Favorite Literary Characters | 2014 Edition

This week's Top Ten Tuesday hosted by The Broke and the Bookish is again all about new releases which as I mentioned last week is not really my "thang".  The topic is "favorite 2016 releases thus far" and I've only read three, two of which I liked very much (Stars Above by Marissa Meyer and The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater) and one of which was pretty meh (Steal the Sky by Megan O'Keefe).

Since I don't have much to share on the 2016 releases front, but I still want to make a list, I thought I'd do one of my favorite things - talk about characters.  I did a list of favorite characters I met in 2015 but I hadn't done that for any other years.  Thanks to goodreads and a marginally intact memory, all things are possible, so here's my list for 2014.

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1) Sabriel from Sabriel by Garth Nix

Sabriel is just finishing up her schooling when she learns her father, the Abhorsen, has gone missing in the land of the dead and only she can go after him.  She's brave, practical and kick ass.  I love this series and its heroines a whole bunch!

2) Marian Halcombe from The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Marian is one of the narrators for this book and undoubtedly its heroine.  She is described as being a rather ugly spinster lady but as we get to know her in the book, it becomes very clear that she is worth 1000 of the pretty and delicate Laura Fairlie.  I mean Laura's fine, but Marian is so brave, self-sufficient and smart it's hard to imagine how she has remained a spinster.  I mentioned last week on a list of my favorite knaves and villains that Count Fosco, who's quite evil, redeems himself ever so slightly by being the only man in the book to realize Marian's superiority.   

3) Mark Watney from The Martian by Andy Weir

This is the book boyfriend section of the list.  I like a smart guy with a great sense of humor and Mark Watney has both of these things nailed down tight.  With duct tape. He'd also be super handy around the house and could whip my garden into shape pronto, lol.  The perfect man?  I think he just might be.  

4) Peter Grant from Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch

Mark Watney wasn't the only smart, funny guy I met in 2014 however.  Peter Grant is a London cop who can talk to ghosts and do magic.  Plus he's got a fantastic sense of humor, is easygoing, and has a scientific and curious mind.  Sigh..... He's a dreamboat and so much fun to hang out with.  

5) Fermin Romero de Torres from The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

So I suspect Fermin Romero de Torres might drive me a little crazy because he can be a bit...dramatic...at times but Fermin has also had a fascinating life that has made him quite wise and resourceful.  He was the character in this all around wonderful book that invoked the most emotion in me; both laughter and sorrow.

6) Shara Thivani from City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett

Okay, back to the kick ass ladies!  I love Shara's strategic mind, her obsession with tea and the loyalty she very obviously earns from her burly, violent factotum Sigrud.   

Art by the author, D.M. Cornish

7) Europe of Naimes aka The Branden Rose from The Monster Blood Tattoo by D.M. Cornish

I got to know Europe slowly through the three books of The Monster Blood Tattoo series.  On the surface she is rather haughty and cold. Moody even.  However, watching her slowly reveal her softer side; the affection and fierce protectiveness she develops for Rossamund despite the fact that he makes her question her whole belief  system; made her become one of the more interesting characters I met in 2014.  I'd love a book focused just on her and in her head, pretty please!

8 and 9) Cinder and Cress from The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

I couldn't choose just one!  These are my two favorite heroines of this series. Cinder is resourceful, practical, brave and a cyborg. Oh, and a tomboy! I love that when she finally finds out who she is and what is at stake that she doesn't waste a lot of time whinging or feeling sorry for herself.  She just gets on with doing what's right.  Cress is not as competent at life as Cinder is, since she's spent most of her life shut away from the world but she's super smart, kind-hearted and brave despite being afraid of everything.  Also filled with wonder at the world and universe.  Plus she has great taste in men:).

10) Anne Edwards from The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

Anne is the feisty smart older lady in The Sparrow and she's awesome.  She is a marvelous cook and gets all the best lines in a book that has a LOT of good lines.  Definitely my favorite character in this amazing book!

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That's my listiness for this week!  Have a good one!