I read so many great books this year! In 2015 I only read 50, but this year I’ve nearly doubled that and I plan on hitting 100 before the year is up. With all these great books, comes great book characters as well. So, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite characters from series/books I’ve read this past year.
Inej Ghafa
Inej is my favorite! I love all the Six of Crows/Crooked Kingdom characters, but I’ve limited myself to only one per book/series I read this year. Inej is so fierce and strong and independent and I love her so much. She’s been through a lot of really horrible things in the past which she still deals with, but it’s made her that much stronger nonetheless.
Lysandra
We didn’t really get to know Lysandra until Queen of Shadows, but I’ve fallen even more in love with her since Empire of Storms. Like Inej, Lys is super fierce and independent. In Assassin’s blade she comes across as super snobby, but she’s the total opposite. Her and Manon have to be two of my favorite female characters ever.
Shahrzad al Khayzuran
I wanted to include Shazi and Khalid from The Wrath and the Dawn, but I decided to just go with Shazi. She’s, again, one of my favorite female characters. So sassy but also very independent, selfless, and fierce. I love how she’s always willing to defend those she loves no matter what.
Ginny Weasley
Book Ginny for life! I love (book) Ginny so much! She’s so strong and fierce (are you noticing a pattern here?). I mean she’s grown up with six older brothers who are always there to defend her, but then she just comes right back and shows them that she can protect herself. They ruined her whole character in the movies though.
Audrey Rose Wadsworth
Stalking Jack the Ripper is one of my favorite books this year. Audrey Rose was such a great character! She’s super feministic for a woman in her times and isn’t afraid to break the rules, but at the same time she’s also very feminine and loves to go shopping and wear dresses. Seriously, why aren’t there more characters like her?
Emma Carstairs
I really enjoyed the friendship-turned-relationship between Emma and Julian in Lady Midnight. But Emma has to be one of my favorites. She’s very fierce and loyal and will stop at nothing to avenge her parents after all these years. I’m really excited to get to read more from her POV.
The Darkling
I love the Darkling! He’s one of my favorite characters and villains ever. Leigh Bardugo has created some of my favorite, and least favorite characters, but the Darkling has to be one of my favorites. I mean yeah, he’s a villain, but that can’t stop me from loving him, right?
Ronan Lynch
Like SoC, I would feature all the characters from The Raven Boys on my favorites, but I’m limiting myself to one. Of all the amazing characters in this series, I think Ronan is my favorite. He appears to be so cold and guarded, but once you get to know him, he starts to let down those walls and really shows who he is. I love his personality and sass so much.
Rhysand
If you didn’t think I would include Rhys on this list, you’re crazy. Rhys is amazing. Just everything about him I love. You expect him to turn out to be the villain with how he acts in the first book, but then in the second book you realize he’s only trying to help Feyre. Rhys is so selfless and sassy and fierce I just love him to death.
Remus Lupin
Okay, I know I said I wouldn’t include multiple characters from the same books, but I could not not feature Lupin. I loved both him and Sirius, but Lupin has to be my favorite. He’s just so sweet and kind and lovable. I don’t want to spoil anything, but just his whole background makes me so sad. Lupin is one of those book characters I would give a long hug to then some chocolate.
Honorable mentions go to…
Like I said, Khalid from The Wrath and the Dawn nearly made this list as well. I love him so much! All the characters from My Lady Jane. Everyone from The Raven Boys, The Grisha Trilogy, Six of Crows, and Harry Potter are amazing as well. Seriously, it’s impossible to name only a few!
Who are some of your favorite book characters from this past year? Do we have any of the same? Do you agree that movie Ginny just doesn’t do her character justice? Let me know below!
[…] full year in review which I’m REALLY excited for! Since I’ve already shared my favorite characters, blogs, and books and my least favorite books, I thought it’s time to share my favorite […]
I don’t know many of the characters on your list – just Ronan and Lupin.
You’re right though, book-Ginny is a billion times more awesome than film-Ginny. The script just didn’t give her enough scenes. 🙁
My favourite characters of the year are Irene and Kai (both from the Invisible Library), and Ronan and Noah (The Raven Cycle).
Right? Not only did they ruin her character, but they cut her out of so many important scenes she was in in the books. 🙁 I haven’t read The Invisible Library though, so I’ll have to check it out. Noah’s so underrated! I loved him in The Raven Cycle (and Ronan, of course).
YAAS, INEJ IS JUST FREAKISHLY AMAZING. Her strength is spectacular and her development is one of the best written ones I’ve ever seen. GINNY WAS SO COOL IN THE BOOKS OMG. You’re right, though, they viciously murdered her character in the movies, even though the actress could have KILLED book-Ginny’s personality, imo. Audrey is actual #goals. I love how she can be both girly and badass and brave and kind – SHE HAS SO MANY LAYERS OMG. Ronan is EVERYTHING – he may not be my fave from TRC, but he’s AWESOME nonetheless.
AND YESS, the characters from My Lady Jane were also superb – fun, realistic and cute. I have so much love for that novel.
