Saturday 14 February 2015

The 'Bookish Couples' Awards, In Celebration Of Valentines Day!

Seeing as it's Valentines Day, and I spent my last Top Ten Tuesday post dissing Romance as a genre, I thought I would take some time to celebrate things that I do enjoy about romance and it's sub-plots in fiction. So I've compiled a list of categories and chosen winners (as well as notable mentions) for each one.

Best Non-Romantic Duo:

Sam & Patrick (WINNER)
'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower'; Stephen Chbosky.

These two were my absolute favourites from the moment I met them as characters in the book. They were so funny and instantly accepting, and I would love them to be my best friends! Of course they were my winners, no one could ever beat them.

Cinder & Captain Thorne
'Scarlet'; Marissa Meyer.

I picked these two because they managed to be really funny and good together, but without making me want them to be together. Not once did I get annoyed at their developing relationship or think "What about Kai?" because I knew they were just going to be friends!

Bronn & Tyrion 
'A Game Of Thrones'; George R.R. Martin.

I just had to with these guys. They are SO funny! I love their constant banter throughout the entire book, and I always smiled when I read their conversations. They are an amazing duo in the books (and they are really good in the TV Series too).

Funniest Couple:

Cecile & Tristan (WINNER)
'Stolen Songbird'; Danielle L. Jensen.

These two win hands down. Their constant banter is some of the funniest I have ever read, and it was really endearing to read their constant hateful and sarcastic comments towards each other, and know that they are totally falling in love.

Howl & Sophie
'Howl's Moving Castle'; Diana Wynne Jones.

There isn't a huge amount of romance between these two until right at the very end, but before that they are hilarious! Howl is such a dramatic, selfish, insulting man and Sophie's constant remarks and comments on his awful behaviour are really funny.

Irene & Andras
'Thereafter'; Terri Bruce.

I was rooting for these two for the entirety of this book but it was so funny to see their conversations. Andras is a God-fearing, chivalrous, Spanish knight and Irene is a sassy, modern, stubborn woman who has an argument for everything. I enjoyed watching these two develop.

Most Badass Couple:

Katniss & Peeta (WINNER)
'The Hunger Games'; Suzanne Collins.

I just love these two! They are such a good team when they join together in order to win the Games, and I love the bond that they develop. They both have really cool skills that means that both contribute to their survival.

Tris & Four
'Divergent'; Veronica Roth.

Similarly, Tris & Four are an awesome couple. They definitely come under the badass section during the final section of the book, when the two of them work together to foil Erudite's plans. I loved reading about them fighting and dealing with the problem and they both displayed some pretty impressive skills along the way!

Scarlet & Wolf
'Scarlet'; Marissa Meyer.

What an awesome pairing! He's strong, tough and a good fighter, while she's intelligent, quick thinking and stubborn. Together they were totally badass! I loved the way that they changed each other too, it made for really cool reading.

Most Tragic Love Story:

Severus & Lily (WINNER)
'Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows'; J.K. Rowling.

Unrequited love is one of the sweetest things to read in a book, and this was one of the most poignant and unexpected plot twists that I have ever read. But above all, it was so sad. 

Hazel & Gus
'The Fault In Our Stars'; John Green.

Everyone who has read the book or seen the movie (and most that haven't too) know why this couple are worth a mention. We all knew it would be a sad ending, and yet when it is, it still made me cry!

Rudy & Liesel
'The Book Thief'; Markus Zusak.

For similar reasons (though rather different in context) this romance was absolutely heart-breaking. It was so innocent and sweet, and then the end just shattered my heart into a million pieces and tore my soul up.

Best Non-Lead Couple:

Zuzana & Mik (WINNER)
'Daughter Of Smoke & Bone'; Laini Taylor.

These two are the cutest. From the moment they got together I was a huge fan and even shipped them a little bit more than Karou and Akiva, the main love plot! Their relationship only gets cuter as the books go on and is one of the few redeeming features of the last in the series, for me.

Radar & Angela
'Paper Towns'; John Green.

These two seemed pretty cool when I read them, and I would love to read more about them. I was a bit upset that there wasn't more of them in the book, not even when the gang went on their road trip! What little amount that I got, I liked though!

Will & Christina
'Divergent'; Veronica Roth.

I totally didn't see these two coming. But when they did get together I was pretty happy! Things were left a little unclear about what will happen next but I'm intrigued to see how this will go.

Paranormal Pairing:

Helen & James (WINNER)
'A Certain Slant Of Light'; Laura Whitcomb.

These two ghosts are my favourite Paranormal couple of the books that I have read so far. Their story was original and an interesting outlook on the afterlife. I loved their relationship too, it was so well-written and I loved them as a couple!

Matthew & Diana
'A Discovery Of Witches'; Deborah Harkness.

I have to admit, Diana was not my favourite romantic lead to begin with. But I did really like Matthew, and when they became a couple, they were so cool to read! They definitely fit under the Paranormal category too because Diana is a witch and Matthew is a vampire! 

Shannon & Gnaw
'Dragon's Curse'; H.L. Burke.

I read this book quite a while back and it had a really nice Beauty & The Beast feel to it that I really enjoyed. Gnaw the Dragon and Shannon the Witch had a really nice, complex relationship that was sweet to read as it developed. I can't wait to finally get round to the next book in the series!

The Interfering Third Party Award:

Lucia (WINNER)
'Deep Blue'; Jennifer Donnelly.

This woman. Seriously she was the obvious choice for this category, I got so angry every time she spoke and I loved the way Serafina handled her. Having just read the second book of the series, her recent actions definitely place her firmly at the top of this category.

Anaïs
'Stolen Songbird'; Danielle L. Jensen.

I hated this character so much at first for being the obvious jealous third party in the love aspect of the story. I was pleased to see her character improve by the end, but she still falls into the category. 

Mary Elizabeth
'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower'; Stephen Chbosky.

This one doesn't fully count because Mary Elizabeth was actually an unwitting, unknowing interfering third party. She didn't go out of her way to be like the two previous candidates. However, her constant chasing of Charlie coupled with her annoying personality earned her a place.

Favourite Couple Overall:

Aristotle & Dante (WINNER)
'Aristotle & Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe'; Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

I adored this book and completely loved this couple. It was so beautifully written and the characters (and their relationship) were ultra complex and interesting! I loved watching them develop individually and together and I would love to reread this one.

Yelena & Valek
'Poison Study'; Maria V. Snyder.

This is one of my favourite couples, a very close second. Their relationship is of a very different nature, but it was so satisfying to see the tension between them simmer before they finally got together! I want to read more of them!

Nicholas & Clara
'Winterspell'; Claire Legrand.

So many people didn't enjoy this book, but I thought it was great! The relationship between these two started off a little dark and twisted sounding, but I've definitely read weirder and I found him to be a very respectful, sweet romantic lead. Clara was likeable too so they just had to be on this list!

Well that was a lot of fun, and all that's left to say is:

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