SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

So, I'm going to keep track of all of my lists in this first post because I get overzealous and don't think things through before thowing myself headfirst at them. Yay, me!

These are links to my lists no matter where they are in the thread-I put most things in spoiler tags to save space, but there aren't any actual spoilers unless I specifically say "Yo-Spoiler!" Yeah, exactly like that.

Lists so far:
1. Current Series I am Totally Caught Up on Until New Publication
2. Books I Would Recommend/Favorites
3. Challenges and Posts
4. Series I'd Like to Jump Back Into
5. Mer-May (Or Just Mermaid...) Books
6. Published Series I'd Like to Complete
7. Favorite Fairy Tales and Retellings (So Far...)
8. My Review Process
9. Favorites Based on Mythology
10. Shifters & Stuff
11. Completely Completed Series
12. Suggestions from Trusted Sources
13. Series to Try That I Keep Forgetting About

1. Current Series I am totally caught up on until new publication:

Kim Harrison:
UP NEXT:

Anne Bishop:
UP NEXT: ?

Patricia Briggs:
UP NEXT: ?
UP NEXT:

Ilona Andrews:
UP NEXT:
UP NEXT:

Seanan McGuire:
UP NEXT:
UP NEXT:

Sarah J. Maas:
UP NEXT:
UP NEXT:

2. Books I Would Recommend/Favorites:

COMICS:
(view spoiler)[ Saga by Brian K. Vaughan This is the best thing out there. It's an engaging and hilarious space opera where no one looks human. Human-ish, maybe...lots of violence, too...a little nudity...told from a baby's perspective...
Fables by Bill Willingham I adore fairy tales. I adore them even more if you adapt them into UF/Noir with a bit of Epic Fantasy thrown in there...
Locke & Key by Joe Hill This freaky story is well told and features unique siblings and a seriously creepy house-delightful artwork, too.
Batman: War Games by Andersen Gabrych This series highlights my favorite character behind Batman himself: Stephanie Brown. She tries to help...but she really sucks at it.
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson This is for every woman who used to be a little girl. Every little girl who wanted to play with monsters and anyone in between.
Marvel's Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan Teenagers with superpowers? Strong storyline, evolution and character development? I'm in. (hide spoiler)]

URBAN FANTASY:
(view spoiler)[ Rachel Morgan/The Hollows by Kim Harrison It's the evolution of this series, the different, natural romantic relationships Rachel goes through before the end and the unparallelled cast of characters that I now consider my own.
The Others by Anne Bishop Unlike everything I've ever read. Featuring a somewhat meek heroine with a world that's as much a character as the others in the series.
Downside Ghosts series by Stacia Kane Because it's dark UF featuring a drug-addicted heroine working for a (maybe) evil church and it's completely unique. Also, Terrible rocks my socks.
Alpha and Omega series by Patricia Briggs Anna & Charles ALL day. They turn me into an emotional puddle. I have an easier time identifying with both of them than I do other heroes/heroines. It lets me get deeper into the story, I think.
October Daye series by Seanan McGuire Because it's rooted in fairy tales and features epic heroes with a grand scale, but somehow always feels grounded and real. Possibly my favorite cast of characters. Love the Luidaeg.
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews Because if I needed a bodyguard, I'd choose Kate Daniels over everyone else. A lot of the story is based in mythology from all around the world and its got characters I always want to get to know better.
Alex Craft by Kalayna Price Because of the cast and tone-wise, it's the closest I've found to the Hollows series.
InCryptid by Seanan McGuire Hooked me because of the unique creatures, rotating perspectives and the humor. AND THE MICE.
Nothing else like them!
Katherine "Kitty" Katt by Gini Koch Because who doesn't want to read a hilarious espionage series that has a million books and looks like it should be sci-fi, but is really UF? (hide spoiler)]

