Top Ten Tuesday: Popular Characters That I Just Feel Meh (Or Worse) About

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic. I’m a huge fan of lists, so this meme is right up my alley!

This week’s topic is Ten Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don’t Get or Ten Characters I LOVE But Others Seem To Dislike. I decided to go with the former.

My list is full of characters that I really disliked (even hated in some cases), but it also has a few characters that I thought were okay or even liked but I just don’t understand why everyone else LOVES them. AND FAIR WARNING: I DO GO INTO REASONS WHY I DON’T LIKE THESE CHARACTERS SO THERE WILL BE SOME SPOILERS IN THIS POST!

Also: I get pretty passionate and snarky about some of these beloved characters so just know that I am not attacking you for loving these characters if you love them. I personally just don’t like them (or don’t get the hype). It’s nothing personal against fans of these characters at all.

So here is my list of popular characters that I just feel Meh (or worse) about, in alphabetical order by the author’s last name:

I really wanted to love the Lux series but I couldn’t even get through the first book. Part of that was because I was expecting a sci-fi book and I got a paranormal romance akin to Twilight. And part of it was because I just really did not like Daemon. He seemed like a major jerk right from the beginning and not one that you can just forgive later on. (My DNF review of Obsidian)

I’ve only read the first book in the Grisha series (but I will read the rest one day!), and so far, I DO NOT see why people love The Darkling. I mean, if they like him as a villain, fine. I can get behind that. But I know some people ship him with Alina and I just do not understand that. He does so many horrible things to her! I guess I’ll have to read the rest of the series to find out, but at this point, I’m not shipping Alina/The Darkling. I’m actually Team Mal. (My review of Shadow and Bone)

UGH. ASPEN. I haven’t yet read The Heir and The Crown doesn’t come out until May but I have had ENOUGH ASPEN TO LAST A LIFETIME. I don’t think too many people LOVE Aspen, though. But I especially just really, really hate him. He is so hot-and-cold with America and he plays the martyr card and he’s just UGGGHHHH. FREAKING ASPEN. (My review of The Selection, my review of The Elite, my review of The One)

Teach was another one of those jerks who I just can’t ship with the main character. He was so controlling and that is NOT the kind of love interest I enjoy in the books I read. (My review of Blackhearts)

I’m seeing a pattern in these books that I picked: A lot of these characters are from books that I DNF’d or REALLY HATED. Not all of them, of course, but a lot of them. Jace is from a book I DNF’d AND hated. I had so many issues with City of Bones and Jace was only one of those issues, but man, I don’t understand why readers, much less Clary, fell in love with him. He’s not charming, he’s an ass. (My DNF review of City of Bones)

Here’s another book I hated. I know many of my friends LOVED this book and this series but I HAAAATTTEEED IT. SO MUCH. Mara was a whiny character WHO MADE HER FAMILY MOVE and Noah was a hypocritical asshole who is supposed to be this bad boy who becomes a good guy when he meets her? BULLSHIT. THEY’RE BOTH ASSHOLES AND THEY DESERVE EACH OTHER. (My review of The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer)

I had a lot of issues with Shatter Me but I ended that book wanting to know what happened. So I read Destroy Me, the first novella that takes place between books 1 and 2, and I enjoyed it more than Shatter Me, so I thought maybe the series would continue to get better. But then I had to DNF Unravel Me. Like I said, I had a lot of issues, with the writing, the plot, and also the characters. I didn’t love any of the characters, I don’t think. In fact, I really didn’t like any of them, with the exception of James. So, yeah, I don’t get the hype for the characters in this series, or the hype for the books, either. (My review of Shatter Me, my DNF review of Unravel Me)

Okay, here’s one from a series that I LOVED. I LOVE the Lunar Chronicles and LOVE most of the characters, and I don’t think Wolf and Scarlet are that horrible but I did have issues with both of them, and I don’t ship them together AT ALL. I know it’s the favorite OTP of MANY fans, but I just found some of their story to be cliched and I was hoping for something more. (My review of Cinder, my review of Scarlet, my review of Cress, my review of Fairest, my review of Winter)

I used to love Four. He was one of my book boyfriends. But then THINGS happened in Insurgent and they weren’t resolved in Allegiant and he was no longer my book boyfriend. I still like him in Divergent, but he’s dead to me after that. (My review of Divergent, my review of Insurgent, my review of Allegiant)

I liked Fangirl. I really did. But the fanfiction parts were my least favorite parts and when I heard that Rowell was going to make a book all about Simon and Baz I had FEELINGS. NOT GOOD FEELINGS. I don’t really want to go into it on here because so many people love Carry On and I just CAN’T DO IT. I CAN’T. I WILL NEVER READ THAT BOOK. And it’s not really Simon and Baz’s fault, but I just can’t do it. (My review of Fangirl)

So there it is, my list of characters that everyone seems to love but I either don’t really care for them much or I really, really hate them. And like I said above, I am not trying to insult people who LOVE these characters. Because to each their own. I have plenty of friends who love ALL (or most) of these characters and they’re fantastic people. And I hope they can still love me even though I really hate some of these characters. ;) And I’m sure I love some of the characters they hate, so it all works out.

