A question for all the SciFi/Fantasy lovers on my F-List ...

[celticheart531]

(Reposted from "GoodReads")

I have just finished an Urban Fantasy series written in 1st person.  As the series progresses, the protagonist keeps discovering new gifts/powers/talents, much like a "Mary Sue" in romance novels keeps becoming a more perfect version of a heroine, and that really bothered me.

With the last book, however, we find out why

Comments

[armadillogoddes]

I think it's a pretty common device in a lot of fantasy (regardless of whether it is urban or not, or in first person or third). It's a device that's easy to do badly, but I don't think it's possible to evaluate whether having an explanation for it in the last book redeems it or not... it would just depend on how well that resolution was done. I think once read a bit of advice that was something along the lines of that a good ending to a story should feel both unexpected and inevitable. If the ending felt satisfying and the whole series had a strong story arc, if it felt at the end as though all parts of the series were driving towards that conclusion and it couldn't have unfolded any other way, I'd say it worked. If it didn't feel that way, I'd say it didn't work

[celticheart531]

It's the Fever "series" (and that term is used very lightly!) by Karen Moning. My complaint all along has been that it is one story broken up into five hardcover segments(at $25 a pop, good gig for the author!) Needless to say, her fans don't like me very much