Top 10: Fictional Characters

I attempted to put this list in order like I've done with previous lists, but it's so difficult! You can think of it as being in order if you want, or you can just assume that after the first one (or two) it doesn't really matter because they're all amazing.

1. Agent 99

Get Smart

Greatest character ever. And, well, I tried to write something about how and why she's so absolutely incredible, but nothing happened I think I just sat here at the keyboard typing best ever best ever best ever like ten times. BEST EVER. OH BUT ALSO UM UM I HATED THE ANNE HATHAWAY VERSION BECAUSE WAY TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THE BEST CHARACTER EVER SERIOUSLY NOW, PEOPLE WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?

2. Maxwell Smart

Get Smart

OH GOODNESS. The shoe phone, his insistence on using the Cone of Silence, the obliviousness that is trademark, how he's clumsy and bumbling and a brilliant spy at the same time? Maxwell Smart is just the best. I mean, HE HAS AN INVISIBLE WALL IN HIS APARTMENT AND HE SLEEPS IN A SUIT AND AND AND... there are no ands. His best friend is a ROBOT. He's a well-known secret agent, how is that not an amazing contradiction in terms? Also, the Craw. Also, Harry Hoo. Also also also, people routinely throw grenades into his apartment and people always show up and then die because they've been poisoned and he just goes about his routine like la-di-da, just another day in the life! Because that's the kind of character he is.

3. Captain Kirk

Star Trek

Do I really need an explanation for this one? I mean, what's cooler than flying through space and fighting aliens? (The only acceptable answer here is either: "fighting KAOS, obviously," or "nothing, der.") You guys, there is LITERALLY a motivation poster of Captain Kirk with the caption, I can't hear you over the sound of how awesome I am. So yeah. I'm pretty sure "Kirk" is one of the synonyms of "awesome." That seems legit, right?

4. Frankie Landau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Um, can I be as amazing as Frankie, please? She's the ultimate I-want-to-be-her YA girl. And not because she has such great adventures, or because there are guys fighting over her, but because she is just so incredible. The pranks, the Wodehouse, the secret society stuff, and thinking about feminism without going to the extreme on any one side. She's just awesome. Can we all agree that Frankie grows up and becomes a spy? Because, OMG YOU GUYS, Frankie is just like a younger Agent 99!! This is SOLID GOLD FACT. Frankie = 99. YES.

5. Spencer Martin

the Scarlett series

Honestly it's sad if I even have to explain this one to YA fans. Spencer Martin is everything that's right with humerous, contemporary YA. The awesomeness of his character starts on the very first page of SUITE SCARLETT and then never lets up. He's a loving brother, a struggling-but-determined actor, and he makes fun of people named Chip because seriously who names their kid that? But more importantly? HE'S HILARIOUS AND GREAT and [number one] it's nice to have a lovely and funny brother-sister relationship at the forefront of a story and, [number two] a book of just ALL SPENCER ALL THE TIME would be great, actually. There doesn't eve need to be a plot or anything. (And just wondering, but does he remind anyone else of the Spencer from iCarly?) 

6. Peeta Mellark

The Hunger Games trilogy

Peeta Mellark is, without a doubt, the best part of The Hunger Games trilogy. Even when he's thrown into a ruthless pit of death (the arena), he's still loyal and loving and protective and MY GOODNESS, YOU GUYS, HE'S JUST SO SELFLESS. He is a symbol of hope and love. LITERALLY THAT IS WHAT HIS CHARACTER IS and how can you not love that? Peeta is steady and reliable and incredible throughout all three books and this, when everything else is messed-up and disturbing, is the best thing ever. 

7. Topher Brink

Dollhouse

Topher Brink is like Spencer Martin if Spencer Martin were a genius scientist working for an evil corporation instead of a recently-famous actor. In other, more succinct words: Topher Brink is amazing. He's the brains behind the mind-wipe and personality-implanting technology in that creepyweird show, Dollhouse. He's smart and hilarious and creates havoc and cracks jokes and seems to have no morals until suddenly he does and then it just gets better and better and better until he goes completely nutter because that's what happens when you bring about the end of civilization, apparently. BUT OH GOODNESS HE IS JUST SO GREAT I JUST LOVE HIM SO MUCH AND I WON'T SPOIL THE ENDING FOR YOU BUT OMG OMG OMG OMG.

