Top Ten Tuesday (12): Secondary Characters That Deserve More Love

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.

This week's topic is secondary characters that deserve more love. This is my second post today, and I will admit that I wasn't planning on posting a top ten tuesday today, but I have been having a bit of a busy and anxious week and writing posts helps me focus on things that aren't making me anxious. Because this post wasn't one that I planned on doing, I could only come up with five characters that I think deserve more love, but I think a half finished list is still a good effort and I wanted to share my thoughts with all of you anyway.

1. Kenji - Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 

2. Newt - The Maze Runner by James Dashner

I'm not sure if this one counts because Newt does get a lot of love from The Maze Runner fans but I think there's always room for more.

3.  Issie - Need by Carrie Jones

Issie is  the perfect example of an upbeat quirky character done right, as in, in a way that doesn't annoy the hell out of me, and I will protect her forever.

4. Jag - Bleed More, Bodymore by Ian Kirkpatrick

I'm not sure if is a fair one to use because it's not published yet, so maybe everybody will think he deserves more love, but I'm including it anyway because I think I liked Jag more than I liked the protagonist so I don't think it's fair to leave out.

5. Marlene - Divergent by Veronica Roth

I've Been Thinking About The Need Series

       In the midst of my boredom the other day, A series very dear to my heart came to my mind. That series, is the The Need Series by Carrie Jones If you haven't read my reviews for these books, it'll be kind of hard to know what I am speaking of so here are the links. Need, Captivate, Entice, Endure, but also, fair warning: If you haven't read Entice or Endure and don't want it to be slightly spoiled, I would not read this

       I was particularly thinking about the relationship between Zara and Nick. In the one of the last books either, Entice or Endure, while the Zara, Astley and friends are trying to get Nick back from Valhalla, Zara's mom says that all the trouble that they are going through to get Nick back isn't worth the casualties. I'm pretty sure, back when I first read the books I mentioned something like, I almost agree with Zara's mom. No. I Completely agree with Zara's mother. If you have read these books, I would hope you agree that all the things that Zara does are ridiculous. She risks her life many times, she risks her friends lives many times. Although they agreed to it, it doesn't make what they did any less stupid. I realize that she did these things because she did not want to lose another person she loved, but she ended up losing more than that while trying to get one person back. See it's time like this I remember that Buffy from Buffy the Vampire Slayer was a very wise person, do you remember when Buffy said:

"No guy is worth your life, not ever."

Yeah, I do too.

After Obsession by Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel

Author(s): Carrie Jones and Steven E. Wedel
Pages: 336 pages
Date Published: November 13 2012
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children



Introduction
       After Obsession is the story of Alan and Amy. They have both inherited strange things from their parents. Alan's cousin Courtney is also Amy's best friend. Amy is worried about Courtney. Courtney has recently lost her dad and is obviously not taking it very well. Other than that, They have a good life right?... Wrong. Everybody's angry, and people are not acting like themselves. Something evil is lurking just beneath the surface of Maine and Courtney is stuck in the middle, and Alan and Amy need to find out a way to make everything normal again

Cover
       The cover of this book is super amazing. It is one of the prettiest covers I have seen in a while.

Characters/Relationships
       I liked the characters in this book well enough I guess, it's just the relationships in this book I have problems with. Let's start with Blake and Amy. They breakup right in the beginning. The whole breakup scene was so terrible. I mean I know that people are not acting like themselves but, no. Just no.
       Then comes Alan and Amy. They have a connection. I get that, but Alan's in town for all of a week and him and Amy are already saying that they love each other. The relationship goes at an extremely fast pace.

Conclusion
       I have never read any books by Steven E. Wedel, but as soon as I saw Carrie Jones' name on the cover, I knew that I had to read it, and let me tell you this book did not disappoint. Boys could read this book too. Even if they don't like female protagonists, this book switches POV's between Alan and Amy quite often.

Endure By Carrie Jones

Author: Carrie Jones
Pages: 262
Date Published: May 8 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Introduction
       Nick isn't the same anymore. He can't get over the fact that Zara is now a pixie. Sadly, that's the least of Zara's problems. The end of the world is near, and Zara doesn't know how to prevent it. That is until being attacked by a women who in half rotting while on a patrol. She is the leader of Hel, a place for people that die from old age and sickness go. They suspect she knows how to stop the end from happening. After doing lots of online research they find out how to get to Hel, to talk to the half rotting lady who is also named Hel. They believe that the way to get to is in Iceland. It isn't that easy though. It leads them to a top of a volcano. Once they reach Hel, Zara is given a choice. She could see one person that she never thought she would ever get to see again, Or reveal how to stop the end from happening. For the final time the fate of the world rests in Zara's hands.

Cover

       The cover of the final book in the need series is a gold eye, with some swirly type designs in the background. It's pretty, but I don't think it's as pretty as the other ones were. maybe it's the fact that the face is sideways, or the designs in the background. I'm not entirely sure, I liked the other ones more.
Characters/Relationships
       Devyn is not in the book very much since he stays in Bedford with his parents. Betty stays in Bedford as well, and prepares for the pixie's attack.       
       Nick is not the same as he was before. Nick and Zara have stopped dating. There was no official breakup but it is obvious that she and Nick are no longer a couple. It's kind of sad Zara does love Nick and it is hard for her to let go. She wishes for nothing more than for Nick to love her again. After all, it was one of her biggest fears when she went to get Nick back from Valhalla. 


