Top 5 Wednesday – Favorite “Unlikeable” Protagonists

People always tear down “unlikeable” protagonists. But tell us the ones you pulled for! 

Ok so this is a hard one, since I don’t really have many books that feature ‘unlikeable’ protagonists. In fact, a few of the characters many adore, I don’t like (hiiii Feyre!)

The characters I sometimes like are more… anti heroes? Maybe? I know a fair few TV shows, though, that I love the main person and others don’t.

DRACULA from…. well, fucking DRACULA

Come on, you’re not meant to like Dracula. He sucks people’s blood, has temper tantrums and is downright fuckin’ creepy. Yet – I actually loved the vampire genre (not Twilight’s version) way before I read Dracula, so I think that influenced my decision to want Dracula to really win. In (most) of the movies, I’m like GO ON MY SON! Especially when he was played by Luke Evans. So, yeah. That.

FRODO BAGGINS from LORD OF THE RINGS

Frodo gets so much hate, man! He’s like poked at, people say he’s whiny, and yeah he is but he’s FRODO FREAKING BAGGINS. He stands up to take the ring to Mordor, he battles fucking huge spiders, he wears a ring of unbearable power around his neck, cut him some slack. He has every right to be a whingebag. Plus he has no shoes and he’s walking on sodding rocks, it’s the longest cross-country thing ever.

Honorable mention to GOLLUM, who while not being a protag, I wanted to win. GO GOLLUM.

RONAN LYNCH from the RAVEN CYCLE

I WILL DEFEND RONAN TO THE DEATH. I mean… he swears, he’s got a bad attitude, he snaps, he’s a tearaway, he hates school, he’s cocky, he’s closed off, he drinks – but he has the absolute heart of gold and while I’m sure he maybe meant to be an unlikable protagonist, everyone I know adores him. Maybe a cheat here just to include my steel muffin ❤

Honorable mention to Gansey, who is a flawed baby white boy with mountains of privilege but at least has the decency to recognise and amend.

VICTOR VALE from VICIOUS

Another one who’s supposed to be unlikable – he’s killed, he’s high on power, he’s on a mission to exact revenge on his former best friend and he has little moral compass – but I ADORE Victor. He’s seriously fascinating, and you can tell beneath it all he cares. Even if he doesn’t want to. And… I love him. *pets Victor*

ELEANOR from ELEANOR AND PARK

Ok so… I didn’t like her at first. I was so frustrated with her, like – come on, take Park’s hand ffs, and why are you self-sabotaging?! What is wrong with you?! Why are you being so bloody moody?! And then half way through the book I warmed to her, and I realised I was so annoyed with her because she was a younger version of me, basically, before I grew in confidence and knew how to Life. So yeah a lot of people still don’t like her (or the book) but I do.