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Best of the Best poll – Sidekick Stars edition

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We’re all sick of the villains, morally gray characters and the bad things we have to hear about constantly.

It’s time to switch things around and celebrate the best of the best supporting characters — they may not be the main protagonists, but they absolutely make every scene better just by existing. They’re the ride-or-dies, the problem-solvers, the comic relief, and we can trust they’ll never do things with evil intention.

While some heroes brood in the corner, these legends are out there actually getting things done. Vote wisely!

(And if you wish to revisit the results and heated discussion for the previous villain poll, you’ll find it here.)

The selection today:

Grandma Frida is the badass grandma we all wish we had. She can talk to tanks, fix tanks and drive tanks, but she also made her garage be the safe place for everyone to go when they need to pour their hearts out.

Orro is a seven-foot-tall, monstruous hedgehog alien chef who acts like Gordon Ramsay on a Shakespearean monologue spree. He lives for culinary perfection, feeding people until they levitate with joy and storming off into his Dramatic Woods. FIRE!

Leon lived his early teenage years thinking he was the only dud in a magical powerhouse family. Now, he’s an unparalleled killing machine, fueled by dead pan, sci-fi Westerns and the same big heart he’s always had.

Grendel is he a poodle? Is he an omen of death? All we know is he’s fluffy, even in nightmare Black Dog shape. His hobbies include vomiting, rolling in vomit, eating everything not nailed down, stealing our hearts…and being living proof that pets reflect their owners.

Gaston a gentleman of adventure, a spy, a gourmet smooth-talking rascal who could probably convince Death itself to take a vacation. If life were a swashbuckling novel, Gaston would be the one swinging from chandeliers mid-battle while winking at the enemy.

Andrea the sharpshooter ex-Order knight, now queen of the boudas – and she did it all in heels (whilst being a beastkin). She’s the kind of loyal best friend who brings snacks, shoots first, and asks questions if necessary.

Helen: we would fix all her ripper cushions! The adorable bacon menace who stole all our hearts also has a kill list, and is ready to defend her family with her Fangs, as any self-respecting warrior vampire princess would.

Cornelius impressed us with his ferrets, deadly frying pan skills, and pied piper song of grief. He is a proud father, a loyal friend and someone who could call on arcane animals to shred the enemy to pieces while sipping his tea. Terrifying? Yes. Lovable? Definitely.

Luther or Dr Loose Cannon to his detractors, is the scientist-magician-bestie every hero needs. His lectures, unexpected sass, hilarious T-shirts and ability to keep up with whatever post-apocalyptic Atlanta throws at Kate make him a true BDH treasure.

Best of the Best (Sidekick Stars edition)

  • Luther (KD) (17%, 1,431 Votes)
  • Cornelius (HL) (17%, 1,420 Votes)
  • Grandma Frida (HL) (15%, 1,198 Votes)
  • Andrea (KD) (11%, 892 Votes)
  • Helen (IC) (10%, 812 Votes)
  • Leon (HL) (10%, 796 Votes)
  • Orro (IC) (9%, 779 Votes)
  • Grendel (KD) (7%, 606 Votes)
  • Gaston (Edge & IC) (4%, 319 Votes)

Total Voters: 8,253

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I STILL want a Ripper Cushion… I am not a decorative cushion person at all, I think they get in the way pretty badly and serve no function other than to get in the way. I still want one!

  2. Team Orro here- I love a good dramatic declamation whilst the souffle rises.
    Helen’s all kinds of fun but I feel like she’ll have her own hero arc once she gets a bit older; Orro is at a good place in his life (for once!) and deserves a little love.

  4. This is so hard because I love them all! Luther and Leon are hilarious. Grendel always shows up when you need him. In the end I have to go with Cornelius, because who doesn’t love a good ferret heist.

  6. I’ve always felt that Cornelius is actually a Prime. He deliberately ranked as Significant, I think, to give himself a quieter life. I find him fascinating.

  7. As the daughter of a single dad, Cornelius has my vote. Quiet, thoughtful, driven, empathetic and absolutely gets the job done.

