books 1 and 2 great 3 is boring, 4 is pretty good, and 5 is back to boring, everything after that I didn't try.


And now for the good.

1. Gena Showalter-LOTU
2. Ilona Andrews-Kate Daniels
3. Larissa Ione-Demonica
4. Shelly Laurenston-Shifters
5. G.A. Aiken(aka shelly laurenston)-Dragon
6. Chloe Neill-Chicagoland Vampires
7. Jeaniene Frost-Night huntress
8. Christine Feehan-Game series
9. Nalini singh-Guild hunter
10. Nalini singh-Psy-changling
11. Patricia Briggs-Mercy Thompson
12. Patricia Briggs-Alpha and Omega
13. Kresley Cole-IAD
14. C.L. Wilson-Tarien soul
15. Angela Knight-Megaverse
16. Alexandra Ivy-Guardians of eternity
17. Lara Adrian-Midnight breeds
18. Mark Del Franco-Conner Grey


I am glad I still have more good than bad, and some of the bad I liked for a long time, so I respect the authors for keeping up their quality level for so long. That is a real achievement.

[D.F. Jules]

Keeps getting better

Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniel Series. Awesome from one to the other.

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Seriously it just keeps getting better!!!

Lisa Shearin's Raine Benares series. I can't wait for the next one!!!

Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer series. Better and better.

[Jenny]

Having just finished I definitely think the Kate Daniels series is one that just gets better.

[Steph]

Most definitely, Jenny! I'm anxious to read that one in June. :)

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

It is really good Steph, you will enjoy it : )

[Regina]

Better and Better:

Fever series by Moning (sorry I think this is a fabulous series and I loved #4. Moning has said that she had a solid vision for the series and it would take 5 books to tell it. But we all see things differently!)

Kate Daniels series by Andrews -- better and better!!

Night Huntress series by Frost -- great series

HL series by Moning -- while predictable, I thought it started out weak (the first two) but got stronger and stronger.

Gets worse:
Sookie series by Harris, the last two were dissapointing.

Good, then gets worse and then got good again:

BDB -- starts off great, Phury and Rehv's book left alot to be desired, but then Lover Mine was amazing.


Good -- very strong all along, but last book not as strong (but still enjoyable):

Mercy Thompson series, loved the first 4 books, Silver Borne was slower and had some boring parts compared to the first 4, but I still liked it.

Starts off okay, has some high points, but then gets too formulaic and boring:

Lara Adrian's Breed series -- I just gave 1 star to #5. The books just got way too predictable.

[Jessica]

twinfish 2 I can't believe you didn't like KMM fever series. Book four was by far my favorite. Will you read the last one in Dec?

[[deleted user]]

I think all series has their ups and downs. Series like BDB started out strong, had a weak book in the center (Phury's) but then rebounded quite well with Lover Avenged and Lover Mind.

The Sookie series has been consistently good for me, one slow book doesn't equal a downturn to me- I'll wait and see what the next book holds before I start to panic.

Mercy is still as good to me today as it was in the beginning.

For me, the only series that has gone from excellent to not so great to bad to worse is the Anita Blake series. That's the series that finally brought this genre back into play for me after being lacking for so long, and I loved it, right up until Incubus Dreams, but it's all been downhill from there. Skin Trade was a LITTLE bit better, but Flirt was a frakking mess, IMO. I am tired of every man just having to have Anita, endless weapon talk when weapons don't even get used, and the big bads being defeated through some kind of sexual contact instead of all the other abilities Anita has at hand. Bullet is the last chance for me for this series.

The Fever series definitely gets better as it goes.

I thought the last Georgina Kincaid left a bit to be desired, but I have high hopes for the last one.

Shelly Laurenston is consistently good, funny, sexy, and sweet.

Mary Hughes (Biting Love) only has three books out so far (and one short), but I have loved them all, the last one being the best of all for me.

[Jenny]

So many great recommendations here. Steph, wish I still had Magic Bleeds to look forward to reading. Hmm. Can I re-read so soon? Maybe in a couple of weeks :) I'm a huge fan of re-reading. It's like meeting old friends. Not sure if it's normal though enjoying re-reading mysteries--I already know the killer, after all.

