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Favorite Five Character Arcs in Fantasy

I think one of the things I love most in a book is a good character arc. I’m the type of reader who cares about character first more than anything, so if if the characters are great and have good trajectories, then I can overlook a lot of other things. Of course, that also means the reverse is true. 😀  Here are some of my favorite character arcs in Fantasy.

• Prince Aleksander in the Rai-Kirah trilogy by Carol Berg

 

Oh no, I’m going to have to talk about Carol Berg again, whoops! 😀 As much as I love Seyonne, our main character in this story, I LOVE Prince Aleksander. He starts out such a little shit. He’s not a great person. But somewhere in there is the potential for greatness, if he’ll just grow up a little and learn some lessons. It’s through his eventual friendship with Seyonne that he begins to grow. I’m all about that redemption thing with characters. I can’t emphasize enough how much I love this series.

 

 

 

• Maia in The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison

 

Well, I’ve talked at length about how much I love this book. But the thing that makes it so great for me, personally, is Maia’s growth throughout the book. In the beginning he starts out sort of timid, afraid of being hurt again, but wanting to make friends. In the end, he’s a much stronger person, more sure of himself, with a lot more confidence. And even though he still has a ways to go, he’s on the path. I love Maia and he’s my favorite thing about this book.

 

 

• Kyo in Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya

I LOVE the Fruits Basket manga so much. Honestly, there are so many great character arcs in there, it’s pretty much centered around character growth, the whole ‘transforming into animals of the zodiac’ thing is almost incidental.  All three of the major characters, Tohru, Yuki, and Kyo, have fantastic arcs, but it’s Kyo that’s my favorite. I have a thing for prickly characters I guess, being a bit prickly myself at times, I get it. Sometimes it’s easier to push people away then let them in. Throughout the course of the story, Kyo transforms. He’s still a bit prickly now and then, but he lets a lot of that anger and hurt go, learns to be vulnerable and let people love him–learns that he’s worthy of that love in the first place.

 

• Julius in the Heartstrikers series by Rachel Aaron

This is another series that I absolutely love just because of how hopeful it is. I love hopeful books these days! Julius starts out a nice dragon, and ends up a nice dragon. But he still has a fantastic arc! At the beginning of the series he is kind of a shiftless layabout, the least important member of his family’s considerable clan. No one thinks Julius will amount to much of anything, least of all Julius, he’s just trying to lay low and survive. By the end of the series you have a complete role reversal. All while he’s remained, essentially, Julius (having gone through some growing pains).

 

 

• Monty in The Gentlemen’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee

Gimmie all the broken little shit characters because I LOVE them. ❤ ❤ ❤  This book is hella fun. Monty, seems like he is also hella fun. But soon you realize that all of his fun and frivolity is a descent into darkness. He’d rather party his way through the world in excess, pissing off everyone around him,  than have to stop and think about the things that are bothering him. Oh, Monty. You poor little asshole. I love this book so much because the characters are fantastically written. Everyone goes through a little growth in this one, but Monty’s arc remains my favorite.

 

Well, these are my picks for this week. What are some of your favorite character arcs? Thoughts on my picks? Leave a note the comments, I’d love to chat!