Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Characters In Fantasy

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created over at The Broke and the Bookish.  This feature was crated because they're particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish (and who isn't?).  They're all about creating new lists including a little bit of everything and I've been meaning to participate for so long but always seemed to get behind.  I've decided that's going to chance in the new year.  So here we are and hopefully you'll head over to their page and check out what everyone else put up for this week's Top Ten.

There are too many characters out there to possibly include all my favorites in a list limited to ten but in nor particular order I've listed a few below with the disclaimer that many have been left out.  It was even difficult to stick to just one genre but I did my best, and here they are...

Favorite Character Pick #1:  James - Cassandra Clare's The Internal Devices series

He's kind, mysterious, beautiful, and welcoming.  When Tessa was thrust into this crazy new reality she wasn't prepared for, James was there as an understanding buffer.  With the love triangle forming I couldn't help but get on his team and cross my fingers that she would end up with him.

Favorite Character Pick #2:  Yelena - Maria V. Snyder's Study series

While I love each and every one of Snyder's characters I had no choice by to choose Yelena.  She's got everything a female lead should have in my opinion.  She's strong, tenacious, witty and sharp, kind and honorable.  The list goes on and on.  She found herself in a bad situation that was not her fault but she didn't give up; in fact she prospered.

Favorite Character Pick #3:  Kaleb - Myra McEntire's Hourglass series

Here we have a truly pure heart and soul.  He might not seem like the type at first, but this was a character dealing with more than anyone should ever have to, and yet still tried not to put those burdens he was carrying onto anyone else.  He did his best to keep it hidden for purely selfless reasons and make it appear as if everything was fine.  But sometimes too much is too much.  He eventually reached out (reluctantly) and leaned on his friends.  It was a journey I enjoyed as a reader and would love to see more of his character in the future.

Favorite Character Pick #4:  Stark - P.C Cast & Kristin Cast's House of Night series

Stark was a breath of fresh air in the guy department for this series.  The love triangle had lost me quite frankly.  I wasn't rooting for either of the guys that were currently vying for Zoe's attention and then in walks Stark and I was hooked on the series all over again!  With a huge heart and a real protective streak where Zoe is concerned it was hard not to take a serious liking to his character.  He could do no wrong in my opinion even when things went horribly wrong for him.

Favorite Character Pick #5:  Sykes - Ednah Walters' The Guardian Legacy series

He's the funny guy!  He adds humor whenever he can and loves riling everyone up.  He keeps the situations light whenever possible, but also has many layers to him beyond his sense of humor.  Basically he's the guy you want to have around.  He's fiercely loyal to his friends and family and equally protective of them as well.  He's hard not to like...end of story.

Favorite Character Pick #6:  Miranda - Shelley Workinger's Solid series

The "mean" girl you can't help but kind of like.  In the beginning she was firmly in the box of characters that I didn't like.  Slowly but surely she won me over just as she did with the rest of the group in the series.  You just had to let her in and take her for what she was.  She kept an interesting dynamic in the group and never let the dialogue get too stagnant.  Miranda was always sure to keep things real.

Favorite Character Pick #7:  The Erlking - Jenna Black's Faeriewalker series

I know he was the "bad" guy in the series but there was more to him than that.  He was without a doubt complicated and had a lot of secrets.  I wanted to get to know him as a reader and was hoping Black would give her readers that opportunity.  When all was said and done I couldn't help but sympathize with him.  He may not be a knight in shining armor but he became a favorite of mine regardless.

Favorite Character Pick #8:  Four - Veronica Roth's Divergent series

He might go by the name Four in the series but he was my number one!  I loved how Roth allowed her readers to get to know his character right along with Tris.  He was so mysterious and hard to read but at the same time interesting to watch as the story progressed and the two came together.

Favorite Character Pick #9:  Anna - Wendy Higgins' Sweet Trilogy

How she handled the drastic reality shift she was dealt is beyond me.  Higgins developed her character in a way that had me as a reader sympathizing with her from the very first chapter.  By the end of the first book my heart was pretty much breaking for her and yet Higgins kept her strong and optimistic.  How could readers not want to see and learn more about her?

