Recently, I realized that in almost every I book read, I end up liking at least one of the side characters way more than the main chara...

Recently, I realized that in almost every I book read, I end up liking at leastone of the side characters way more than the main character. At first, I thought it was just, you know, one of my weird reading quirks, but then I realized that I can't count the amount of times I've read people fangirling about Carswell Thorne or how hard they ship Scarlet and Wolf, yet I can think of only one post that actually talks about Cinder as a character and only two that have even mentioned her. When people talk about Twilight, few say anything about Bella (unless they're bashing her), but everybody loves to debate about Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, or fangirl about Alice, the other Cullens, Charlie, anyone really, except the main character. Even in movie franchises like the original Star Wars, it seems fans tolerate Luke and all--I don't think anyone actually hates him--but it's Han Solo that they actually love.

Obviously, this isn't true of every reader and every fandom, and it may not even be true of most readers or most fandoms. But it's something I noticed in my own reading and saw occasionally about social media and the blogosphere, so I thought I'd propose the question and come up with a few theories as to why those of us who do end up favoring side characters might love them so much.

1. They're More Intriguing

via GIPHY

Even if the book is in third person, you as the reader spend a ton of time with the main character: you're constantly inside their head, watching their actions, hearing their thoughts, learning all this stuff about them; by the end of the book, you know it all, or at least pretty close to it. However, with a side character, all that's revealed is whatever the main character needs to know in order for the side character to fulfill their purpose in the story. Most of the time, you get a taste of their history, a feel for their hopes, maybe even a declaration for the future, but you just don't get to know the secondaries as well as you get to know the mains. 

Me, I love that. I love characters with gaps in their stories, with a little bit of mystery as to where they came from and how they became the person they are now. Not that they're untrustworthy,but the writer in me is just fascinated by the extra story I knowis there, and so I always end up speculating, daydreaming, writing fanfiction about just what those side charries' stories might happen to look like.

2. They're Often Funnier

via GIPHY

Almost every book has a comic relief side character or a quirky best friend who came along for the sole purpose of keeping us all from getting too serious. These charries may seem cliché, but human beings love to laugh, we love being around people who make us laugh, and often those funny people become our favorite people. The same, I think, can also be said for our favorite characters.

3. They Feel More Human

Debatable point for some of you.
via GIPHY

I'm really not sure why this one is, but to me, side characters just feel more real. It might be that they don't have a hero complex, that they're less perfect, they're funnier, or even that they remind me of myself or my own best friends; but whatever the reason, side characters often seem more genuine to me. There's just something about them that almost always resonates stronger and makes them feel more rounded and relatable to me than many of their MC counterparts.

Bonus Reason: They're Tiny And Precious And Life Has Been More Unfair To Them Than It's Been To The MC

via GIPHY

We're readers, we're human, we have hearts. These small preciouses continuously break them, and all we want is to wrap the charries in warm blankets and protect them from this cruel, cruel world. </3

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In all seriousness though, I don't think side characters are always better or that main characters always fall flat in comparison, but I think it's really funny how the secondaries often do steal the hearts of their fans, and I'm interested: do you tend to find side characters more interesting than MCs, or are the main characters always your favorites? Have any idea as to why that is? Can't wait to discuss this with you, and I'll see you in the comment section! :)

PS: this is really off topic, but I got to do a guest post over on Krissy's blog about my tips for writing dystopian fiction. If you're interested, I'd love it if you guys would check that out and join that conversation. :)

Hey all! So I recently realized that I hadn’t done a Melodic Monday in ages, and I figured it was about time to change that. As far...

Hey all! So I recently realized that I hadn’t done a Melodic Monday in ages, and I figured it was about time to change that.

