Top Ten Tuesday (64)

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Paranormal Characters

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. It’s awesome. Every Tuesday, the lovely folks over at The Broke and the Bookish post a top ten list topic so that book lovers like you and me can pour over our shelves and make our own lists. You can check out all the other Top Ten Tuesday‘s on their site!

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I figured that I’d go outside the box for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, friends. See, I do love me some paranormal books. I love witches and ghosts and creatures of the night. I probably don’t read about them as much as I read other things, though, like fantasies or contemps. In my reading, paranormals often wind up taking a back seat to other things, but I do love them, and they have some of best characters out there. Here are ten of my favorites.

Rose from the Vampire Academy series

My girl Rose is a straight-up BAMF. I love that she’s so fierce and strong and such an ass-kicker, but I also love that she owns her sexuality. She’s not ashamed of being attractive or being physical. Rose is smart and confident about everything, and it’s really hard not to admire her and the way she protects the people important to her.

Karou from Daughter of Smoke and Bone

I’m about to start DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT (finally), so I’ve got Karou and Akiva on the brain. I loved them both, but Karou is one of those characters who has stood out in my mind ever since I finished DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE. I love how individual she is, and how she takes no crap. Plus, she’s dealing with some hardcore unpleasantness and learning new things about herself, and the way she handles it all is real and wonderful. ( I should clarify: I don’t mean that she handles this well with a smile or anything. I mean wonderful in that it makes for a good, dramatic story, and I admire Karou anyway.) I especially loved reading about her relationship with Brimstone, who is really the closest thing to a father figure Karou has. Love her.

Katie from The Hallowed Ones

I am such a big fan of Katie, friends. First of all, I love that she gives us a glimpse into life in an Amish community, especially one beset by the vampire apocalypse. But what struck me the most about Katie is how she challenges the role she’s meant to accept in her community. She has a reputation as a rebel and a trouble-maker because she questions things. DANG IT I LOVE WHEN CHARACTERS DO THAT.

Cate Cahill from Born Wicked

Time for some witchy goodness up in here! I was a big fan of the world-building in BORN WICKED. I loved the alternate history and the Brotherhood/Sisterhood angle. But I also really enjoyed reading about oldest sister Cate Cahill and how she struggles with feelings of protectiveness for and obligation to her sisters. She’s torn between honoring her mother’s wishes and living the life she wants for herself. As an oldest sister myself, I can relate, although obviously minus the witch part. Alas. But the things Cate does to protect her family and keep their secret were heartbreaking.

Clara/Tucker/Christian from Unearthly

I’m totally new to this series, and I’ve only read book one, but I’m invested in the angel mythology here, and I’m TOTALLY invested in Clara and her relationships with the two guys. I understood right away why people not only struggle to choose which one of the guys Clara should be with and also why, once they choose, they ship it FOR LIFE. But I really dig Clara’s self-sufficiency and the way she doesn’t define herself by the guys in her life.

The Merrick Brothers from the Elemental series

I can’t possibly choose just one brother to root for in this series, although I will probably always have a soft spot for Michael, the oldest. (I can’t help it. Oldest siblings GET ME.) But I LOVE these brothers and how they are so loyal to each other, but no perfect. As orphans, they have to struggle with things that characters in other books don’t even have to worry about at all, like making money to live and running a business. If you guys aren’t reading this series, I totally recommend you give it a shot.

Will Herondale from The Infernal Devices series

Oh, the emoness that is Will Herondale! He’s got secrets and demons (ugh, no pun intended) and I’m a fan. I’m only on book one of this series, but I’ll always be a sucker for that broody guy. I’m starting to understand why people are so fanatical about this guy. He’s a little hot and cold with Tessa right now, but THE BROODS!!

Jem Carstairs from The Infernal Devices series

Soooo, long-time readers of this series will probably understand why I have both of these guys on here separately. Or maybe they only understand including one over the other because they all know which one they prefer. Right now, I’m leaning towards Jem, because I have a soft spot for the good guy, too (basically I have lots of soft spots). He’s got secrets and is awesome with Tessa. It’s going to be very hard for me to root for one of these guys over the other.

Rory Devereaux from The Name of the Star

Guys, I am really interested to see what Rory and the other Shades get up to in book two of this series, but I really enjoyed her sense of humor in THE NAME OF THE STAR. I thought she was strong and smart and awkward and great. The Jack the Ripper angle really piqued my interest in book 1, but I’m sure that Rory and the gang will continue to be awesome in book 2.

Sophie from the Hex Hall series

This girl! I love that the vibe in this series is not as serious as some other paranormals, although it certainly has its moments, and that’s thanks to Sophie. She’s funny. And snarky. Sophie’s got great personality, and I’m always going to enjoy a character who jumps off the page and sounds very real like Sophie does.