Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic: “Ten Books For Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels.” I love character-driven novels; I like books and series in which you see the characters develop. I love characters who simply jump off the pages and make you believe for a moment that they are real. Here are ten books that are character-driven.
Ten Character-Driven Books:
1. The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I’m pretty confident that a Gansey, Ronan, Adam, Noah, and Blue exist somewhere. I couldn’t love these characters more if they were actually real.
2. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness: Todd and Viola’s journey together and their separate journeys are what make this series so compelling.
3. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas: The best part about reading this series is seeing the evolution of characters like Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian.
4. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: Although I think the sequel fell short in character development, Yancey does a tremendous job of showing how the external struggle to survive affected the protagonist Cassie internally.
5. Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen: A coming-of-age story in which the protagonists, Bryce and Juli, learn a lot about themselves, their families, and each other.
6. Bruiser by Neal Shusterman: I read this book a few years back, but I have never forgotten its characters, Brewster and Tennyson especially.
7. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I don’t understand how you cannot list this book when discussing character-driven novels. The monster at times feels more human than Frankenstein himself.
8. For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund: This book tore me apart. Elliot North is a silent sufferer and I felt every injustice that fell upon her as though I was her.
9. The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski: My favorite part about this book is the protagonist Kestrel and though the story is told from two perspectives, it felt like Kestrel’s story more.
10. Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier: I listed this book because it is one of my favorites by Juliet Marillier but all of her books are character-driven and just so wonderful.
Which character-driven books have you listed this week?
A Kernel of Nonsense 
Have you read the sequel to For Darkness Shows the Stars? It’s good, but perhaps not as good.;) Still, it’s worth reading!
http://amandanicolle.blogspot.com/2014/10/ten-books-for-people-who-like-character.html
LikeLike
I have read the sequel and you’re right, it’s good but not as good as For Darkness. I’m still hoping for another installment.
LikeLike
Great list! There some I’ve been wanting to read on here! I was thinking of starting “The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski” by the end of the year. (Here’s to hoping I will!) There’s just so many must read books!
LikeLike
I love The Winner’s Curse. It’s a book I highly recommend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, I’ll move it up on my list!
LikeLike
I’ll try and get my hands on a copy! 🙂
LikeLike
Yeah Raven Boys! Throne of Glass is a good choice as well. The character development in this series is definitely the best part. Great list!
LikeLike
I love both of these series and the main reason why is because of their characters.
LikeLike
I JUST downloaded Raven Boys, so I’m glad to see them on your list. I can’t wait to start the book!I also love love love Throne of Glass!
Here’s my list: http://sarahcantstopreading.blogspot.com/2014/10/top-ten-books-for-readers-who-like.html
LikeLike
I hope you enjoy The Raven Boys! Who am I kidding, of course you’re going to enjoy this wonderful book 🙂
LikeLike
Excellent list. In some ways our tastes are so different, and in some ways so similar! I just bought the Chaos Walking trilogy and I’m excited to get to them. The Raven Cycle series is one I’ve had my eye on for a while but haven’t read them yet. My current TBR is just too big and I have some work to do to get it manageable again. I do have the other books in the Throne of Glass series staring at me though, and I’m so excited for them!!!
My TTT: http://confessionsofabookgeek.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/top-ten-tuesday-character-driven-novels/
LikeLike
I think that is what it’s like for every reader. We’re all different and no one has the exact taste in books, but there are places where we overlap with each other like a venn diagram. Who said math wasn’t practical in the real world? (Nevermind I’m talking books and some people might say it isn’t the real world; silly people) I hope you enjoy the Chaos Walking trilogy. It is one of my favorites.
LikeLike
I wish the Raven Boys and Blue were real! I also wish that I wrote them myself. They’re Ah-mazing!
LikeLike
Oh, good, I’m not the only one. Sometimes I think Maggie Stiefvater climbed into my heart and pulled them out.
LikeLike
Poor Frankenstein’s monster. He really was mistreated in the movies–from an intelligent, tortured soul to a shambling, moaning brick wall.
LikeLike
Oh the death of a literary character at the hands of cinematic misdirection is always very sad.
LikeLike
Great post! I still need to read The 5th Wave and start The Raven Boys
LikeLike
Both are so good. I hope you enjoy them when you do 🙂
LikeLike
I LOVE Flipped! They made it into a movie too. Have you seen that?
http://www.she-read.blogspot.com
LikeLike
I loved the movie and didn’t at all mind the changes they made.
LikeLike
Love Blue and Celaena so much!
Missie @ A Flurry of Ponderings
LikeLike
They are certainly awesome.
LikeLike
Great list with many books I’m not familiar with! I love the cover of ‘For Darkness Shows the Stars’, hope the inside is just as great!
LikeLike
The only one of these I’ve read is The Raven Boys, but I’d definitely agree -the characters in it were vivid and intriguing!
LikeLike