Favorite Character Pick #10:  Zoe - Heather Anastasiu's Glitch series

Can you say fighter?  This was one smart and fiercely brave character who refused to take things lying down.  She stood up to the authorities, fought for what she believed to be right and just and did everything she could to help others as well.  She wasn't content to get just herself out to safety, but wanted to try and help as many others as possible.  How could you not respect and like a character like that?  I couldn't resist.

In My Mailbox (77)

This is a meme that I first heard about from Kristi over at The Story Siren and immediately wanted to jump on board. I'm always picking up new books, because I never tire of reading, but the other thing I like about this meme is that it gives everyone an opportunity to check out what other book fanatics, bloggers, etc... got for themselves. I've gotten great recommendations from this meme and hope that keeps up in the future.

Here's what I got, what did you guys get this week?

For Review:

A Touch of Scarlet (Unbound, #2) by Eve Marie Mont (Thanks to Kensington Teen)

The compelling heroine of Eve Marie Mont’s novel A Breath of Eyre returns to find truth and fiction merging through the pages of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic, The Scarlet Letter…

Emma Townsend is back at prestigious Lockwood Prep, but her world has altered immeasurably since her tumultuous sophomore year. The best change of all: her boyfriend, Gray. And though Gray is leaving for Coast Guard training, Emma feels newly optimistic, even if the pain of her mother’s long-ago death still casts a shadow.

Yet Emma isn’t the only one who’s changed. Her friend and roommate, Michelle, is strangely remote, and old alliances are shifting in disconcerting ways. Soon Emma’s long-distance relationship with Gray is straining under the pressure, and Emma wonders if she’s cracking too. How else to explain the vivid dreams of Hester Prynne she’s been having since she started reading The Scarlet Letter? Or the way she’s found herself waking in the woods? As her life begins to echo events in the novel, Emma will be forced to choose between virtue and love. But can she forge a new future without breaking her heart?

Hunted (The Guardian Legacy, #3) by Ednah Walters (Thanks to Spencer Hill Press)

Bran and Lil may have escaped an attempt to lure Lil to the dark side, and recovered the contracts damned people signed with Bran when he was a soul collector, but someone forgot to tell them that no one switches sides or cancels contracts without consequences. 

Hunted by an unknown but powerful enemy, Lil, Bran and the Guardians must seek help from unlikely sources to avert total annihilation of the Guardians. When they finally face their enemy, one of them may have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Review: Betrayed (Guardian Legacy, #2) by Ednah Walters

Lil has come to terms with her life as a Guardian/demon hunter and the wielder of the Nephilim most powerful weapon-the Kris Dagger. She trains everyday to master her growing powers, gets along with her Guardian trainee friends, most of the time, and cherishes the time she spends with her human friends. Just when she feels she belongs, her nature-bender father contacts her and warns her about a betrayal by someone close to her.

Then Bran, the boy she loves, starts to act strange and one of her human friends acquires a supernatural ability. While Lil struggles find a connection between these three things, she begins to realize that someone is manipulating her and will stop at nothing, including hurting those she loves, to lure her to the dark side.

I've just got to say it...I'm kinda crazy about this series. It's fun, exciting, it's chalk full of great characters, and I'm always wondering what's going to happen next. I'm still not a fan of these covers, but by not judging a book that way I lucked out this time around. Walters had me a little nervous (OK, a lot) throughout this sequel, and once again I'm anxious for the next installment in the series.

Lil and Bran will always have obstacles to overcome (it's in their job description) but this time around I'm worried it may be insurmountable. I can only hope Walters throws another curve ball in book three and proves me wrong. I'd really like to be wrong. And without the new bodyguards that were introduced...love them. They added new dimension and extra layers to our background. Not to mention tossed a wrench into my preconception of their kind.

So all in all I'm looking forward to the next book and I'm crossing my fingers (as always) that the adorable couple pulls through.

I gave Betrayed (Guardian Legacy, #2) 3 shamrocks!!!