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In a surprising turn of events, I found myself with enough time to start another post today. Hopefully, this will mean I’ll be able to post at least twice this week. Small victories (I am celebrating them). For this post, I am participating in Top 10 Tuesday’s prompt for this week, which is the top 10 best character names I have encountered so far.
Let’s go.
10. All the Peeps in Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
I honestly find Chaol’s name to be a perfect representation of his reserved and withdrawn nature. He is straight up like kale. I like him. Celaena’s name is also rather fetching. Dorian. Manon. I just love all their names. They just suit them perfectly. And, for some reason, I never felt like they were made up names. They feel real.
9. Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephenie Perkins
All I remember about this book is that: a) Lola is very quirky, b) she has gay dads, and c) her love interest is a boy named Cricket. His name, unlike Maas’ characters, did draw my attention. However, it soon acted as part of his charm. I remember him because of his strange name and because he was such a sweet character. Actually, the more I think about it, both of their names are delightful. Lola and Cricket.
8. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
I know. You probably saw this coming. Karou’s name is like candy to me. It sounds so out-of-this-world cute, unique, and almost fairy-like. I love her name.
7. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Cathrynne M. Valente
Briefly, I had glanced at the first few pages of this book. One thing became abundantly clear: the main character is a curious and sassy kind of gal. I still have to read it to learn more, but, get this, the main character’s name is SEPTEMBER! It’s such a unique yet tangible name.
6. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
You are probably expecting this book to be on the list, I know. It’s not just Blue’s name that is precious. In fact, I adore all her family’s names. Persephone. Calla, Maura, Neeve. Besides, all the nicknames the Raven Boys give her are hilarious.
“Jane.”
5. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins
I read this book once and I am in need of a reread (and to continue with the trilogy), but I remember one of the characters giving Sophie a hard time about her name?
Here’s the quote, “Let’s see . . . brown hair, freckles, whole girl-next-door vibe going on . . . Allie? Lacie? Definitely something cutesy ending in ie.”
Oh, here is a bonus. “So if you can heal with your touch, why are you working here as like, Hagrid, or whatever?”
*Wipes tears* Oh, Sophie. I don’t know if I love you more because Archer made fun of your name, or because you are hilarious.
I want to finish this book and get the rest of the series because it is so good.
4. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
Baz has the most perfect name that ever existed in all of fiction. This could be a very biased statement, but let me tell you something: I read Carry On years ago and I STILL love Baz more than so many other characters. I guess Simon is cool, too. I am fond of the girls’ names as well. Agatha sounds like an old lady name, and it is just perfect for this story set in a reserved magical world. Penelope’s name is also pure love.
3. This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab
All I want to protect in this world is my monster, August. He is pure and his name is so ordinary but it just suits him so well. My violin-player.
For the top two spots, I have yet to find books with awesome names, so I am reserving them for now.
What are your favorite character names? How do you find a name cute? Are you into quirky names? Traditional ones? Please share in the comments!
A Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman, I think, has multiple points of view. I recall hearing that it is a historical fiction novel with a touch of fantasy in there. It clearly has to do with kings and royalty, so I thought it fitting to include it in this week’s reading plans.
Vicious by V.E. Schwab has been waiting for me ceaselessly. Aside from the Archived duology, this series marks my completion of all Schwab’s published work. I am thrilled to read some Slytherin-inspired characters. Plus, the book has a beautiful cover now (and in the reprinting. Totally love them both).
Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, of course, has to be on this list. I just need to find the mental space to read. But, the first book was a hit for me, and it just blew me away, honestly. Naturally, I look forward to reading this story’s continuation.
A Book With a One-Word Title: Hunger by Michael Grant is on my list of books I desperately want to tackle before the end of the month. I have read these books ages ago and I am aiming to reread them as I repurchase used copies of the series. My reading plan for the rest of the year is to revisit this series. It is a grim story but I do enjoy the characters and their story arcs.
With: Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman is not a collection of short stories. However, it is a fairly short novel and, more importantly, it is from a genre I am totally unfamiliar with. I have read only a steampunk interpretation of Westerns as a genre. This one, from what I gathered, is more of a faithful adaptation to the staples of this said genre.
Oh. And finally. The First Book in a Series: I am thinking of getting to Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds. Amandla Sternberg plays the main character in the film and I am a fan of their work (they use they/them pronouns). It’ll be nice to read something a little different than the rest of my pile.
Miss Mayhem was a fun ride albeit sometimes heartbreaking. It had a powerful conflict between David and Harper, Bee and Ryan too. A lot of people say it was not a memorable read; however, I would say that it was a central development of David’s character as an Oracle and Harper’s test of her Paladin status. The refreshing tone of the story coupled with the reality of the setting pushed the story to be amusing and intensely stressful.
Spunk & Bite is a writing manual mixed with a writing advice collection. I read Strunk & White in grad school because my style was blander than tofu. Needless to say, my writing needs fine-tuning (a lot) more.
Glimmerglass by Jenna Black has one of the most beautiful covers I have ever seen. It is a book I have always wanted to read. Even though The Cruel Prince was not my perfect approach to faeries, I still find myself intrigued by faeries’ lore and mythology. Perhaps Jenna Black will nail the balance between the cute and mysterious. I know faeries are not typically nice, but can we not have broad generalizations sweep over a whole set of creatures?
Poison Princess by Kresley Cole was a book I once owned (I had the first two books in the series) and then I got ashamed of being interested in something based on tarot, which is silly of me. I want to give these books a chance. Plus, I like the idea of archetypes in a dystopic setting. Fun!
The Masque of the Red Death by Bethany Griffin was a book I saw Gail Carriger highly praise it. While I am not quite sure how I stumbled upon the title, seeing one of the coolest authors ever like it compelled me to get my own copy. I am excited to read it.
Nightshade by Andrea Cremer is one that I have seen around for years. Needless to say, I am venturing into the world of werewolves now that I have started Stiefvater’s Shiver. I am into paranormal and urban fantasy books and I am embracing said love.
I have finally stumbled on another favorite for 2018. The silly thing here is that I was afraid of Laini Taylor’s writing because everyone said it was flowery and slow-paced. Instead, I spent my time staring at the vivacious setting, characters bursting with realness, and a plot that is relentless. I love it. Perhaps I will share more details next week in a post dedicated to this book.
`The adventures of Lady Helen, the protagonist, had the pacing of a sloth but then Goodman managed the plot more efficiently. I enjoyed the story, however, I have luckily read books that balance polite Victorian settings with some sort of action better. I do own the sequel, so I intend to keep on reading about Lady Helen.
And I Darken by Kiersten White has a love triangle that includes an LGBT+ romance. I don’t know the details but this is all I have heard about this story. My connection with this book is amusing because everyone says it’s about a retelling of some fellow called Vlad the Impaler. I have never heard of him. It’ll be neat to see a female who is characterized by the same attitude toward others. It’s not something I encounter often in the books I read.
Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi kind of has three colors? I see the green, white, and lavender. I am counting it for this one challenge and I am hoping it will be a delightful easy read.