At the end of the year, everyone is putting together their compilation posts. Best of this, favorite of that, etc. etc. etc. But who is talking about the characters in the book? very few people! When I saw this tag by Cait @ Paper Fury (through Evelina @ Avalinah’s Books), I knew I had to do it.
Please note: Most of the books I read this year were not published in 2016. These awards are to honor those characters I met and loved throughout my reading exploits this year. And these characters totally deserve it.
All title links are to Goodreads. Add these books to your TBR if you haven’t read them yet!
Without further ado:
(Man, Cait is amazing at photos and graphics. I could learn a thing or two from her… 100% credit for this image goes to her – I could not make something so pretty. … … Yet.)
Most Relatable Character
Miri
from Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
Miri is a headstrong young girl who just wants to take part in her culture’s traditions– instead of being forced into a silly “princess academy” and be groomed as a potential bride-to-be for the Prince. I adore Miri. I can relate to her passion and frustration. I adore how she turns to books and stays true to herself. Plus, I remember what it was like to be the “teacher’s pet” (although, in both of our cases, accidentally) and how hard it was to make friends. <3 you, Miri. 14-year-old Jackie is totally you.
Most Pure and Precious Animal Companion
Toto
from Marvel’s The Wizard of Oz Omnibus by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young, original L. Frank Baum
Typically, Toto would not be my choice. There are so many amazing animal companions in the books I’ve read this year. But this Toto is the absolutely sassiest. I mean, look at his adorable mustachio! He is sassy, adorable, and rolls his eyes at the stupidity of the crew he rolls with. He is my hero.
Honorable Mention goes to Old Dan and Little Ann from Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls.
Fiercest Fighter
Jake Brigance
from A Time to Kill by John Grisham
I spent a long time thinking about this answer. I’ve read a lot of science fiction and fantasy this year. I considered many physical fighters at first. But, I think the battle of mental fortitude is far more challenging in the long run. Jake Brigance has a stick-to-it-ness unlike most characters I’ve read. He refuses to give up on his scruples, even after many terrible things happen to him on the journey to defend Carl Lee Hailey. This case is morally ambiguous, but Brigance has his own moral code and sticks to it. He is to be commended for fighting tooth and nail.
Death by Tsundoku – A Time to Kill Book Review
Most Amazing Sidekick
Bee
from The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
Bee is a literal sidekick. She is the First Mate of the Temptation. But that isn’t what makes her amazing. Bee is a Na’ath, an ex-cattle herder from Sudan. Her wife Ayen died before they joined the crew. “They” because in accordance with Bee’s beliefs, Ayen continues to travel with her as her “ghost wife”. Bee constantly blames Ayen for silly, trivial things, but these interactions make her brilliant and memorable. She has long since acted as a bit of a mother to Nix, so her wonderful sage advice is also appreciated.
Death by Tsundoku – The Girl From Everywhere book review
One You’re Surprised You Loved
Dawsey Adams
from The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Dawsey Adams is a quiet pig farmer on the island of Guernsey, and avid reader. It’s his character who really connection Juliet Ashton with the island and kicks off the story. I honestly expected him to be an impetus for the plot and to vanish in the background. But, has the story grew, so did his character. He is quiet and incredibly timid. But, with the development of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Dawsey has a chance to grow out of his shell. As he developed as a character, I grew to like him. He is wonderful.
Death by Tsundoku – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book review
Best Sassmaster
Fermin Romero de Torres
from The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This was a hard one for me. There are so many sassy characters in the books I read! Yet, one must be acknowledged above all others. Fermin is a down-on-his-luck citizen who becomes, well, adopted of sorts, by the protagonist and his father. Fermin is a fully-grown adult who comes back into himself through a job. No longer a hobo, Fermin becomes a hilarious, witty, verbose, tramp-cum-philosopher, whose unique perspective provides pearls of wisdom which manage to coat the most sordid sentiments in ornate vernacular. He is a diamond in the rough; an absolutely irreplaceable sassmaster.
Death by Tsundoku – The Shadow of the Wind book review
Best Anti-Hero and Morally Grey Grape
Everyone
…in the Red Rising trilogy
No kidding. This trilogy is a sci-fi dystopian political action adventure novel. There is so much backstabbing and flip-flopping you can never figure out who to trust or believe in. Well, with a few minor exceptions. I spent a long time trying to decide on a single character, but in the end, I went with all of them. Seriously, I can’t predict these people. I’m confused just writing about it.
Death by Tsundoku – Red Rising book review
Best Worst Villian to Hate
Aaron
from The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
I have never run into a more unbelievable villain. This dude is COMPLETELY off his rocker. I don’t understand his motivations or even the words he is saying most of the time. He’s like the energizer bunny of evil. It’s super weird. Make it stop.
