Happy Friday, everyone!
I’ve had another really busy week full of beta-reading and working on math stuff, so instead of the book review for Royal Assassin that I originally had planned for today, you’re getting a tag! Since, you know, writing a review would have meant actually finding the time to read the book first 😜
But tags are great, too! (Plus, I really need to get around to doing them, because, by now, there are over twenty sitting in my drafts folder. Oops… I will work my way through all of them eventually, though, I promise! 😊)
Anyway, since both Amy @ A Fangirl’s Opinion and Zoë @ Reading by the Moonlight were kind enough to tag me for the “Meet the Book Blogger Tag” this week and the questions looked really interesting, I thought I would give this one a try! It was created by Samantha and Amber @ Bibliomavens and sounds like such a fun way to get to know other bloggers better! So thanks again for tagging me, Amy and Zoë! 💚
The Rules
- Nominated bloggers can nominate ten other bloggers.
- Use the same questions from the tag.
- Tag the original creator and the blogger who tagged you
Who is your all-time favorite book character?
Don’t make me pick 😳😭😂
Ginny, Hermione, Professor McGonagall, and, of course, Harry, from Harry Potter. Skye from The Penderwicks. Luxa from The Underland Chronicles. Anne from Anne of Green Gables. Alanna and Faithful from the Song of the Lioness quartet. Kestrel and Arin from the Winner’s Curse series. The Thunderhead in Neal Shusterman’s Scythe trilogy. Percy, Annabeth, and Nico from the Percy Jackson series. Elodin from The Name of the Wind. Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight from Erin Hunter’s Warriors series, which was one of my many teenage obsessions… And there are so many more! Basically, if I loved a book, I will also have loved the characters, so all you really need to do is take a look at my favorite books, and you will find your answers there 🥰
If you were stranded on a desert island, which book would you take with you? (Survival books do not count)
Why??? Why can’t I take a survival book? Amy and Zoë both said they would pick a long book to keep them occupied during their time on the island, but quite honestly, without a survival book, I would probably die on my very first day there. So I don’t think it matters much 😅
Maybe I should just take one of my favorite books where characters are stranded on deserted islands so I can copy some of their survival tips? Like Theodore Taylor’s The Cay, Gordon Korman’s Island trilogy, or Ann Halam’s Dr. Franklin’s Island… I mean, those aren’t technically survival books, right?
But then again, reading about other characters in the same abysmal situation as I am in would probably just make me more depressed, so maybe I’ll go with the optimistic long book option after all 🤔 In that case, I want to take a Russian copy of Anna Karenina – I’ve always wanted to read it, and if I make it through the whole book in Russian, I will surely have amazing language skills by the time someone rescues me!
(Or maybe I would just take Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and reread that for the five-millionth time? 😍)
What’s your most unpopular book opinion?
You think I have just one of these? 😅😅😅 I am a treasure trove of unpopular opinions!! But, to give you a sampling:
Game of Thrones, Red Rising, and the Shatter Me series are completely overrated.
Rowan Whitethorn is one of the worst love interests I’ve ever encountered – I wouldn’t have minded at all if Sarah J. Maas had just killed him off in Queen of Shadows.
The love triangle in The Infernal Devices was one of the most annoying ones in the history of love triangles, and the way it was resolved was the cheapest cop-out ever.
Deckled edges are actually really pretty.
(Actually, no, I’m not sorry at all 🤣🤣🤣 I proudly stand by these opinions! But still, please don’t hate me? 🥺)
What’s your weirdest bookish habit?
You’re probably gonna think I’m bonkers, but I love fact-checking books and keep lists of mistakes I’ve found in them – logical errors, consistency issues, grammar problems, you name it! 😁
I started this when I was still in elementary school, naively envisioning that I might someday contact the respective authors or publishers to let them know about stuff they might want to fix in later editions. What was I even thinking? Of course, I’m way too terrified and socially awkward to ever reach out to authors and tell them they’re wrong about something 😅
Especially since some of these things are so random that people would probably think you’re crazy to even have noticed this. For example, did you know that in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the first task takes place on Tuesday, November 24, 1994? The day of the week, day, and month are all mentioned at some point in the book, and you can calculate the year knowing other dates, such as Nearly Headless Nick’s Death Day. But guys – Tuesday, November 24, 1994 never actually existed!!! November 24, 1994 was, in fact, a Thursday. A travesty!
I know. I’m weird 😂
What character would you bring to a family event as your fake partner?