[Steph]

LOL Jenny! I hate waiting and when a new rls for my fav series comes out I typically jump on it like a fiend and devour it. Then .... good book withdrawal sets in and boohoo, now gotta wait another year. Wahhh! Hate that! But, I can't stop myself. I try to read slow, savour it, but it's always over too soon.

I haven't done many re-reads mainly b/c I have SO many *&^% books TBR as it is, but I have a selection of books that I'd love to ... one day (that elusive ONE DAY) ... read again.

[Kate]

-Larissa Ione's Demonica books keep on getting better. I am ready for the new book in august.
-BDB is a roller coaster for me. I loved the first three, Butch was just ok, V was great, Phury was the series low point, Rehv's started getting better again, and Im still not sure how I feel about JM's book. Roller coaster.
-I am pretty content with Sookie also. I really liked the new book. (I know I'm in the minority)
-Twilight and New Moon were opretty good YA books. Eclipse i liked. Breaking Dawn was the bad. Really BAD. Meyer's vampires don't eat or drink or go to the bathroom but they can reproduce? Puh-lease. There is so much wrong with this book that it could be and entire post.

[Andrea]

Shannon wrote: "Vampire Academy just keeps getting better. Will be sad to see it end."

Couldn't agree more! I'm halfway though reading Spirit Bound and don't want it to end :(

[Miranda]

TRY THE HOUSE OF NIGHT SERIES... OR NIGHT WORLD.. I THINK THEY ARE BOTH REALLY GOOD.. I DON'T THINK IT COULD GET MUCH BETTER THAN THE BDB SERIES THOUGH...

[Michelle]

so, when the newest sookie stackhouse book came out a couple months ago, it occurred to me that i hadn't read any of them in a very long time (in fact, i'd missed the one right before the most recent one). not wanting to miss any of those "oh, you remember that one time we did whatever 6 books ago" references, i did an epic re-read of the series while waiting for amazon to ship me those last pair of books. and let me tell ya, when you read all of them straight through as one big novel, it's really really obvious that the quality of those books is extremely variable. still like 'em, they're a lot of fun, but i've decided that they're just ok and i can probably wait for paperback for the rest.

meanwhile, i just hit a very similar situation with the dresden files books, and Jim Butcher's worldbuilding and internal politics are a lot more involved than Harris'. i'm halfway through my big ol' re-read of those (thanks, 3-day weekend!), and when read as a massive chunk, they are consistently really spectacularly good. getting better and better with every book.

like a lot of you, the anita blake books started out fantastically for me, and went way on down the crapper a long time ago. better "who's she gonna bonk next?!" plots show up on skinemax at 3am.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

Smut Bitch- Do you watch Battlestar Gallactica?

I didn't really like Anita Blake from the start, I gave it 3 books, but I just don't care enough to carry on reading them, it looks like I missed out on alotta book porn lol

I think I may be the odd one out on BDB, I quite liked Phurys book, my least fave is V's.

I also think Shelly Laurenston is really good, I love her pack series, she has a new one coming out this month aswell *jumps for joy*

[Jenie]

house of night by p.c cast and kristen cast totally worth reading for those vampire loving individuals get more interesting after every book.

[Candie]

Jessica wrote: "a series that went from okay to absolutely fantastic for me is the Fever series by KMM! The first was really slow but I've read the first 5 chapters of book 4 five or six times. Love it!"

ABSOLUTELY! Love the Fever Series! :-)

[twinfish2]

Jessica wrote: "twinfish 2 I can't believe you didn't like KMM fever series. Book four was by far my favorite. Will you read the last one in Dec?"