FANTASY/SCI-FI:
(view spoiler)[ Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling Because, obviously. Even if you didn't read these in your formative years, it's bound to leave its mark.
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Oh, man...these books just captured me. I've never loved a herione that I detested so much in the beginning...and the intricate plot manuevering is just surprising. Yeah, I could see some things coming, but the stuff I couldn't see slapped me in the face.
Caraval by Stephanie Garber A true fantastical adventure into a hidden world where you can't tell what's real, what's magic or what you've made up in your head to deal with it. Excellent.
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer Um, interwoven sci-fi fairy tales featuring aliens and wolf-like monsters? YES, please! Featuring adaptations of: Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, Snow White and probably the most amazing: The Snow Queen. (hide spoiler)]

:STANDALONES:
(view spoiler)[ by Jane Austen Because, hello?...this is where I learned what fictional romance was and ruined me for real life.
by H.G. Wells This is the book that taught me how much I would always love to devour fiction about 'monsters.'
by A. Lee Martinez A vampire & his werewolf bud save the world from a 'hellmouth.' A goofy story, but probably my favorite to come back to over and over.
by Heather Dixon This book is everything a fairy tale book should be. It had me from the first page and I can't wait to find out how many more times I'll read it.
by Brom Will I read this again? I really don't know. It was so down-to-earth, unique and rooted in mythology that I'm still in awe, though. (hide spoiler)]

ANTHOLOGIES:
(view spoiler)[ I enjoyed almost every story in this anthology. It is exactly as the title says and I found some great new authors because of it. (hide spoiler)]

3. Challenges and Posts:

Challenges:
GGG Book Bingo
Books Completed:
1/16

Break It Down Challenge
Books Completed:
4/18

Posts:
Quotes from the InCryptid Series

You've been busy posting Holly!

Yup...I'm trying to get myself back on track. I find that being social in general helps me out when I need it. Plus, I super love lists.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I should follow your lead. I discovered this thread a couple of days ago and squee'd over it! I've been meaning to do something like this for ages, have already started a list of other bookish stuff...

Right? I had mine sitting on the desktop for about a week before I found time to start. Same reaction, though!

Oooooh, I super love lists too! :D

Happy reading, Holly!

Procrastination queen here, thought about it today though...:-)

Herekittykitty wrote: "Procrastination queen here, thought about it today though...:-)"

Meh...it'll happen when you get around to it. No one's grading anyone here!

That's the truth! And, as much as I love lists, I tend to create a lot here then let them sit for half a year before updating. My poor lil lists, so neglected. LOL! ;)

I figure that's why we have them, though, right? So that when we hit that sudden "Ooh, I need to update my lists mode"-there they are!

So true :D

4. Series I'd Like to Jump Back Into:

Ilona Andrews:
UP NEXT:
Kalayna Price:
UP NEXT:
Maria Lewis:
UP NEXT:
Carysa Locke:
UP NEXT:
Kimbra Swain:
NEXT:
Shannon Hale:
NEXT:
Meg Collett:
NEXT:
Hailey Edwards:
NEXT:
Forthright .:
NEXT:
V.E. Schwab:
NEXT:

5. Mer-May (Or Just Mermaid...) Books to Read:

SHORTS/NOVELLAS:
(view spoiler)[ ✔ 5-12-18 ★★★★☆ My Review
✔ 1-12-18 ★★★★☆ My Review
✔ 1-4-18 ★★★★☆ My Review
(hide spoiler)]

HORROR:
(view spoiler)[ ✔ 5-15-18 ★★★★☆ My Review
(hide spoiler)]

URBAN FANTASY:
(view spoiler)[


(hide spoiler)]

PARANORMAL ROMANCE:
(view spoiler)[



(hide spoiler)]

HIGH FANTASY:
(view spoiler)[
(hide spoiler)]

HISTORICAL FICTION:
(view spoiler)[
(hide spoiler)]

LITTLE MERMAID RETELLINGS:
(view spoiler)[ ✔ 4-3-13 ★★★☆☆ My Review
✔ ?-?-?? ★★★★☆ My Review



(hide spoiler)]

Holly, have you seen any of that new show Sirens yet? From what I understand it's a horror style mermaid tale...

I have not! I really want to, though. I feel like even if it's a bit cheesy, I'll still be into it. I guess I'm waiting for another book lag...lol.

How about and ? I have heard about these quite a bit from Booktube recently... because I keep watching vids about more books...!