Death by Tsundoku – The Knife of Never Letting Go book review
Truly Astounding Worst YA Parents
Evie O’Neill’s Parents
from The Diviners by Libba Brey
Seriously. What parents, after learning their daughter causes a huge ruckus at a party, send their daughter off to spend a 1920’s summer in New York City with a childless uncle married to his work?! It’s obvious from the beginning they just don’t want to deal with Evie, so they send her off. Never do they check in on her, never do they seem to follow up with the potentially nut-job uncle who is now responsible for a delinquent teenager. I’m certain she won’t find her way into speakeasies. <eye roll>
Death by Tsundoku – The Diviners book review
Truly Astounding Best YA Parents
Aristotle Mendoza and Dante Quintana’s Parents
from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
These two sets of parents certainly are NOT perfect. Both of them have their own struggles, for sure. But the amazing thing about these sets of parents is that they are their own distinct characters. Rarely are parents so clearly defined in YA, let alone allowed character development! Ari and Dante’s parents grew with them throughout this book. They even grew to become each other’s friends. They accept the flaws of their sons, as well as of each other. Just amazing parents.
Death by Tsundoku – Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe book review
Toot Toot! Best Ship of Then All
Oree Shoth and Madding
from The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
I love this relationship because it’s the healthiest one I think I’ve read this year. Yes, Oree is a blind human artisan and Madding is a minor godling– but that doesn’t mean that they can’t respect each other! These two talk to each other like equals, respect the opinion of the other, and even have healthy conversations about their feelings on the regular. Yup. Love them.
Honorable Mention to Libby and Drew from What’s A Soulmate? by Lindsay Ouimet.
Death by Tsundoku – What’s A Soulmate? book review
The Most In Need of Protection
Dromio of Ephesus and Dromio of Syracuse
from A Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare
Dromio of Ephesus is constantly being beaten by his master and mistress. Dromio of Syracuse is beaten less, but confused more. Both of these men are completely flummoxed by the misunderstandings taking place during this sidesplitting comedy and find themselves beaten, yelled at, jailed, confused, terrified, and running around on endless errands. They really could use just a tiny bit of help to stop messing everything up. As slaves, they are just constantly taking the beatings for all the misfortunes of the script. Honestly, these two really also need saving from themselves.
Most Boring as a Barnacle
Flora 717
from The Bees by Laline Paull
The whole book I was waiting for something significant to happen to Flora 717. Instead, she just existed. I guess, towards the end of the novel, things started to happen around her and she reacted. But all in all, this was just a long allegory I wasn’t engaged in. Yawn fest.
Death by Tsundoku – The Bees book review
Best Little Royal
Dovasary Balitang
from Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce
Dovasary and her sister, Saraiyu are technically not crowned. But, they are the only living descendants of the raka ancient ruling family of Haiming. Where Sarai is outspoken, passionate, and sharp, Dove is quiet, patient, and kind. She stays out of the way as a member of an important upper-class family, but she does not forget the others around her. Dove’s kindness towards the people who work for her makes her exemplary. I just adore her. Plus, she has a sassy streak in her too. <3
Death by Tsundoku – Trickster’s Choice book review
Very Surprised You’re Still Alive
Mark Watney
from The Martian by Andy Weir
Mark Watney is an astronaut/botanist who is accidentally stranded on Mars. Seriously. I don’t think I need to say anything else.
Death by Tsundoku – The Martian book review
Best At Horrible Decision Making
Michael Flannery
from Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
Mike. Mike Mike Mike. We all know you want to care for your little brother. But you’re old enough to understand sarcasm, to understand what people mean when they can’t be direct– to speak to people like an adult. You might only be 14, but seriously. You made a ton of terrible assumptions and poor decisions based on those assumptions. It’s a good thing there are good people in your life. Seriously.
Cutest Dork
Owen of Jesslaw
from the Protector of the Small quartet, first appearance in Page, by Tamora Pierce
Owen is Jesslaw is that youngster who is awkward, slow, and bullied. And yet he wants to be the greatest knight of the realm! Once Kel enters Owen’s life, he is completely smitten. And not romantically, he just admires her strength, bravery, wit, and honesty. Starting in Page Owen become something of a mascot. He respects Kel and does her bidding as a friend. But he is constantly frustrated by his inability to get ahead. He follows everyone around like a little puppy, and I just want to snuggle him and pat him on the head.
Cleverest Little Hellion
AIDAN
from Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
The theories I have about AIDAN. There is little I can say here without spoiling anything, sadly. AIDAN is the ship’s artificial intelligence, and I’ll just say: He is really good at understanding (and possibly manipulating) humans.
Death by Tsundoku – Illuminae book review
Most in Need of a Nap
Nicholas Flamel
from The Alchemyst: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott
Nicholas Flamel was born in 1330. According to record, he died in 1418. But, that was all a ruse. For over 700 years he has protected The Book of Abraham the Mage, aka the Codex, from the forces of evil. FOR 700 YEARS! The poor dude needs a break. I get exhausted just thinking about this.
Want to Read More About You
Ella
from Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Ella is by far the most intriguing ancillary character in a book I’ve read thus far. She isn’t really a sidekick, and while she is SUPER sassy, there is much more to her than this. A disabled girl who enables herself by becoming a sassy hacker? Heck yes! I think Ella could easily have her own spin-off book(s) or be a major character in the final book of the series. She is THAT cool. I adore her. And this darn book made me cry repeatedly over her. Stupid feels.
Death by Tsundoku – Gemina book review
What do you think?
- Do you agree with any of my awards?
- Do you disagree with any of my awards? Who would you award these to instead?
- What important characters from these books did I miss out on?
25 Comments
Great list! A couple of these are actually on my January TBR list. We’re reading Aristotle and Dante for book club, and I’m so stoked for that discussion!
That’s awesome! I love book club discussions. One of my 2017 goals is to get more discussion questions posted on my blog to encourage more face-to-face bookish interactions. Let me know how your Aristotle and Dante discussion goes, and if I can help out. π
Thanks for posting, Krysti– I look forward to hearing what pairings you have for the books above which are on your TBR.
I am ALWAYS up for discussion question ideas! I would love any recommendations you have!
That’s a fun take on a 2016 “Best Of” list!
Thanks! It was a ton of fun, and strangely time consuming. I probably put too much thought into it…. O_o But I’m glad I did it!
Ha! My first pingback! Took me FOREVER to figure out what it even was! π
Thanks for linking my blog up, and it’s so cool you did this!
So nice that you put the links for GR on your book references. I should really start doing this. I have not been bothering. Just a next step in becomming a better blogger, I guess π
And I’m also bad at visuals. It’s really a great thing there’s giphy.com – I wouldn’t fate at all otherwise π
So now let’s get to the books. I have had Princess Academy marked on my TBR for quite a while, but I don’t have it yet π it’s a book I’ve been looking forward to though! And the dog is very sassy and cute indeed π I have actually read the potato peel society book, but it was such a light one and I read it like 3 years ago. It’s all gone π did you enjoy The Shadow Of The Wind though? I remember I found that book utterly boring, distasteful and everything else of the sort, which basically adds up to 2 stars and no more. I am always surprised when people find this book readable at all. So disappointing too, cause it was partly about books and libraries as well. Sigh. However! Fermin has got to be about the only character from the book I remember, and I do agree to your nomination. He was a great character. As for the Martian, if I had not read Illuminae recently, you’re right, it would have been Mark π THAT BOOK. You can’t decide whether it’s unrealistic or just optimistic π it rocked, though. Actually, that’s the book that pushed me to look for books on NetGalley more – when I read that people actually got it on NetGalley first, and it was sort of a hidden gem, before it got big. That’s when I realized you CAN get early and free peeks at AMAZING books, you just have to find them! Which was an amazing idea. Fast forward a year later and Evelina is stuck with over 50 NetGalley ARCs. Ouchie.
As for the other ones, haven’t read them (or haven’t read them yet). The Alchemyst is a book my mom keeps talking about, especially because she burned through 5 of the existing books and is constantly fuming about the fact that the 6th one is failing to be published in Lithuanian for over a year or more, and doens’t seem to be planned – a fact she finds atrocious, evil and plain, well, stupid. Haha π (unfortunately, she can only read in our native language). Ah, the evils of book publishing fails.
Yay! I’m so glad it worked! Sometimes, my Pingbacks don’t work for some reason. Silly WordPress.
I look forward to your future review of Princess Academy. The title is actually the most deceiving part about the book– it’s brilliant.