Wonderful post!! <3
Veronika @ The Regal Critiques
Inej’s character development was amazing! I LOVE HER SO MUCH. I’ve seen people blame movie Ginny’s character on the actress, and I’m just like, no. It’s not her fault that they cut her out of the movies so much and made her act like she can’t actually do anything but obsess over Harry? Audrey’s amazing. I totally agree, she’s can be feminine and girly while also kicking but and being super strong. Ronan is the best! 😉
My Lady Jane was the best! The characters were hilarious, and of course the romance was adorable.
Great list! 😀 I absolutely agree with ALL SoC & Raven Boys characters!! They’re just THE BEST hahaha but my favorite has to be Nina Zenik and yes Ronan. Can’t wait to read his own trilogy <3 alsooo I have mixed feeling about the darkling. He's amazing but like super creepy? Hahahaha if I have to choose one character from The Grisha I think I'd choose Sturmhond 😛 also yes to Khalid and Shazi, they're just the best characters of ever and together they become my favorite OTP <3
Thank you! I love them all SO much! I just want to reach through the pages and give every single one of those characters big hugs because they need it. Nina is amazing. She’s probably my second favorite from the series. 😉 I’m really looking forward to the trilogy, too. I got so creeped out by him in the first book, but then I just fell in love with him. Whoops. Sturmhond is amazing though. I love both of them. I ship Khalid and Shazi so much, too! Do they have a ship name? Haha.
INEJ! <3 She is such an amazing and strong character and I'm so glad to see her on your list. And (book) Ginny is fantastic too. Thanks for sharing and, as always, fabulous post!
Thank you! Isn’t she the best? I love Inej so much. <3
[…] recently posted my favorite characters and favorite books from the year, so why not talk about the most disappointing books? Having read […]
I read The Wrath and the Dawn last year, and I totally fell in love with all the characters too! I love Shazi so much – she was so selfless and fierce, yet also caring and compassionate. I haven’t read EoS yet, but I loved Lysandra in QoS too! Who doesn’t love Ronan Lynch? He’s just an angel ♥
Denise | Riot Grrrl Reads
Shazi’s amazing. <3 One of my favorite female characters ever! Lysandra was amazing in QoS. I totally fell in love with her in that book, but then in EoS she just developed even more and has become so strong and independent. Ronan Lynch is my fav.
I only know the characters from Empire of Storms and Harry Potter but – wow – Now you’ve really made me want to read crooked Kingdom and Wrath of the Dawn – they sound so good! I love heroines with a bit of spunk and buckets of sarcasm! Thanks for sharing.
Yay! I hope you do, and really enjoy them, too. The characters are amazing, and like you said, the heroines are spunky, sarcastic, and sassy!
Lupin is one of my favorite characters ever! I fully support including him on your list lol.
Haha, right? He’s the best!
Yessss! Remus Lupin! I loved him so much. I really want to check out The Raven Boys. I’ve been meaning to read it along with the rest of the Raven Cycle for a while but I still haven’t gotten around to it!
Krystianna @ Downright Dystopian
Remus is the best! <3 And you need to read The Raven Boys! I read it this fall and loved it to so so much. It's amazing.
Lupin is my favorite Harry Potter character! He could definitely use some chocolate. And I love Inej, too! I think my favorite characters from Six of Crows are Nina and Matthias, but I love them all so much that it’s really hard to choose.
He’s just the best! I love Nina and Matthias, too. Actually no, I love all the characters from those books. Leigh Bardugo has creted some of the most amazing characters between her two series.
ALL OF THESE CHARACTERS! Inej is my favorite too! I know a lot of people think she’s too self-righteous but I think her faith is what gets her through her hardships and I love that. I think I like Emma Carstairs more than Tessa and Clary combined; I’m so excited for the second book! And Ronan is just a cinnamon roll!
I completely agree on movie Ginny vs book Ginny. Book Ginny is strong and bold and her traits don’t come off well in the movies. Awesome post!
Exactly! Inej sticks to what she believes too, but she stays so strong through all of it. Tessa Gray is my favorite of Clare’s protagonists, but I’m waiting to get to know Emma more. That might just change though… I was never a huge fan of Clary though. And yes! So true! Ronan is the “looks like they could kill you but is actually a cinnamon roll” kinda cinnamon roll.
In the movies they just made her seem so weak, like she couldn’t do anything to stand up for herselves. Her and Harry’s relationship was ruined, too. 🙁
Shazi is such a geat character!!! I still need to read the sequel but loved that book and her so much.
She’s one of my favorites! I will say that The Rose and the Dagger wasn’t as good as the first book in my opinion, but I loved Shazi even more in that one. <3
RONAN. <3 He's my favorite character from the Raven Cycle as well. I love how much we see him grow and come out of his shell over the course of the series. Stiefvater is just to good at writing amazing characters!!
So true! I mean, I’ve only read The Raven Cycle (I’m dying to read her other books though), and you can tell she puts a lot of thought into her characters. They all seem so real and complex, but of course, Ronan has to be my favorite!