Good morning! Today I’m publishing the second part of a post I wrote almost three years ago. In it, I listed some of my favorite characters from the books that I’ve read. I re-uploaded the post recently because the images embedded in it were lost. I didn’t alter any of the text, but it did give me the opportunity to pick better “casting choices” for some of the characters. I’m not a big movie buff, so I don’t know as many actors as some people do, but I still fancy imagining who could play certain characters.
In the three years since I first uploaded that post, I’ve read a lot of books. Inevitably, I’ve met new characters who I ended up liking or admiring. A few are from very popular series that I hadn’t had a chance to read yet. Like with the previous post, this list is in no particular order. Here it goes:
In the three years since I first uploaded that post, I’ve read a lot of books. Inevitably, I’ve met new characters who I ended up liking or admiring. A few are from very popular series that I hadn’t had a chance to read yet. Like with the previous post, this list is in no particular order. Here it goes:
This is one of my most liked female characters so far. Incidentally, my first introduction to Clary was through Kat McNamara’s portrayal in the Shadowhunters TV show. Usually I prefer to read a book (or series) before watching the screen adaptation. In this instance, the show seemed like it would be too good to hesitate to watch it. Fortunately, I didn’t regret this decision. After reading the books, it seemed to me like Book Clary was so much like Show Clary. Kat did such a superb job playing the character. While Show Clary appears more experienced in later seasons than Book Clary does at equivalent points in time story-wise, Book Clary is still not a girl to dismiss. She’s brave, loyal, and passionate. Clary is also very protective of her loved ones and is morally incorruptible. I would totally date or befriend Clary if she existed.
Detective Zach Jordan - NYPD Red by James Patterson and Marshall Karp
Lucy Preston - More Than This by Jay McLean
DI Amy Winter - Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of books where the protagonist is a woman who works in law enforcement or a related field. I’ve read novels about detectives, private investigators, and lawyers/US attorneys. Amy Winter’s books are among the first I’ve read where the police force isn’t based in the United States. A Detective Inspector, Amy works with the Essex Police in England. She’s very good at her job, and that is for a reason. When Amy finds out why, she questions whether she really belongs amongst her fellow officers. Fortunately, Amy remains dedicated to her job. Amy is someone to look up to because she doesn’t give in to the darkness inside her. We all have light and dark, after all.
Evan Smoak - Orphan X by Gregg Hurwitz
As a righteous cop, Zach is among the kind of characters I most admire. He goes above and beyond to protect people and bring justice. Zach is also not afraid to go against dangerous criminals other people would run away from. He and his partner, Kylie MacDonald, are so good at their jobs that they become the “flagship” detectives of the NYPD Red Unit. Although it’s a unit that deals with cases affecting prominent citizens, Zach doesn’t look down on lower members of the public. His potential character flaw may be women, though. Throughout the series (which I haven’t finished yet) Zach seems torn between two stunning women. I wonder who he’s going to end up with.
While I’ve read many books with intriguing female characters, Lucy is one who’s stuck with me the most. She would appeal to me very much if she were a real person. Like me, Lucy is a seriously avid reader. We may have completely different tastes, but that doesn’t matter. She’s a girl, so I can’t expect her to like all the kinds of books I like. Lucy also seems to be like an amazing friend. She’s there for Micky and Amanda whenever they need her most. Lucy’s quite a chipper person too, especially when she gets to know you. She also has a wicked way with words. It’s unsurprising considering how much Lucy reads.
DI Amy Winter - Truth and Lies by Caroline Mitchell
As I’m sure I’ve mentioned before, I’m a big fan of books where the protagonist is a woman who works in law enforcement or a related field. I’ve read novels about detectives, private investigators, and lawyers/US attorneys. Amy Winter’s books are among the first I’ve read where the police force isn’t based in the United States. A Detective Inspector, Amy works with the Essex Police in England. She’s very good at her job, and that is for a reason. When Amy finds out why, she questions whether she really belongs amongst her fellow officers. Fortunately, Amy remains dedicated to her job. Amy is someone to look up to because she doesn’t give in to the darkness inside her. We all have light and dark, after all.
Rose Hathaway - Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Despite being a big fan of vampire fiction, I hadn’t got around to reading Vampire Academy until recently. It would seem like I didn’t want to read it, but that’s certainly not the case. My budget doesn’t stretch nearly as far as I would like, unfortunately. After I finished reading the book, I regretted not starting it sooner. Rose is a compelling character despite being quite abrasive. In the Vampire Academy universe, Rose is a Dhampir, the term for demi-vamps. Dhampirs mostly serve as guardians to the Moroi, full-blooded live vampires. Their greatest threat comes from the Strigoi, also full-blooded vampires, but undead. Rose works very hard to one day become guardian to her best friend, Vasilisa Dragomir. Rose is extremely devoted to her. It’s one of the fictional relationships I admire most. Rose and Lisa are as iconic to me as, say, Wednesday and Enid. They’re such friendship goals.