Can I just go ahead and pick Peeta Mellark? 🥰
I mean, he already has a bit of experience in the fake dating department, and plus, he’s good with crowds, which is definitely a prerequisite for meeting my chaotic family 😂 There are already six of us in our household alone, plus usually one exchange student, and since my mom has five siblings and my dad has two, most of whom have a ton of children of their own, family events tend to get very out of control… I honestly don’t even know half the kids there anymore, because so many of my cousins have had babies recently that it’s hard to keep track 😅
Most importantly, though, I’ve learned from books that fake dating ends up leading to the real thing more often than not. And who wouldn’t want to date and eventually marry Peeta?
What made you decide to start a book blog?
A mixture of things. I’ve always loved reading and gushing about books, and the discovery of BookTube eventually led to me falling in love with the online book community! However, I was and still am way too camera-shy to ever consider starting a channel of my own. Besides, I’ve always been into writing, whereas video-editing skills are not my forte 🤣
So I toyed with the idea of starting a blog for a while, and then, a homework assignment for one of my coding classes actually gave me the final push I needed! Still, I was way too self-conscious at the time to actually engage with other people, so it took me a few years and a bit of prodding from friends to realize I liked what I wrote enough to let other people see it.
But now that this blog is public, I couldn’t imagine going back! I have so much fun interacting with all of you, and our community is one of my absolute favorite things about this hobby ❤️
What about reading and books do you love the most?
EVERYTHING!!! 🥰🥰🥰 I love escaping into fictional worlds and exploring ideas I haven’t encountered before. I love engaging with language and seeing how every author uses it in their own creative way. I love learning new things. Falling in love with characters. Having my mind blown by crazy twists and turns. Seeing how literature has evolved over time. Honestly, what’s not to love about reading?
What is your field of study/desired profession/current profession?
My study program might sound a bit complicated to those of you not familiar with the German system, but basically, I’m at university studying math, English, and educational science in order to become a teacher! Which means that I pretty much have to take the exact same courses someone majoring in math and English literature and linguistics would, with a few additional classes pertaining to teaching those subjects, as well as in psychology and pedagogy.
I am also simultaneously getting my “regular” master’s degree in math. I already passed the final exam that would allow me to start teaching, so writing my thesis for that math degree is actually the only thing keeping me at university. Well, that and the fact that there are so many interesting classes I can take voluntarily, like supplemental advanced math courses or language classes 😊
And who knows what I am actually going to do once I finish my thesis? I do really enjoy teaching, but I could also see myself staying at university a little bit longer to get a PhD in math. And of course, my life-long dream has always been to become an author, so I will always be writing on the side! Although who knows when I’ll actually be satisfied enough with something I’ve written to try to publish it 😅
What are some book recommendations that became your favorites/obsessions?
Most recently, Katherine Arden’s Winternight trilogy! If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you are probably tired of hearing me gush about it, but it has everything I love in a fantasy novel! Such as beautifully slow, lyrical writing, amazing characters, and a ton of historical, cultural and linguistic references that Russia-obsessed me immediately gobbled up 🤩
What is the book you shove down everyone’s throat?
I don’t think there is a specific one, since I usually tailor my book recommendations to the person I’m giving them to, in order to increase my chances of getting them to actually read the books 😁
But I think the book I have forced the most people to read is probably The Penderwicks 😊 And so far, all of my victims seemed very happy with their predicament, so unless they’re lying to spare my feelings, I really think this is a series everyone should check out!
Who do you tag?
I tag the following amazing people, whose blogs you should most definitely pay a visit:
- Ella @ Ella Isn’t Reading
- Esmeralda @ Lattes and Literature
- Line @ First Line Reader
- Nehal @ Books and Words
- Riddhi @ Whispering Stories
Remember, you are in no way obligated to do this if you don’t want to! I completely understand if tags just aren’t your thing, or if you have so many of them waiting that it’s starting to get a bit overwhelming 😂 Just know that I love your blogs and this is my way of repaying you for all the effort you’ve put in 😉
Also, if anyone else would like to do this, consider yourself tagged! I would love to learn more about all of your reading habits!
So anyway, that’s it for today! I hope you enjoyed getting to know me a little better, and do tell me if you’ve read any of the books you mentioned here and what you thought of them!
Also, what are some of your unpopular opinions? Do any of you feel the need to hide in fear like I probably should after revealing mine? I’d love to know!
A Book Owl's Corner 
Omg, what a fun tag!! Thanks a lot for tagging me, Naemi 😀😍. I’ll get to it “soon”.
