This Top Ten Tuesday feature is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish and I first came across it on Jaime´s blog. It´s a lot of fun and they post the topics way in advance! This week’s topic looks at the Top Ten Favorite Characters of all times…and I am twisting it a little:
Top Three Favorite Secondary Characters In YA Books…
….from the books I read so far in 2012…
1. Raffy from JELLICOE ROAD: Honestly, all secondary characters from that book felt so primary to me. They were fully fledged and my heart beats for every single one of them. Raffy is the girlfriend who is there for you, who may call you on your bullshit but who knows you and loves you for who you are. Like Taylor, I think that those people are the kind you want around you for life.
“Why do you always have to be so pessimistic?” she asks. “We can double up in our rooms and have a barbecue every night like the Cadets.” Silently I vow to keep Raffy around for the rest of my life.”
2. Harley from ACROSS THE UNIVERSE: He is sweet and he took me by the heart with his fish. (I don’t want to spoil it so I’ll leave it at that). Beth Revis said about Harley: But the little details sometimes have the best stories. For example: Harley. Harley was supposed to be a minor character who was only in one scene that I was writing on that took place in the Hospital. One of my students had painted a koi fish, and so I made the extra character an artist. My student’s name is Charly, so I named the character Harley. From that one scene came Harley, Elder’s best friend, complete with a backstory, a dead girlfriend, and a tragic twist. And I am certainly glad that he became more than just very minor.
3. Haymitch from THE HUNGER GAMES: For me Haymitch is such a wonderfully layered character. He lowers the creeping tension when needed, he has MANY issues and he develops so well throughout the books that I have a soft spot for him. (and I think Woody Harrelson did a WONDERFUL job in portraying the Haymitch I had in my mind :D)
Here’s some advice. Stay Alive.
So at least half the victors have instructed their mentors to request you as an ally. I know it can’t be your sunny personality.
I’m with the Mockingjay
Do you have any favorite secondary characters?
Elodie Nowodazkij 
Zusanna in Daughter of Smoke & Bone – when she looks at the angel guy and says to Karou, “Must. Mate. Now.”
I can’t think of his name, but the High Warlock of Brooklyn in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series. I love him.
Isabel, in Maggie Steifvater’s Linger – she is so beautifully and unapologetically bitchy. I adore her.
Hahah! I love that that moment too with Zusanna 😀 I cracked up reading it!
Well, I know 2 out of 3 of these characters, and they’re good choices! Haymitch in particular is just such a great character 🙂
Haymitch is really wonderful, isnt he? So many layers, love him!
When I started reading THE HUNGER GAMES, I wasn’t sure about Haymitch. It sounded as if Suzanne Collins, for some strange plot reason, was putting a incompetent drunk in charge of training our hero. But as we get to know him, we see he really does know what he’s doing–even if he does have… problems. 🙂
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is on my TBR, and your description on Harley makes me look forward to reading it even more! 🙂
Harley is such a tortured character and there are so many little things about him throughout the two books which just made my heart ache for him. Cant wait to hear your thoughts about ACROSS THE UNIVERSE…
haha yeah, Haymitch rocks 😀 He’s to funny, not to love 😉 😀 Awesome picks!! 😉
Thanks 😀 Haymitch brings just so much to the story and is such an individual character on his own, love him!
Haymitch is a great secondary character. Great choice.
Thanks Carrie 😀
Haymitch was an awesome character. I hated the way he came across in the movie…he seemed very one dimensional and almost creepy. In the book series you can really sense the amount of pain he must be in.
The book did show more about his conflict and his past but I still quite enjoyed him in the movie 😀 Thanks for stopping by my blog 😀
I would love to hang out with Haymitch for a day. Love it. You’re so right.
Hanging out with him for one day would be quite an experience!
I love your picks… and we like a lot of the same books. 🙂
Hi, new follower 🙂
Thanks Cristina 😀 Those books are just so amazing, whats not to love? 😀
Hmmm . . . best secondary character. I really loved Simon in Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instruments series.
I need to read this series, dont I? 😀
Have you seriously read ALL those books this year?! YOU are wonder woman! And yes, love Haymitch. So layered. SO much to love. As for this year’s reads for me? JJ and Carter from Catching Jordan. Love football players with some depth. 🙂
I even read more 😀 cos I did read some non-YA this year 😀 Using my commuting time, you know… Awww, I loved Carter, I clearly developed a crush on him while reading CATCHING JORDAN 😀
Great choices, Elodie! I adore Raffy, and Harley totally stole my heart. Haymitch is so all-around awesome… I think he brought great comic relief to both the books and the movie.
Thanks Katy 😀 Harley was such a wonderful characters and the revelations in A MILLION SUNS just made him even more tragic…When it comes to Haymitch, I agree about the comic relief he brought and which was sometimes much needed 😀
Ah, I loved Haymitch.
Haymitch was simply a great character…so dramatic and funny at the same time 😀
Nice twist! Haymitch was adorable, and he becomes quite the hero.
Thanks 😀 His development is one way I really like him and the layers he takes away slowly 😀
Hagrid in HP:) Jaye, you are thinking of Magnus Bane–LOVE him too! I also love Simon, but by book #4 he’s really more of a main character & that’s when I really came to adore him:)
Simon does sound like a wonderful character 😀
Haymitch was wonderful. Of the books I’ve read this year, I LOVED Alec from The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Seth from The Fairy Godmother Files: Cinderella Complex, and Carmel from Anna Dressed in Blood.
I need to read all the books you mentioned 😀