  8. This is so hard because all of these side characters are rid or dies. Although I think that since HL is my comfort series that I keep going back to (specifically the audio books of Catalina) the HL side kicks just came to mind first before I even saw who was nominated!

  10. I truly do love every single character named! That is why I have revisited EVERY SERIES at least 1 time per year.

    Thank you soo much for many thousands of hours of Joy! and so many amazing characters to love! And Long live the EDGE!

  13. Orro is the best! It’s hard enough feeding myself and liking it -imagine feeding the snobbish and becoming the best Galactic Inn ever! No pressure. lol – such a great series!

  14. First thought:
    I can‘t choose.
    Then i tried to imagine the stories without these characters.
    Cornelius won, because i really love the stories with all the animals.
    His and the ones, the Baylors are saving.
    But it really is a hard decision.
    Orro and his FIRE, Grandma Frida taking photos with sneaky commentairs or beloved Helen…
    So very hard…

  15. I choose…Beast!! Not on the list but cute, lovable and very portable killing machine disguised as an adorable Shih Tzu. What’s not to love?!!

    • Yes to the yes, you are absolutely right. We need more choices but specisl lists. I would love to have a POV by beast

  16. Now you did it. I have to go back and read all the books again because I hadn’t realized how much I was missing all of these characters.

  17. That was soooo difficult! I sort of felt Orro in my heart but I live for any mention of Grendel in the books. I would buy a fullprice IA book with three words in it as long as one of those words were Grendel. No, Im’m not joking. Yes, I realize I’m maybe I’m a sandwich short of a picnic in the old brain but… there it is 🤣

  18. I love all of them, but Leon has a special place inside my heart. 🩷 Cornelius came a close second. he is an exemplary father and der Rattenfänger von Hameln 😎

  19. Too hard! I really tried to vote for more than one. Grandma Frida won by a silver hair, everyone else was a close 2nd.

  21. I love them all. It was a painful Choice, but I had to go with Luther, because he was the first one I fell in love with of the choices. however they all have a piece of my heart.

  22. This is a TOUGH choice. By a small margin, Leon! He loves his family so much he decided to be a Dark Horse for them. Leon has been critical in so many dangerous situations, and I absolutely LOVE his humor. I hope for a book on him as much as I want Arabella’s book (yes, I want it THAT much).

  23. I went with the “Who are human beings, balanced and wise, who would have full lives outside of the MCs?” it narrowed it down to Frieda, Cornelius, and Luther for me. Leon is still growing, Helen is a kiddo, Andrea is wrapped up in all of Kate’s stuff, Orro is refinding his mojo, etc… And I like that Luther has enough of his own thing that he actually changes jobs (I think I remember that right) at some point in KD-land. they’re all a bunch of fun though. Frieda was a close second because women in STEM ftw, but Luther has a whole world outside of Kate and just peeks in on her.

  24. So many good choices. As I was reading the list I saw Orro and decided that was my choice, but then I saw Helen and changed my mind. Next was Gaston. Now I had a dilemma. I went with Helen because she is my favorite character, but I am not really sure I see her as a sidekick. She is a force in her own right. Maybe I should have voted for Gaston. He is a true sidekick. As others have said, House Andrews writes fabulous characters and they all deserve to win.

  25. Most of the entrants do not meet the definition of “Sidekick” as in goes through most of the adventure by the protagonists side.

    Andrea definitely fits the bill.

    • Kate had a Russian-style wedding.
      There are no matrons of honour in Russian tradition, it’s an American invention, and Andrea was not a “maid” any longer, since she was already married 🙂

  30. If manipulated by a magic person make a villain exempt from evilness
    Then it follows any character who’s motivated by what is good in their minds is not a villain
    Jim protects the pack
    Ted motives are what he believes is right…
    all have an r cause including Roland who just wanted to make things better as he sees it.,

  33. I was torn between Andrea, Grendel, and Orro but had to choose Andrea, how can she be so low in voting?

  34. Loves his wife, loves his kid, willing to have people think less of him if it will keep them safe and then willing to go all the way to avenge them.
    Cornelius. Because while the others are great friends he is the kind of person you want your kid to marry.