I did not even read DREAMFEVER. I felt FAEFEVER was a bad book. It was a filler book with a crappy cliffhanger ending. After FF I had decided to read DREAMFEVER and SHADOWFEVER from the library, then decide if I would purchase them after the series was complete. After DF came out and reviews said it had another cliffhanger ending I made the decision to wait for SF to come out and get them both at my library. Later I heard that she wants to do another 5 book series,maybe with Christopher, and that was it I am not interested in another 5 year odyssey by this author. I have a feeling she will not answer everything in this series so she can drag us on to her next. I am done. I took the first 3 books to the used book store. I have also made a vow to never purchase one of her books again, and I have bought every one of her books till this. I would walk into a bookstore see her name on the book, and walk to the cash register and buy it. I wouldn't even read the back of the book. Cliffhangers in a book are, in my opinion, the mark of an author that knows their book has problems and so they throw this in to drag you on to their next book. They should rewrite and then I would follow based on the strength of their writing, not a cheap plot device. This series should have had some answers by book 3, to questions posed in book 1. FF had none did DF? If not what was the point of books 2,3,4 if she was just going to give all the answers in book 5. This series has been one of my greatest disappointments by an author.

[Kyle]

Anita Blake series is a little bit of both..

1-9 were good.
10-16 were different (had lots of sex goes bad or good depending on the reader).
17 was more like 1-9.
18 was a piece of shit.
19 (Bullet) was awesome and the perfect balance of them all.

In all honesty she could finish the series in book 20 with a great ending but she won't.

[Leslie]

Julie wrote: "Melodie wrote: And the Harry Dresden books have just become phenomenal the longer the series goes. e..."

I'm gald you said that I just picked up the first one!

I think the HON books were go..."

I love your comment about the Anita Blake books. Is sex, sex, even if it is all in your head? Man, if so, then I have had alot of sex lately, I just finished "Bullet". Anita and her "sweeties", dang!

[Leslie]

Melodie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Started reading the Dresden Files. I hope it gets better. I'm almost finished with the 1st book and I'm bored to tears. It started out really good, so I want to try and stick with i..."

Is it a series where you can skip the first book or two, and still know what is going on?

[Regina]

Kyle wrote: "Anita Blake series is a little bit of both..

1-9 were good.
10-16 were different (had lots of sex goes bad or good depending on the reader).
17 was more like 1-9.
18 was a piece of shit.
19..."

Is it possible to skip 10-16 and 18 and still know what is going on?

[Regina]

twinfish2 wrote: "Jessica wrote: "twinfish 2 I can't believe you didn't like KMM fever series. Book four was by far my favorite. Will you read the last one in Dec?"

I did not even read DREAMFEVER. I felt FAEFEVER..."

I can see where someone might feel this way, especially if reading the series from the beginning. I would hate the perpetual cliff hangers and waiting years for closure. I read the first 4 this January, so my wait for closure is not bad. I do disagree with you though, I saw character progression in each book and progression as to her quest. I think #3 was an important book. I do dislike how she ends her books though. With her series about Christian, I will likely wait until 3 or 4 of them are out though. Since the Fever series, I now try to read series that have a few out ....

[Diane ~Firefly~]

Leslie wrote: "Melodie wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Started reading the Dresden Files. I hope it gets better. I'm almost finished with the 1st book and I'm bored to tears. It started out really good, so I want to try
...
Is it a series where you can skip the first book or two, and still know what is going on?"

I think you can. I read the first one years ago and thought it was just so-so and left it at that. Then last year I read a couple short stories in anthologies that were good, so I looked up the books again and read in the order I found them.

Book 4, 3, 5, 6, 7, 2, 1, 8, 9, etc

If you start with 3 or 4 they tell enough back story for you to understand and are much better than the first 2.

[Melissa]

Shannon wrote: "Vampire Academy just keeps getting better. Will be sad to see it end."

I totally agree with you! That is one of my favorite book series...

[Katherine Quarles]

Great: The Mortal Instruments and The Darkest Powers.
(Can't wait to start the Vampire Academy series and BDB series!)

Good: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. That series ended for me when Bella gave birth to a half vampire. Seriously?!

Bad: Queen Betsy series.

[Laura Lulu]

Katherine (Mrs. JQ) wrote: "Good: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. That series ended for me when Bella gave birth to a half vampire. Seriously?! "

I totally agree. I have multiple reasons for disliking the everyone-lives-happily-ever-after bow she slapped on that book:

1. Bella gives birth to a half-vamp wunderkind.

2. Bella becomes a vamp and goes through none of the crazy mindless bloodlust that every single other vamp has gone through--she's special, ya know?

