V is for Villain

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So ladies, we have files for the boys we love (HBWS!) and the Chicks Who Can Kick Our Asses, but I think we're leaving out a very important filing section - Villains! When I think of YA Lit, my very favorite villain hands-down is Valentine. He's so pretty, but so eeevil and creepy. I love it. I know we have a file folder for him, right?


Ah...Villains starts with the letter V - so I'm all about Vader, Voldermort and Valentine. And apparently, I've been practicing my Letter Sounds with my Kindergartner, too.




Oooh - why do all the Great Villains start with the letter V? Unfortunately, Vader and Voldemort are not pretty. Rather ugly, actually. But they all do make for excellent Love to Hate 'Em characters.




Well, Voldy is not pretty but you know, Vader was Anakin, first. Just misguided. The poor little boo.





Okay, well, I was thinking of the Removal of the Mask scene with Vader. But yeah, I guess you could say Ani went through a pretty phase. But he didn't wear tailored suits like Valentine. And he hid his paternity from his children, while Valentine just pretended to be everyone's father.



You are right. Anakin slaughtered the young paduans in episode 3 while Valentine simply used his kids as genetic experiments. But hey, there was a Sister Kiss in both. Sorry, I'm off on my own Slave-Girl-Leia Style Sidebra.




Why is it that all villainous roads lead back to Darth Vader? He's epic, true, but hardly the first or even most villainous villain I've seen. He's a total Sauron rip-off, with the whole "corrupted by the pursuit of power" thing.

I agree with the observations you guys have made so far. But I think we're missing out on the folder system! I put mine into categories:

Villains Who Might Be Redeemable - Like Vader, some do come around in the end. Even some of our favorite bad boys fit in here. (Spike from Buffy, anyone?)

Villains Who Are Pure Evil - I'm pretty sure we can put Voldemort here. I mean, was the guy EVER good? I think he kicked puppies. And Leck, from Graceling and Fire. I actually really liked that in Fire there was no sob story about why he became evil or excuses for it. Sometimes evil just is. (And he really did kick puppies.)

Villains Who Are Really Cogs In A Villainous Machine: Like President Snow. He was great, and so so evil, but in a very politician-evil kinda way. He wasn't the reason for what was wrong with society. He was more of a product of it. Does it make him any less evil? Of course not. But it DOES make him a symptom of a more pervasive evil, one that doesn't have a face.

Villains Who Are So Hot We Don't Care Either Way - I'm totally not shallow enough to put anyone in this category. Nope. Valentine does NOT appear here. *whistles and walks away*

I love those categories...but hmmm, a Villain So Hot We Don't Care...*puts Thinking Cap on and realizes it's the Sorting Cap*...let me think about this one...





HELLO? ARCHER????? Oh, sorry, I got excited there. But Archer from Hex Hall! He's a POTENTIAL bad guy only - I know this, but he's obviously so hot we don't care!

And Eric Northman. He has his bad-guy moments and really? I care not. I would still take him in if he got hit on the head and had amnesia and needed a safe place to shower. I mean stay.

Ah, see, I think Archer's the Anti-Hero...and so launches that discussion. When is an anti-hero a villain?? LOL. Then you can throw in Oscar from CANDOR. Because, the boy wasn't all good, ya know??

What about a Can't Be Too Sure If They're a Villain category?? I'm thinking of my all time favorite whose cape would swirl at this very label...yes, that's right...Severus Snape!

Oh! You're getting all technical on me. Okay, so Archer might not be a Villain, but he is part of a secret society that aims to hunt prodigum, so he has potential. And Cabe was never going to hurt Jamie - even though he did have a bad boy side.

And yes, Snape! He's the perfect Villain, but is he really a Villain? (And if you don't know the answer to that question - get to reading book 7 please!)

I think Snape counts as a villain. I think sometimes even a villain can do the right thing at times. It doesn't negate all of the past villainy.

Maybe we should put Archer in a "We're Not Sure If He's Really A Villain But Signs Point To Yes And We Really Hope He's Not But Even If He Is He's So Hot We Won't Care" category. I think that works. Ladies?

Yes, that works for me. Absolutely perfect. Do you think that will fit on a file folder label?





If not we'll just have to make his file... bigger. *winks*

SO, did we miss any categories? Who are your favorite villains? Why?

Doin' IT (Yes, IT) in YA

Katarinasmama and I were discussing a certain book via text and the LACK of sex in it. And how this vexed me. (Trust me. I was very vexed.) So I thought it'd be fun if we split up some of our favorite YA books into categories. I propose the following:


1. Needs Some Doin' It (e.g. Twilight)
2. Needs LESS Doin' It (e.g. Breaking Dawn *cough*Renesmee*cough*)
3. Did It JUST RIGHT (e.g. Shiver)


Did It Just Right: Well, besides Shiver, which defines JUST RIGHT, there is Lisa McMann's series, WAKE/FADE/GONE. The scene with Cabel and Janie in the shower?? Okay, yes, I'm laughing. And only because they referenced Judy Blume's Forever which is the ultimate Did It Just Right book. Who can ever forget the name "Ralph"?