8. Diana Holland

Luxe series

Excuse me for saying this, but Diana Holland is boss. And I don't even use the word boss like that, but she so is. I love her so much that I'm willing to overlook the tremendous mistake she made at the end of SPLENDOR and allow her to have her rightful place on this list. She's a society girl who doesn't like the rules, who breaks them at every turn, who has her own inner fire and spunk and remains true to it. She's incredible and it was worth reading the Luxe series just for her journey... (though I still can't get over the ending, and I never will.)

9. Serafina

serafina67

While a lot of the other female characters on this list are ones I want to be more like, Serafina is the one I actually am like. It's a testament to something, I'm sure, that both friends I've given the book to commented on how much the spastic writing reminds them of me. But it's more than that. Serafina's a little insecure, more than a bit on the crazy side, and is emotional in the same way that I am. Her insane blogging is the kind of stuff that goes on inside my head (and on my Twitter) every. single. day., and for this I love her.

10. Charlie Pace

Lost

Uhhh, last night I finished season three of LOST. It was epic sad and I don't know why my favorite characters are always killed off, but Charlie is... well, bloody brilliant. From heroin-addict/rockstar, to one of the first people kidnapped by the Others, to baby-snatcher, to hero, he's pretty much consistently been the best part of the show. He has a lot of heart and as much as I love this show I'm not quite sure how the rest of the seasons are going to be without him on the island. 

Review: Mockingjay (spoiler free!)

MOCKINGJAY

Suzanne Collins

Looking at MOCKINGJAY objectively is going to be nearly impossible. For me, for you, for anyone, I think, if only because it's such an emotional novel. Love it or hate it, there's no way to get through these four hundred pages unscathed, without having some sort of extreme emotional reaction. Some have said this book broke their brain. Others describe it as the Mockingjay hangover or Post-Traumatic-Mockingjay-Disorder.

Yes. I am writing this the day after finishing the book and I agree with the above. It broke my brain. I'm in a post-Mockingjay haze and attempting to write a review. So please, bear with me.

First, as if the extraordinarily high score above wasn't clue enough, you should know that I love this book. I think it's brilliant, I think it ended the trilogy perfectly, and in fact I think it was the best of the bunch. I love it so much that a mere 10 of 10 seems like a low score. Honestly, I wish I could break the rules of math and give it a 12 on the "fangirly" scale.

Of course the premise and plot are continuations of the first two books in the series, but this time things are different. Katniss Everdeen, after breaking the force field surrounding her second Hunger Games, has been rescued by District 13. While Peeta Mellark is captured by the Capitol, the rebels are asking Katniss to become the Mockingjay -- the symbol, the face, of the revolution. Agreeing to this means working for District 13's president, who isn't exactly the biggest fan of Katniss, but it's also the only way she can save Peeta and the rest of the victors. And the only way she can kill President Snow. This book puts us in an entirely new setting -- not District 12, not the arena or the Capitol, but instead District 13, underground, and the various poor districts where the revolution is being fought. The atmosphere, mood, and setting is clearer than ever in this book. Between the ruins of Katniss' and Gale's home, the stark and strict District 13, and the fighting, every place we visit in this book is so incredibly intense. Full of emotion and desperation, I'm not sure I've come across a book that did a better job of showing setting.

In this book, Katniss really grows into herself. Unlike in the previous books, now she has some power (although maybe not so much as she'd like) and is much less unsure and wishy-washy than before. Yes, she still goes back and forth on some issues, but when she does her motivations and confusions are much clearer. There was, surprisingly, only one point during this book that I wanted to throw it across the room. And, in hindsight, I believe there was more at play in this moment than was clear in the scene itself. (Those of you who've read the book may know what I'm talking about.) Since this is the one book that doesn't feature the Hunger Games, we get to see Katniss with the people she grew up with. This means that her and Gale's relationship is pushed to the forefront, the relationships with her mother and Prim are revisted in more detail, and we really get to see the love she has for the place she grew up. Throughout THE HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE, Katniss was so incredibly independent that it was really hard to see the feelings she had for her family. She was often impatient with her mother and though she took her sister's place in the Games, we really didn't get to see much of this relationship. In this book, that was remedied. We get to know the sisters' relationship, as well as getting to know Prim as her own character. It was also nice getting to know Gale better. I'm not a Gale fan and always felt that his relationship with Katniss was closer to that of a brother or cousin than boyfriend, but that said, I loved really being able to see the history that the two of them had together before the Games.

As for Peeta and what happens to him in the last installment, there's not much I can say that isn't a spoiler. I will say that there is a new (and very painful) component to the Peeta/Katniss relationship. And yet, as painful and awful as it was, I think it played out perfectly, especially as we got deeper into the story. That said, this book is definitely not about Gale v. Peeta. Yes, that is an element, and one that Katniss struggles with. But it's not at the forefront. It shouldn't be at the forefront. Katniss, Gale, Peeta, and everyone else in this incredible book, are dealing with a war and the consequences of war. There's not a lot of time for teenage love here.

