10 Secondary Characters Who Need Their Own Books of Extraordinary Fabulousness

Sometimes secondary characters are way more awesome than main characters.

Not that I’ll ever ever say that the author “picked the wrong narrator”. No! Authors know absolutely who needs to narrate their books. But sometimes I personally just click better with a secondary character. (Also secondary characters can seem more fleshed out, more real and vibrant, because narrators are prone to talk better about their friends than themselves, right?!)

So. If I had the power (I will when I rule the world, but hold tight, these things are a work in progress) to pluck certain secondary characters from the throngs of drowned voices and give their own books, I would. I so totally would.

These secondary characters would would narrate. They would be the star. They would be fabulous.

This week’s prompt is: Top 10 Secondary Characters You Wish Would Get Their OWN Book

1. Morpheus from Splintered and Unhinged

This cannot be a surprise to you. I mention Morpheus like every second Top Ten Tuesday post. But with good reason. Morpheus is a crafty little con artist. And he has a million secrets and a backstory longer than Oraculum (that’s a calendar of the entire history of the world, by the way). Morpheus could easily fill his own book.

Plus more backstory on Wonderland? More knowledge about the wars and Wonderlands sneaky but infatuating dangerous fangs? YES, PLEASE.

2. Chaol from Throne of Glass

Because this dude…seriously. He’s only in his late teens/early twenties when he became Captain of the Guard. CAN WE TAKE A MOMENT? I know most of that is political and blah blah, but Chaol had so much responsibility so young! Plus being the Crown Prince’s best friend?

Is anyone arguing about a book of Chaol and Dorian in their younger days? Anyone? No. I thought not.

SOMEONE PETITION SARAH J MAAS FOR THIS.

3. Halt from Rangers Apprentice

Because this would be the most hilarious and amazing book in the entire of the galactic universe. Halt is wickedly awesome in his later years, but what was it like when he ran around with Crowley? Did he make stupid mistakes like Will did? Was he always a fantastic Ranger?

Also it would be interesting to see him as he trained up his first apprentice, Gilan.

I can just imagine Halt and Crowley burning down the world and going, “Oops.”

4. Thorne from Scarlet and Cress

Because who doesn’t want to read a book narrated by Thorne? Sure it’d be the most unreliable narrator EVER, but it would be like an entire book by Captain Jack Sparrow and Flynn Rider.

Don’t deny it. We want it. And I mean if the evil queen Levana is getting her own book, what’s to stop Thorne getting his?! How did he become captain? (Is he even a captain?) Did he really start a prison riot because of the soap conditions? Is his name even Thorne?!

5. Caleb from Divergent

Sure Caleb has a pretty big part in ALL the books (despite me originally thinking he’d fade out after book 1…ha. I was so naive and pathetic). But he never narrates. Caleb makes decisions in Divergent that totally throw Tris (the narrator) off. He’s never been the simple clean-cut Abnegation boy.

But what was he really thinking all that time in Erudite? Did he mean all the mean stuff he said? How did he really feel in Allegiant when Tris wouldn’t talk to him? CALEB. I vary between loving and hating him, but this dude — yes. I would like to read a book by him.

6. Count Olaf from A Series of Unfortunate Events

Yes, the dude is despicable. Yes, I hate him with 99% of my soul. But…but…do you remember that part in book 13 The End where Olaf saves Kit Snicket even though he’s wounded? He didn’t have to. He could’ve maintained his evil demeanour and let her die on the bookshelf in the ocean (you’ve got to read it, you just do). BUT HE BROKE DOWN.

How did Olaf get so wicked? What provoked the beginning of his wickedness? Did he ever love Kit Snicket?!

I hoped Lemony Snicket’s All The Wrong Questions would touch more on Olaf, but so far he’s been an only once-mentioned cameo.

7. Roza in Rose Under Fire

Um, yes, I’m aware this is the first girl on my list. I feel mildly guilty. But ROZA, peoples. She’s one of the “rabbits” in a Nazi concentration camp and the most dynamic piece of extraordinary fabulous known to humankind. She hides from her pain in a shell of complete snarky bitterness. She’s mean. And she’s wonderful.

She’s only 16 in the book and she’s had these torturous operations until she’s crippled. I…I am in awe of her. Not only is she still alive, she’s fighting with everything she’s got. And her friendship with Rosie is just phenomonal. I could cry.

Oh wait. Did Elizabeth Wein write it? Ha ha…silly me. I DID CRY.

8. Alaska in Looking for Alaska

This is one messed up little popsicle of psycho. You don’t get much more outrageous and dangerous and blindingly full of life than Alaska. I appreciate that the book was narrated by Pudge…sometimes people are best viewed from a distance. But I would’ve loved to see the entire thing from Alaska’s point of view.

Did she ever even like Pudge? Exactly how much did she read? What was her life like outside of her friends? I secretly think Alaska lived behind a mask.

9. Warner from Ignite Me

Obviously if I mention Morpheus, I have to have Warner. (Kelly, calm down.) Sure they’re from entirely different series but they both of this distinctive quality of being goodly evil and evilly good. Warner is a tragedy in a cereal packet. He is the best and most well fleshed out “villain” I’ve ever read…which makes me less of a villain and more like…Loki.

Oh, he is the YA version of Loki.

10. Johanna Mason from Mockingjay

I always mention either it’s The Hunger Games or something by Sarah J Maas or Maggie Stiefvater. I know, I know. Obsessions. But at least you can count on my to be focused, right?

Johanna is a stoic tragedy. But, particularly in Mockingjay (the last book in the trilogy), it’s so easy to wonder what exactly went down when she was in the Capitol. We know Peeta was hijacked. And we know Johanna Mason said they got to know each other through their screams. Oh, HOLD ME. Hold Peeta. Belay that and HOLD JOHANNA. What was it like when she was in the arena? What was that game like when she won?

Why does she have “no one left to love anymore”?? WHAT HAPPENED?

Two things have become clear to me as I wrote this post.

1) I listed to many humans of the male species. But this kind of makes sense because a lot of YA books are narrated by girls, so the secondary characters are often dudes.
2) I like tragic characters so super much I wish they all had their own books.

And you know what? I’m okay with this. Tragic characters are my favourite. Heart wrenching backstories and snarky, bitter and witty temperaments to cover that? Bring it on.

Now I just need to either a) beg the authors to write these books, or b) rule the world and decree they should be made. Freedom of choice is overrated anyway. Haven’t you heard Loki’s speeches?

okay, bioluminescent blogglings, it’s your turn! which secondary characters are you desperate to read whole books about? any on my list that you agree/disagree with? can we agree johanna mason needs more appreciation (that kind of rhymes!) ohhh, and link me up to your TTT posts!

Cait is reading City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare and sort of crying because it’s freakishly huge. She likes it. BUT IT’S HUGE. She is also mildly sad that her days of pretending to be a Shadowhunter are nearly over. Besides bemoaning this fact, she been cooking cupcakes (maybe more Peeta than Shadowhunter?) and drawing Mockingjays because…MOCKINGJAY MOVIE SOON.

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