First off, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. I would also like to thank those who have stuck with me over this past year while I have been virtually absent from my blog posts.
I have suspected for quite some time that I was burnt out, but this morning I realized that it goes beyond just being burnt out. I have been reading the Maze Runner series, and when I finished The Scorch Trials just moments ago, my first thought was that I'm so tired of reaching the last page of a book and finding no conclusion. Once again I was faced with a storyline that was leading into the next book instead of concluding the current book. Instead of that sense of accomplishment that I completed a book, I felt - well, annoyed. It is early Christmas morning and I won't be able to get my hands on the next book in the series for several days most likely. I'm just going to be stuck in limbo waiting until I can read the next book - IF that book even gives a conclusion and not just a lead in for the next book. It is all so very frustrating.
Why is it so hard for writers today to give readers an ending? Do they lack the confidence that their story, world, and/or characters are strong enough to keep an audience coming back without the additional hook of a cliff hanger? Do they not have the balls to just publish a 2000 page manuscript - because that is basically what modern day trilogies are; merely very long stories that the authors have broken up into three smaller books. I really hope that it is not actually the fact that authors are breaking long stories up into a series of incomplete novellas simply so that they can sell multiple books versus just one sale.
I don't know what motivates an author to use cliff hangers and I realize that I no longer care. I'm done wasting my time reading books written by authors who cannot take the time to provide an ending to each and every one of their novels. I am not going to shy away from books that are part of series since I realize that it is quite possible to write a series of related stories without leaving an audience hanging; even if it seems most authors are no longer aware of this fact. I am however going to stop indulging writers, it is very reminiscent of boyfriends that just keep stringing you along, with no end in site. I have enough unnecessary garbage in my every day life without adding any extra frustration in what is supposed to be my relaxation and fun time.
I strongly believe that it is this frustration that has led me to become so slack in reviewing books. I find it very hard to say anything good about such works while it wouldn't be entirely honest to give them bad ratings. The stories are excellent, very compelling and quite enjoyable when I finally make it to the end where everything clicks into place and starts making sense. My New Year's resolution is that I will resume reviewing books, to call out those annoying cliff hangers and warn readers to avoid the books that contain them.
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