Throughout the entire series, I had some pretty big problems with Katniss. I wasn't sure I ever liked her. As compelling as she was, it wasn't her that made me want to continue the series after THE HUNGER GAMES. It was Peeta, it was the twists that happened along the day, it was her world that sucked me in. And while MOCKINGJAY still didn't make her my favorite character ever, it did an impressively good job of redeeming her in my eyes. In this book, she had emotions. She was conflicted, but it was understandable. On the whole, she wasn't cold, and when she was you could see why. With the exception of one scene, one heart-wrenching, what-the-hell-are-you-doing-Katniss!!!?? scene that boggled my mind, I liked Katniss. For the first time I felt like I understood her. (And that one scene? I think Collins leaves it up to us to figure out what we think was going through Katniss' mind at that point, and what I think was happening behind the scenes redeems her, if that makes any sense to you.)

This series ended perfectly. This book ended perfectly. Collins did the seemingly-impossible in that she wrote a real, true-to-the-story ending that only made me love the series more. She stayed true to what she'd set up previously and somehow made it work unbelievably well. Honestly, the ending might just be my favorite part of the entire series.

If you've read MOCKINGJAY, I'd love to discuss it with you!! Please keep comments spoiler-free, but feel free to email me!

Review: Catching Fire

CATCHING FIRE

Suzanne Collins

WARNING: there's no way to review this without ruining HUNGER GAMES. And it's difficult to review without spoiling the book itself, so a lot of important things will (out of necessity) be left out of this review.

After winning the Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are back at home in District 12. Living in her new home in Victor's Village and richer than she could have previously managed, Katniss' life should be perfect. But because of her, uh, unorthodox solution to surviving the Games, she's on President Snow's short list. While Peeta's affections for her are obvious and undying, Snow doesn't quite believe that what Katniss did was prompted entirely by love. Apparently some of the other districts -- the larger, more desperate ones -- are beginning to act out in rebellion, and Katniss is the unwitting symbol of this rebellion.

And while Katniss is trying to convince President Snow of her great love for Peeta Mellark, aware that any uprisings in the surrounding districts will be pinned on her, the Hunger Games are once again afoot. And, as the third Quarter Quell, this Game comes with specific instructions -- ones that drag Katniss even closer to the danger around her.

The setting here is, as it was in the first novel, pretty amazing. Collins really does a brilliant job of world-building in this trilogy, and Katniss' new living situation comes at a sharp contrast from the poverty she endured during the first book. Themes here are different but just as pronounced as in the previous book. Instead of her own survival, Katniss is suddenly worried about Gale, Peeta, and her family's survival. Her own life means nothing if she can't protect the ones she loves. The plot moves quickly, covering much more space than the first book and though nothing important is left out, it does leave the reader (in this case me) wondering about all the things we don't know that happened in the large chunk of time the book covers. The ending is surprising and -- though I rarely say this -- completely out of nowhere. I'm so glad to have the last book in the series because otherwise I would be going crazy right now.

The one real problem I had with this book was Katniss. While many of the other characters -- Peeta especially -- were incredible, Katniss disappointed. In the first installment we saw her develop into a very multi-dimensional character, full of loyalty and love even in the midst of a horrific battle. She was smart, savvy, and although her situation was despicable, it was easy to root for her. In CATCHING FIRE, however, this spark seems missing. She comes across as not quite know what she feels or what she wants, and as a result ends up acting oblivious and incredibly distrusting even of those who are obviously on her side. Her choice between her own life and a rebellion is a difficult one, but the fact that she seemed to constantly be going back and forth on this (and other issues -- see: Gale, Peeta) was annoying and definitely didn't endear me to her. By the end of the book -- especially in the end of the book -- I wasn't quite sure what to make of Katniss. I wanted to like her, but ultimately I didn't. I'm really hoping that the Katniss from book one will be back in the last installment.

Overall, the second book in the Hunger Games trilogy felt exactly like the second book in a trilogy. An exceptionally well-executed second book, with an incredible premise, themes, setting, and surprise ending, but still a second book... a link between the set-up of the first and the punchline (so to speak) of the last. And of course if you liked HUNGER GAMES, this should be on your list.

The "Best Ever" Award!!!

This is what happened today. You may have seen some squee-ing over on my Twitter. But because it was just so exciting and wonderful I feel the need to do a blog post.