Conclusion 
       Endure was a fantastic book full of big decisions. Zara kept me entertained for the final time in the ending of the Need series.

Entice By Carrie Jones

     

Author: Carrie Jones
Pages: 266
Date Published: January 23 2011
Publisher: Bloomsbury
    
Introduction 
       Zara changed into a pixie queen to get Nick back from Valhalla. No matter what the cost she needs to get him back. Only, she doesn't actually know how to get to where Nick is. She does get many leads throughout the book with the help of her new king Astley. The first one brings them all the way to Iceland. Then to a bar. Last to Astley's freaky mother's house in New York. Finally the pixie council gives them the answer they need to get to the land of the gods. Now that Zara knows how to get to Valhalla, all she needs to do is convince the gods that Nick is needed more in Bedford more than he is needed in Valhalla  to fight the biggest war that may end the world.

Cover
       This book has two covers. On the cover of the book that  I borrowed had golden finger nails on the side of a face. The other cover that the book can have is Zara  blowing gold dust out of her mouth. In the background of the one that I had is what looks like smoke. On the bottom corner of the other edition is a small golden  tree. I think that they are both very pretty and I can't decide which one I like more.

Character/Relationships
       Zara still cares a lot for Nick but has put much of her trust in Astley. She has stopped doubting him even though many people in Zara's life are still skeptical about whether or not he is trying to set them up. Zara's mom comes up to Bedford. It is the first time she has seen her daughter since she turned pixie. Zara's mother expresses a lot of hate toward Astley for changing Zara. I can't really blame her. But the hate becomes so strong that Zara is convinced that her mother doesn't love her anymore.

Conclusion
       Entice was a very good book and was defiantly worth reading. At some points I found myself wishing that Zara would see that she was taking the whole, "We need Nick" and "I miss Nick" thing a little bit too far. Zara looses a lot of people and pixies in this book. At one point in the book Zara's mother says that one boy is not worth loosing all the people that she loves. I almost agree with her.

Captivate By Carrie Jones

Author: Carrie JonesPages 273
Date Published: January 5 2010
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Introduction

       In the Second book in the Need series, Zara's problems are far from over. She finds a wounded pixie in the woods about to die. Being the way that she is, she can't just walk away and let anything die. She saves the pixie but soon finds out that he is more than just a pixie. He is a pixie king. He wants to fight Zara's biological  father for his territory and his pixie's. To do that though, he will need to be a queen to make him stronger. If Zara were to become his queen, her being part pixie would make the whole process much easier. Of course she completely resents the idea of becoming a pixie, let alone becoming a queen. As things begin to fall apart in her life, she begins think that becoming a pixie queen may be the only way to hold things together.

Characters/Relationships
       The new pixie kings name is Astley. I find him a better character than Nick is. He is nice and always calm and respects Zara and the decisions she makes.
       Issie and Devyen finally starts to acknowledge that they like each other. (Yay!) Plus Devyn's injury is makes a lot of progress throughout the book which is fantastic because in Need he was in a wheelchair.

Cover
       The cover of this is a gold eyelid with a gold tear running down a cheek. I like it because does have some sad moments in the book (Don't worry it has happy moments too.) I think I liked the cover of Need a little better though. I think it is because of the trees is the bottom of the Need cover that makes me like more.


Conclusion
Captivate was an excellent it held my interest.Though this book did lack some of the creepy elements that Need had.

Need by Carrie Jones

Author: Carrie Jones
Pages: 306
Date Published December 23 2008
Publisher: Bloomsbury

Introduction

       
       After Zara's stepfather has a heart attack,  Zara isn't doing much of anything, you could say that she is a shell of a person. In an attempt to get Zara  back to her old self, her mother sends her to Bedford Maine. Far away from her old neighborhood in Charleston, to live with her step-grandmother Betty.

       Zara is not happy in Bedford, she hates the cold and she hates that she's in the same place that her step-dad will never get to see again. Worst of all though, she's sure that she has a creepy stalker following her all the way from Charleston. With the help of her new friends, she finds out that he might be a little bit more than just a guy with crazy obsession with her. He might be a pixie. Not only that, but he might be a pixie king.

       Pixie kings need a queen, if a king goes too long with out a queen he goes crazy and loses his power. Soon, boys begin to disappear around the area, a telltale sign that the king is losing his power.

Cover
       
       The cover is just so pretty. The gold lips to me represent how pixie's are becoming a big part of Zara's life. At the bottom of the cover you can see black trees and the forest also plays a big part in the book.  


Characters/Relationships

      
        I don't have a favorite character in this book but there are characters that I like.  For example Issie. She is always so happy and sweet to everybody she talks to. I also like Betty. She is tough and brave, and is willing to do anything to protect people, Especially Zara.
     
      At the beginning of the book she meets Nick Colt. It's pretty obvious that something is going to happen between them romantically, she spends a lot of time thinking about how beautiful he is. I mean, maybe he is cute, but he is also really bossy sometimes. Plus he always seems to be at the right place at the right time. Which is good but it happens so frequently, in reality I'd be wondering if he was following me too.

Conclusion
       
       This book was very good. I do think that girls will find this book more enjoyable then boys would. It does have romance. Also the main character is a girl and a lot of boys will not read a book with a girl as a main character. I would without a doubt read this book again.