As far as writing or characters or remarkably deep revelations, there really isn’t anything about this song that’s super special to me. But I wanted to share it for two reasons: one, I happened to be listening to it right around the time I realized I hadn’t done a Melodic Monday in ages, and two, I’ve also realized that I haven’t done as many thoughtful posts recently, things like bookish discussions, random realizations about the world, what God has been teaching me lately, or anything much really, that would fall under my “Thoughtful Thursdays” title. And I mean, I know why: for various reasons, blogging’s been difficult for me the past few months as I adjusted to new situations and figured out what I want the future to bring. Not that I didn’t still love it, but getting up super thoughtful posts took more time than I thought I could make for maintaining this blog. But that kinda defeated the purpose, because one of the reasons I started Summer Snowflakes was that I had a lot of thoughts that I thought were unique and I wanted to share them. So. I’m going to try to go back to doing that, at least one Thursday a month. Hopefully two. We’ll have to see how it all goes down.

Anywho, that really doesn’t have much to do with this song, except that it, along with one of Koko’s recent posts, kinda inspired me. There are a lot of thoughts that I have in my head--some of them deep and spiritual, some of them sort of bookish, some that are actually pretty random and superficial--but I’d love the chance to bring them all into the world. This blog is my chance. And I’m going to try to take better advantage of it from now on.

So what’d you think of the song? What have you been listening to lately? Have anything in particular you’d like to see me post about, or any thoughts about the direction I’ll be going in? Can’t wait to see you in the comment section! :D

Nope, that's not the title of any book (at least as far as I know), but it should be. I used that to title this post because *spoilers*...

Nope, that's not the title of any book (at least as far as I know), but it should be. I used that to title this post because *spoilers* every book I'm reviewing today was fantastic, and I'm rating it at least 5 stars.

Also, I kinda thought that title sounded cool

Anyways.

The Golden Specific by S.E. Grove

I already really loved the idea of this series, but it only got better in this book. The writing is gorgeous, the worldbuilding is like nothing I have ever seen before, and the plot... actually that's also like nothing I've ever seen before. It's a softer kind of exciting, but it's also really complicated and intricate without being at all confusing.

The only part of this book I wouldn't madly fangirl about are the characters. It's not that there's anything wrong with them, in fact they're really good, just amid the beauty of everything else, they seemed less outstanding than they probably would have in another book.

Still, I adored this one overall and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.

Rating: 5 Stars out of 5

Winter by Marissa Meyer

So I randomly realized recently that I never reviewed Winter. I read it in January, so giving a super in-depth review now would be hard, but I do remember fangirling a lot over the lovely writing, the spellbinding plot, and shipping Jacin and Winter like I'd only shipped Anakin and Padme before. So yeah, there's that.

Rating: 5 hundred stars out of 5.

The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

Gods of Asgard, Egypt, and Olympus, this book was good. I thought I adored the Heroes of Olympus series, but seriously, this one was even better. It's a brilliant return to that quirky, hilarious, really personal feel that the Percy Jackson series had and the Heroes of Olympus lacked. Not to say that HoO was bad or anything, but reading this one, I realized that a lot of the humor and voice in Heroes of Olympus felt kind of forced, but in Sword of Summer--and PJO--it feels far easier and far more natural.

So basically, this book is everything I ever loved about Rick Riordan’s writing: fun, sassy, exciting, and completely and totally insane.

Rating: 5 thousand stars out of 5.

So that's it for this round! Have you read any of these? If so, what’d you think of them? If not, which one intrigued you the most and why? Oh, and what’s one of your most recent 5-star reads? Can’t wait to see you in the comments!

Hey all! So I realized today that I never actually followed up with this post idea and I figured this week was as good as any to go ahead ...

