Let's Talk About... The End of a Series

So last night I finished The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson. If you don't know, it was the third book in the Girl of Fire and Thorns series, which is one of my absolute favorite YA series. I only read the first book last summer, and then I immediately read the second book. I quickly fell in love with the world, the characters, the story, and the romance (Hector makes me swoon like no one else, y'all.) I eagerly waited for The Bitter Kingdom, so when I was accepted to read it early on Edelweiss I about danced myself into oblivion.

Here comes the problem.

As badly as I wanted to read the book, I put it off. I knew from the moment I started it that that book would consume my life until I was finished, and after. Not only that, but I would be depressed when it was done. And, boy was I right.

I cried. Partially because of sad things and some were happy tears, but the majority were tears that a series as good as this was over. I would no longer read books about characters whose lives I was emotionally invested in and who I had become protective of.

People who don't read don't understand this feeling. They don't see how imaginary people can make us feel this way. But, as I see it, I invest time in reading about characters I like, just as I invest time in people I like. As I read more about a character, I learn more about them, just as I learn more about a person as I spend more time with them. While the relationship is fundamentally one-sided, it is a relationship nonetheless. So, just as I mourn the loss of a friend or miss a family member when we're apart for a long time, it is the same with characters.

Anyways, I don't quite know how to deal with the end of a series. While I can reread the books, there's nothing like reading a book you adore for the first time. Rereads may show you more about the world and the people in it, but there's never that original spark, that wonder from the first time you read the words. I remember when I finished the final Harry Potter book. I had some form of this loss, but it was different since there were several movies left. When I finished watching the final movie, though, the loss hit me. Even now, I sometimes get sad that Harry Potter is over, and I think this series will be the same.

I honestly don't know quite where I'm going with this post, but I felt the need to talk about this and no one around me likes to talk books quite like the book blogging community does. So I'm giving it over to you guys. Do you mourn the end of series? If so, HOW do you mourn? I'm one to sit and stare at things, thinking melancholy thoughts. What series were you sad to see end, or will be sad to see end? And, if you've read The Bitter Kingdom, we should chat. :)