3. Like it wasn't bad enough that poor Jacob got the short end of the stick over and over again, but hey--let's turn him into a pedophile to top it all off! Woo hoo! Now everyone can live happily ever after as one big happy weirdo family. Sweet. ;)

[Katherine Quarles]

Laura Lulu wrote: "Katherine (Mrs. JQ) wrote: "Good: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. That series ended for me when Bella gave birth to a half vampire. Seriously?! "

I totally agree. I have multiple reasons for disl..."

Yes, I agree with you, too. Jacob "imprinting" on a baby was just kinda gross! Lol. Like you said, they are one big happy weird family.

[[deleted user]]

Laura Lulu wrote: "A few that stand out for me as being better with each book are Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels series, Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series and Karen Chance's Cassie Palmer & Dorina Basarab series.

I also agree with you about Twilight and Sookie except for the last Twilight book which was so painful I could hardly read it.
..."

[[deleted user]]

Laura Lulu wrote: "Steph wrote: "Laura Lulu - Wrap up Sookie? Eek! What about my Eric addiction?! LOL!"

**MILD SPOILERS FOR THE LATEST SOOKIE BOOK**

I shall have to be content getting my Eric addiction from the s..."

Sookie and Eric do hook up! Its the book where a witch puts a spell on him and he is running down the road. You need to keep reading.

[[deleted user]]

I hope she drags it out another ten books as I enjoy reading it. Great escape. I would like to see Bill and Sookie get married. I would buy all ten books she Charlaine writes another ten.

Someone told me to buy a Nevermore book and helped me get the first one but right off I was BORED.

**MILD SPOILERS FOR THE LATEST SOOKIE BOOK**

I shall have to be content getting my Eric addiction from the s..."

[Yesenia]

Better:
Vampire Academy gets better,
Sookie Stackhouse series
Mercy Thompson series
Nighthuntress
Black Dagger Brotherhood
Anything Christine Feehan wrote
Merry Gentry series
In Death series

Worse:
House of Night
Anne Rice's Vampire series aside from Blackwood Farm which I loved
Anita Blake series

[Laura Lulu]

Alice wrote: "Sookie and Eric do hook up! Its the book where a witch puts a spell on him and he is running down the road. You need to keep reading. "

Yes, that is book 4, and I said most of us have been waiting since that book for Sookie & Eric to hook up, since that book.

I've kept reading, it was the 10th & latest book I was talking about. :)

[[deleted user]]

Oh, sorry! Well, I want Sookie to get back with Bill and get married. Sam is OK too but I don't care for Eric. I have also read them all but have the great luck to forget what I read fast so I get to read it again. (autoimmune disorder) However, its not like reading it the first time but still good!

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

I can't imagine Sookie getting with either Eric of Bill on a permenant basis as wouldn't she have to turn into a vamp for that to be a proper HEA, otherwise she will get old and die whilst they stay the same age.

[Joyzi]

Keeps getting better






keeps getting worse

[Yesenia]

Suzanne wrote: "I can't imagine Sookie getting with either Eric of Bill on a permenant basis as wouldn't she have to turn into a vamp for that to be a proper HEA, otherwise she will get old and die whilst they sta..."
I know people hate me for this but I'm still hoping Quinn has a chance :(

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

I agree with you Yesenia, I liked Quinn. I thought that Sookie was a bit harsh to him.

[Yesenia]

Suzanne wrote: "I agree with you Yesenia, I liked Quinn. I thought that Sookie was a bit harsh to him."
Of all the men she decides to get selfish with, she chooses him. My theory is because she could see a future with him and she's scared. The others are going to outlive her and she thinks they'll just go away when she gets old. She's never really seen a future with Sam and Alcide is a mess as well but she doesn't want his lifestyle or chance of sleeping with the pack when need be like Calvin.

[Steph]

Laura Lulu wrote: "Katherine (Mrs. JQ) wrote: "Good: Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. That series ended for me when Bella gave birth to a half vampire. Seriously?! "

I totally agree. I have multiple reasons for disl..."

LMAO, Laura Lulu!!!

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

Maybe she will introduce him back into it later for her, I hope she does, I just can't see her getting a HEA with either Bill or Eric. Or maybe she will end up with Sam. I have to say I went of Alcide he went quite weird after a while.