Thankful Thursday: The HERO edition

So far, at the Oasis, we've shared the novels we were thankful for, and the heroines we were thankful for. This week, I've decided to share the HEROES we are thankful for. And, once again, the Hive mind has proven how much we think alike. when I posed the question Jessie, Nikki, and I all immediately chose the same hero. So, in honor of our Borgness, I give you the trailer that I fell in love with from the hugely popular novel Beautiful Creatures:



JESSIE'S CHOICE:
I love Ethan Wate from Beautiful Creatures because he sort of broke the mold. Just when all paranormal romance books thought they had to be told from the girl's point of view to attract the girl audience, here we have a male lead. He's vulnerable, lovable and loyal. He's smart enough to rebel against his small, still-lost-in-its-Confederate-heritage town and brave enough to face the unknown and unknowable for his true love.

JESSICA'S CHOICE:
Nash from Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamer series. He's delectable alpha male, and completely sexy, but he has a softness to him. You can tell how much he adores Kaylee, and would do anything for her, yet isn't such a push over that he gives her everything. In my mind, he exemplifies what the perfect hero is. Just as a note, it was a difficult choice between him and Peeta from Hunger Games.

SHERI'S CHOICE:
I positively love Farid in Cornelia Funke's Inkheart series, but I'm going with Dustfinger from the same series. He evolved so dramatically throughout the first two books. Honestly, I think he's the reason I kept reading. He's distant, rude, and a showoff yet his deeper side is crisply smooth and soft. When he (*spoiler*) sacrifices himself for Farid (not a girl, like in most YA books) because he suddenly realizes he thinks of Farid as his son, I fell in love. This was so out of his character and such a risk for Funke to take. I loved that!

ANN'S CHOICE:
With Ethan stolen from me, I had to think long and hard on which hero could replace him. Well, no one can really replace Ethan, so I'm going to go with Graves from the Strange Angels series. He befriended Dru in the beginning, seeing past her angry facade and taking care of her despite the growling. After he's turned loup garou, his protective side, and the true tough guy buried under his teen angst comes to the surface. And, *spoiler alert* in book two, after Dru is badly hurt, he takes her to the Schola's healing baths, helps her undress, then climbs in to support her, and he stays fully clothed. I seriously love that part of the book.

NIKKI'S CHOICE:
My YA hero is Peeta from the Hunger Games. Although I still like Gale as the love interest, I would definitely want Peeta on my side! He’s intelligent, cute, brave, self-sacrificing and incredibly loyal. I especially loved his role in Catching Fire and can’t wait to see what he does in Mockingbird.

So, readers, which YA heroes do you love? Did some special guy make your heart pound, or elicit that little "Awww" sound from you? Let us know! (We're always on the look out for our next book to read!)

Gratutious linkage:
Cornelia Funke's website
Suzanne Collins' website
Beautiful Creatures' website
Lilith St Crow's website
Rachel Vincent's Soul Screamers website