Top Ten Tuesday - Reluctant Heroes

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

Today's prompt is top ten X characters. These open-ended ones are so much harder for me. I spend just as much time trying to think of what list to make as I do on the actual list. After five different other ideas I decided to play off my discussion post from a few weeks ago where I talked about reluctant heroes. Here are my top ten, in no particular order.

1.) Harry Potter in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - At the tender age of eleven Harry learns that he is the only person to ever defeat the darkest wizard to ever live and he's going to have to do it again. He's so reluctant to save the Wizarding World he spends a whole book whining about being "the Chosen One" but we all know how this story ends.


2.) Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins - Multiple reckless and impulsive moves on her part puts Katniss in a position to save multiple lives and the hero thing goes way to far when she becomes the symbol of a revolution and it's not just about saving the few people she loves. But she doesn't want to be the Mockingjay! It takes her a long time to realize that she has no choice and take responsibility for her actions and be the hero.

3.) Ruby in The Darkest Minds trilogy by Alexandra Bracken - Ruby is the kind of hero that has these amazing powers and doesn't want to use them because she's afraid of the consequences. She spends most of the first book trying not to use them. When she gives in and uses her powers and becomes a hero it's fantastic and totally kickass! She's had a great character arc and I can't wait to see how her heroism continues in book 3 coming out this fall!

4.) Samwell Tarly in A Song of Ice of Fire series by George R.R. Martin - In a series with more characters than I can count, all with amazing character arcs, Samwell Tarly stands out as the reluctant hero. Sam is constantly told he is a hopeless craven for liking to read rather than fight. This disappointment is what gets him sent to the Nights Watch. But he's constantly performing acts of valor that are equal to or greater than his brothers. (spoiler alert) Seven hells, he's one of only two characters to kill a White Walker! He's basically the Neville Logbottom of Westeros

6.) Neville Logbottom in the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling- Neville is constantly told that he is a disappointment because he doesn't live up to his parents reputation. But more times than not he is willing to bravely fight on the side of good and join Harry in any dangerous situation (except at the end of Sorcerer's Stone but we won't hold that against him). He has one of the best character arcs in the series!

7.) Cinder in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer- At the end of the first book in the series we find out just how essential Cinder is to taking down Levana and saving the day. But then she spends the next few books saying how she doesn't know how to do what needs to be done, and she doesn't want to do it. By the end of book 3 she is ready to be a hero and this fact makes me so excited for book 4!

8.) Cress in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer- What I love about Cress is she's a self-proclaimed damsel in distress but that couldn't be farther from the truth. She desperately wants Thorne to save her and when he does things get turned all around and Cress has to realize that not only can she take care of herself but she can save others and be a hero.


9.) Alina Starkov in The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo - When the Sun Summoner is told that not only does she have powers but they are super powerful and she's the only person that can right things in the Shadow Fold,  naturally she freaks out a little. She freaks out even more when they raise her up to the position of Saint. But she has an amazing character arc and I can't wait the see how heroic she is in Ruin and Rising!

10.) Gemma Doyle in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy by Libba Bray - Gemma is told she alone has the power to contain the magic of the Realms. She is so reluctant to be the hero they want her to be that she petulantly does things to make her inevitable heroism all the more difficult. But she has this amazing character arc and ends up being quite the hero in her own way.

That's my list of reluctant heroes! Who's your favorite reluctant hero? Leave me a comment with your thoughts. To check out more of my thoughts on this trope including why I like them so much check out my discussion post HERE. What did you make you list about this week? Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY READING!