Today I noticed Deborah Cooke will release book eight in her Dragonfire series in October. Normally I’d be happy as I’ve always enjoyed reading the series. However, last year I read Cooke’s young adult spin-off The Dragon Diaries. The YA series follows the adventures of the offspring of the characters from her Dragonfire series. Confused?
Well, I knew the Dragonfire characters were procreating. Realistically I knew the characters would survive (happy ever afters, they’re romances). But seeing that they’ve managed to raise children for 16 years is a turn off on the original series for me. I don’t want to flip-flop in time. Granted I don’t know for a fact that the book releasing in October is set in different years from the Dragon Diaries. Regardless, the YA series now has my attention and I’m doubtful that I’ll go back to the initial paranormal adult romances. Had I never read the spin-off, I think I’d read them. Now, I’m not really feeling it.
How do you feel about spin-offs? Do you like them? Do you read them? Do they change your feelings toward the series which first introduced you to a particular world?
Ember’s Kiss is set in our present (not the future of the Dragon Diaries). A few months ago, the author talked about how many books she had left in the adult series. The storyline is set to wrap up way before the start of Dragon Diaries: http://www.delacroix.net/wordpress/?p=3950
As for the dragon YA — she has no *immediate* plans to write more about Zoe and the younger dragons, according to the article. However, she is working on a YA book that is not connect to either series.
To answer your question — other than Cooke’s, I haven’t read far enough into a series that has a spinoff — like Frost’s Night Huntress — to have had the chance to read a spinoff book. I didn’t have a problem with the dragons and I don’t foresee a problem reading Gunmetal Magic (Andrea instead of Kate).
I guess it depends on how a series spins off: the new one picking up where the older one left off, runs concurrently with the parent series, or is set far enough in the future to be a next gen type thing. Cooke chose to do the next gen thing before her adult series was finished, so I could see why it could cause confusion/turn you off: readers might think that there will be a teenage Zoe in Ember’s Kiss, when in fact she’s still a toddler.
Thanks Misscz. I was immediately turned off on Ember’s Kiss, but when I started writing the post about why I started confusing myself because I didn’t really know anything. I kind of wish I’d not read the YA book, so I would want to follow the original guys.
And about spin-offs in general. I liked the Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance until the last book, but I really like the Midnight’s Daughter series. Actually, I like Dorina’s series better now. I think it’s because they are set at the same time. I’m cool with Ilona Andrews, but–this might sound weird–I don’t care for Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress books, but I enjoy the Night Huntress World books.
Sometimes spin-offs are better than the original thing.
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I noticed that with some TV shows..
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I’m in the middle of reading the 2nd Night Huntress and I’m thinking…it’s not for me. Can’t put my finger on it exactly…I will finish the book and maybe I’ll know for sure what’s not clicking. I have the spin-off books — do you think I can read the NH World books without reading book 3 (I’ve skimmed through it — so I know about Randy; Vlad; and I know who Spade, Ian, and Mencheres are)?
Regarding the adult dragon series — which book did you stop with? Rafferty’s book (Darkfire Kiss)? I figured you didn’t read book 7, because then you would have known that Ember’s Kiss was set in present day.
. I’m curious. 
Christina
ACK! It ate the quotes!
“Sometimes spin-offs are better than the original thing.” — this should be before my comment about TV shows….
“this might sound weird–I don’t care for Jeaniene Frost’s Night Huntress books, but I enjoy the Night Huntress World books. ” — This is the other quote.
Love WordPress, but sometimes it’s a bit wacky.
I only read book one in the Night Huntress series and I read the spin-off books just fine. I think you’ll be fine.
I think I stopped reading the Dragonfire series with Winter Kiss. But I’ve also gotten in the habit of trying to avoid reading the preview of the next book. I’m not a patient woman and it drives me bonkers to wait a year for a book I want NOW. lol