I am all about the characters when I read. I get attached. And I'll always choose characters over plot. Yes, a strong plot is important, too, but give me a character that I love and I'll follow them anywhere. I can't always pinpoint what draws me to a certain character or what makes one more memorable than another, but certain characteristics seem to be a constant. One of those being vulnerability. A character - man or woman - who can be vulnerable, and let that show... gets me every time. Also characters who are more than they appear to be. The whole 'still waters run deep' thing. Characters who have a depth that is only hinted at, that is only shared with a precious few... that's another trait that pulls me right in. So here are the characters that, for a myriad reasons, were utterly captivating and truly memorable this year.
Cardan | The Cruel Prince
Stella | The Kiss Quotient
Monty | The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
Blake | Good Boy
Ren | The Boy & His Ribbon
Jude | Steadfast
Grizz | Nine Minutes
Mal | Play
Rev | More Than We Can Tell
Have you read any of these books?
What character captivated you this year?
Stella made my list too! I chose Jude from The Cruel Prince. Evelyn and Rev were amazing characters as well. Great list!!
ReplyDeleteI wavered between Jude and Cardan and Cardan finally won out. :)
DeleteStella and Michael were both captivating. Everything about that book was amazing. I love that you have so many great heroes on your list too. Jude, Mal, and Blake <3 And my love for Rev knows no bounds. He was such a complex and amazing character, and I am glad I met him.
ReplyDeleteI'm a sucker for a good hero. ♥
DeleteAnd Rev... I just adore that guy. If I ever meet Kemmerer it's just going to be me gushing about Rev. :)
I've read TKQ, CP, and TGGtVaV and agree with all those choices. I would add Jude from TCP though. I really love her and how complex her life/relationships are.
ReplyDeleteKaren @ For What It's Worth
I went back and forth between Jude and Cardan. Both were such great characters!
DeleteI really want to read The Seven Husbands of, but I HAVE read Gentleman's Guide and I totally agree about Monty. He's a favorite character of mine for sure.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
Monty was just so much fun to read about. :)
DeleteI'm character driven too. The plot of a book can be amazing but if I'm not drawn to the character I'm going to have issues.
ReplyDeleteI do like Mal...
In 2019, I'll definitely be reading my copy of The Cruel Prince and seeing what the fuss is about! Then I'll be able to jump straight onto book 2, lol.
Excited to see what you think of The Cruel Prince when you get to it. And how lucky that you won't have to wait for the second book! :)
DeleteI loved Stella and Michael. Blake, Jude and Mal are some of my all-time favorites. So many great books in your list!
ReplyDeleteJust thinking about Blake and Mal makes me want to reread their books. :)
DeleteYes, I agree with so many of these! Stella might be one of my favorite characters.
ReplyDeleteI loved her uniqueness!
DeleteGreat choices! I really loved Stella, Monty, Rev, and Cardan as well.
ReplyDeleteThey were all such stand-out characters. :)
DeleteAwesome list! I haven't read any of these, but I hope to in 2019! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
DeleteGreat list! Although I haven't read any of these books, but I would love to next year! Thank you for thse reccomendations.
ReplyDeleteI do like characters with hidden depths, and I'm glad to hear that The Cruel Prince has them since I'm pretty keen on reading that one. The Seven Husbands is another book I've been thinking about.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll enjoy them both if/when you get to them.
DeleteI have read some of these books. It's funny - I was just thinking the other day about how much I prefer character driven stories vs. plot driven. I also loved The Kiss Quotient, but More Than We Can Tell was a huge miss for me. And Evelyn Hugo is of course on my list to read!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. :)
Aw, sorry to hear that More Than We Can Tell didn't work for you. I hope you'll love Evelyn Hugo! :)
DeleteFrom your list, I only know Stella and Blake but I love them both so great choices!!
ReplyDeleteThey were both such great characters!
DeleteI haven't read any of these yet - but I want to! I really want to read The Kiss Quotient! Have a happy new year!
ReplyDeleteMary
The Kiss Quotient definitely lives up to all the hype! :)
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