So what characters do you hate that everyone else seems to love? Let me know, or leave a link to your TTT in the comments, and I’ll try to stop by your blog!

Top Ten Tuesday

Andrea

Andrea is a mom, writer, and spoilerphobe. She works in a library and mostly loves YA SciFi and YA Fantasy.

12 Comments

Kimberly @ On the Wings of Books
March 8, 2016 at 11:21 am
Reply

I feel the same way about Aspen. I haven't read The Heir either but I hope he's not in it because I can't stand him.

Also, I concur with your feelings on Four. :)
Kate Midnight Book Girl
March 8, 2016 at 12:25 pm
Reply

I am kind of loving this topic! Not because I agree with every character on everyone's list, but because it feels cathartic to unload about books or characters that we just did not like. I picked a character in Divergent too- for the same reasons, just a different person. ;)

You know how I feel about Aspen, but to be fair, he's no Officer Woodwork, just popping out of the woodwork. ;)
Allyson Gilmore
March 8, 2016 at 5:55 pm
Reply

I agree with a lot of your choices! Aspen was just godawful. I have yet to meet anyone who loved him, but if I did, their opinion on all other things would cease to matter to me. Because, seriously, how could you trust someone who loved Aspen?

My TTT.
Jessica
March 8, 2016 at 6:51 pm
Reply

I put Jace on my list as well, and I agree with you about City of Bones. I did finish it, but there was a lot about it that was pretty awful.
Micheline D
March 8, 2016 at 7:36 pm
Reply

I had MASSIVE issues with The Mortal Instruments Series (like HUGE) but eventually, Jace kind of grew on me back when I read them. Clary though? a WHOLE other story! Ugh. And while I do ship Scarlet and Wolf together, I'm really 'meh' about both of them…but especially Scarlet. And I can't pinpoint why! She's strong, fierce and loyal – all traits I admire but I guess she just fell behind Cinder, Cress and Winter :) As for Four. I didn't mind him but I used to love Tris and after Insurgent and Allegiant? I just can't stand her anymore! I still need to read Shatter Me as well as meet Daemon and Darkling but I will and I have a feeling we'll have to chat afterwards LOL!
AlexisR
March 8, 2016 at 9:03 pm
Reply

Ugh, I couldn't stand Aspen either.. he needed to just disappear. Although, I didn't really care for America either. Maybe they deserved one another.

Oh and The Darkling is on my list. I finished the Grisha series, and he never grew on me. I think I liked him most in the first book then he just continued down hill.

Great choices this week!
Greg
March 8, 2016 at 10:18 pm
Reply

I think I like movie Four better than book Four, Theo was a great casting choice I thought. I haven't read Allegiant yet though so will I like book Four more or less after I do? Not sure… :)

And I also did not feel like simon and Baz needed their own book. Good grief not THAT big a deal…
Gwendolyn Kensinger
March 9, 2016 at 11:30 am
Reply

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am so happy to see The Darkling on somebody else's list! I have read the trilogy and I still just don't get it. Simon & Baz also made my list. However I ship Wolf & Scarlet so hard! But to each their own am I right?!
Gwendolyn Kensinger
March 9, 2016 at 11:30 am
Reply

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am so happy to see The Darkling on somebody else's list! I have read the trilogy and I still just don't get it. Simon & Baz also made my list. However I ship Wolf & Scarlet so hard! But to each their own am I right?!
Majanka Verstraete
March 9, 2016 at 12:55 pm
Reply

Thank you! Finally someone who doesn't like Jace either.

Majanka @ I Heart Reading
Giovanna
March 9, 2016 at 8:50 pm
Reply

I don't know why, but I never liked Four. He just isn't the guy for me ;)

My TTT.
Lauren Stoolfire
March 13, 2016 at 12:55 am
Reply

I tried with Shatter Me I really did but I couldn't stand anyone from the first book. I never continued to the next one.

Check out my TTT.

Top Ten Tuesday: Popular Characters That I Just Feel Meh (Or Worse) About

Related Posts

12 Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel