Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-146.135.19.252-20181116034422/@comment-32987979-20191020155926

Chicken tornado wrote: Backyard Windchimes wrote: Applebaby12 Yes, most definitely. Sophie hasn't undergone any character development since book 1, yet every other character, even Tam and Linh who came in halfway through the series, have gotten at least some defining development. It's not good for the main character, because right now, Soohie's got five abilities and she still can't keep her friends from being and taken and the Neverseen from winning. She's determined, but she's easily distracted and her strengths aren't the ones you need if you want to be fighting a bunch of magical adult elves I would argue that while Sophie hasn't gone through as mutch development as some of the other, deeper charcters, she HAS changed. In book one, we remember her as slightly timid and very shy, but at the end, when she decides to live with Grady and Edaline, she shows that she has indeed found where she belongs, and in doing so, found part of herself, the part that never backs down in the face of danger.

After book one, Sophie didn't really change for about five books, but somewhere in Lodestar- Flashback, we've seen a big change, noticing diolaugue that the Sophie we know normally wouldn't say, and wearing clothes that don't match who she is on the inside, a pure girl who doesn't need to be dolled up to have value. I personally don't think that this latest change is for the best. I believe that because Sophie has been kind of simple and unwavering throughout the series, Shannon Messenger is taking her through a character arc to make her life more interesting for the readers.

I can honestly understand why Shannon has kept Sophie's character simple up until this point. I mean her plot is so complicated already, and with so many other characters to deal with, focusing on a part of Sophie that had already been dealt with would be tedious and make the story too overwhelming. I can guarantee you that Legacy will be filled with more character development for Sophie. I personally disagree that Sophie's character being simple is a good thing. I feel like the plot is only complicated because Shannon can't focus on one thing, but that's a discussion for another day...

Character development is something that's supposed to happen gradually over time, especially in a series as long as KOTLC, not in the last few books. Besides, it's clear that Shannon intended to have Sophie start to develop more at the end of Everblaze/beginning of Neverseen; she stops tugging at her eyelashes, which I thought was supposed to symbolize her starting to kind of toughen up. But she never changed...

Maybe I'm alone here, but I'm kind of sick of reading about a timid, kind of pathetic girl with no self esteem. At first it was okay because she was meant to grow, gain more courage, and become more self-confident. Not to an unrealistic point where her entire personality is just gone, of course, but there should've been some change. For Sophie to only have changed in the last 3 or so books is honestly ridiculous to me. Everyone complains about none of the other characters getting any development, but what can you expect when Shannon can't even develop the main character? It's like Keefe magically just changing in Flashback after being reckless and impulsive since Neverseen. You shouldn't just have random character changes out of nowhere. It should happen over time, and we should get to experience it as the characters do. But we don't, and that's a huge flaw with these books.