After an incredibly close race, the winner is...
Meghan!
Welcome to The YA Sisterhood and round 2 of The Tournament of Heroines, The Superior Sixteen! Thank you in advance for your participation in our Tournament of Heroines! We hope you make some friends (and not too many enemies), discover some fantastic books, and have a lot of fun!
Some general rules before we begin:
There may be some spoilers in the following post. We've tried to keep it fairly general, but overall, this Tourney will not be spoiler-free. So beware.
Secondly, You are welcome to write your own comments about either character in the comments section, but we will not tolerate rudeness. The minute it crosses over from logical argument into character bashing, your comments will be deleted and your vote canceled. POLLS WILL BE OPEN FOR 24 HOURS AND WILL CLOSE AT 12:01AM EST ON DECEMBER 20th.
And now for the match....
About Her: Katarina Bishop was raised in a man's world. Her mother died when she was six and was brought up by her dad and uncle. Nancy Drew wasn't just stories, but every book a lesson to be learned. Her education wasn't conventional. She was tutored in the family business. Art. So history, science, english, theater, math, and economics were all geared to acquire and not get caught. As a young adult, she started blazing her own path. Reposession specialist with a focus on returning Nazi plunder."Travels the world, righting wrongs. A one-woman recovery crew."
Best Attributes: Kat is a strategist. A genius strategist. She is known for her "lethal focus." She can walk into a location and zero-in on all the security obstacles. And if that doesn't satisfy her, she can employ her acting ability or the creative use of doves to identify any hidden or alternative ones. Why does this matter? Kat will not endanger any of her crew. No member left behind, no one hurt, no one in jail. Failure isn't an option. She loves her family. Kat is fiercely loyal to her family, friends and crew. They are one and the same. She is realistic in her abilities and has the capacity to learn from her mistakes. She doesn't accept money for her services. Kat is paid in knowing that she is undoing some of the biggest art heists of the century.
What makes your girl a true heroine? She is a girl. No superpowers. Ordinary and Impossible aren't in her vocabulary. She is not a theif. Kat made a conscious choice to use her abilties for noble and worthy causes. This not-so-average tean has bested the KGB, Interpol and even a Curse. She has even won the respect of the current Visily Romani, the big dog in the art theft world. What's her Achilles' Heel? All heroes need a weakness. Kat is vulnerable. She is unsure of love. Is love a strength or is it a weakness? Can her best friend be her boy friend? But all this personal angst doesn't interfere with the job. You can always count on Kat.
Why should you vote for Kat instead of Meaghan______. Both are worthy girls. Both didn't quite choose the life they are living, the choices of their parents determined it's basic path. Both have taken on heroic acts to protect their family. Both have accomplished way more than a young girl is expected to. Kat made every attempt to do her wrong-righting by herself to protect her loved ones. In Uncommon Criminals, she really showed us her vulnerable side. Her fears. I think this makes her even more heroic. She is able to sweep it aside while taking care of business, but it gives her away to connect to us...like all great heroes.
Anything else you'd like to add? Kat is a great role model for YA readers. She is driven. Her work ethic and determination are something that can be copied by her readers. Not taking the easy out and always trying to do what is right are worthy character traits. So do what is right, Vote Kat.~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
About Her:
As I already said, Meghan is from The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, a series about becoming who you are meant to be and making sacrifices along the way. Meghan begins her journey as a an average sixteen year old girl, floating under the radar along with her best friend of many years, Robbie. She has very straight, fine, whitish blond hair that a habit of "doing that stupid floating thing." (Page 11, The Iron King) Meghan also refers to herself as fairly skinny, but preferring baggier clothes over fitted ones, proving her to be a fan of simplicity over vanity. In the beginning, our heroine lives on the outskirts of a town in Louisiana, USA, but soon after she makes her home in the Nevernever, a realm of the fey. The Nevernever is home to both the Summer and Winter courts and the growing Iron Court.
Her personality is one of her best features, with a great amount of loyalty, bravery and honesty. Plus, she can hold her own against the likes of Puck (formerly Robbie), Ash and Grimalkin. Over the course of the first novel she learns about the fey and her destiny, entering a world of fey and deception, simply to save her brother. She faces many hardships and challenges, but with the help of Puck and Ash she perseveres through it all. If you have yet to read the Iron Fey series, I seriously recommend you do so immediately.
Best Attributes:
Meghan's best attribute is her personality. She is not only brave, loyal and honest, but she is also hugely trusting. She proved her bravery by simply going to save her brother, entering a world completely foreign to her with her best friend who had been lying to her about who he really was for years. If you ask me, that takes a lot of courage. Going into the Nevernever with Puck also showed intense loyalty towards her brother, as well as protectiveness. As for her honesty, she ultimately proved it at the end of The Iron King and at many points along the way, keeping her promises no matter how difficult it proved.
Apart from her personality, Meghan is also a unique kind of supernatural (I'm trying to not give too much away, so you'll have to read to find out what kind *evil grins*), one that is not often read about, making her a completely unique addition to the world of young adult books.
What Makes Meghan a True Heroine?
To me, a heroine is a girl who is not only entertaining to read about, she also is a role model to her readers. She has her flaws, but she works her hardest to make up for them, never giving up no matter what obstacles life throws at her. She is not fearless though, she simply knows how to conquer those fears. A heroine also has to be relate-able, even if she battles mythical creatures, the reader has to be able to connect with her on some level.
Well, Meghan proves herself over and over again to be a great role model for others. She sticks to her word, she protects the ones she loves, she values loyalty and she is brave; she never lets her fears get in the way. Needless to say, she is very entertaining to read about, constantly taking readers on epic adventures with Puck and Ash. Though she often comes face to face with unpleasant creatures, she finds her triumph through dedication and hard work, making up for any flaws she has. To add to her arsenal, she is very relate-able to readers; she starts as a regular girl with regular problems (ie. trying to be noticed), but she changes over the series into a leader and a warrior. Finally, Meghan also never gives up, she fought hard to get her brother home and also to get to where she did characteristic wise. Why you should vote for Meghan instead of Kat:
The Iron Fey series is awesome and anyone who has read the series would agree. Meghan gets the job done every time and she is not afraid to make sacrifices to achieve a greater goal. She is willing to make sacrifices to benefit everyone even if it means losing the ones she loves. She put her life on the line frequently for the greater good, ultimately giving up her 'normal' life to rule a kingdom of fey. I mean how can you go wrong voting for a book with a strong heroine and two dashing guys? Meghan also gets to go on multiple journeys with two amazing guys and a talking cat! A TALKING CAT! Enough said.
Anything Else You'd Like to Add?
I would just like to add that voting for Meghan is a wise choice- would you want to upset Puck or Ash? Let's get Meghan all the way to the final round!
Thanks to the YA Sisterhood for hosting this awesome tourney!
*VOTING IS NOW CLOSED*
