Faves of TwentyEleven: the Characters

You may recall Nomes from Inkcrush created several lists of her favourite 2011 books halfway through this year, and invited everyone to join her. I did so here, and since the time has come now for the final end-of-the-year lists, I'm participating once more! I love the categories she's created.

1. Favourite female main character

Wanderer of The Host by Stephenie Meyer, for her transformation from detached "soul" to emotive being with a distinct identity.

2. Favourite male main character

Oh, I really loved Lochan of Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. Admirable, honourable, and struggling under the weight of burdens he shouldn't have had to carry. 

3. Best couple <3

Loved Clara and Tucker from Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, and Anna and Étienne from Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. Clara and Tucker are just plain adorable, and as a reader it was both frustrating and wonderful to watch Anna and Étienne's journey to being together.

4. Who I so want to be best friends with

I think it'd be fun to be friends with Kat from Heist Society by Ally Carter! She's totally different from me in personality, and while I think it would take a while for her to let her guard down and trust me with anything, once we were friends I think she'd be extremely loyal. 

5. Who I fell completely in love with (new literary crush)


Étienne St. Clair! (Seriously, who *didn't* fall for him?!) 

Also, Ian from The Host and Tod from If I Die by Rachel Vincent are both pretty swoon-worthy :D

 
6. Worst (best & baddest) villain


Cole from Bitter End by Jennifer Brown....I really loathed him, he was despicable. Grrrrrrrrr.

7. Best character twist (who you loved then hated or vice versa)


Isabel from Mistwood by Leah Cypess — While I certainly never hated her, I did find her difficult to understand and connect with at the beginning. It was very enjoyable to see her develop her emotional side and I ended up really liking the character she came to be. 

Also, honourable mention to Cecily from Wither and Fever by Lauren DeStefano, for being a character much more complex than she appears on the surface.

 
8. Best kick-arse female


Deuce from Enclave by Ann Aguirre! She was totally awesome, very tough physically and mentally but still learning to be vulnerable emotionally.

 
9. Best kick-arse male

Gideon from Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier, for his mad fencing skillz. (Okay, Fade from Enclave could take him down in a fight in a minute, but I wanted Ruby Red to get a mention, LOL.)

 

10. Broke your heart the most

Lochan... :(

  11. Favourite pet/animal character award


I don't have a really strong contender for this one, but I guess I'll go with the horse Midnight from Jackie Morse Kessler's Hunger. Honourable mention to the unusually conscientious wolf in "The Little Red Headache" story from Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde.

12. Best YA parents award


Many of the YA books I read this year have the parents conspicuously absent or causing problems for the protagonist. If it were the WORST YA parents award, I'd definitely have some nominees, but as it is I'll have to leave this one a blank.

13. Favourite sibling relationship


Frankie and her younger brother from Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta. I just wish we'd seen more of them together!

Also, for extremely complicated relationships: Lizzie and Tess from Without Tess by Marcella Pixley, and Lochan and Maya from Forbidden. 

14. Favourite best friends/friendship award

The quartet of Frankie, Tara, Justine, and Siobhan from Saving Francesca. I loved watching them bond!

15. Best/worst character names


Terrible character names always strike me much more than excellent ones, so I'm just going to list the worst: "Four" from Divergent by Veronica Roth (okay, so it's more of a nickname...but still), "Nordica" from Popular by Alissa Grosso, and "Sandinista" from The Sharp Time by Mary O'Connell. "Deuce," "Fade," and "Lochan" are also questionable.

Bonus: Best love triangle


It's more of a love rectangle or something, but the Jared-Melanie-Ian-Wanderer conundrum in The Host. In a love triangle competition, one involving two personalities sharing a body can't be beat.

What are some of your choices for these character categories from the books you've read this year? And if you would like to join in the merriment (and why wouldn't you?!) head on over to Nomes' blog here for the details.
 

Fave books read in 2011 (so far)

Nomes at Inkcrush has come up with a fabulous idea to feature some of her favourite 2011 reads so far. I'm loving reading everyone else's lists so I'm joining in! If you want to participate see Nomes' post here.

Here are the (awesomely creative) categories and my picks. They are mostly YA but there are a couple adult reads included as well.

1.) Favourite book read so far in 2011

Okay, this one is virtually impossible for me to answer, but I think Anna and the French Kiss and Mistwood would be duking it out. The Host might get a piece of the action too.

2.) Most powerful book

The Host — I really connected emotionally with the main character of this one. I also found Grace to be super intense.

3.) The most brilliantly funny

Hmmm...I don't think I've read any really hilarious books so far...but I did find Ruby Red to be thoroughly entertaining with some laugh-out-loud lines.

4.) Best ache-y, heartbreaking, tearjerker read

Books don't often make me cry, but I think I was tearing up at The Host.

5.) Most beautiful story

I really loved Mistwood, it reminded me of everything wonderful about YA fantasy.

6.) Fave rainy day comfort read

Anna and the French Kiss or Unearthly...both have such cute romances!

7.) Best tense, adrenalin-fuelled, unputdownable award

Divergent would be vying with The Host and Enclave for this one — they all had me totally in their grip.

8.) The beautiful prose award

Song of the Sparrow — the writing was very evocative. Mistwood also gets a mention here.

9.) Most atmospheric and vivid setting

Song of the Sparrow and Jasmyn.

10.) I-so-want-to-go-there award

Ruby Red. Because they get to travel through time and that is awesome. Or maybe Jasmyn by Alex Bell, because part of it is set in Europe and involves castles and such.

11.) Most original and imaginative

Jasmyn by Alex Bell. This book is kind of trippy. Nothing makes sense but you just have to keep turning the pages because it's so wild.

12.) Best under-appreciated, hidden gem book
 

Probably either Song of the Sparrow or Grace. Some of Elizabeth Scott's other novels get quite a bit of buzz, but Grace seems overlooked.

13.) I-had-no-idea-I-would-love-this-so

Enclave — I was a little wary of it since I'm not big on post-apocalyptic novels, but this one sucked me right in and kept me flipping the pages.

14.) Most haunting story

I'm not sure I've read one yet that really fills this category.

15.) Outside of my comfort zone but gosh how I loved it

The Host by Stephenie Meyer. It was for my "Read Outside Your Comfort Zone" Challenge and I'm not normally one for aliens.

16.) Series that I'm loving

Soul Screamers by Rachel Vincent — I really enjoyed the latest (My Soul to Steal) in this series. It's pretty addictive. I'm also finding the Hex Hall series very entertaining.

17.) Most memorable voice award

To Enclave for Deuce's tough-as-nails attitude and to Anna and the French Kiss for sheer relatability.

18.) Completely awesome premise award

I think Memento Nora and The Host will be fighting over this one. Divergent might sneak in here too.

19.) Would make the best movie

Divergent would make a fantastic, on-the-edge-of-your-seat-the-whole-time movie. And I think Jasmyn would be good as one of those really surreal movies where you don't understand what's going on till the end (and maybe not even then...)

20.) Want to re-read already

Anna and the French Kiss and Mistwood.

If you've done a list and I haven't visited yet then feel free to link me to it in the comments!