Yesterday a couple blog friends were talking about a book on Twitter. I caught the middle of the conversation focused on how Spaz P threw the damn book across the room. Being a reading masochist, I couldn’t help but ask what book. She and Nat (Wicked Lil Pixie) were chatting about the fantastic agony-inducing Zodiac series by Vicki Pettersson, specifically the fourth book City of Souls. Hearing that a plot twist would cause a reader to throw a book made me what this book on my to-read list. (I’ve added the first Zodiac novel The Scent of Shadows to my to-buy list.)
It got me thinking about how most of my favorite books get me so invested in their characters that when the author begins to make their lives hell — including traumatic breakups, bad decisions and an overwhelming inability to say the wrong thing — it hurts. You want to jump in and fix things.
I’ve talked before about how Richelle Mead does this. It’s the reason she’s one of my favorite authors. When I read the end of Succubus Dreams (Georgina Kincaid #3), I cried and wanted to toss that book on the floor.
I know I’m not alone on this one. A few friends have chimed in on their Throw-The-Book Moments:
Now it’s your turn. Tell us, what cringe-worthy, heartbreaking, evil plot twist had you wanting to chuck a beloved book across the room? (Yes, we’re only talking about the ones you love so much you want to throw them, not crappy books!)
I have one that …. kinda meets your criteria. I LOVE the series! I was DEVOURING them when I finally picked them up. Then book 5 hit, and I stopped dead. I put the book down and won’t read the rest. I’m actually really sad that I won’t pick them back up, but it upset me so much I just can’t.
What series you ask?
House of Night by PC and Kristen Cast
Oh no! House of Night books dipped in quality for a bit in the middle. Though, I’ll tell you the last one was actually really good. What was it about book 5 that made you hit the wall?
I’m with Natasha on this one I have only read the HON series through book 5 because book 5 really annoied me.
(SPOILERS FOR HON BOOK 5!!!!!)
It annoied me because I felt the storyline took a major turn in a very strange direction. First they are vampires then all of a sudden they are fighting off an old mythical creature from Zoey’s heritage. It was just a very weird turn and I own book 6 and 7 just haven’t gotten around to them yet because 5 upset me so much.
This may contain spoilers for those who have not read…
lol
So, I HATED that she slept with her teacher. HATED….but I got over it. THEN, I just with every page I read, I hated the way Damien and Jack were portrayed. I hated the casual sex. I hated that Chapters (Canadian book store) labeled them as KIDS! I might one day pick them up again, but I doubt it.
Let’s see…it might have started with Rachel Vincent’s Rogue. I loved Stray but then with that ending I was like nooo!! And then again at Pride. And then AGAIN at Prey–and this was the biggest NO! And then there was another one AGAIN at Shift! Finally with Alpha I was able to hug my book and cry since it was the end of the series. But there was always something at the end of the book of her series that made me want to scream/cry and have the next one to read ASAP.
And others were mentioned already as well like the Downside Series, Vampire Academy. Need to read the Georgina one myself, have only read book 1. Trying to get the rest of them but need to wait a little bit on my funds.
Richelle Mead is just as EVIL!! Her Succubus/Georgina Kincaid series KILLED me when I read it up the most recent one this year. I was literally heart sick at the end of book 3!
With Jessica S, Rachel Vincent is ANOTHER writer that did that to me, too!! She is not afraid of torturing her characters, and in turn, her readers.
And the same with me for Downside Ghosts, series, too!
Up until two weeks ago, those were the three series for me that had me heartsick by at least ONE of the books in the series, if not multiple.
And most recently, the series I’ve been SQUEEing over with Wicked Lil Pixie and now have on this list of No No no!, is Vicki Pettersson’s Zodiac series. It’s so awesome, you get so close to the main character, and there is one book in the series that you are just like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Great post! I LOVE having such an awesome community on Twitter and Blogs that love the same books and are as passionate about the characters and the authors as me 😀
I threw my copy of Prey across the room when Faythe and Jace got it on. I even left it crumpled in the corner for a few days before I got of the pissy-ness to pick it up again.
Double Cross by Carolyn Crane had me screaming NO as I re-read the last scene 3 times!
The first that comes to mind is Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead, of course. That ending was so brutal, yet also perfect.
And also, Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning. Holy crap, I didnt think she could get any worse with her cliffhangers, but she really outdid herself with that one.
I also agree with City of Souls by Vicki Pettersson. Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare had me yelling in frustration, too.
Well I’d have added mine but hey, it’s already there 😉 And while I was talking about Spirit Bound, it was very similar with Blood Promise.
Oddly though, there aren’t many books where I want to throw them at the wall in that way. Plenty of bad books I’ve wanted to throw at a wall. And I get very emotionally invested in a lot of books, but there aren’t many where I have that urge to throw it at a wall and scream at the characters. But it did happen with another read this year, Magic Bleeds by Ilona Andrews. I adore Kate and Curran, but they were a tad frustrating!!
Hmmm…yep City of Souls by Vicki is DEF on my list…add in Succubus Dreams, Frostbite (VA), Prey (Shifters), Halfway to the Grave (Jeaniene Frost), Linger (Maggie S) to name the few off top of head! I’m already gearing up for whatever plot twist Richelle is about to throw us in Iron Crowned (Eugenie…Dark Swan series) in March. Why oh why do her third books cause me to cry??
ha ha yeah…also add in Shadow Kiss!
Although not your typical paranormal. Time Travelers Wife Is the last book That effected me this way. I was basically begging the book not to have the ending I knew was coming.
OH Richelle how horricle and wonderful you are at the same time!!!!!!!
(spoilers)
My extreme NO NO NO momemt was in spirit bound. When that oh so heart wrenching dimitri said he owed Vasilissa his life. i wanted tro chuck the book right at him. i was so pissed!! after everything rose has gone through he gave lissa the credit that had so peeved but then again so glued because Richelle is so wonderfly evil! (love her!!)
City of Bones: Spoilers!!
I really believed there was no coming back from the whole were siblings thing. i was really annoyed that i was fooled in to rooting for a brother n sister to get together.especially since Jace was absolutly irrissistable. i was so mad that in my mind there was no way for them to be together and i cudnt beleive Cassandra Clare gave us hope for romance and took it so easily away.
But u gotta love theesee NO NO NO moments!
Rachel Vincent’s Shifter series, dear god it hurt.
oh, definitely Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins. the last hundred+ pages i was like “nooooooooo, not another dead character!” it was really painful. i was also really angry about what happened to gale and prim. sadly, i couldn’t actually throw the book at the wall, because i was in a car at the time.
I can’t remember which book it was, but someone out there will hop right in there with the answer. The series: Rachel Morgan – the hollows – SPOILER ALERT – IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS SERIES—STOP NOW.
When Rachel’s love is killed, wow, I cried for days and did not purchase another book by Kim Harrison.