Top Ten Tuesday: Freebie

A weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I like the structure of this meme. I often lack the originality to come up with topics. This week being a freebie I was going to do my literary crushes but then I noticed a trend in them and had a lightbulb. So I've decided to list some of my favorite characters who happen to have redemptive or revealing arcs.

1.) Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

When we first met Snape we were convinced he was the villain. I personally thought that he was an opportunist playing both side. However he is merely a series long red herring and when his truth was revealed I melted!

2.) Circe in The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray

Circe is the Snape of this series. When we first meet her she seems to be the villain of the story, and for good reason. But then as the series develops so does her character. I mean homegirl changes her good or evil status more than she changes her clothes! By the end she even managed to surprise me earning her a spot on this list. 

3.) Jamie Lannister in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

How could we not hate him after what he does in book 1! But under that cold and pompous exterior is a hopeless romantic who has to take a lot of shit. Yes, he's arogant and stupid at times but he's also helped many a character in need. The more we learn about Jamie and the more literal shit flung at him he changes for the better and so does my opinion of him. Jamie has one of the best character arcs in a series full of amazing characters.

4.) Sansa Stark in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin

Sansa haters be damned! Have I mentioned my love of Lady Sansa? Follow my twitter for frequent tirades on the subject. Sure when we first meet her she's a stuck-up brat but in all fairness you're harassing a teenage girl for acting like a teenage girl. Throughout the series she gets dealt a very poor hand and has to learn a lot of lessons the hard way. And while most people would throw in the towel Sansa only gets stronger and more determined. And unlike a lot of other strong female characters, Sansa's strength is internal. My love for her grows by each passing book. 

5.) Cress in The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

In a series full of great characters for me the best character arc award goes to Cress. Despite being a badass hacker she is a self-proclaimed damsel in distress. Them when it comes to the rescuing she proves herself wrong and ends up showing a lot of amazing strength.

6.) Quentin Coldwater in The Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman

A controversial choice for sure. At first I can empathize with nerdy Quentin and his fanboy behaviors but then he gets his hearts desire and becomes a petulant little jerk who whines about how nothing will make him happy. Then in book 2 he redeems himself and through a "hero's journey" learns what it means to be a hero. And just when he does redeem himself everything is ripped away from him. I'm so interested to see what he'll do in book 3!

7.) Marianne Dashwood in Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility is my favorite work by Austen and Marianne is one of the reasons why. She is the emotional and romantic sister who desperately wants to marry a man for being handsome and charming. By the end if the book she learns that maybe love is more than a physical attraction.

8.) Tibby in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

When we meet Tibby in book one she's a little bit of a brat. She's snarky, judgmental, and jealous of her friends for their adventures. Then Bailey comes along and teaches her not to judge a book by it's cover and that there is good in everybody. By the end of the series Tibby grows up even more and has pretty fantastic redemptive arc.

9.) Peter in the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth

Like a lot of people on this list Peter starts as a villain. He was so easy to hate in Divergent. And then in Insurgent he completely redeems himself and I started doubting him and his good or evil status. By the end of Allegiant he had me sobbing out of empathy and adoration for him and everything he did and felt in the series.

10.) Alice in Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy

This is not your average cancer book and Alice is not your average protagonist. She's tough to like, despite her difficult situation. She's kind of a bitch most of the book to be entirely honest. But then as you spend more time with her and learn more about where she is coming from you start to empathize. By the end of the book Alice has an "aha moment" and ends up redeeming herself quite a bit.

What are your favorite characters with redemptive or revealing character arcs? Leave me a comment with your thoughts and of course... HAPPY READING!