As much as I love them I know some people are fed up with books constantly being part of a series. I think that may be in part to do with the dreaded cliffhanger (don't get me started on cliffhangers!) but I also think that sometimes the book doesn't always work in it's own right, instead it becomes one part of a larger story. Not that this is bad - there are many books that I absolutely love that follow this format - but it does mean they work better when you can actually read all the books. And you have to read all the books in order for the story to reach a conclusion.
Then, of course, there are some series where it can feel as if the story is being dragged out unnecessarily so that it can continue when it would work much better if the story was wrapped up and a new one started instead, or just finished altogether. It can be a shame because it can make you think less of the previous books in the series when you once loved them to death! This happens more to me with TV series but I'm sure it happens with books too.
So I guess the series that really work for me are ones that have a great story of their own, but also continue an arc of a story that runs across the whole series. Think Vampire Academy or Harry Potter (and many others I can't think of right this second!)
Companion novels on the other hand are kind of the best of both worlds. You get to revisit characters that you've grown to love but you are getting the story from a whole new perspective. And you are not just rehashing the same things all over again. I think companion novels are great for romance books - Stephanie Perkin's books are a great example of this working brilliantly. I was really excited to catch up with St Clair and Anna but I also fell completely in love with Lola and Cricket.
So what do you think? Do you still love series fiction and get excited about being able to catch up with the characters. Or does it just fill you with a sense of dread? Would you prefer a companion novel so that the perspective of the story changes? And what about those seemingly rare standalone novels? Do they satisfy you now, or are you like me and wish for a continuation somehow?