Discussion: Middle Book Syndrome – Real or Not Real

So I think (or at least hope), that I’m not the only person out there who sometimes gets to a middle book in a series, or more notably in trilogies and sort of just

Because I’m just soooo bored, or infuriated, or have simply lost the will to live because the love story had turned triangular, or because I don’t remember the characters, and the author has simply basically nearly failed to keep my attention for more than a short period of time because they haven’t introduced anything new and/or exciting to the story (which sort of defies the point of the series being continued if I’m being quite honest).

A prime example of this was Insurgent by Veronica Roth; simply put – I do not remember a single detail about that book… Or anything beyond the gist of it being Tris being special and Four still being alive. Which is something I should be ashamed of really considering I loved Divergent and (ending excluded) Allegiant, but somehow I don’t think I’m the only one out there who feels that way.

However, there are also examples of series where this hasn’t happened and the second/middle book was a great addition to the story such as in the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. Golden Son was as exciting and engrossing as Red Rising, which was partly what made it such a good read (along with the fact that Brown is an amazing author and only writes kick-ass books).

Which brings me to the question:

Is the Middle/Second Book Syndrome a real thing that affects us readers… or is it just a figment of my imagination, or the fault of the few second books that ruin the reputation for everyone else? And if you’re a writer, how do you make sure that the second book is just as good as the first?

Tell me in the comments below 🙂