Top Ten Tuesday – Character Traits I Love

Well, I am jumping on the Top Ten Tuesday bandwagon!  I love a good list and well this week’s topic really drew me in.  Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and has since moved to That Artsy Reader Girl beginning in January of 2018.

This week’s topic is Character Traits I Love!  I happen to have some very strong feelings about this topic so I think this will be a great top ten Tuesday to start with. While these are character traits I’d like to see in all characters I am mainly focusing on main characters in this post.  I have a feeling this list is going to end up looking similar to Traits I look for in a book boyfriend, but I can’t help it.

 

10. Calculating/Cunning

First, let me say I love a villain, but while this tends to be a villainous trait it doesn’t have to be.  The hero, okay more likely anti-hero of the book can certainly be calculating and still be the hero of the book.  Think Kaz from Six of Crows.

9. Ambitious

This is important because it moves the story forward if the character isn’t ambitious well then, not much is going to happen. Ambition just makes the character more interesting, it drives them and that’s what I want to read about.

8. Straight-forward

I like a character that tells it like it is.  None of this beating around the bush nonsense and no out and out lying.  Notice I said straight forward and not honest because they are not the same thing.   I’m okay with a secretive character, I mean who doesn’t love a bit of mystery right?  But I also want someone who is going to be straight with me when it counts.

7. Mature

I am no longer a young adult, I am a full-fledged adult now, and so reading about a character who is mature has become more important to me.  I need a character who isn’t going to do stupid rash things, but that thinks about consequences at least a little bit before they act.

6. Resourcefulness

This is an extremely important trait, especially in a YA fantasy or sci-fi book.  How boring would the hunger games have been if Katniss didn’t know how to set traps or use a bow, yeah not great.

5.Charisma

Oh, those charismatic characters get me every time!  You could maybe change this to likable, but that isn’t quite right, because its more than that.  In fact, I find that a lot of the characters that have the most charisma are ones that are actually villains.  Not all the time, but there is a reason that everyone likes the Darkling and it’s not just because Ben Barnes is playing him.

4. Intelligence

A character with intelligence just makes for a more interesting read.  They are often a step ahead of everyone else in the book and without their forethought let’s face it nothing would happen!

3. Senese of Humor

Sometimes you just need to laugh.  There is nothing I love more than laughing out loud while reading a book, and it is even better when the book isn’t a comedy because humor is important especially when the road ahead seems tough.

2. Loyalty

This should probably be number one because loyalty is extremely important, but well… Sass won out so, there you have it.  Loyalty is an important character trait, and I feel like a lot of time it is more of a side character trait, but I want my main characters to have it too!

1. Sass/Witty

There is absolutely nothing more I love in a character than sass.  I love a sharp tongue more than just about anything, and generally, this one fits nicely with my number three favorite trait, sense of humor.  But it’s not just about being funny it’s about having a great come back and being able to banter, because I love a book with banter.

And I’m pretty sure I just described at least 5 of my book boyfriend, Wesley Ayers, Rhysand, Noah Shaw, Baz, I’m sure there’s more…

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