Despite being a big fan of vampire fiction, I hadn’t got around to reading Vampire Academy until recently. It would seem like I didn’t want to read it, but that’s certainly not the case. My budget doesn’t stretch nearly as far as I would like, unfortunately. After I finished reading the book, I regretted not starting it sooner. Rose is a compelling character despite being quite abrasive. In the Vampire Academy universe, Rose is a Dhampir, the term for demi-vamps. Dhampirs mostly serve as guardians to the Moroi, full-blooded live vampires. Their greatest threat comes from the Strigoi, also full-blooded vampires, but undead. Rose works very hard to one day become guardian to her best friend, Vasilisa Dragomir. Rose is extremely devoted to her. It’s one of the fictional relationships I admire most. Rose and Lisa are as iconic to me as, say, Wednesday and Enid. They’re such friendship goals.
Last year, I got into secret assassin/spy thrillers in the vein of Jason Bourne. The Orphan X series is one of them. It quickly became a favorite. Evan is an extremely skilled hitman who was left on his own after the black ops program he was a part of went under. In the years since, he’s managed to find a way to keep putting his skills to good use. Evan’s rather OCD, though. His penthouse is fastidiously organized and tidy. On top of that, it’s so secure and armored it could probably withstand an air strike. In addition, Evan doesn’t seem to know how to act around regular people. Despite this, I don’t think his life is all that bad. I wouldn’t exactly want it for myself, but you could get far worse. Evan’s badass, which is why he’s on this list.
Zoya Nazyalensky - Shadow and Bone and King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo
Of all characters from the Grishaverse, I wouldn’t have expected Zoya to be part of this list. I like Alina, but unfortunately I’m not very happy about her fate. No wonder the Netflix show might be trying to ‘rectify’ it…even though I think they’re going about it the wrong way. They rushed the second season too much. Anyway, back to Zoya. I like her because unlike Alina, her fate is more extraordinary than I expected. She pushes the boundaries of Grisha abilities in ways the original trilogy could have called impossible. As a supporting character, I found Zoya quite intriguing. But as a protagonist, Zoya became downright magnetic. She has a personality as rich as her backstory and character arc. And it doesn’t seem like it’s over. Hopefully, there’ll be more books in the Grishaverse so we see more of Zoya. She’s intriguing.
Cassidy Jones - Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes
As a big fan of superhero fiction, I was seriously drawn by the Cassidy Jones series. The titular character is a fifteen-year-old girl who gains superpowers after a lab accident. These books might qualify as middle grade, but that doesn’t make them boring for a reader around my age. There’s still plenty of action and thrill. Cassidy is also a very compelling character. I like her because she was gifted with incredible power and decided to use it to fight crime and protect innocent people. That’s remarkable considering how young Cassidy still is. Also, the villains she fights throughout the series may not be that creative, but they aren’t boring. And Cassidy’s lack of a proper superhero suit doesn’t make her less cool. It’s refreshing in my opinion; not all superhero fiction has to include supersuits.
Of all characters from the Grishaverse, I wouldn’t have expected Zoya to be part of this list. I like Alina, but unfortunately I’m not very happy about her fate. No wonder the Netflix show might be trying to ‘rectify’ it…even though I think they’re going about it the wrong way. They rushed the second season too much. Anyway, back to Zoya. I like her because unlike Alina, her fate is more extraordinary than I expected. She pushes the boundaries of Grisha abilities in ways the original trilogy could have called impossible. As a supporting character, I found Zoya quite intriguing. But as a protagonist, Zoya became downright magnetic. She has a personality as rich as her backstory and character arc. And it doesn’t seem like it’s over. Hopefully, there’ll be more books in the Grishaverse so we see more of Zoya. She’s intriguing.
Cassidy Jones - Cassidy Jones and the Secret Formula by Elise Stokes
As a big fan of superhero fiction, I was seriously drawn by the Cassidy Jones series. The titular character is a fifteen-year-old girl who gains superpowers after a lab accident. These books might qualify as middle grade, but that doesn’t make them boring for a reader around my age. There’s still plenty of action and thrill. Cassidy is also a very compelling character. I like her because she was gifted with incredible power and decided to use it to fight crime and protect innocent people. That’s remarkable considering how young Cassidy still is. Also, the villains she fights throughout the series may not be that creative, but they aren’t boring. And Cassidy’s lack of a proper superhero suit doesn’t make her less cool. It’s refreshing in my opinion; not all superhero fiction has to include supersuits.
