Novel Ink: CBA Discussion | Closure, Please

While I was working on my best endings/beginnings for my Top Ten Tuesday post this week I got to thinking about how I like my books/series to end.

As a reader, when a series or a standalone book ends, I NEED to have some kind of closure and it drives me crazy if I don’t get it. I get so invested in these characters, especially if it’s a series, and if I don’t know how it all works out, I get really ~~flippin angry~~ upset.

I know that everyone’s different and some people like the books that leave everything open, so that they can form their own version of what happens to the characters. But, I’m not that imaginative so I’m not one of those people. The only way that open endings don’t bother me is if there is going to be another book in the series.

Personally, if I get to the ending of a standalone book or series and it leaves everything open, I will most likely drop it a star. I know that this probably seems unfair, especially if I really enjoyed the rest of the book, but I get so disappointed and I just can’t bring myself to give it a full five stars if I don’t love every aspect of it, including the ending.

One of the hardest books that I’ve ever rated was Requiem by Lauren Oliver (MyReview). I loved Delirium and Pandemonium and I honestly really enjoyed MOST of Requiem. But the ending...

Honestly, I still struggle on whether or not I should go back and change my rating from 3 stars to 4, I’ve even thought about not putting a rating on it at all. This is the reason why I just posted the review yesterday even though it's been weeks since I've read it. Maybe someday I will go back and re-evaluate, but for right now I think I’m just going to leave it alone.

Talk To Me

What do you think about open endings? Will you drop a star if you don’t like the ending? Have you ever struggled with rating a book?

Leave me a comment and let me know.

3 comments:

yaescapefromrealityAugust 1, 2013 at 9:15 AM
I agree with you, I don't want to imagine what happens to the characters, that's why I'm reading the book!! :) And open endings just kill me. Like Requiem. I don't need to go all the way to the grave or anything, but some sort of real closure. ~Pam
AnonymousAugust 3, 2013 at 12:29 PM
Ha! I actually discussed this one on my blog before, and its cool to see you discuss it too! :D I am personally NOT a fan of cliffhanger endings, unless its to a book in a series, so it's not technically an ending. But of course, the resolution means a whole lot to me, cause everything else tends to seem pointless if the story doesn't reach a true conclusion. I NEVER feel satisfied with open ended books, unless it hints at some sort of happy ending (yep, I'm the cliched happy ending type of reader XD). So yeah, closure is key :)
AnonymousDecember 19, 2013 at 4:22 AM
If it's the last book in a series or a standalone one, I'm not a fan of open endings at all! I don't mind a bit of ambiguity but if it feels too abrupt I usually have to flip a few pages back and forth to see if I've missed anything. Can totally ruin a book for me it's too open.