It’s Tuesday once again and that means time for another Top Ten Tuesday post! This week’s topic is hard, because I’ve read so many books over the years and I always tend to forget about characters. Especially secondary characters. They either leave no lasting impression, or I can’t remember their names. So, this makes this week a huge challenge. I am too brain fried right now to think of ten secondary characters, so I might sneak a main character into this list here and there. Let’s see what my brain comes up with, shall we? This list is in no particular order!
Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
- Kenji from the Shatter Me series by Tahereh Mafi – Okay okay, he got on my nerves at first, but once the second book started to move forward, it becomes clear that there’s more to this character than his joking personality. It’s a grower, but he grew on me eventually.
- Manon Blackbeak from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas – I assume this will be a popular one, because this witch in Sarah J. Maas’ first series is pretty popular!
- Iko from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer – Okay, the entire cast is my favorite, but if I have to pick one secondary character, it’s Iko. In the end, this android gets their own graphic novel duology, but in the main series, this sassy figure is a secondary character. And they made me laugh out loud a lot.
- Amren from the A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas – We got to know most of the inner circle of the Night Court by now and several of them even got their own book, but Amren hasn’t gotten her own fifteen minutes of fame as a main character yet. So, she still is a secondary character, and a feisty one! She happens to have a lot of knowledge and might come of as rude, but it’s all with good intention. A true case of tough love.
- Emory from A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas – This technically is the same series as where we meet Amren, but Emory is only introduced in the last published book of this series. This woman got her wings clipped, but that doesn’t stop her from flying. She has a strong will and is determined to prove everyone wrong.
- Nikolai Lantsov from the Grisha series by Leigh Bardugo – He gets promoted to a spot as main character later on in this universe, but in the original trilogy, he is a force to be reckoned with as secondary character. Alina seems to like him, so Mal has to watch out.
- Dee from Lux by Jennifer L. Armentrout – Although her triplet brother Daemon is in the spotlight, Dee shouldn’t be forgotten. In fact, it’s her who befriended Cathy first. Her bubbly personality immediately stands out. Although things get rough, she still is doing her best.
- Evie from Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry – This toddler is a feisty one, but understands more than everyone thinks she does. Whoops, you better watch out main characters!
- Vanessa Ford from Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid – This story is mainly told through the lens of main character Joan, but Vanessa is playing a key role. At first, she has a cold demeanor, but gradually becomes more likable. I can’t elaborate more on that due to the risk of spoilers.
- Mische from The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent – Okay, another secondary character growing into a main character later on in the series, but this ray of sunshine was a welcome addition to this story and cast of characters.
Pfew, I made it! What I noticed while creating this list is A) the older books actually leave more of an impression, and B) it’s mainly old YA fantasy that does this. I think this really shows the crisis we are in regarding not only literacy, but literature as well. Why don’t books have longevity in terms of impact? Why don’t characters leave an impression that lasts for years anymore? Most of these books I’ve read around 2017, 2018 and 2019, and I was reading way more than I do now. Says a lot as well, doesn’t it?
What are your favorite secondary characters?
