The Absolute Terror of the Final Book in the Series

There is nothing better, and there is nothing worse, than finishing a series you've loved for ages. There's just so much EXCITEMENT and INTENSITY, because OMG YOU'LL KNOW HOW IT ENDS! But at the same time... it will end.

I am, and always have been, a diehard Harry Potter fan. I read each book pretty much the day it came out, except for the first two, because I was about six and eight, respectively, and didn't know things yet. But for those of you in the HP generation, do you REMEMBER what it was like waiting for The Deathly Hallows to come out? I wanted it soso bad. So badly I thought I was going to go insane with wanting it. Like any day I'd snap, charge over to the nearest bookstore, and be all

HAND IT OVER BITCHES

I was so excited I felt sick, but I was also filled with so much dread. I mean, that would be it. There would be NO NEW HARRY POTTERS EVER. And what if something AWFUL happened? (A LOT of awful things happened, but we won't get into that now.) What if the book itself was no good? You've invested so many years and so much of your soul into a series, and you always want the last installment to do all that investment justice.

But what if it doesn't? How do you cope?

This post was actually inspired by a conversation I had with another blogger I love (who shall remain nameless). I discovered that, while she has read all the Harry Potter books when they came out, she has YET THE READ THE LAST ONE. She has it. BUT SHE HASN'T READ IT. I love you, oh nameless blogger, and I understand why. I mean, it's terrifying to finish a series you love. I'm anxious for The Bitter Kingdom, the last book in The Girl of Fire and Thorns series--anxious in the good way AND anxious in the bad way. I can understand why you haven't been able to take that leap yet.

But I also think you're kind of crazy because HELLO THAT BOOK CAME OUT IN 2007 AND IT'S HARRY FREAKING POTTER okay I'm okay now

So many great series are ending this year, like the Divergent series by Veronica Roth, the Legend series by Marie Lu, the Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter, the Watersong series by Amanda Hokcing, the Razorland series by Ann Aguire, and the Croak series by Gina Damico, among many others. Many already ended, such as The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare, the Shadow Falls series by C.C. hunter, the Revenants series by Amy Plum, the Unearthly trilogy by Cynthia Hand, and the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver.

Basically, 2013 has been nothing but a biG angst-fest for the series-addicted.



I know your pain so well, little cartoon girl. There are some books I just can't bring myself to read because I know I'll love them so much (logic: not my strong suit).

But then there are the times where you do take the plunge, where you do rip the Amazon package containing that last Harry Potter book right out of the UPS guy's hands, and then you tear the package open and start reading it right then and there. And the book is SO GOOD that it's just like



and the series goes out in this blaze of Bon Jovi glory and awesomeness, and you're so happy-sad and it's just... ugh. BOOKS.



 So yes, it's totally terrifying when a series you love comes to an end. But when the end goes right, there's nothing better. There's payoff for beloved characters, and payoff for you for those years of investment. So I'm thinking, somehow, we'll survive all these series ending. Because there's always a NEW series just around the corner. Hey, we addicts have got to get our fixes somehow. Ending a series just gives us room for a NEW obsession!

 What about you? Do you have a panic attack every time a series you love ended? Or are you totally cool about it? Which series ender are you dreading, or have you dreaded in the past?