I *adored* The Shadow of the Wind! Now, I have no idea how much my translation affected me. I obviously read it in English. Did you? Or did you read it in Lithuanian? The translation probably has a ton to do with this. I felt like it is a beautifully written and magical story. I’m sorry you didn’t feel the same– but that’s why we read and share our opinions! I can’t be friends with only people who like the same books I do. π
I did also read Illuminae and Gemina this year– I totally agree with you that Kady is running for her life! However, I didn’t want to copy your answers. π She and Mark Watney are just experiencing completely different sorts of terrors. I know I wouldn’t make it as either of them. Seriously– how are they both still alive? (Spoilers)
That might have been the thing. I read most of my books in English, but I got that one from the library, so it was translated to Lithuanian. It could have been part of it. But I also remember rolling my eyes a lot at their “love story” which just seemed cheap to me. It didn’t engage me at all. I was disappointed π but yes, you’re right, the translation could have A LOT to do with it. I have found that I rarely enjoy books by Spanish speaking authors though. They do tend to have that… style, always something in common, doesn’t even matter if they’re from different ends of the world. Just the long, unbroken sentences and overly descriptive modifiers. I don’t particularly enjoy it. But hmm, yes, it didn’t feel beautifully written at all. Maybe it is a lot about the translation in this case.
Aah, for me though it wasn’t Kady π at least they TOLD us how Kady survived (mostly). But how did Ezra??? Nobody told us. Nobody explained. One moment he’s dead, 30 pages later he’s suddenly alive. God knows how :0
Hahaha– you are soooo right. Spanish authors have tons of descriptive modifiers. I enjoy listening to them read to me in many cases. For example, I loved listening to Like Water For Chocolate on audiobook. The language really captured me.
I never really stopped to think about Ezra’s survival… Doesn’t AIDAN save him somehow? Well, if I forget, I obviously need to re-read that book. Ezra shouldn’t have survived either, but Kady’s 8 billion near-death experiences were just unbelievable. In the best way. I mean, I was never detracted from the story. But retrospectively, completely unbelievable.
Oh, I still have to read the Chocolate one. I’ve been stalking it in the library every since singing up on Goodreads. That would be since 2012. Now in retrospect, I don’t think I’m ever going to get it xD
As for Ezra, THAT’S THE THING. Nothing is ever said. Nothing ever mentioned about how actually Ezra survives. All AIDAN did was pretend to be Ezra. That bothered me -.- maybe I missed something..?
As for Kady, yes – the radiation was completely off the charts π I wasn’t expecting for that to be curable at all. But yeah, I think that was meant to be that way. It’s not a tense fast-paced sci-fi story for nothing. Nobody’s really expecting it to be realistic.
I just started reading it for a book club– I can’t wait to dig back into it again a few years later. I imagine I will have new things to learn from Like Water for Chocolate the second time.
Hm. I feel like Ezra explained how he survived when they are reunited, but I could also be wrong. Darn, an excuse to re-read Illuminae. I’m so upset. XD Illuminae wasn’t realistic, but it was an amazing story. As long as I don’t dissect it too much, I will always enjoy it. π
Brilliant choice for Anti-Hero!
Thanks, Birdie! I went back and forth on so many characters from Red Rising I finally had to give up and just pick them all. Some are certainly worse than others overall, but what fun would it be to try to pick the *most* anti-hero? π
Ha! Especially because they were all shades of grey.
OMG you have some awesome books on here!! I recently read Illuminae and I’m very excited by all your comments about Gemina π
Thanks, Wendy! It was really nice for me to see such a variety of books in my Read list for 2016, as well. Seeing everyone’s year-in-review posts has drastically increased my TBR. Oops! I can’t wait to read your reviews on Illuminae and Gemina. Everyone has very strong opinions on these books. I look forward to hearing yours.
I totally agree about Evie’s Parents, they were seriously terrible. And Ari and Dante’s parents were amazing! They had their flaws and struggles, yet they were always there for their children. I loved them! π
Those were the hardest questions for me to answer, honestly. I spent a long time thinking about these. I recall more parents from the non-YA books I read than the YA ones. In fact, memoirs typically have the worst parents. O_o Reality bites, I guess.
Thanks for commenting, Anna! I appreciate your participation. π
The only end-of list I need. Love it!
Yay Fermin!!
Thank you, Kelsey! That means a lot to me. π I was so excited to pick Fermin! I honestly went through the whole list of prompts first to figure out which award he should receive. π
I love this tag… and it makes me weep inside a bit because there are s many books listed by you I want to read now! π
Thanks, Liz! That means a lot to me coming from you. We just keep feeding each otherβs TBRs. Itβs an endless quest.
Loved this post Jackie! I agree I haven’t seen many Best Characters of 2016 posts!
I absolutely loved the character Fermin from The Shadow of the Wind! He would have won my best funny sidekick award for sure!
I hands down agree with your best parents award! The two sets of parents in Ari and Dante were so refreshing to see in a YA book.
Thanks, Amanda! I’m glad this was a bit on the unique side. π It was challenging to come up with the worst YA parents, but Ari and Dante’s parents required no second thought, just like Fermin! I think this was a good exercise in remembering my favorite books from the year. There were so many I might have forgotten completely!
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