5 Book Series’ That Betrayed My Trust

A Warning and Disclaimer:

Gentle Reader,

There will be nothing gentle about this post. It will be a rant. I will say unkind things about these books. I will let my emotions commandeer the conversation. I (probably) won’t be rational. BUT THESE ARE MY FEELINGS.

I feel that these books FAILED- but the truth is that they failed ME, which is actually MY problem, not the books,’ and I know this… sort of.

If they betrayed my trust, it is only because I trusted them to be what they are not, and that is my own fault. Mine. My own.

But I want to complain about these books anyway. Thus, this post.

Sincerely,

S. Sponge

P.S. ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE: This post will be riddled with SPOILERS, so if you have not read any of these books be ye warned.

Assuming that anyone is still reading, I will now get started.

1. Ranger’s Apprentice

I never actually finished this series. I got bored, but that is not why I am bitter. No. There is one reason that this series is branded upon my mind.

Gilan.

Gilan.

For whatever reason, Gilan was my favorite character. I was… am very attached to him.

Then this happens:

Will is kidnapped while he is in Gilan’s charge.

Gilan feels UNSPEAKABLY GUILTY about it. Not only that, but he cares about Will. He feels guilty and he is desperately worried about what is happening to him.

Gilan offers to go with Halt to look for Will.

Halt says no.

Gilan insists.

Halt still says no. (For crying out loud, Halt, just LET HIM COME WITH YOU).

Halt leaves Gilan standing alone and miserable in the rain.

(End scene)

In the end of the next book, Halt returns to the kingdom with Will, safe and sound. EVERYONE is waiting for them. The entire kingdom has turned out to witness their return.

Everyone that is, except for Gilan.

Not only is he not there, but no one mentions him- no one even thinks of him. He has not been mentioned ONCE since Halt left him dejected in the rain. WHAT IS THIS?

I read a couple more books after this, but to no avail. Gilan appeared to have fallen off the face of the earth and NO ONE NOTICED.

I have heard that he randomly shows up again in some later book, but how can his huge absence be explained? Maybe he had some long-ranger-mission, but how is it that NO ONE remembers him while he is gone? Especially since they left him ALONE in the RAIN. Halt never thinks, “Gee, I wonder what happened to Gilan?” Not ONCE.

You cannot do this to me.

 

2. Enola Holmes

I read all six of these. I like Enola. I think she is a smart and interesting character.

My quarrel is with her mother.

The woman drives me absolutely bonkers.

I have very little patience for parents who abandon their children. Especially if they then try to explain WHY they did it to make it seem okay.

Enola’s mother isn’t even sorry. She thinks she did everything she had to, being the person that she was.

She basically tells Enola that she could not mother her because doing so would not be “true to herself.”

Woman, get over yourself. You don’t have to lose your identity, just take care of your child. If your character cannot survive that, maybe you are not as strong as you pride yourself in being. You don’t have to be so High-and-Mighty about it. And if taking care of children is so against your nature why did you have kids in the first place?

Let’s say you realize it too late, but Enola is still a real person who is your real responsibility. I don’t care how “enlightened” you are. You can’t run away in the name of freethinking and expect me to forgive you.

 

3. All the Wrong Questions

I love A Series of Unfortunate Events with all my heart. For me this series was like a worm in that beautiful horseradish apple. It left a rotten taste in my mouth.

Prequels are my favorite thing, but they should improve on the original. They should compliment each other. This series does not do that AT ALL.

On its own, it is a fairly fun story. But I resent its connection to the original series because it makes no sense.

What does Ellington Feint have to do with  ANYTHING?

Apparently Lemony Snicket’s life revolves around her. If she is such a big deal, why doesn’t he mention her at all later in his life? Oh, but the phrase “With all due respect” always makes him think of her. Thanks for ruining that for me.

What about Beatrice? This series mentioned her once or twice, with no effect on our little Lemony.

And the Bombinating Beast feels like a cheat. In the original series, there is no mythical or supernatural activity whatsoever. It’s just not that kind of story.

It doesn’t ring true to the original, but there is just enough connection to infuriate me.

 

4. The Maze Runner

I guess that first of all I should mention that Newt was literally the only character that I cared about and Thomas shot him in the head.

I don’t get Thomas. He spends a book and a half hating Gally and vowing vengeance because of Chuck’s death, but then as soon as he sees Gally again he doesn’t care anymore. WHAT HAPPENED?

I liked the set up for this story. It was intriguing. It was complex.

But you know what I hate?

Vague blanket explanations.

There were all these minute details going on, all these complicated and mysterious pieces to a huge puzzle, and I wanted a better explanation.

Nope. “We are experimenting on your brains.” That’s it. That explains everything real neatly.

And then, “Well, it’s not actually working so you guys go hide while everyone else kills each other off.”

I wanted Thomas and Friends to say “NO! We are going to find a cure! We are going to save the world!” But no. They go hide in their little valley. And one of Thomas’ girlfriends gets squished (conveniently) on the way so he doesn’t have to deal with awkwardness when he gets there.

What would they have done if Newt was still alive?

 

5. The Heroes of Olympus

Three things:

1. Gaia is way too easy to defeat
2. Leo gets so boring in the last book that I want to cry
3. NIGHT CANNOT SEE IN THE DARK

Did you catch that last one? Percy and Annabeth battle Night, who is apparently one of the oldest and most powerful titans in the world. Night, you know, as in when it goes all dark and stuff. Night. Cannot see. In the dark. NIGHT CANNOT SEE IN THE DARK.

Did no one else notice how stupid that is?

I laugh about this, but on the inside I am weeping because it is so incredibly pathetic. I do not understand how this happens.

In Conclusion

If any of you braved this post I congratulate you, and I am curious to hear your side of the story.

Have you read any of these series’? Did you suffer in any of the same ways I did? (Did you suffer from reading MY sufferings because these books are your children and you love them with all your heart?)

Have you read any other books or series’ that you feel betrayed you?

Have you experienced the shock of your favorite character disappearing off the face of the planet?

I eagerly await your responses. Friendly disagreement is encouraged.

I do not begrudge you for loving any of these books, my friends. We all have differing opinions and that is okay.