My favorite book character by far has to be Leo Valdez from the Heroes of Olympus books. I could write a whole essay on just this character because I love him so much as a character. The way that Rick Riordan writes him really makes him feel like a real person going on these adventures. He has a very tragic past that is pretty dark for the intended demographic. Basically, Gaiea (the Earth in Greek mythology) provokes him into using his fire powers as a child and accidentally caused the fire that killed his mother. Because of this he always has feelings of doubt and an inferiority complex. However, he is the complete opposite of dark and brooding. He is one of the wittiest characters I have ever read. He has so many hilarious and quotable lines. His powers are awesome because he is a brilliant engineer and an expert pyrokinetic. He even has a pet mechanical dragon! (how can anyone not say that is freaking awesome). He is just really interesting and fun to read. He constantly underestimates his own abilities, but he always comes up with a plan to fix the problem. His world view is interesting because he believes that the universe is based on rules like the machines he creates because that is the best way he can comprehend it. He does not realize how essential he is to his team, and he often comes off as a fun, likable guy. One minute he might be making fun of another character, but in the next, you can count on him to have that character's back. Plus, he is a strong Latino character and I can't think of too many of those in any medium.
