Welcome back to my December confessional. Today, we continue the saga of Series I Need to Finish is 2026 – the ones I’ve ghosted, breadcrumbed, emotionally neglected, or stared at one my shelves like “soon…probably…maybe.”

Let’s just dive right into the carnage.

1. The Green Bone Saga – Fonda Lee
Status: Haven’t started but might be the first series I crack open in 2026.
Shame Level: 7/10 – respectable shame but still recoverable

Let’s be real: this trilogy has been sitting on my radar calling my name, and I keep acting like I can’t hear it.

People talk about this series like it changed their blood pressure permanently. They talk about it with respect, fear, and the energy of someone who’s still processing their trauma six months later.

This is a martial-arts inspired, urban fantasy mafia epic filled with clan warfare, brutal politics, family loyalty, generational power struggles, and a magic system tied to jade that absolutely wrecks people. The world is so richly built you can smell the noodles cooking in the background.

This might actually be the first series I crack open in 2026.

2. The Diviners Series – Libba Bray
Status: Finished the first 3…but never read the final book.
Shame Level: 1000/10 – yes the scale is broken, and yes I deserve it.

Let me confess:

This is MY FAVORITE SERIES OF ALL TIME.

The vibes? 1920s New York glamour.

The squad? A chaotic diverse squad of lovable psychic weirdos.

The atmosphere? So immersive it feels like you’re breathing speakeasy smoke and ghost energy.

The final book has been sitting there…

Watching me.

Judging me.

I’m terrified.

Why?

Because I know Libba Bray is not afraid to snatch souls and favorite characters.

But 2026 me is putting on her big girl boots and stepping into the finale with courage, glitter, and tissues.

3. Priory of the Orange Tree + A Day of Fallen Night – Samantha Shannon
Status: Haven’t started yet. Have admired their spine thickness many times.
Shame Level: 6/10 – intimidated but hopeful.

These books are HUGE.

Not “oh it’s long” huge – but “this could stop a bullet” huge.

Within these pages lives:

• ancient dragons
• political intrigue
• beautiful worldbuilding
• religious conflict
• lore so deep you need a snorkel
• mothers, daughters, legends, and women who simply do not have time for patriarchal nonsense

Priory is widely considered one of the best modern fantasies out there.

The prequel? Just as beloved.

I plan to finally tackle these behemoths…

4. The Poppy War trilogy – R. F. Kuang
Status: Haven’t started. Own the entire trilogy on Audible. Stare it at weekly.
Status Level: 8/10 – ready for pain, just not mentally stable enough…yet.

This series is inspired by real Chinese military history and follows a girl who discovers shamanic powers tied to a fire god who does not understand the word “mercy.”

The themes?

• war
• addiction
• identity
• nationalism
• trauma
• power
• consequence

Everyone who’s read this seems to have gone through the five stages of grief multiple times.

And yet…I want it. I want the tragedy. I want the chaos. I want to whisper, “Rin, NO” into the night like everyone else.

4. Air Awakens – Elise Kova
Status: Own the entire series. Have not read a single page.
Shame Level: 9/10 – the delusion is strong.

Here’s the crime:

I bought the series because it had everything I love:

• library girl protagonist
• elemental magic
• morally gray prince
• training arcs
• enemies-to-lovers tension

This series said, “Ashley, this is literally for you,” and I said, “Thank you, I will now put it on my shelf for four years.”

Not anymore.

6. The Atlas Six – Olivie Blake
Status: Started…then wandered off mid-sentence
Shame Level: 7/10 – it requires brain cells I did not have at the time.

This series isn’t just dark academia.

It’s “dark academia but everyone is stupid hot, morally ambiguous, magically talented, emotionally damaged, and thinks they’re the smartest person in the room.”

Themes?

• knowledge as seduction
• morality as optional
• power as a drug
• a cast full of bisexual disasters
• manipulation and alliances changing like the weather

Every character is brilliant. Every character is unhinged. Every character could just STAB the others, turn around, and give a TED talk about why it was justified.

So why did I stop?

Because this book requires ACTIVE brain engagement.

The writing is dense, philosophical, atmospheric, and packed with flowery prose – and meanwhile my brain was like “I want a snack.”

But 2026 me? I will be caffeinated, emotionally stable (ish), and ready to follow these chaotic geniuses down the rabbit hole.

7. The Logan Family Saga – Mildred D. Taylor
Status: Have read some, but not the full series
Shame Level: 7/10 – respectful shame, because these books deserve reverence

If I’m being real, this series is one of the most important pieces of Black literature in American canon.

Period.

Spanning three generations of the Logan family, it walks through the brutal, tender, resilient heart of Black life in the Jim Crow Deep South. It is history told through family, land, memory, and the fight to hold onto dignity in a world determined to steal it.

And Cassie Logan, our main character through a large portion of the books in this series?

Cassie’s arc is one of the most quietly powerful character evolutions in literature. She begins as a child – sharp, curious, fiery, learning how the world works piece by painful piece. It’s not just a coming-of-age arc. It’s a Black girl learning to navigate a country that is actively hostile, while still finding pockets of love and laughter.

This series is emotional work. It deserves to be read with intention, not rushed between fantasy binges.

8. The Century Trilogy – Ken Follett
Status: Read book 1 and got halfway through book 2
Shame Level: 5/10 – historical fiction girlie failure unlocked.

Let’s be fully transparent:

Each book is approximately 1,000 pages.

Not metaphorically. Not exaggerating.

They are doorstoppers. They are blunt-force trauma weapons. They are commitments.

And the subject matter?

There is NO sugarcoating.

None. Nada.

Follett writes about:

• World War I
• World War II
• The Russian Revolution
• The Cold War
• The Civil Rights Movement
• the rise of fascism
• the injustice of class systems
• the horrors of political extremism
• generational trauma across multiple families and countries

These books are like being hit with a historical freight train.

If I start shouting historical facts at you after I finally finish this series?

Just know the Century trilogy did that.

OUTRO

I was going to do a Part 3…

But to be honest, I could probably stretch this out for – oh, I don’t know – 495 parts if I really committed to the bit.

Let’s be honest: I have enough half-read, barely started, emotionally avoided, and “I swear I’ll get to it soon” series to fuel a multi-season documentary.

So maybe – just maybe – the series I didn’t confess to not finishing here will be making their grand appearance in Series I Need to Stop Ghosting in 2027, one year from now.

Because growth is a journey. Accountability is ongoing. And my TBR?

She is eternal.

She is powerful.

She’ll be undefeated.

Eventually…

Stay tuned for more chaos.