  35. I can’t decide as they are all great characters. It’s like being asked which of your children is your favourite!

  36. Tough one! I wish I had more than 1 vote. I picked Cornelius, but I kind of wish I had gone with Grendel or Grandma Frieda…

  39. I feel like Joey on friends: “Sex or food? I can’t pick! I want sex, on a sandwich!”
    I can’t pick a character, I want an adventure with all of them!

  40. I can’t believe you are making me choose! Checking the blog was supposed to be a relaxing pre-going-to-bed activity, instead, I’m all emotional thinking about all those amazing characters. How am I ever gonna sleep now?!?!?!?!?!?

    By which I mean Grandma Frida rocks 😊

    • I also made the mistake of reading this before bed! 😂 And now I’m swimming through the comments instead of sleeping… lesson learned.

  41. Of this list it’s Helen for me. I can’t wait til she gets her own story. Too cute. But I would love to vote for Helen’s grandmother, stepfather, aunt/cousin (with the red hair). I love the violent ones who are so charming. Of course.

  42. was trying to decide between Luther or Cornelius – looked at the results and they were tied at 1162 each! guess who I nudged? 😉

  43. I cannot believe you made me pick! They’re all favorites. I got so overwhelmed with fangirling, I forgot my actual favorite was on the list and voted wrong.

    As if there can be a wrong HA sidekick.

    Where’s a fortress of solitude when I need it…?

  46. Not wanting to make an impossible choice harder, but what about PUFFLES!?? Who among us would not pick Puffles?

  47. This is delightful & thank you for reminding me how much I love all of these characters! It was a tough tough choice!

  48. Can we redo this as a Single Transferable Vote instead of First Past the Post? I’m firmly in the ‘It’s so hard to chooooooose’ whine.

  49. Congratulations! You broke my brain. And I haven’t had coffee yet because I’m too busy scrolling the comments.

  52. hello i know this is Not the right room for the question but what do you Thing is a good a.i Programm to help to write ?….. Not that you use a.i ! i know but perhaps you have hear somesting that is free and like to use for Beginner …. my Problem is i can Not write a good Dialog ore stop to give a discrepstion of Situation… so much that is boring … so a tipp what app can help will great thangs and good healty

    • The authors do not use AI or endorse it. Why not practice to develop your own creativity and style? 🙂

  53. My perspective was “who do I want to see the featured character in a future book?” For me it’s a tie between Leon and Helen, followed by Cornelius and then Luther.

  55. Luther came SO CLOSE!! Although Cornelius is a great choice, I just think Luther is funnier.

  56. I adore Gaston, but he’s morally grey as any good swashbuckler should be!

    So I voted for Cornelius, who has and gives warm fuzzies.

    Why no Doolittle, though? There’s a 100% comforting character, even when screeching at you to drink your drugged sweet tea!

  57. I’ve got to say I’m surprised by this poll. Let me start by saying I love all of our choices, and I ‘d enjoy spending time with any of them, but the poll was for best sidekick. I looked at it as who would I want at my back in an apocalyptic situation, so let me break it down.

    Helen is a child, natural aptitude notwithstanding. Grandma Frida comes through in a pinch, but she’s getting up there in years, and I would rather she be in a protected position with Helen. Orro is awesome, but I’d want him holding down the fort and keeping everyone fed and happy. Grendel is a fantastic dog, but as such, he can’t weigh in on potential plans. Leon is coming right along, but he still needs more experience before I could trust his judgment as much as I’d need to. I think Luther himself would argue he’s main character material and no one’s sidekick even though he’s happy to pitch in whenever necessary. Cornelius comes close to the mark, but he’s a single father whose little girl needs to be his number one priority. She doesn’t need to lose another parent because he’s covering my butt. Andrea is a close number two, and she made an awesome sidekick for Kate for many books, but times have changed. She’s part of the alpha pair, and she has an entire clan to look out for in addition to Baby Bea.