Ah, I loved reading your answers. That weirdo one had me on the floor 😆. And yes,I wouldn’t mind bringing HP 5 on an island, it’s my fav in the series!✨
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Haha, I’m going to get to all my tags “soon”, too, so take all the time you want! 🤣🤣 And I’m glad you thought the weirdo one was funny, rather than absolutely nuts 😁😅 Also, Order of the Phoenix is definitely the best one, so I’m glad you’re also aware of that 🥰
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Loved your answers! So happy you did the tag 🙂 I also toyed with the idea of choosing Hermione has my favourite book character – she’s always been up there for me!
Also loved your explanation for why you love reading 🙂 It’s so hard to put it into words but I think you conveyed the magic of reading quite well! x
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It’s so hard to choose one specific favorite character! Jane Eyre was definitely a wonderful choice as well, and I’m extremely impressed you managed to narrow all your options down to her! But it’s great to hear you love Hermione, too 😊
And thank you! I struggled so hard to explain what exactly it is that I love about reading and still feel as though my explanation somehow fell short, so it’s nice to hear that at least some of it seems to have come across 😁
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It wasn’t a quick decision, trust me haha
Definitely! But it is really hard to put into words how much you love something 🙂
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I loved reading your answers! Nico, McGonagall, Hermione, and Anne are some of my favourite characters too! Ha ha I’ll get into The Penderwicks one day😂
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Yay, I’m so glad you love them, too! 🤗 (Though honestly – how could anyone NOT fall in love with such wonderful people? 🥰) And I’d love to hear your thoughts on The Penderwicks one day! 😁🤩🤣
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Thanks for the tag Naemi! I can’t wait to do it!
Also, while I love ToG, I also think that Rowan isn’t the best main romantic interest. i get that he did awesome stuff for Aelin, but still, I like Chaol and Dorian better!
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You’re welcome! I’d love to know your answers to some of these – especially the unpopular opinions one 😉😁
And I’m proud of you for at least being not completely smitten with Rowan, either 😜😂 Pretty much every other guy in this series would have been better, if you ask me 🙈
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Oh, I am pretty sure all my readers will come and beat me up for the unpopular opinions one, so I contemplating whether or not should I share them😂😂
Umm… not Erawan, though he is technically not a guy.
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Share them!! 🤗 There’s nothing better than having a few unpopular opinions to argue about 😉
And, well, I guess you’re right 😂😂 But then again, if the only compliment people give you is that you’re better than a Valg king, I’m not so sure if that really speaks in your favor 🤔
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Haha, true😃
And well, yeah, that’s true too😅
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I loved reading your answers, Naemi!
The struggle to pick just one favourite character is so real!! I don’t know how people do it. Anna Karenina would be a great companion on that island, but how long do you plan to stay there to read it in full? That book is huge!! 😂 Please, do share more of your unpopular opinions. I love reading those even if I have no idea about the books in question- I kind of agree on Game of Thrones, though.
It never occurred to me to fact-check books, but I might try it someday- it sounds fun in a weird way!
And who wouldn’t want to live through the whole fake dating trope with Peeta? Sounds like the dream 😍
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Thank you, Nefeli! 😊 I’m glad you relate to the struggle of having to pick a favorite character – it’s impossible 😅 It’s pretty much the same as trying to pick a favorite person in real life, and how could you ever?!
And I suppose I just have too much experience with bad luck to not plan for the worst 😂 In all the island survival stories I’ve read, everyone always seems convinced that if you aren’t rescued immediately after a shipwreck, your chances of being found are pretty slim indeed… So if I have time to read at all, there’ll probably be enough for Anna Karenina? 😅🤔
I’m also glad you enjoyed my controversial opinions, and yes, you should totally try fact-checking books! It’s so much funner than one would expect 🤣 And yesss – Peeta! 😍
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“Game of Thrones is overrated.”… But… It’s so good!! 😱 That one hurt me, but you did put Winternight in this post so I guess it’s fine 😉 And also yes to your Infernal Devices opinion. Hated how that was resolved!
You doing those fact-checks so they could be corrected in future editions is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard! And so you! Whenever I see dates such as the one you mention, I always assume that the author must have checked that it’s correct, but I often wonder.
And thanks for tagging me! 🤗 I’m going to have such a hard time picking my favorite character. Because I’m me, I will actually only pick one 😉 I’m pretty sure I know who it is, but I’m going to feel like I’m betraying everybody else, you know 😅 You also picked the most perfect fake-dating partner, so I’ll have to think of somebody else.
