I didn't think I hated Taryn. I don't think she's a good person, and she's an awful sister to Jude, but I like what she brought to the story. But then I see such wild defenses of her (mostly on Pinterest. I'm not speaking about anyone in particular here), and it makes me think maybe I do hate Taryn.
But you know what? That's okay. Not every character is meant to be loved, even if they become fan favorites. It's okay to acknowledge that a character isn't good (morally, I mean). I don't think Taryn is evil. Just selfish and underhanded. And that's exactly what she needed to be in this story. That doesn't mean I need to like her as a person.
At the end of the day, it's the fact that she didn't have to do any of the crap she did to Jude. She didn't have to put Jude through hell to marry Locke. Madoc would have taken care of her for as long as she needed. As sick as the whole situation was, Madoc genuinely loved those girls and wanted them around. She didn't have to trick Cardan into giving up half the army. Just the fact that Madoc wanted her to pretend to be Jude should have been a hint and a half that doing this would hurt Jude. She had options in that moment, too. She didn't have to murder Locke and force Jude into a life threatening situation (as far as Taryn was aware). Divorce sounds super simple in Faerie, and I seriously doubt that Locke would have fought her that hard on anything concerning Leander. Not hard enough that Madoc's influence wouldn't have helped. Despite that, Taryn took the easy route at every turn, and the easiest route for Tayrn led to pain for Jude.
I don't hate Taryn for any of that. I think her doing all of that was important for Jude's story, but seeing people defend her choices bugs me. Taryn was not a good person, and she was a terrible sister, but she's a good character for the story.