Hey all! So I realized today that I never actually followed up with this post idea and I figured this week was as good as any to go ahead and fix that. :)

To be honest, writing's been a little slow for me since YoungArts. It's not that I haven't been inspired (quite the contrary, I have a few too many ideas right now. :p); I've just had less time. I've really thrown myself into figuring out how to better manage my book blogging on Verbosity and so, though I haven't missed too many days working on my ten-minute-rule projects, there hasn't been a lot of tangible progress in them. For instance, in TheWizard Apocalypse, I'm doing mostly worldbuilding and brainstorming to figure out what the heck I'm even doing with this project (my advice: get a brainstorming buddy. They are freaking invaluable, I tell you). My biggest breakthroughs have been discovering my MC's brother's motivation (Dason is a special snowflake—also ideally played by Captain Cold), discovering my villain's motivation (since I literally didn't even know he was the villain until a quarter-way through the project), and deciding on the name of the group meant to actually bring said apocalypse (the Diruo, in case you were wondering).

I'm also working on some poetry to enter a contest at my library. Honestly, I'm not sure how good the poem is or how good it's going to do, but hey, it's fun, it's different, and I'm taking a risk with my writing, so I figure, the worst the judges can tell me is “you're actually a really awful poet,” which I kinda knew anyway (of course, the best they can tell me is “YOU ARE FANTASTIC; THE NEXT MAYA ANGELOU,” which I did not know at all but would be a pleasant surprise). So. All-in-all, I figure I really can't lose anything.

I've also been writing a lot of essays for scholarships, which is not nearly as boring as it sounds, as most of the ones I'm going for have involved bookish discussions (for instance, is Marmee's goodness unrealistic and overly exalted in Little Women?), and even though they're not my normal writing and I don't know that I'll ever actually be able to share those essays outside of the scholarships, it has been pretty interesting to dissect the ideas and form my own opinions.

Well, that's about all I've got as far as writing news. Leave me a comment on your recentest project or a book you've had to read for school that prompted some really deep thoughts. Can't wait to hear from you guys! :D

Hello peoples! *waves* Sorry I don’t have time for a witty (no, they’re not really witty... Silly maybe? slightly amusing? whatever) introd...

Hello peoples! *waves* Sorry I don’t have time for a witty (no, they’re not really witty... Silly maybe? slightly amusing? whatever) introduction. I’m off in *checks clocks* ten minutes to see one of my best friend’s high school play.

So on to the posts!

The Game of Shanti Love This And Death by Shanti (obviously). I was a bit skeptical about this book after reading a poor review, but thanks to Shanti’s post, I am desperate to get my hands on it. Read the post--it in and of itself is fantastic--then read the book and tell me if you love it as much as she did. Meanwhile, I’m trying to get myself a copy.

Thursentary: Black History Roundup by Heather. I actually haven’t read any of the books she mentions here (though we all know I listen to Hamilton probably too much), but I thought it was really cool of her to do a post like this, and I’m definitely going to try to read most of these books now.

Legacy by Koko. In which she once again just fantastically inspires me to live more for God. This one is about using faith instead of fear and trusting Him to guide the gifts He's given you.

Delectable Collections by Liz. More books! I’m not really sure how I ended up sharing this many. Maybe since my TBR exploded, I just wanted all of my followers’ to do so as well.

When Books Become Bridges by Mariella. This post is beautiful and it really reminds me of Inkheart, how Mo said that books get “fatter” when you’ve read them several times. “As if something were left between the pages every time you read it.”

The Prayer of A Busy Young Man by Chard. I really related to this because sometimes I get so caught up in doing everything that I forget to take a rest. For me, taking a rest is in a way an act of bravery, not so much because of other people, but my own unrealistic expectations for myself.

Camp Nano Update #1 by Aimee. A+ gif usage, though. And her story sounds super cool.

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Well, that’s it for this week (also, I now only have three minutes). Which books are you most interested in adding to your TBR? Does taking a rest feel like an act of bravery sometimes? What’s a book you’ve taken so many places that you feel like it practically carries your memories inside? Can’t wait to hear from you all!

Next up for Tag Week, I received the Totally Should’ve Book Tag from the amazing Liz over at Out of Coffee, Out of Mind . Thanks so much fo...

Next up for Tag Week, I received the Totally Should’ve Book Tag from the amazing Liz over at Out of Coffee, Out of Mind. Thanks so much for tagging me, Liz!