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I’m glad my Winternight love redeems my hugely unpopular Game of Thrones opinion 😁 If it’s any consolation, way more people seem to agree with you than me on the A Song of Ice and Fire books 😉 But seriously – getting through some of those POVs was absolute torture! Just Daenerys, Arya, and Jon Snow would have been fine with me 😂
And I’m glad you think my fact-checking habits are cute rather than crazy 🤣 But it’s just so interesting! How could you not want to know if the author really did their research properly? 😇
Also, you’re very welcome for the tag! There are quite a few characters I know you love, so I’m already looking forward to your top pick 🤗 Vasya, maybe? I guess I’ll have to wait and find out!
And yes, Peeta really is the perfect choice for that scenario 🥰 Though I suppose if Katniss can share him, we could also figure something out. What is fake-dating without a proper love triangle, after all? 🤣
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I’ll admit that some of the chapters in those books are pretty boring. I actually DNF’d book two the first time I read it because of that. But it helped that I watched a few more season of the show, so I knew the importance of those chapters when I picked it up again. I’m so glad I did 😍
And you’re right that Vasya is a strong contender for that decision! 🥰 And that love triangle scenario sounds like the only YA book I want to be a part of 😂
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Book two was also the one that made me DNF the series 😁 Unlike you, though, I never returned to it – maybe because the TV show never exactly hooked me, either 😅 But since everyone seems to be very upset about the final seasons, I’m actually kind of relieved I didn’t! 😜😁
I’m very excited to see your ultimate winner of the favorite character category, though, and it’s nice to hear Vasya is in the running 🤗 And you’re right on that last part, too. Since most YA books involve some type of existential threat, I think I’ll steer clear of applying other aspects to real life as well!
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Okay if you didn’t like the TV show, there’s nothing I can do 😄 And yeah, you didn’t miss a great ending there. Just really hoping the books turn out better if they ever see the light of day (probably not).
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I loved reading your answers! And I’m glad I wasn’t the only person who couldn’t pick just one character, I love them all! I’ve heard lots of good things about Arden’s Winternight trilogy and you’ve convinced me to add it to my overflowing TBR! 😅
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Yes, picking just one favorite is the epitome of impossibility! How could anyone do this to their poor, precious characters?! I’m totally with you – it’s much better to spam your readers with a whole bunch of favorites 😁😂😇
Also, I would LOVE to see what you think of the Winternight trilogy! 😍 I hope you end up loving it just as much as I did!
And thanks again for tagging me! I had so much fun with this! 😊
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Love your answers to these! So many characters haha!
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Well, why just name one character when you can also pick a dozen or so? 🤷♀️😊 And I’m glad you enjoyed my answers! ❤
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(Oops I forgot to comment yesterday after I read this post…. guess I’ll just do that right now 🙈)
I loved reading your answers to these questions Naemi!! Ahh I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one with 10+ tags sitting in my drafts folder 😂
That bookish habit of yours is so interesting!! I love random trivia like that so I’m very intrigued! And I’m loving the Penderwicks appreciation here 🤩 That remains one of the most wholesome and sweetest series I’ve ever read 😍
And I haven’t read most of the books pertaining to your unpopular opinions but I can definitely see why they might be controversial 😂 I’ve never watched the GoT TV show but the books have been a mixed batch so far — Books 1 and 2 were just okay, I loved Book 3, hated Book 4, and now I’m just procrastinating reading Book 5 😅
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Don’t worry! I can’t keep up with comments at all, so I certainly wouldn’t blame you if you ever forgot or just didn’t feel like commenting! Although I do always love reading your wonderful replies, Abby, so I’m happy you decided to drop by again 😊❤
And ahh, yes, the curse of the many tags 🤣 It’s so frustrating, because I love being tagged in things and there are actually so many interesting questions I really want to get to, but there are just so overwhelming many I haven’t even started on yet! I’d probably be occupied for an entire month just writing the posts… But at least I’ll never run out of content any time soon 😁
Haha, I’m glad you thought that habit was interesting rather than nuts 🤣 But trust me, not all of the mistakes are as intriguing as that one… Often it’s just “there’s a typo on page so-and-so” – very exciting, I know 😄 But I’m still so thrilled you also love The Penderwicks!
Also, thanks for the Game of Thrones breakdown! I haven’t seen too much of the show, either – my sister dragged me to watch the first five episodes to try and get me to continue reading the books – but from what I’ve seen, the adaptation is very similar to the source material. And I just never really got that into it! 😅 I DNFed the series about halfway through book two, so even without reading the fifth one, you’re way ahead of me! 😉
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I really enjoyed this post, Naemi! I completely agree with you on what you love about reading.
And the Penderwicks are wonderful!! 😀
Thanks so much for the nomination/tag by the way. 😁
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Thank you, Esmeralda! I’m always thrilled to discover more Penderwicks fans, so I’m very happy to hear you love it, too 😊 That book just has the most wholesome sibling relationships ever 🥰
And you’re welcome for the tag! I hope you have fun if you do end up doing it! 🤗
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Nico!! 😍 I’m reading Mark of Athena right now and I’m just loving hearing more about him.