So add to these some new stories where the focus isn't a Coming Of Age Theme but where there is a romantic subplot and the Doing It parts are written really well: Siren by Tricia Rayburn (out on July 13th) and the recently released Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready. They don't skirt around the issue. Yes, I enjoyed using that cliche. *skirts away*


Ah yes, Janie and Cabel. I would definitely add that to the Did It Just Right category. And Shiver! I just finished it (again) so that scene is fresh in my mind.... Yeah, Just Right.




Needs Some Doin' It: I'll say it...but JACE AND CLARY! Okay, well, there was this outtake from the Mansion Collapse Scene and that, you know, hinted at what could have happened, if only the world wasn't literally collapsing around them and well, the small matter of that they could be *coughs* siblings.

But, did anyone think that Jace and Clary were really brother and sister?? I mean, seriously? I know it's icky to even think about it. Who didn't nod their head and understand perfectly when Jace told Clary in City of Ashes (p. 182), "We could keep it a secret."

Yes, I just said it. Nodding along to Jace's request. I'll now retreat back to my lair.


Okay, CoA was a book that definitely needed SOME DOIN' IT!

I was TOTALLY with you in the whole "nudge nudge, wink wink" Jace and Clary wrongness. I actually rationalized to myself while reading that our feelings on incest come from the RELATIONSHIPS that we have with siblings, and if that you were raised separately, and had no idea, then how could you really be faulted? Especially if you were in love with Jace? *nodding no* I would not judge. Unless your kids had 10 thumbs and no nose. Then I'd judge. A little.

My favorite Jace description quote from CoA: " "Some guys look at you like they only want sex. Jace looks at you like you've had sex - it was great and now you're just friends."




Mmm... And then there's this new excerpt that Ms. Clare just released, as if she KNEW we were having this discussion, involving a bed. *grins evilly*

While this whole topic is an attempt to look humorously at the way sex is handled in YA lit, I feel like it is really important to recognize the books that get it right. It's not because I want to read about sex. (Well, not ENTIRELY. *winks*) It's because if I'm going to have a discussion with my children ABOUT sex, these are the types of encounters I want to discuss. Ones, like in Shiver, where it is portrayed as a natural progression of a loving relationship. It wasn't taken lightly, nor was it glorified. It just WAS.

I think the subject is out there, Leigh, and some books Do It, some just avoid it, and then some *smiles at Julie Kagawa* keep their characters too busy just trying to survive and leave no time for more than a really hot kiss and a declaration of "never again".

I've had THE TALK with my 11yo DS. It is important to present what should happen, i.e. "natural progression of a loving relationship" but also one must talk about the repercussions of unprotected sex, i.e. avoiding the half-vamp, half-human baby.

Which is also a great point. So I guess Renesmee serves a purpose after all.

All seriousness aside, just about any book with an "OMG we will all die in battle tomorrow" plot line NEEDS SOME DOIN' IT. *coughs and glares at Julie Kagawa* #TeamAsh

So, what do y'all think? What books would you put into the Needs More/Needs Less/Just Right categories? Let us know!

Reading Rainbow: The WAKE Series by Lisa McMann

I had planned to rec a different book this week, but I just finished GONE by Lisa McMann today, and I think you all need to read this series. Yesterday, I re-read FADE in anticipation of reading GONE, and then today I read GONE in five hours. Yes. It's that good.

If you've read WAKE and FADE, then I know you are going to read GONE, so I'm just going to talk about the series as a whole, for those who haven't read any of them yet. The basic premise is that the main character, Janie, is a "dream catcher." This means she gets sucked into dreams if she is near anyone who is asleep (and dreaming). The first book, WAKE, deals with her learning more about this power that she has, while the second deals with the repercussions. They're not good. At first, Janie can't control being sucked into dreams, and the effects it has on her physical self are scary, to say the least. The three books put together are the story of her coming to terms with her ability and how she can use it, or not. It's her choice in the end.

I love, love, love the writing style in these books. Its a stream-of-consciousness style, but it's done so amazing well that even the sentence, "Ethel hums," had an emotive effect on me. (Ethel is a car, by the way.) This is extremely effective in telling Janie's story, as she is basically on a journey of self-discovery and the short, but emotionally packed sentences force you to almost feel what Janie is feeling.

And, of course, there is a boy. I won't say much about Cabel, but he's a wonderfully written character - the kind of person you'd like to meet, and be friends with in real life. If I say too much, I'll have to have spoiler alerts, so I'll refrain.

These books aren't "easy" reads. Yes, they are "quick" reads, but only because you won't want to put them down. The writing style is very different, and may take a moment to get used to, but trust me when I say it's worth it. It's perfect for these stories and Lisa McMann masters it in this trilogy. I definitely recommend reading all three books in the WAKE series.

Read a review of GONE by Mundie Moms here and @katarinasmama's review at Page Turner's Blog here.