Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Hello all! So this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a character freebie and I’m keeping it simple because I don’t think I’ve ever actually done a list of some of my favourite characters and this is the perfect opportunity! I have way more than ten but I’ve managed to try and pick a good variety from my favourites. Additionally I would say that these are favourites for totally different reasons, not always just because I love them, sometimes I just think the author has created a really interesting character! So here we go!

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1. Albus Dumbledore from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by JK Rowling

Why:

I could do a whole list on the Harry Potter characters I like and dislike (and I now really want to) but I’ve limited it to just two characters for this list! Now, I don’t actually 100% like Dumbledore but I think his is an incredible and well thought through character plus he is so iconic. In the later books in the series the reader starts to get a bit of insight into Dumbledore as a man who can make mistakes and who is not a saint which I found so clever because up until around the end of the fifth book he very much feels like an omnipotent almost godlike personality who knows literally everything about everything. I thought the way Rowling showed us that even people who are more clever and powerful than almost anyone else are not infallible or without fault. So, whilst I don’t always love him I do love the character arc!

2. Sirius Black from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

Why:

Sirius is hands-down my favourite Harry Potter character. I LOVE him and have done ever since Prisoner of Azkaban was released when I was about 13 and I had a little bit of a crush on him (which is possibly concerning seeing as we do believe him to be a dangerous criminal for most of the book). I loved his father/brother relationship with Harry and would kill for a Marauders prequel. I’m not crazy about the film version of him (no offence to Gary Oldman, who is a great actor) mostly because he’s meant to be about 20 years younger than he appears to be in the films, as do Snape and Lupin, and it bugs me but I will always be a little bit in love with book-Sirius!

3. Sadie from Sadie by Courtney Summers

Why:

This was one of my favourite books of 2018 and one of the main reasons for that was how much I liked Sadie herself. The book is dark and gritty and Sadie has plenty of that grit to her personality but I loved her throughout the book for her loyalty and love for her sister and her seemingly endless strength in dealing with things no teenager should have to deal with. If you haven’t read it yet then I highly recommend it.

4. Izzy O’Neill from The Exact Opposite of Okay  by Laura Steven

Why:

I just found Izzy so likeable whilst reading The Exact Opposite of Okay. She is smart and really funny but also totally relatable and by the end of the book I imagine most readers would want to be her friend. She’s also unwilling to put up with sexist crap in any way, shape or form and is unapologetically feisty and ambitious. I have the next book featuring Izzy on my shelves (A Girl Called Shameless) and I can’t wait to get around to reading it.

5. Lila Cerullo from My Brilliant Friend: 1 (Neapolitan Novels) by Elena Ferrante

Why:

This series is full of really beautifully created characters so it’s hard to pick just one but my standout has to be Lila, one of the two girls whose friendship the novels chronicle. She is not a warm or easy to like character in many ways, she can be harsh and even cruel sometimes but she is also such a force throughout the story. She is brilliantly intelligent despite seldom few opportunities she is given to gain an education and she is unyielding in a way that I really admire. Both Lila and Lenu are honestly such intriguing characters and I cannot think of another series with such unflinching rawness to the characterisation throughout.

6. Dante Torre from Kill the Father (Caselli & Torre 1) by Sandrone Dazieri

Why:

This is one of my favourite crime series and that is in large part due to Dante, one of the main two characters. He is unusual in almost every way and has led a unique life which has made him into the character we meet at the start of Kill The Father. I love that we see his major weaknesses but they don’t take away from the strength of his character and I also love his push/pull relationship with the other main character Colomba Caselli.

7. Amy Dunne from Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Why:

I know she is a terrible, terrible person in pretty much every way possible but I absolutely loved reading about her in Gone Girl. I get that what she does to Nick is awful but honestly, he’s such a weak, narcissistic and self-pitying man that I find it very difficult to dredge up much sympathy for him. Amy is undeniably smart, precise and very determined in her goals and she is just so deliciously ruthless at times that I cannot help but enjoy her as a character.

8. Enzo from The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein

Why:

This book is fantastic, it made my heart break so many times and I would highly recommend reading it, especially as the movie version is coming out pretty soon and us bookish people tend to like to read the book before seeing the movie! Enzo is a dog, which before I started reading, sounded a bit of a gimmick to me but honestly it’s not – it is a beautiful way to tell such an emotional story and Enzo has to be on my list of favourite characters. I have a dog so I’m obviously going to be susceptible to wanting to know what they might be thinking about us humans and the author does a great job with Enzo’s voice and motivations.

9. Inej Ghafa from The Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo

Why:

I genuinely love all of the six main characters in this awesome duology but if I had to pick a favourite it would have to be Inej. I so admire her elegance and calmness paired with her strength and capability. She is sure of herself in a way that never feels arrogant and she seems to always search for the best in people which I think is always impressive. I think the strength of these books lies in the thoughtful way the author has created all these different characters who the reader feels totally invested in from practically the very beginning.

10. Rudy Steiner from The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Why:

The Book Thief is probably my favourite ever book so it had to be on this list in some capacity and obviously Liesel, the main character is incredible but I thought I’d actually go for one of the secondary characters, Rudy. He so clearly cares for Liesel and is willing to do anything to protect her and his character just came across as a genuinely good and noble person in a very difficult place and time to live – wartime Germany. Rudy broke my heart in The Book Thief and I adored the friendship between him and Liesel.

So there you go – 10 of my favourite characters! I would love to know what you think of my list, do we have any favourites in common? Who are some of your favourite characters? Lets chat in the comments and I can’t wait to read all of your lists!

xxx