    So that leaves one clear choice for me even though he was mostly overlooked in this poll…Gaston! He’s got all of the skills, he’s pulled George and Jack out of the frying pan numerous times over the years, and he’s the protégés of William, George, and potentially Caldenia herself. Plus he’d be a hoot to hang around with. So give me Gaston all day everyday no matter what the world threw at us!

  59. I love that Cornelius, whose entire life screams “I’m not important, don’t notice me” (because he of all people understands the power of being underestimated), is the winning sidekick. The Horde has spoken!

  62. I bought a poodle because of Grendel. My husband read the series 1 year later…. “this is why we have a poodle isn’t it?”. LOL, what can I say?

  63. honestly Luther and grandma have main character energy, they just haven’t shared their stories. Grendel is the most legit side character…. basically I want a main character story for everyone else 😁

  64. At this point the lead has changed between Luther and Cornelius at least six times.

  66. Your poll is broken it would only let me vote for one person, I need to vote for several. 🙁

  67. I just re-read the Hidden Legacy series again and am so fond of Cornelius. We all know he’s really a Prime, right! 🥰

  68. for me it would be a choice between Runa and Bern. Both are very loyal and I love them so much

  69. I voted for Helen, because there would be “ripper cushions” if she doesn’t win!
    On the other hand, I now have a beautiful golden doodle who looks nothing like one, has eaten socks, my albuterol inhaler, a squishy fidget toy, parts of sheets…and she smells like 24 hours after her bath. I have way more sympathy for Grendel!!

  70. Got to go with Gaston, chiefly because that’s my brother’s name, LOL. And well, you know, the song? No one fights like Gaston, LOL…

  73. How can you choose???

    The descriptions of each is making me run back to my bookshelf so I can reread each and every one so I can squee over each of them! 😂

  74. I’m ride or die for grendel and can’t believe he didn’t score higher! (Although I guess owning a standard poodle as a child may have biased me)

    Luther is a pretty good second choice though, I guess 😉

  75. Gimme a minute, I’ve got it narrowed down to 5.

    – Gramdma Frida, because total badass, AND learning to knit for her grandkids
    – Orro, because dama queen and food how can you resist!
    – Helen, because willing to take on Arland for bacon and ripper cushions, the cool kid
    – Leon, because, funny, badass, maybe BPD, but that big heart!
    – Luther, because humour and spells
    – Cornelius, because quite kind intelligence and animals!

    Sorry make that 6, this might take a while…

  76. I think Her Grace from IC should’ve been on it. Her machinations have won the day too many times.

  77. Yesterday (Friday in Germany) I have been refreshing the poll every hour or so, because the lead was constntly changing between Cornelius and Luther. Love them all, of course, but have been rooting (?) for Luther.
    Btw is the poll closed or not? Just wondering…

    Dear Mod R that wad genius! Looking forward to your post on Monday.

    If he wins I will need a Sorceress at Large T shirt.

  78. I voted last week, and I have to confess that I didn’t vote for Gaston, but I’ve been thinking about his last place in this poll all week and now I’m #justiceforGaston. Maybe it’s because I’ve been listening to the Graphic Audio of Sweep of the Heart and Wyn Delano does such a fantastic job brining Gaston to life!

  79. Bummer. I check the site once a week on Saturdays. Didn’t see the poll until the 8th. Voting is over!

  86. Regarding the poll – you (wisely) did not give us the options of “All of the Above”

  87. Where’s Caldenia? I vote for Caldenia. She’s always there at just the right time with just the right advice…although pretty sure she would be angry to be called a sidekick🤣

  88. Did I miss it? How do I vote?

    Wow! These results are a surprise to me!!!

    I guess I have different warm feelings than most, but for grandma Frida and Helen we’re probably at war for the top spot, with Oreo, Leon, and Cornelius vying for the next spot. Of course I love Andrea and Luther and Gaston and general too. But you know, special place in the heart and all. Luther though? So fascinating!!