Day One: Spooky TBR / Day Two: October Releases / Day Three: Bookish Autumn Bucket List / Day Four: Perfect Cosy Reading Nook / Day Five: Top 5 Disney Villains / Day Six: Strong Woman Horror Trope / Day Seven: Reading Snacks / Day Eight: 5 Autumn Reads
Challenge List – Anniek’s Library
I could not do a post about my favourite vampires and werewolves without mentioning someone very special to me, someone who looks after and takes care of me and yes, is ensuring I actually get to spend my 30th birthday at Disneyland Paris. For those of you unaware, my lovely boyfriend is Jedi Werewolf, and yes he can be found on Twitter under that name so maybe go check out his twitter and follow, if you’re so inclined.
Okay! Favourite FICTIONAL vampires & werewolves! Though I must admit, most of these are from TV, rather than books – a lot from TV adapted from books – so this is less of a bookish post and more just an…excuse to include lots of pics. Enjoy!
The Hybrids
Yeah, I kind of love this messed up family. Klaus is a vampire/werewolf hybrid, who starts off as somewhat of a monster but like so many vampires out there, turns slowly 
into an almost good guy, mainly because of the birth of his daughter, Hope. He tries so hard to do right by her, and to protect her, and it never works out well for him. By the end of The Originals, I was really sad to say goodbye to him most of all, despite loving the vast majority of the cast, including the other hybrid, Hayley, mother of Hope. I never got the whole Klaus/Caroline love, probably because I watched Originals then went back and watched Vampire Diaries, so maybe I did in the wrong order. THEN I read the books. And, after that, Legacies came out, and honestly, I freaking love that show. The continuation of 
Hope’s story is handled really well, and I love the exploration of the other characters around her, as well as the inclusion of others from both Vampire Diaries and Originals. Hope is a fantastic character, and though she’s technically a tribrid – vampire/werewolf/witch, I’m including her here along with her father. There is one vampire, however, I am so upset we don’t get to see more of in the show…
Vampires
Damon freaking Salvatore. Look, I don’t like the direction his character arc ended up 
going, but he was always fun to watch on screen. He starts off complete bad guy, similar to Klaus, and only through Elena blah blah blah. Early seasons Damon was my favourite, he was like an antidote to his moody, brooding brother (don’t get me wrong – I love him too) and I’ve loved Ian Somerhalder since I first watched Lost, so of course I was going to love Damon. How can you not? He’s tortured, and angry, and takes that out on the people he loves AND the mortals around him, not to mention he’s a big reason why a lot of events in Vampire Diaries went the way they did.
You could probably guess my next choice, but what’s not to love about a blond vampire viking in a Southern American town? Eric, like Damon, starts off as sort of a bad guy, but his arc makes more sense to 
me – he has a huge soft spot for Sookie, but his actions, no matter what he does, always make sense, and him and Pam are absolutely fantastic to watch on screen. Like Damon, some of his best moments come when he’s at his most vulnerable, and both actors deserve praise, IM-very-HO, for the way the characters are portrayed. Out of all the True Blood vampires, he’s by far my favourite, again adding something extra alongside the whiny, brooding Bill.
He’s not the only one in the family to play a vampire, either. Bill Skarsgård, before becoming the terrifying version 
of Pennywise, played Roman in Hemlock Grove, a series I have only recently actually started watching. And again, deeply tortured vampire, but Roman isn’t evil like some of the others. He’s a rich, entitled prick to start with, but he’s confused and lost and doesn’t know what he’s going half the time. Once more, his most vulnerable moments are his best ones, even if the character goes in some seriously questionable directions. Not my VERY favourite vampire (see previous entries) but definitely one I thoroughly enjoy watching.
More literary versions of vampires I adore are of course, both Lestat and Louis (yeah, there’s a film version, and I love it, but I still prefer the books) and Julian, in GRRM’s Fevre Dream. Another tortured, uncertain vampire, though he – more like Louis and Roman than the others – does his damndest to remain good and refrain from drinking human blood. Julian is convinced he has been sent to help the rest of his kind, and he tries so hard to do that. If you haven’t read the book yet, it’s definitely worth checking out. Hmm, tortured-possible-bad-boy definitely seems to be my type here, doesn’t it? I could mention Spike, but it’s just more of the same really…
Werewolves
Returning to Hemlock Grove and we have the absolutely fantastic wolf, Peter. Peter befriends Roman, and reveals his true nature to him, in what is possibly one of the best, 
most gory, most amazing werewolf transformation I have ever seen on screen. Once more, Peter is just a joy to watch, as he agonises over his nature and tries to prevent others discovering what he really is. If you’ve never seen it but want to check out the transformation, have a look on YouTube. Just make sure you’re not eating at the time.
And staying with TV, and returning to True Blood, I really do have to mention Alcide. The 
atypical alpha male, he will do anything to protect his loved ones and his pack, and I was actually upset when the romance between him and Sookie didn’t continue in the series. But Alcide is amazing and yes I actually really struggled to find a picture of him with his top on.
From the book world, Richard, in the Anita Blake series. I loved Richard from the moment we met him – in some ways, he is a lot like Alcide, and though I haven’t read the books in years, he’s definitely a character that really sticks with me.
And who can forget, another tortured boy, though like the other wolves on this list he’s firmly in the ‘good guy’ category. My top favourite werewolf of all time, because I just freaking adored the character when reading the books – Remus Lupin. The legend that is, the wonderful, kind hearted DADA teacher who is forced out by the prejudice of the wizarding community, and a character who deserved way more time than we got in either the books or films. Remus, without a doubt, will always have a special place in my heart.
I am always looking for more vampire and werewolf book recs, so if you have any, please do let me know! And who are some of your favourites? Do you agree with these choices, or any of them make you think, “Ah, no, nope, not at all”?
Unwrapping Words 