Today’s TTT topic was submitted by Annemieke of A Dance With Books through the topic suggestion form. If you have ideas for future topics, submit them here!
Ok, so have you ever come across a character who you actually liked but really didn’t like the book they were in? Maybe the character was amazing, but the author never put him/her in the limelight or developed their character enough. Maybe the author had this character do something really dumb? Or maybe this character was just the only bright spot in the book for you. OH, and my least favorite situation? When I LOVED the character until they turned into someone I didn’t love anymore as the series continued. Today we’re showing those characters some love.
Ok, so… confession time: THIS LIST WAS REALLY HARD. It’s hard for me to curate this list because usually the lack of great characters is what makes me hate a book in the first place! I don’t usually dislike a book if I liked the characters. A great character will make it easier on me to enjoy reading a book, even if the story is not resonating with me as much as I’d like. Needless to say, I was pretty stumped. After a TON of thinking, though, I’ve done it!
1. Nikolai from The Crown’s Fate by Evelyn Skye
Nikolai was wonderful in The Crown’s Game, but his character was unrecognizable in a bad way in this sequel. He went in a very heartbreaking direction that I did not get over by the end of the book. He was one of the main reasons I rated this book so low.
2-4. Rafe, Leah, and Kaden from The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson
My beloved characters became flat, shells of themselves. Rafe lost his backbone, Leah got selfish and demanding, and Kaden was completely ignored. This book kind of broke my heart all over the place.
5. September from The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente
Now… I liked September, but not as a twelve-year-old. Her voice is very strong and dynamic, but she does not act her age. She acts WAY older, so it all just felt really weird. And that book is a trip. I don’t even know what happened there. lol.
6-7. Emma and Galen from Of Neptune by Anna Banks
Emma became very selfish and immature in this third and final book of the Syrena Legacy trilogy. Also, things I found funny in book one, like Emma’s “ohmysweetgoodness” and “fan-freaking-tastic” and sarcastic quips were not funny this time. I wanted her to grow up a little and show me that she has changed over the years. I didn’t love Galen anymore either. His uses of marine words inserted into human phrases is not endearing anymore. He calls Emma “Angel Fish” and that really started to bug me! He has also gotten way too broody. I loved the romance in the first book, but things really fizzled in book 2 and even more in this one. I don’t even believe their love story anymore.
8. Jules’s Father in Everless by Sara Holland
This man is sweet and caring and loyal and way too good for his crappy, lying daughter.
9. Catherine in Heartless by Marissa Meyer
Catherine is sweet and spunky and so full of innocence and hope. I just loved her personality and her quirky love of baking and her sarcasm. We all know how she turns out (Queen of Hearts, duh), but boy was I hoping for a different outcome.
10. Rose from Public Relations by Katie Heaney and Adrianna Rebolini
I liked Rose for her ability to stand up for herself (and not keep quiet as she was instructed) and voice her opinions during the client meeting that would inevitably change her life. Her inner monologue was very entertaining. The book itself was pretty awful.
So there you have it! Which characters are you loving on today?
Do you agree with any of my picks?
And did you have as hard a time as I did coming up with your list this week? Do you tend to dislike books, but still like the characters? It’s super rare for me.
I’ve been meaning to read this series by Mary Pearson, but haven’t. Yet. It certainly looks gorgeous though, so hopefully I’ll enjoy. *fingers crossed* :)
Rissi recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday | Characters I Like. In Stories I Don’t Love.
Me too! It’s one I’m officially planning for this year though!
I thought I was going to get eaten alive for having Fairyland on my list, so I’m glad it’s not just me!
Jessica @ A Cocoon of Books recently posted…Nine Characters I Liked From Books I Didn’t
I have yet to do the sequel to Crowns Game yet but now im really worried about it 😥
I haven’t started many of these yet but I am looking forward to starting some and am sad they weren’t great for you.
This one was hard! I had to revise the question a bit because I’ve found I love the characters from books I read! If I don’t like a book, usually the characters were among the reasons why that was.
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Jessica @ a GREAT read recently posted…Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
I’ve only read one of these books and that is Everless, I’ve read The Crowns Game and I was a bit worried about how Nikolai would be portrayed in the sequel. I’ve complete my first ever Too Ten Tuesday today. I’m excited to complete a new challenge each week.
This was a tough topic for me as well! I haven’t read any of those books, although I’ve read the first book in the Syrena Legacy. I agree, I loved the romance in that first book between Emma and Galen.
Darlene recently posted…Characters I Liked That Were In Non-Favorite/Disliked Books #TopTenTuesday
I haven’t read any of these books yet, but Heartless is on my TBR for so long.
This topic was tough for me too because I too love characters. So today I have reversed the prompt:D
Sim @ Flipping Through the Pages recently posted…Ten Characters I Didn’t Like That Much In the Books I Loved
I couldn’t think of a single character for my list. Maybe because I’m still kind of sick, I don’t know.
Either way, it’s hard for me to even remember most of anything from books I don’t like. My brain just decides that since I didn’t like the book, it wasn’t worth remembering beyond not liking it and the basic reasons why. (Boring characters, boring plot, underdeveloped world, etc.)
Marie recently posted…Review: Dwarves of Calcus by Katie Hamstead
Tough topic, but I’m glad you got out a good list!
I came up with exactly one. Didn’t post this week :( Good topic though! I suppose since I throw back books I don’t like I didn’t have much to work with.
I’ve had Heartless on my TBR for a while because I do love Marissa Meyer’s books, but now I’m more hesitant to pick it up because I’ve seen quite a few negative reviews of it. Fingers crossed that I do like it, though! :)
louise ☆ recently posted…5 Characters I Liked in Books That Aren’t My Favourites 💕
I had a hard time with this one too! For me, though, it’s because if I dislike a book it will make me like the characters less because of their association with the book, LOL.
Nicole recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday ~ Characters I liked in Books I Didn’t
Of Poseidon was a hard book for me to get into, so I never finished the series. Glad to know I didn’t miss much!
Thanks for stoppin’ by this week! And, as always, thanks for hosting!
I had a difficult time making my picks! I had to look through Goodreads to be able to make my list haha
I’m so sad to read that about Nikolai from The Crown’s Fate. I loved the first book and hope to read the second book soon.
Tanya @ Girl Plus Books recently posted…Best In Books | March 2018
I’ve only read Heartless from your list but your pick for Everless makes me so curious about it now haha.
Annemieke recently posted…Monthly Monday Book Shelfie #1