This is one of the only tags that I tend to revisit every almost every year, and it’s always so much fun! I was actually a little disappointed to find that I didn’t have too many very distinctive characters to use this year, so I ended up having to use a combination of characters from books I’ve read in 2021 and also many from books I’ve read since the last time I did this tag (mid-June 2020). I’ve done my best to include only one character per book or series, although I did have to make one exception and include two from The Dark Artifices because I just couldn’t find another character that was memorable enough to use. In theory, I probably should have waited until a little later in the year to redo this tag, but it is such fun that I didn’t want to wait.
This tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire and Beccathebookreviewer. To participate, you have to make a list of 30 character names, and choose two at random for every question. After you have picked your two names, you decide which character is a better fit for that question, and which one is “not good enough.” As usual, I’ve purposely split my list 50-50 to have an equal number of male and female characters, for the sake of balance. Since this tag has been out for a while now, anyone who wants to give it a try, consider yourself tagged!
1) You have only one more spot on your spelling bee team. Who would you pick to complete your team?
My options are: Aaron Soto (More Happy Than Not) or Pepper (Tweet Cute)
Definitely Pepper! Given how much effort she put into the Twitter war between her family’s restaurant and Jack’s, I feel like she would be more competitive than Aaron. I’m not sure either of these characters have particularly strong spelling skills, so I guess competitiveness will have to be the defining factor. I also feel like I would generally get along better with Pepper.
2) Both characters want to kill you. Which one do you kill first so you have a better chance of surviving?
My options are: Prince Henry (Red, White & Royal Blue) or Julian Blackthorn (The Dark Artifices)
Oh no! I wouldn’t want to kill either of these characters! I think if it was a question of survival, I’d have to get rid of Julian first since he’s much more likely to be a threat due to his Shadowhunter training. I don’t find Henry particularly threatening at all. I wouldn’t think of Julian as a threat in general either, but he has more potential to become one under the right circumstances.
3) You’re on The Bachelor/Bachelorette and you’re down to these two characters. Which one are you going to give your rose to?
My options are: Cardan Greenbriar (The Cruel Prince) or Kiera Johnson (Slay)
Tough choice (taking gender out of the equation) since both were very interesting characters. As much as I liked Cardan as a character, I absolutely loved his relationship with Jude and think it would take a very specific dynamic to be compatible with him. On the other hand, I probably have a bit more in common with Kiera because I also like computer games, so I guess I’d have to pick her.
4) You’ve been chosen for The Hunger Games. Who would most likely volunteer in your place?
My options are: Vanessa Wye (My Dark Vanessa) or Maggie Holt (Home Before Dark)
I don’t really see either of these characters as quick to jump in to volunteer for something like this. I can see Maggie being a little more likely to volunteer, but I think Vanessa would have a stronger interest in the Games and would probably fare much better in them. I guess I’ll go with Vanessa because I think she’d be more willing to participate, although I really don’t see her volunteering either.
5) You’re stranded on an island. Which character would you sacrifice to engage in cannibalism?
My options are: Scythe Faraday (The Arc of the Scythe series) or Kara Resnik (The Themis Files)
Very difficult choice! These are two of my favourite characters from their respective series. I guess if I had to choose, I’d sacrifice Kara because her impulsivity might end up putting us both at risk and I also think she’d be harder to get along with long-term than Faraday. On the other hand, Kara might have better skills to help survive the island.
6) You’re the next DC/Marvel superhero (with your own TV show of course). Who is your sidekick?
My options are: Nesta Archeron (A Court of Silver Flames) or Nikolai (King of Scars)
Definitely Nikolai! Although I really like Nesta as a character and she’d be a powerful sidekick, she’d also be very difficult to work with. Plus, Nikolai’s humour would be a good fit for the comic relief part that often comes with a sidekick’s role (at least for the TV series part of being a hero).
7) You’re a manager at the Avocado Admiring Company. Who would you fire for lack of communication skills?
My options are: Malcolm Kershaw (Eight Perfect Murders) or Ty Blackthorn (The Dark Artifices)
This is a tricky one, since Malcolm is unreliable and Ty has a lot of struggles with communication skills. Of the two, I think Ty is a lot more trustworthy though and it would be much easier to communicate with him than with Malcolm. I think Malcolm would function just fine in day-to-day communication, but he also couldn’t be trusted to communicate as openly and honestly.
8) You’ve just finished a book in which your favourite character dies. Which character is most likely to comfort you?
My options are: January Andrews (Beach Read) or Owen Pick (Invisible Girl)
Definitely January. I think Owen would mean well and make an effort to comfort me, but January is an author herself so I think she’d be a lot more likely to be able to relate to the experience of losing a character you love.
9) Ugh, it’s high school. Who would most likely be part of the popular clique?
My options are: Rhen (A Curse So Dark and Lonely) or Lucy Gray (The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)
Are we including the fact that Rhen can turn into a monster? Because I think that would really have a negative effect on his social standing. I see Lucy as being a little too independent to really care about being popular, but for some reason, I see her fitting in better with that crowd so I guess I’ll pick her.
10) The day has arrived: You’re finally one year older! Who would have the nerve to forget your birthday?
My options are: Mia Covere (Nevernight) or Addie LaRue (The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue)
Probably Addie, because she’d assume she would be able to get away with it since I wouldn’t remember her anyway. Mia’s very loyal, so I don’t think she would forget if I was on her good side.
11) You’ve just found an upcoming Booktube star. Who would it most likely be?
My options are: Gavin Scott (Bromance Book Club) or Maya Rehman (Yes No Maybe So)
I really like both of them and would probably subscribe to both of their channels, but I think of the two, I’d likely prefer Maya. To be fair, I have no idea what her taste in books is, but it might be fun to see Gavin’s opinions on the books that he and his friends are reading. I just feel like his channel would end up focusing too heavily on sports for my taste, unless we are limiting it to bookish content only. I get the feeling Maya would be into contemporary books, especially ones that deal with social justice, which I also enjoy.
12) Sleepover time! Unfortunately, you can only invite one person. Who would you invite?
My options are: Ronan Lynch (Call Down the Hawk) or Adele (Behind Her Eyes)
It’s a little ironic that I have the two characters on my list who have something unusual about their sleep already. Of these two, I would definitely pick Ronan since I would not trust Adele at all!
13) Bam, you’re pregnant. Who is the father or mother?
My options are: Ari (Bloom) or Simon (Well Met)
Considering Ari is still a teenager, I think I’ll have to go with Simon. I do think Ari would be a great father when he’s older, but he’s not quite there yet. I also think it would be fun for Simon to share his love of the Renaissance Faire with the child and have them grow up being involved with it.
14) You’ve just written a super important text. Who would see it but not reply?
My options are: Kenji (Shatter Me) or Emoni (With the Fire On High)
My gut instinct says Emoni, although it wouldn’t be intentional. I can easily see her getting too busy in the kitchen or with her daughter, and forgetting to respond even if she means to.
15) You’ve just woken up for breakfast. Your mom has been replaced by…?
My options are: Audrey Rose (Stalking Jack the Ripper) or Khai (The Bride Test)
Either of them would be fine, really. I think of the two, I’d slightly prefer Audrey Rose because her interest in science and forensics would be interesting to discuss, but I’d be fine with either of them.
Abyssal Librarian 