Herekittykitty wrote: "How about and ? I have heard about these quite a bit from Booktube recently... because I keep watching vids about more ..."

That's a dark hole to go down...careful...

I've added both of those to my list. Thanks! My goal is to evenutally find all the good mermaid books.

Holly wrote: "That's a dark hole to go down...careful..."

Yeah, tell me about it!!!

6. Published Series I'd Like to Complete:

Kelley Armstrong:
To Complete:

Darynda Jones:
To Complete:

Nancy Holzner:
To Complete:

Stacia Kane:
To Complete:

Devon Monk:
To Complete:

Jeanne C. Stein:
To Complete:

7. Favorite Fairy Tales and Retellings (So Far...)

Anthologies/Mash-Ups/More than One:
(view spoiler)[-Off the top of my head: Frog Prince, Six/Wild Swans, Cobbler...and more!
-Several different takes on several different tales. My review goes into somewhat spoiler-y detail.
-Main roster: Snow White, Big Bad Wolf, Boy Blue, King Cole, Frog Prince, Beauty & the Beast, Pinocchio, some mythology folks...Baba Yaga...everyone makes an appearance. :)
-Spinoff from fables. Featuring the ladies: Beauty, Sleeping Beauty, Snow Queen, etc. I've only got the last volume to read. For a series that was marketed as starring women, it sure is a let-down. (hide spoiler)]
12 Dancing Princesses:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Alice in Wonderland:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Beauty & the Beast:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Cinderella:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Goose Girl:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Little Mermaid:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Peter Pan:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Rapunzel:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Red Riding Hood:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
Snow White:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

Original:
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]

8. My Review Process:

**Warning** Adult Languange Used within Spoiler Tags As the Questionnaire Came Directly From My Thoughts:
(view spoiler)[
0 stars ☆☆☆☆☆
I hated it. I probably DNF'd it which means I don't feel like I should give it any rating at all.

1 star ★☆☆☆☆
I didn't like it, but I finished it, begrudgingly. I won't read this again. Ever. I'll probably tell others not to bother.

2 stars ★★☆☆☆
I didn’t like it as a whole. It had some good parts to it, but I won’t be recommending it to anyone or reading it again.

3 stars ★★★☆☆
I liked it. It was a fun/good story and it kept me entertained. I will not, however, continue the series and/or re-read the book. Might recommend if I think someone else would like it better.

4 stars ★★★★☆
I loved it. Yes, loved it. It had all the right things and made me happy to have read it. It was unfortunately missing that special something that makes it a favorite! Might re-read it the future…time will tell.

5 stars ★★★★★
Best of the best of the best of the best. It is my absolute favorite thing ever and I will absolutely recommend and re-read this book!


RATING QUESTIONNAIRE:

CHARACTERS:

Do you absolutely love or identify with (aka care about) the main characters you just read about?

1-Nope. I hate them all.
2-Maybe like, one. A little.
3-Yeah, there was one or two I was rooting for. A bit.
4-There was maybe, like, one or two characters I just didn’t feel any certain way about.
5-These people are now my friends and family and more real than real-life people.

Were they believable as people you could meet?

1-Like, if they were paper people?
2-Maybe like, one. Most people in this book were static and boring.
3-At least two characters were believable.
4-There was at least one character I just didn’t get anything from.
5-I had no trouble believing I could run into any of these folks in the right setting.

Were there other quirky/interesting/unique characters?

1-No. Again with the paper people.
2-Maybe like, one. I didn’t really even notice.
3-At least one even if they were very background and didn’t have much play.
4-Yeah. There were a couple scenes that stand out.
5-Yes. There were awesomely well-written quirky side characters that made the story.

Did any of the characters develop, evolve or learn something that changed them in some way throughout the story?

1-Because a brick wall is super-good at evolving?
2-It looks like there may be room for growth in the next book? ...Maybe?
3-There is definitely a setup that will allow the hero/heroine to grow.
4-Yes. It looks like the character will only grow more.
5-Yes. The character did so much overcoming and changing I don’t even recognize them anymore. Yay!


BOOK:

Did you get lost in it while reading (aka not wanting to do anything but finish the story)?