Totally Should’ve Gotten A Sequel

Hmm. This is kind of a difficult question for me, because the majority of the books I read are already in series and therefore already have sequ--

OH I HAVE IT

I NEED TO KNOW IF THEY FIND HIM, KAY? KAY.  

Totally Should’ve Had A Spin-Off Series

This actually is getting a spin-off prequel, but, while the story is definitely interesting, it’s not the one I was desperate for when I finished Rebels. I don’t need a whole series, though. I just want a book, one book, that explains some certain things about a certain character, because I feel like there are SO MANY unanswered questions about him, and I am a flailing fangirl and I need these questions answered. So.

An Author Who Totally Should Write More Books

 

Clare Vanderpool writes the most engaging, gorgeous historicals. Rather than focusing on super-big issues like war or tragedy, she picks certain characters and tells their specific story, thereby weaving in the big-name issues around them. It’s just so intricate and perfect.... *sighs* <3

A Character Who Totally Should’ve Ended Up With Someone Else

Uh... Surprisingly, I can’t think of any couples that I absolutely HATE together (generally, if I hate them, I hate them as people too). I mean, there are some that I don’t love together, but there aren’t many that I absolutely hate as a couple (except maybe Laurie and Amy).

My younger sister, though, suggested Neville and Luna from Harry Potter, that they should’ve been a couple instead of the random people they ended up with. So I’m just going to go with that.

Totally Should’ve Ended Differently

Full disclosure, it’s been a while since I read Mockingjay, and I still haven’t gotten up the courage to see the last movie, so I suppose it’s conceivably possible that I’d feel different about it now. But. Seeing as I still remember the despondency and pain I felt four years ago after finishing that beautiful but depressing book, I’m at least going to say that there were a lot of people in there who totally should’ve not died--especially not the ways that they did.

Totally Should’ve Had A Movie Franchise

The movies that are called Percy Jackson are not the real Percy Jackson. They are some other story someone concocted that just happens to bear the Percy Jackson name. (although, full disclosure, if you look at them that way, they actually aren’t awful movies).

Totally Should’ve Had A TV Show

So technically, this one already has a lot of cinematic media, but I think this particular movie would’ve worked a lot better as a TV show. In my opinion, the biggest thing that felt off was the pacing of it all, and I think that if it had been made into a TV show instead, that problem would’ve more or less fixed itself.

Totally Should’ve Had Only One Point of View

Um... I don’t really have one for this? Though I have come across books where the multiple POVs could’ve been done better, I don’t think I’ve ever read one where I felt like they absolutely shouldn’t have had the second (or third or fourth or fifth *cough* looking at you, Rick *cough*) point of view.

Totally Should Have a Cover Change

I... just don’t like these. Especially the last one. Something about her just doesn’t look right to me

Totally Should Have Kept The Original Covers

I don’t strictly hate the new covers (I actually think it's pretty cool how they all join together to make one big picture), but I do like the old ones better.

Totally Should’ve Stopped At Book One

I’m reluctant to answer this one because, though I know I’ve read series where the first book was great and the second one not so much, I don’t really want to say the author definitely should’ve stopped at book one.

I Totally Should’ve Stopped Reading

So the thing for me is that if I feel like if I should stop reading, I do. Unless it’s a review copy and I have to finish it, I go by my 100-pages rule: I read 100 pages and if it just hasn’t grabbed me by then, I put it up. So yeah. If I feel like I should’ve stopped reading, I probably did; and if I didn’t, I already posted a poor review, so no need to go through that again. :)

Totally Should Have Not Prejudged

Because it’s my current obsession, and I can’t go too many posts without mentioning it.

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And that’s the tag! Thanks so much for tagging me, Liz! It was a blast! :D

For my part, I tag Heather, Shar, and Aimee! Don’t feel obligated, but if you want to do the tag, voila! And if you want to do it and I didn’t tag you, feel free, and leave a link to your post in the comments. :)

Can’t wait to see all of your answers! :D