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Ahhh, The Mark of Athena! 😍 That one is my favorite Heroes of Olympus book, so I’m thrilled to hear you’re enjoying it and Nico! That boy is just so precious and absolutely epic at the same time 🥰
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Also, I started my blog for similar reasons! I wanted to do booktube as a way to talk about books but I am AWKWARD and hate editing 😅
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Same! Truly, if I ever joined BookTube, I think my viewers would be traumatized from the amount of second-hand embarrassment they’d experience due to my cringy awkwardness 🤣 So I think I’ll stay in this little corner of the internet and spare them 😉
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Awwww thanks for doing the tag! It was so much fun reading your answers! 😀
I loved reading your unpopular book opinions! Yes to the Infernal Devices triangle. One, I hate triangles, and two, that one was just…no. The fact you fact-check your books makes me so happy! I always noticed the mistakes, then forget. Thank you for that tidbit of info about GoF!
That is so cool what you’re going to school for! I love the mix of English and Math, I don’t usually see readers who also like numbers and vice versa haha. Can’t wait to read one of your books one day though! – Amber
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Thank you so much, Amber! ❤ I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my answers, because I had so much fun with this tag, too! 😊 You guys should be really proud of coming up with it!
And finally, more people who hate the Infernal Devices love triangle! Seriously, it seems that whenever I read someone’s blog or watch a BookTube video, people mention it as the perfect example of how love triangles should be done… And I just shudder 🥴 No thank you!
Also, it’s interesting you apparently think my subject combination is weirder than my fact-checking habit 😂 But yes, I think math and English make for a cool combination, too! They’re just so different that I never get bored, and when I need a break from studying one, it’s always really refreshing to have the other to turn to 😊 And I also hope you’ll be able to read one of my books one day! Being an author would be the coolest thing ever!
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Awww thanks! I’m so glad you enjoyed doing it, that means a lot 🥰
And honestly, I don’t get it. It made me cringe the whole way through. I also don’t think there’s any good way to do a love triangle…
And yeah, definitely never getting bored! Sometimes you just need a break from reading all the classics.
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Well, I did actually like the love triangle in The Hunger Games 😅 But I think that’s possibly the only exception to my hatred of the trope, and in that case, I saw it as a natural part of Katniss growing up and the circumstances of her life changing… But to have one person fall in love with two different people simultaneously and lead both of them on? 😳 No thank you! 🤣
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I agree with you on the Hunger Games being one of the better love triangles. I think because it was also part of the story and very much a plot line and not just there for romance sake that it worked for the books. And like you said, just a natural part of her growing up.
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Oh wow, this is just a hilarious post, especially the part about the 3 hour break, it’s sooooo tempting
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Thanks, Aanya! 😊 And you have no idea how close I actually came to taking those beaks 🤣 I have no stamina anymore 😅 But I’m glad you can relate!
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Oh my God Naemi… Those unpopular opinions are VERY controversial. Particularly the one of The Infernal Devices 👀 I mean, I understand where you’re coming from because they way it was “resolved” wasn’t the best but NOOO. Jem and Will are so precious!! It was so gutting to read about it! Though Tessa was definitely the annoying one in the equation.
Peeta is a great option to bring to a family event!! He would definitely make everyone feel comfortable ☺️
An amazing post as always Naemi! Loved it 😍
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Haha, well, I actually do really like Tessa 😁 And I adore Will! 😍 Jem is the one I’m not so fond of 😅 He grew on me a little in The Dark Artifices, but in the Infernal Devices, I just felt like his only character traits were playing the violin, being sick, and being completely oblivious to his Parabatai’s feelings, even though they were supposedly such good friends 😅 So yeah – I guess the true extent of this opinion is EXTREMELY unpopular 😂 Sorry! 😁😇
But I’m glad we at least agree on Peeta and that you liked the post! 😊 Thanks for stopping by, Pilar!
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For me it’s almost the exact opposite!! At first I really wanted to hate Jem because he was keeping Tessa and Will apart, but Will’s love for him got to me eventually and I started loving him too (which means my anger changed target 😅) But then in The Dark Artifices he annoyed me a little cause I felt he could’ve helped much more 😬😬
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Well, I never really despised Jem, either, but I just didn’t see anything about him that made me like him! So compared to Will, I just wasn’t a fan… Which is why I actually didn’t mind at all that he didn’t help out more in The Dark Artifices! 😁😂
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