#tbh i love nicky but i also do hate his chatacter in book 1

[purpleshadow-star]

I think Nora wasn't 100% certain about Nicky’s character until after the first book. When you think about it, book 1 Nicky and book 2 and 3 Nicky are very different.

In The Foxhole Court, Nicky said and did awful things, but then in The Raven King and The King's Men, it's almost like he's a new character. If we think about Nicky’s backstory (provided to us mostly in book 2) and the way he is after book 1, he seems so out of character in the first book, which is funny because that was our introduction to Nicky in the first place.

Additionally, I think Nicky's book 1 behavior was mostly a plot device used to show Andrew's protective behavior and foreshadow his opinions regarding consent.

By the end of the series, we know Nicky as the guy who left his chance at a good, happy life behind in order to ensure that his cousins wouldn't have to live with the person who made his life terrible. Nicky left behind the love of his life, his chance at a new beginning, and he fought for the twins when he was barely an adult himself. Then, he proceeded to work multiple jobs to make ends meet and to get the twins through high school. And even after that, he stuck by them for college, despite the fact that neither of the twins thank him or show any gratitude towards him whatsoever.

By the end of the series, we know Nicky as the boy who just wants his family to love him or at least acknowledge him. He tries so hard to make up with his parents because he wants them in his life, but then, once they put Andrew in an unforgivable situation, Nicky doesn't hesitate to turn his back on them in favor of Andrew and Aaron.

By the end of the series, we know Nicky as the guy who just wanted to be friends with everyone. He wanted the team to be unified, and he was so happy when, by the end, everyone was able to mingle and act as a team.

Past book 1, we never see the predatory side of Nicky that we saw in book 1. He doesn’t make any more awful comments, and he doesn't make any more moves on anyone. It's not because of Andrew's influence. If Nicky was really a predator like that, he would have done stuff regardless of what Andrew said or threatened, just like how he did in book 1 at Eden's. Sure, Nicky probably says a few flirty things here and there, but that's part of his personality. He's a flirty guy, but the really creepy and downright awful comments and actions he makes and does in book 1 really don't reflect his character at all in books 2 and 3.

So, I think Nora was going to go in one direction with Nicky (which is what we saw in book 1), but then changed her mind and decided to get rid of the predatory, creepy stuff, which honestly made Nicky as a character make more sense based on his backstory. If Nicky was truly a predatory character, we would have seen more evidence of it after book 1.

All in all, it is possible to like or love Nicky while also hating his character in book 1.