YA Bloggers Want...Believable Characters and BOYS: A Good Addiction

I'm thrilled to welcome blogger Kari from A Good Addiction - you also might know her as @flamingo1325 on Twitter. This girl lives and breathes books, and I don't think it's a stretch to say she has her finger on the pulse of YA. She's also in the midst of writing her own, so give her a shout of encouragement in the comments!

Kari also co-runs the Teen Book Scene book tour site with Kelsey of The Book Scout. (And Kari generously offered to put together a TMAS blog tour with lots more secrets and outtakes - stay tuned for late November!)

Welcome, Kari!

*****

Characters are what's most important to me. A good plot, sure, but my first priority is strong, well developed characters. I don't just want to identify with the protagonist, I want to respect, understand and appreciate them. I don't have to like them or want to be their friend—that won't always happen. But I want them to be real. Someone who is both brave and scared, has good qualities and bad ones. Who makes crappy decisions, and then tries to fix it. I want the full picture. But more than anything, what I want is more male POV. I love seeing the world through a guy's eyes…what he experiences and thinks. It really isn't just sex and girls. From romance to something dealing with issues to even fantasy…I want the boy's side. All those issues and firsts we see repeatedly from a chick? The guy has a perspective too.


Some of my favorite, well built, strong voiced and well defined characters:

Seth in Mindi Scott's Freefall
Alex in Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry
Ellie in Courtney Allison Moulton's Freefall
Zach in Ryan Potter's Exit Strategy
Dru in Lili St. Crow's Strange Angels

*****

Thank you, Kari!

Readers, who are some of your favorite guy characters? What makes a character's voice and actions believable to you? Comment away, and enter to win this week's book prizes and the mondo grand prize!

Oh, and just in case you forgot, this What YA Bloggers Want series is in honor of YALSA's Teen Read Week and National Book Month!