Emika Chen - Warcross by Marie Lu
This is a series (er, duology) I picked up because of how popular it is. Many readers liked Warcross and its sequel because of representation. Emika, the main character, is Asian-American. There aren’t many fictional characters of that race in books, let alone protagonists. I feel it’s important that stories include characters who aren’t white. The world isn’t made up of only white people, after all. But Emika being Asian isn’t the only reason I’m a fan of hers. I also like that she’s super-intelligent and a tech whiz. She also reminded me a lot of Daisy Johnson, one of my very favorite Marvel superheroes. They’re both brave, smart, and righteous. Emika’s style is also pretty cool.
This is a series (er, duology) I picked up because of how popular it is. Many readers liked Warcross and its sequel because of representation. Emika, the main character, is Asian-American. There aren’t many fictional characters of that race in books, let alone protagonists. I feel it’s important that stories include characters who aren’t white. The world isn’t made up of only white people, after all. But Emika being Asian isn’t the only reason I’m a fan of hers. I also like that she’s super-intelligent and a tech whiz. She also reminded me a lot of Daisy Johnson, one of my very favorite Marvel superheroes. They’re both brave, smart, and righteous. Emika’s style is also pretty cool.
Darren Goldberg - The Thought Readers by Dima Zales
Darren is the protagonist of a fantasy series called Mind Dimensions. In this universe, there is a secret race of people with special mind powers. Darren is one of them, a Mind Reader. He’s introduced after running into someone else like him. Darren hadn’t known there were other people out there who could do what he can. He’d also never been aware of the full extent of his powers. Sure, we’ve all seen mind readers before. The way this power works in these books is quite original, though. Over the course of the series, Darren not only absorbs information about this new world like a sponge, he also helps his new friends fight extremely dangerous enemies.
Odette Dane - A Legacy Witch by Ashley McLeo
This is another character whom I met recently. She’s the protagonist of the Spellcasters Spy Academy series. Odette is a witch, and in her world, most witches train to become spies. Her parents were among the most renowned American spies. Odette of course follows in their footsteps. She’s long been looking forward to attend Spellcasters. There, she meets great friends–and a strong rival or two. But despite struggling at first, Odette never gives up. She really proves herself, and ends up discovering she’s more special than anyone expected.
Maci Knight - City of Legends by Cheyanne Young
As a big fan of superheroes, I’ve searched for books in the genre. The series that City of Legends is a part of became one of my favorites. Maci is the protagonist, a girl who’s about to turn eighteen. She’s a Super, a race of humans with enhanced strength, speed, senses, and a healing factor. Maci’s trained to become part of the Hero Brigade all her life. She can’t wait to finally be made an official Hero. But as you’d expect, she faces hurdles, some small and some bigger. Maci also discovers something about herself that she will have to come to terms with. I like Maci because despite what she was born as, she never once considers being anything but a Hero. All people have some darkness in them, but that doesn’t mean they are destined to turn bad. Maci is a great example of that.
Darren is the protagonist of a fantasy series called Mind Dimensions. In this universe, there is a secret race of people with special mind powers. Darren is one of them, a Mind Reader. He’s introduced after running into someone else like him. Darren hadn’t known there were other people out there who could do what he can. He’d also never been aware of the full extent of his powers. Sure, we’ve all seen mind readers before. The way this power works in these books is quite original, though. Over the course of the series, Darren not only absorbs information about this new world like a sponge, he also helps his new friends fight extremely dangerous enemies.
Odette Dane - A Legacy Witch by Ashley McLeo
This is another character whom I met recently. She’s the protagonist of the Spellcasters Spy Academy series. Odette is a witch, and in her world, most witches train to become spies. Her parents were among the most renowned American spies. Odette of course follows in their footsteps. She’s long been looking forward to attend Spellcasters. There, she meets great friends–and a strong rival or two. But despite struggling at first, Odette never gives up. She really proves herself, and ends up discovering she’s more special than anyone expected.
Maci Knight - City of Legends by Cheyanne Young
As a big fan of superheroes, I’ve searched for books in the genre. The series that City of Legends is a part of became one of my favorites. Maci is the protagonist, a girl who’s about to turn eighteen. She’s a Super, a race of humans with enhanced strength, speed, senses, and a healing factor. Maci’s trained to become part of the Hero Brigade all her life. She can’t wait to finally be made an official Hero. But as you’d expect, she faces hurdles, some small and some bigger. Maci also discovers something about herself that she will have to come to terms with. I like Maci because despite what she was born as, she never once considers being anything but a Hero. All people have some darkness in them, but that doesn’t mean they are destined to turn bad. Maci is a great example of that.
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