I was chatting on FB with my friend Laura (who I love to pieces!) about how some books end. Personally, I think Meyer wimped out with the end of Breaking Dawn. I don't think she sacrificed anyone to make the ending believable and she gave us a lame ending. However, Rowling completely did the opposite by killing of one half of the twins, Lupin and Tonks, Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, etc... Even Libba Bray surprised us by the offing of Kartik, who was a very popular character and some people thought should have ended up with Gemma.
I think taking chances is important in stories and if every story ended with an HEA, well that would get boring fast. Life doesn't always have a happy ending so why should books? Invariably, people will disagree with me, but I really think Meyer did a disservice with her series by ending it with such an anticlimax. We all held our breaths when Harry fought Voldemort and wondered who would be sacrificed. Even Richelle Mead caused heart palpitations, especially with me, when she turned Dimitri into Strigoi. But you know what? It works! It was a necessary plot device to make the story go forward. Besides, isn't Dimitri sexier as a true vamp? 
So what ending bothered you the most?
1) The ending of Twilight Series
2) The ending of Harry Potter Series
3) The ending of Gemma Doyle Series
Should authors take risks with popular characters?
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I cried during the ending of HP. But the ending worked. I think the Breaking Dawn ending was copout though! Athouh I didn't like the series and was just waiting for at least one of them to die :)
ReplyDeleteAfter I've invested time I like tight happy endings like in Twilight.
ReplyDeleteThough I would have loved to hear Leah ended up with someone :)
I had never really thought about it before but you are right - Twilight did save everyone. All wrapped up a little too neatly. And now I am annoyed that I hadn't thought about this before. LOL
ReplyDeleteAs much as Harry Potter hurt to see beloved characters offed.... and as ticked as I was at J K Rowling for not listening to my plea of having Dumbledore's death just be an elaborate bit of magic to throw off the "badies" and bring him back more powerful than even in the final book - she was right to do so.
I really really really wanted Harry to die. Not that I don't love the HP books, but after all that he went through, I thought it was time.
ReplyDeleteAnd I honestly can't remember what happened in the other two series, even though I read and enjoyed them. Okay, no, I just about hated Breaking Dawn (that's the last one, right?) and couldn't get over baby mania.
Definitely the Gemma Doyle series! I cried and cried and cried. :( [Btw, I'm a big fan of happy endings so I wasn't that bothered with what Stephenie Meyer did with Twilight. :)]
ReplyDeleteThe ending of the Twilight Series really disappointed me, it was just...lame. The whole book was building up this hugh fight, and we got...nothing. I loved the first books in the series, but I didn't like Breaking Dawn at all.
ReplyDeleteThe Harry Potter ending on the other hand, was sad, but also realistic. Not a disappointment at all!
I haven't read the Gemma Doyle series yet, so I can't speak about that one.
ReplyDeleteBut out of the other two, the ending of Breaking Dawn bothered me more. I wasn't crazy about the high body count in HP, but it made sense in the context of the story. The ending of Breaking Dawn was, in my opinion, a cop-out... especially since the danger of dealing with the Volturi had been hinted at throughout the series. When nobody (well, nobody important, anyway) died, it was a complete let-down and it made no sense. You could really sense the hand of the author swooping down to save her beloved creations. Unfortunately, to do so, she had to change the essence of her villains. To me, that's not good writing.
The Breaking Dawn ending was ridiculous. Anti-climatic doesn't even begin to describe it. I could go on and on.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm not a huge fan of Rowling's epilogue either. I prefer to ignore it's existence. I fully support the way the book itself ended. Life is unfair and sacrifices for the greater good are essential to the Fantasy genre and life in general.
I do understand her desire to show her young readers that though tragedy may strike life goes on and you can choose happiness. As an adult, however, I choose to ignore this slight case of hand-holding.
The Gemma Doyle series broke my heart and rightfully so. I'll take any strong reaction - happy or sad - it means the writer did their job.
Bring on the tears!
I like it when a series ends in an overall happy way, but with sacrifice. I like my endings to be a touch sad, but to feel complete.
ReplyDeleteBreaking Dawn should never have existed in my opinion. If Meyer was so keen on Edward and Bella getting married, add it on to the end of Eclipse, but please, please leave out the mutant child and total anti-climax.
Harry Potter's end was amazing. I cried so many times in the last few chapters of Deathly Hallows.
I haven't yet read the Gemma Doyle Trilogy so I can't comment on it.
Oh, and Dimitri is sexy no matter what he is! ;)
I *hated* the Gemma Doyle ending. It was just too tragic for me, it wasn't what I wanted to read at the time. The HP ending was ok, and I didn't even finish the first Twilight book but I read what happened at the end and it sounds ridiculous. I dunno I think there can be a balance between too happy and too sad. I like the main character to at least have a happy ending even if some other characters die along the way or some things are lost to get that happy ending.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how most of our opinions are a little bit different?? I agree that any author who can drum up some kind of emotional reaction is an artist, but I do like me a happy ending. My experience is life can really suck, so I like fiction to feel good!
ReplyDeleteOh my god. I want endings to be relevant to the book and for authors to follow their own rules. For me, Breaking Dawn's ending didn't work because Meyer couldn't follow her own rules.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I really was fricken emotional over Dmitri going strigoi. It really depressed me.
As for Harry Potter, I loved the entire series, loved the Deathly Hallows until the godawful epilogue.
For the Gemma Doyle books, I was sad over Kartik, but I get that it's necessary, and Gemma wasn't tied down to a guy while in NY. She knows she can do things on her own. That's awesome to me.
Here's one you didn't mention, My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. She kept building up to this huge sort of cliffhanger, will a certain character with cancer live or not, and then well the ending was a huge copout which made me want to fling the book against the wall. Actually, I did read one review where the reader turned to Picoult's author picture and said "F--k you" to it.
April, I wish I did remember MY SISTER'S KEEPER. But I thought it was a great ending. Because I never saw it coming! And I was like "OHMYGOD!", how could she do that, but it really worked with the context of the story!
ReplyDeleteBreaking Dawn ending wasn't what I expected . I think the ending lacks the dedication and effort required to make it a great one, instead it just appears that it was made just because it was required to finish the book.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I have and award for you Here :)
Have a great weekend! :)
I agree that Twilight's ending was really really lame. It just killed the story.
ReplyDeleteAs Richelle Mead's VA's Dimitri turning into a strigoi was very dramatic (I cried) and it worked. I hope that Dimitri finds peace.
I also thought Stephanie Meyer set up this huge fight but then stopped it-it just didn't make sense. I was probably most dissapointed with the Breaking Dawn ending.
ReplyDeleteBut no matter what happens or what characters an author kills off-someone out there isn't going to be happy.
Ugh, the Twilight series had the worst ending. It was all too perfect, it almost felt like a complete waste of my time.
ReplyDeleteI love HP ending very much. For Breaking Dawn, you are right. It's too good to be true.
ReplyDelete