Favorite Book Characters

Hello readers!

Today's post is a pretty basic concept, but looking through my posts, I feel like figuring out who my favorite book characters isn't super obvious. So, I want to flesh out some of my favorite characters and why. These are rated from essentially my "least" favorite favorite to my most favorite favorite at the time of the post. As I read more, I'm sure these ratings will change and I'll probably make another post. 

1. AIDAN- Illuminae was a road trip I wasn't prepared for. Kady and Ezra were super cute, the premise of what was happening was setting up to be great and then BAM. We get AIDAN and his malicious genius. He was so perfectly written, he was an AI that demanded so much emotion from the reader. Like how? He doesn't experience emotion himself but you felt genuine fear, sympathy, and frustration towards him. His relationship with Kady was also so amazing and beautiful I re-read her running through the Alexander at least twice. Then in Gemina, despite absolutely loving Hannah and wishing no harm on her beautiful head, I started routing for AIDAN to insert himself into the picture. Like it was a complete gamble but I was cool with the outcome either way. I thoroughly enjoy reading about the musical inspiration that Kristoff and Kaufman utilize for their writing and every time I get hints of musical referenced for AIDAN I immediately hop on a chance to dissect how it fits into his character.

2. Cardan- After reading the Wicked King, Cardan blossomed into this beautiful boy that was such a breath of fresh air. His relationship with Jude is something I've been craving from a book for years and I don't know how Holly has separated and delivered Cardan from all of the other dark and morally grey characters in YA literature. I enjoyed him in The Cruel Prince and at times I found myself only reading to get to his screen time bits. The Wicked King started the same but halfway through the book things changed. I didn't care for the sexual tryst between him and Jude that was so rushed but the tension that continued to build post coitus is what has me obsessing over him. I believe deep in my heart that he truly does have feelings for Jude and so much of me is invested in what happens in Queen of Nothing it's alarming.

3. Mia Corvere- I have to be honest, I can't pinpoint what I like so much about her character to land her as number 3. What I appreciate about her story so far is that it pushes the boundaries of literature genres. It's clearly a rated R book, but it reads closer to a YA book. As a whole, I like Mia as a character because she does do flawed things despite being a driven individual. If she listened to Mr. Kindly about not getting attached to people this would be a lot more just about stabbing with a knife. ;)

However it's Mia's emotional response to the people she meets that alters her decisions to do the obvious and builds on her capabilities as a character. She is focused on her goal of revenge, but along the way the people she meets and assumes as pawns show her that not everything is black and red.  

4. Professor Remus Lupin- Since we met Lupin in book 3 he was automatically my favorite character. He was a mentor figure that Harry needed and the relationship between the two was always so delicate to me. At this point, Harry doesn't have much adult influence in a parent aspect other than Hagrid. He's also spent two years figuring out how magic works and when Lupin and the maurders are introduced is a crucial time in Harry's life in transitioning to adulthood. The difference between Lupin and Sirius is not only their personalities but also how they care for the boy. Lupin is more supportive in a healthy manner, which is evident when Lupin reminds Sirius that Harry is not James because those expectations are imprinted in their relationship. His death was by far the hardest for me to handle in the entire series and I legitimately cried for a while over it. Between him and Fred's death I was in total denial and to this day it's kind of hard to realize that he is gone despite the entire novel being a fictional story.

5. Manon Blackbeak- The reason why Manon is at the top of this list is extremely simple. Out of all of the characters I love across all of the books I've read, either hated or loved, I have never met a character that I was instantly jealous of because I wasn't them. I wish I was Manon. I know she has a shitty back story of abuse from her grandmother, the damaging relationships between her and other witches, and the fact that she loses the people she loves most. However her confidence and self assurance in every move and decision she makes is what I admire the most. She knows she is fearless, despite being berated for being weak by her peers and elders. Her sympathy is what makes her fearless. The relationship between herself and the Thirteen has always been mutual, despite the standard being that she treats them beneath her. She has earned the respect of everyone around her for being nothing but herself despite what she has to give up. She accepts her flaws and doesn't care if people throw them back at her because she does what she believes is right not only for herself, but for her people. If anyone in Maas series deserves the title of Queen, it is Manon without a shadow of a doubt.

Everyone has their own opinion regarding characters, and that is totally okay. The characters and reasons why I like a character may be a character you find problematic or boring, and you are allowed to think that. However, please be respectful in any disagreement you have in the comments.