1-No. Lost in my own thoughts about other stuff, maybe.
2-Not really. I had to struggle to get to the end.
3-Not really. It wasn’t a struggle, but it wasn’t un-put-downable.
4-Yes. It was a little touch-and-go, but at a certain point, I had to know what happened next.
5-UN-PUT-DOWNABLE.

Would you read this book again in the future?

1-No.
2-Probably not.
3-Totally undecided. It wasn’t awesome, but it didn’t suck either.
4-Probably. I’ll have to wait and see.
5-Yes, I can’t wait to go back there!

Did you enjoy the ending?

1-What ending? I couldn’t finish it.
2-I’m a little confused by the ending/didn’t like it.
3-It was okay. Lacked any kind of punch.
4-It was exactly what I hoped for/expected.
5-Yes. Holy shit. I can’t believe it ended like that!!

Did you feel like you wanted to live in that world with those characters?

1-No. Never. Not even if you paid me.
2-Maybe if someone blackmailed me.
3-Maybe if someone did pay me...
4-Yes. It was a very nice place to visit, not sure if I’d stay.
5-I need to go pack my bags STAT.

Did you feel like any parts were boring or unnecessary?

1-Yes. All of it.
2-Several times. It was painful.
3-More than one but not enough to really stunt the story.
4-No. There were some random things, but nothing pointless.
5-No. Every single word was a gift.

Does this book remind you of any other fiction (maybe too much)?

1-Yes. This book is a blatant rip-off.
2-I mean, yes, but not to the point that it’s like, copyright infringement.
3-Yes, but it’s more like putting a spin on something you know or an homage.
4-Not really. I mean, everything’s recycled at some point, but nothing was blatant.
5-No. This is the most unique thing that’s ever happened. Ever.

Was the book completely predictable?

1-Yes. Why did I bother?
2-Yeah, mostly predictable.
3-Yes, but not so much that I didn’t enjoy it.
4-There was the usual stuff, but the story mainly kept me on my toes.
5-No. This book rocked my fucking world. What just happened?!

Did you feel like there were gaps in the plot or anything was missing?

1-Yes. The plot was missing.
2-Yeah, there were some things that could have been way better.
3-Yeah, but nothing glaring that kept it from being entertaining.
4-No, not really. Everything was pretty solid.
5-Nope. Everything was cohesive and **dazzling**.

Would you recommend this book to someone interested in the same genre?

1-Never because I don’t hate my friends.
2-Nope. It wasn’t that good.
3-Probably not. Maybe if someone really needed something new on the subject matter?
4-Yes. If I find out they’ve read and enjoyed similar books.
5-Yes. Everyone in the world should read this book. Seriously, it’ll change your life.

Are you writing a review to serve someone?

1-Yes. I was given a free copy and a time limit. No pressure.
2-Yes. It was recommended/I was given a copy and someone is eagerly awaiting my opinion.
3-Not really. It was recommended/I was given a copy but it was in passing.
4-No. It was recommended/I was given a copy but without any expectations.
5-Nope. I picked this book out all on my lonesome. We ride or die alone!
(hide spoiler)]

9. Favorites Based on Mythology/Folklore:

It's harder than I thought it would be to categorize these...I think it will be an ongoing project..

(view spoiler)[ Mash-Ups/Several Mythologies:


Hindu/Arabian:


Celtic:


European:


First People/Native American:


Greek/Roman:


Middle Eastern:


Norse:


Southeast Asian:


Spanish:
(hide spoiler)]

10. Shifters & Stuff

11. Completely Completed Series

Kim Harrison:


Ilona Andrews:


Sarah J. Maas:

12. Suggestions from Trusted Sources

Soo:


kittykat:


Iain:


Samantha:


Bunnycore:

Series to Try That I Keep Forgetting About:

Daniel José Older:


Libba Bray:


Tamsyn Muir:


Jaye Wells:


Melissa F. Olson:


Leigh Bardugo:


Kristen Painter:


McKenzie Hunter:


Rachel Aaron:


Elliott James:


Selene Charles:

Comic Series to Jump Back Into

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

NEXT:

Comic Series I've Completely Completed!

