five: favorite characters from 2012

Characters are by far my favorite parts of stories. Whether it's a book, movie, or television show, I stick around for the characters, and 2012 had some truly incredible characters. Here are my five favorite.

1. Carrie Pilby

Carrie Pilby

Caren Lissner

I tend to like characters who are either like me or like the person I'd like to be, and Carrie Pilby fits the bill as a more extreme version of myself: smarter (she's a teenage genius), more socially awkward, more rigidly principled. She's a wonderfully unique, wonderfully herself character that will put some readers off but that I absolutely loved.

2. Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily

Jodi Lynn Anderson

This version of Peter Pan's Tiger Lily is crazy, emotional, jealous, passionate, and not like anybody else. And I can't even describe how much I loved her. I'm pretty sure she's an all-time favorite as far as YA characters go.

3. Elvie Nara

Mothership

Martin Leicht & Isla Neal 

Elvie is an awesome mixture of smart, witty, kick-butt, and lovestruck. In short, she's amazing.

4. Juliette Ferrars

Shatter Me

Tahereh Mafi

When it comes to characters I want to be more like, Juliette is one of the tops; she has an inner strength that's absolutely incredible and it's her love, her hope, and her strength that makes this book.

5. Dylan

How to Save A Life

Sara Zarr

Yeah, he's a secondary character, but that shows how truly great the character of Dylan is. I copied quite a few lines from How to Save A Life into my quote-book, and most of them were lines of dialogue that Dylan said. Dylan transcends the typical "boyfriend" role in this book: he's smart, wise, and loving above all else. 

Who were your favorite characters this year?