I'm was reading CATCHING FIRE. I was about halfway through, getting more and more nervous by the second. I feel like this trilogy is like if they took that one scene from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory -- the one where everyone's in the creepy tunnel? -- and stretched it out over three books, added in "The Lottery" and the Roman colosseum, gave it a plot and some stellar writing, and then sold it to us. It's gut-wrenching and despicable, but I keep waiting for some redemption for the unwitting victims of this society.

So yeah, I was nervous. And my sister was sitting next to me, asking me to go to the mall with her, and I pushed the book over at her, told her to read the last page for me. I used to do this. Used to read the last page of a novel to find out how it ended before I got there.

I just wanted to know if it ends horribly. (Which, I kind of figured it did. I mean, we're not to the end yet.) So Taylor read the last page and then she told me the last sentence, which got my brain into a horrible tizzy of course. And she said, "Well, after you finish this one you'll definitely want to start the last one right away."

Cue the agony. Because I didn't have the last one and I also didn't have any money to buy it with. I know, I know, I knew this when I bought the first two. But it didn't seem to matter as much before I'd read a single word of HUNGER GAMES.

Later, after we'd gone to the mall and were back home again, Taylor showed up in my room practically bouncing. "Okay, you seem excited," I said. A master of the dead pan, am I.

Then she pulled me up, pushed me out of my room and down the stairs saying that she had to show me something.

You guys.

You guys.

There was a wrapped package sitting halfway down the stairs.

While I was in Barnes & Noble she'd gone to Walmart and, yes, bought me MOCKINGJAY. And then didn't say a word about it until we were home and she'd wrapped it for me.

OMG YOU GUYS.

I AM SO HAPPY.

Review: The Hunger Games

Review in Short: When 16-yr old Katniss takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games -- the annual fight-to-the-death, gladiator-style -- that the Capitol forces every district to participate in, she finds herself outmatched and in the unenviable position of placing her survival over everything else. Including loyalty, love, and even the lives of her fellow tributes, some of whom are even younger than her. This is an incredible story rife with complications, conflict, and a gut-wrenching fight for survival. 95/100 = A

Premise: 8. Teenage "tributes" in a huge arena. A fight to the death orchestrated by the government. A girl who takes her younger sister's place in the struggle for survival. As great as this premise is, I do feel like it's been done to death. PUNS FTW.

Plot: 10. I'm a bit lost in the world of action-packed dystopian stories, but I thought the plot and pacing -- especially the pacing -- of this book was incredible. From the moment Katniss steps up to take her sister's place in the Hunger games, she's closely watched by everyone in the country, and in danger both from her fellow tributes and the Capitol. The pace of this book and the twists and turns were so flawless that honestly I'm having a difficult time pointing out just why it was so great. I just know it was.

Characters: 10. I didn't love Katniss at first. She's guarded, smart, very focused, and very untrusting. But she's in a fight to the death: she has to be these things. And, by the end of the book, I loved her. I loved her confusion and her conflicting feelings and the fact that she knew everything was wrong and was powerless to stop it. And the other characters? Incredible. From Rue to Cinna to Peeta I loved them all. Seriously, seriously good job on making the characters in a very plot-driven book stand out and be multi-dimensional. Such greatness here!

Relationships: 10. Again, incredible, and I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who, like me, is late to the party with this one, but I loved the development of characters and relationships in this book. It was just short of perfect as Katniss' love and loyalty is pitted against her need for survival. The conflict here, as in the rest of the book, is palpable.

Setting: 10. Come on. The setting is the book. The poverty of District 12 contrasted with the wealth of the Capitol and then the wilderness of the arena. Suzanne Collins, I tip my hat to you.

Themes: 9. Family. Loyalty. Love. Survival. Doing what's right vs. doing what you have to. Government. People. Wealth.

Voice: 10.

Ending: 10. I have an incredibly difficult time judging endings of books that are set up for a sequel and this is no different: I'm a little conflicted. But, to be honest, the entire conclusion of this book is awesome and it makes you want to read the next book without telling you what the next book is about.

Recommendability: 8.

Fangirly: 10. This book is like if the world of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery" was explored in depth, from the perspective of a teenage girl. It's awesome. Incredible. Gut-wrenching. And I can't wait to read CATCHING FIRE and MOCKINGJAY.

This book gets 95 out of 100 points, an A.

For anyone interested. Honestly, this is one of those novels that I feel like I can't tell you if you're going to like it. As incredible as it is, there is a lot of action, a lot of violence, a lot of death. And you have to decide if you want to read something like that.