Reserved

Reserved

Reserved

Kitty!!!

I started watching 'Siren.' It's got a kind of thriller/horror vibe. It's different in that they haven't represented mermaids like this in live-action before, but it's also kind of exactly what I was expecting. It won't knock your socks off, story-wise, but I'll probably watch it as long as they keep making it. It goes perfectly with that horror mermaid story I read-LOL.

Cool. I might try it out next time I see an episode on.

Steph wrote: "That's the truth! And, as much as I love lists, I tend to create a lot here then let them sit for half a year before updating. My poor lil lists, so neglected. LOL! ;)"

Hey...hey....guess what I did? Haha! I guess it's time to update!

Looks like it! I did create my 2019 thread and updated my others, as much as I could for now. Love seeing everyone’s lists. 😊 Helps when looking for something new to check out.

kittykat wrote: "Cool. I might try it out next time I see an episode on."

Have you checked out "Tidelands" yet? The Aussie urban fantasy show that's on Netflix? I binged it in a day. It was neat-o.

Holly, that one's still on my TBW...! Am currently on The Gifted, Black Lightning and Manifest and dare I admit it but LEGACIES!... I keep coming across all sorts that newly sparks my interest. I'll watch nothing for weeks or months and then I'll binge a couple of different shows in a short space of time. I'm trash lol!!!

And because of Guardians of the Galaxy (1 &2), Black Panther and Infinity War, I'm now wanting to go back and rewatch the early Marvel movies I never really paid much attention to and get up to date with all of them. I'm doomed!!!

Whatever...I do exactly the same thing! Haha! I got the DC Universe channel so I could watch their new shows in the fall (Titans, Young Justice) and that prompted me to watch Midnight, TX, Tidelands, a little Buffy, a little Charmed, a little Xena...

I fell off of the Originals once it started getting too much like Vampire Diaries. Do I need to catch up and watch Legacies? It seems like a more diverse world, which makes me perk up.

Oh, the last 2 seasons of The Originals were a let down for me, maybe even the last 3 given the nonsense that made up most of season 3, and season 8 of The Vampire Diaries??? Complete TRITE. It seems that for me, the magic was in the ensemble of the cast and it (as well as the plot!) was totally broken by that point.

As for Legacies, it's far more 00's teen drama than Vampire Diaries EVER was (I often though much of what went on was a bit adultish for teenagers TBH), and I mean eye-rollingly so, but Alaric pulled me in and I just can't let go! I never meant to, but I tried the first episode just to see what an older Alaric was up to and even though it has lost the magic of Mystic Falls, I just can't seem to stop. Certain fiction it seems is my drug of choice...! I would not encourage you to bother though, there is nothing of the magic of TVD, apart from Alaric (and cameo's from Matt and Jeremy) in it.

I tried the first ep of the new Charmed and I just couldn't face more but whenever I come across any eps of the original, it just seems so dated. I loved Midnight, Texas, but as with many that I grow to love, it's been cancelled. Like Timeless, but at least we got a conclusion to the story with that one. And I know it wasn't popular, but I really liked Zoo too!

There's loads I still want to try too, but I go ages without watching anything and then end up binging. At the moment though, I've got too many books I need to get to...

Yep, I understand completely. I'm back to books, myself.

I very much liked Alaric but I stopped watching TVD after, I don't know, season 6? 7? I just got bored and had to "DNF" the series. I was really uncomfortable about it since I made it that far, but at some point, enough is enough. I've made my peace.

I can get into some teen angst, though, if it's done right. I adore Riverdale and books like I Am Number Four.

The original Charmed is totally dated! If you can snark-laugh at all of the amazing 90's clothes, it's still pretty watchable. I actually only put it on so I could compare it to the new series. I love me some witch stories, so I hope I'll like it better than you did!

I was devastated when I learned about Midnight, Texas. I realize it wasn't the most amazing writing ever, but the cast was great and I enjoy exactly that type of world. Boo!

Now I'm on the hunt for the next UF TV show to binge when I run out of books I have to read. If you come across anything good, let me know!