Top Ten Tuesday #153

Hi all! I hope you all had a really great Easter, I don’t really celebrate the religious aspects of the holiday (being an atheist), but it was nice to have my family all together, as we haven’t all been together since Christmas, and my parents are staying up in Stirling for a few weeks so that will be nice.

Anyway, since it’s Tuesday, I have another Top Ten Tuesday from Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl, this week we’re talking about Favourite Characters In Books We Didn’t Like, but since if I don’t like a book, characters tend to be a big part of that, I’m going to switch the topic around and talk about Characters I Hated In Books I Liked (which yes, I realise seems like a bit of an oxymoron, since I just said that characters are a big part of my reasoning for liking a book, but usually if I like a book, I love the main characters, but there can still be side characters that I don’t like as much). So here we go, Characters I Hated In Books I Liked:

1. Severus Snape-Harry Potter Series-JK Rowling

Yes, okay, I know this one might be quite an unpopular one, but I hate Snape. I don’t feel like JK Rowling’s justifications for his actions actually justify anything he did. You were bullied and the woman you loved didn’t love you back, big whoop. That doesn’t justify bullying CHILDREN (like Snape was Neville’s biggest fear-how is that okay?). He never would have changed sides were it not for Harry being the chosen one-had it been Neville, he wouldn’t have given a damn. He tortured people, he was at one point a follower of Voldemort, he bullied students and he never really showed remorse for his action.

2. Danny-The Exact Opposite of Okay-Laura Steven

UGH. Danny is exactly like your Ross Geller or your Ted Mosby, thinking he deserves the girl because he’s a supposed “NICE GUY” except he’s not actually nice at all and thinks that he can buy Izzy’s affections if only he gives her enough gifts. Self-proclaimed nice guys are the actual worst.

3. President Snow-The Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins

Okay, you’re not meant to like Snow, he is the villain of the series, but I do like The Hunger Games trilogy, so he does fit with the topic! President Snow is just the actual worst, he sends children to their death and doesn’t care and is basically just an egomaniacal tyrant.

4. Dolores Umbridge-Harry Potter Series-JK Rowling

Yes, again, I know we’re not supposed to like her, but she does fit with the topic! I hate Umbridge possibly more than I hate Voldemort, she is just quite frankly a vile woman, and part of the reason that I struggled so much with the fifth Harry Potter book, other than the fact it was so frickin’ huge, was that I wanted to throw the book across the room every time Umbridge appeared in a scene.

5. Nikolai Karimov-The Crown’s Game duology-Evelyn Skye

I wasn’t all that keen on Nikolai in the first book, and then the second one I really hated him, he did a total 180 in character and you just couldn’t root for him at all, he was essentially the villain in the second book, although I didn’t like the second book as much as the first, I’m still counting Nikolai for this as I didn’t really like him all that much in the book of the duology that I actually did like and then it just got worse in the second book.

6. Mason Starkey-Unwind Dystology-Neal Shusterman

Again, you’re probably not really supposed to like Starkey, but I really despised him. At first I felt really sorry for him, but as Unwholly went on, I could totally understand why his parents wanted to unwind him and was kind of actively rooting for him to die? I know, I know, it’s bad, but read the book and you will totally understand! I felt more sorry for Roland than I did for Starkey, because although Roland acts as the villain in Unwind, his actions are more understandable and I don’t think he acted out of outright malice, I didn’t feel like he deserved what he got. Starkey absolutely did.

7. Tamlin-ACOTAR Series-Sarah J Maas

Honestly he’s just such an ass. I hated him in the first book and pointed out in my review that his behaviour towards Feyre was abusive, which is why I couldn’t really understand all of the fangirls being all “you did a complete 180 on his character” in this book, because umm no? The signs of him being abusive were all there in book one, he was just a lot more open about it in book two. Honestly, this is a problem I have with all of SJM’s male fae characters, they’re all really possessive and it bothers me, even the supposedly good ones, show aggressive and possessive tendencies but Tamlin is definitely one of the worst culprits.

8. Jason Grace-Heroes of Olympus Series-Rick Riordan

UGH I LOATHE JASON. I could use Piper for this too, but I’m going to focus on Jason because I do enjoy Piper’s charmspeak powers and she kind of came into herself a lot more in the last HOO book, which redeemed her a little for me. Jason just irritates me, he’s basically a cheap copy of Percy with none of the personality that makes me love Percy so much. I always felt bored reading Jason’s chapters and wanted to move onto one of the more fun members of the seven!

9. Akiva-Daughter of Smoke and Bone-Laini Taylor

I was really enjoying Daughter of Smoke and Bone, right up until Akiva was introduced, and essentially, I hated Akiva so much that it ruined the rest of the book for me, which was really unfortunate! He was just such a damp squib, had no personality to speak of and his affections for Karou felt so contrived, even after their backstory was explained. I’m hoping that maybe he gets more fleshed out in the rest of the trilogy, so he doesn’t irritate me so much!

10. Thomas-The Maze Runner Trilogy-James Dashner

Now whilst I have to admit, The Maze Runner series has been tarnished for me by the revelations that have come out about James Dashner sexually harassing women, when I read it, before I knew any of this, I did like the series, but I always found Thomas really bland and boring, and had it not been for the engaging side characters, I don’t think I would have liked the books anywhere near as much (prior to the whole, “oh by the way, the author is an asshole who has assaulted multiple women).

Over to you! Do you have any characters in books you enjoyed that you just hated? Do we share any? Let me know in the comments!

Next week’s topic Books I Loved But Will Never Reread, which I might have to again alter, because usually if I love a book, I will feel like I want to read it over and over again, but I’ll think about it during the week! In the meantime, I should have my review of The Hazel Wood and my update for March’s #RockMyTBR Challenge very soon, although I have a deadline for Friday, so it likely won’t be before then!