Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week’s theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in here!
This week’s theme is a Halloween freebie, and I love Halloween, but this week is also Ace Week! As someone on the aroace spectrum, I couldn’t resist the chance to talk about some asexual characters – both characters who are canonically ace, and characters I read as ace.
Kaz Brekker from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: Considering how averse he is to touch, especially when we first meet him, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if Kaz were ace, but me reading him as ace doesn’t only come from that. We know he loves Inej and has had crushes on at least one other girl before, but I get ace vibes from the way he thinks about them.
Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I will never back down from my reading of Katniss as an aroace person, and I still despise the epilogue to Mockingjay for making her yet another YA heroine with a husband and kids – especially when it’s pretty clear she didn’t really want her kids, regardless of how much she loves them.
Juniper Eastwood from The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow: I don’t think Juniper has a single romantic or sexual thought about another person this entire novel, which doesn’t necessarily mean anything, but I personally read her as aroace. Her most important relationships are with her sisters and the group of friends she makes, and she often seems a bit perplexed by the romantic relationships around her.
Ling Chan from Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray: She doesn’t have the words for it in 1920s New York, but Bray makes it clear that Ling is an asexual character. I adore her and her friendship with Henry.
Lirael from Lirael by Garth Nix: I believe one of Nix’s other heroines, Clariel, is a confirmed asexual character, but I haven’t read Clariel yet. (Story of my life.) I’ve always gotten ace vibes from Lirael, though, and I think she was a rather formative heroine for me before I knew what asexuality was.
Vedero Drazhin from The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison: Maia’s sister has no interest in getting married and just wants to be an astronomer, so I read her as aroace.
Joy from The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann: This contemporary romance novel is out next April and it’s such an exciting upcoming release for me because it’s a contemporary romance with an asexual protagonist!
Artemisia from Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson: I love stories about nuns and holy relics, so I’m sure you can imagine how delighted I was to learn that the heroine of Rogerson’s latest novel is aroace. I can’t wait to read this one!
Dayo from Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko: I’m reading this novel at the moment – and really enjoying it – and one of the things that always made me keen to try it was knowing that Prince Dayo is a confirmed ace character.
Katherine Devereaux from Dread Nation by Justina Ireland: Another heroine who doesn’t yet have the language for what she is because she’s living in the 19th century, but Katherine is a confirmed aroace character and I love her a lot.
Jessticulates 
Great post! I never really categorized Katniss as aroace, but it does fit really well. The epilogue has never really sat well with me, either.
Every Heart a Doorway is always the first book I think of with an aroace protagonist, probably because it’s the first one I read where the actual words were used.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always forget about Every Heart a Doorway when it comes to ace rep because I didn’t like the book very much. 😅 I’ve also always felt a bit… off about one of the only canonically ace characters in SFF wanting to belong in a world where she’s still and barely breathing? It’s one of those stories that just didn’t work for me, but I loved the premise!
LikeLike
LOL, that makes perfect sense! I enjoyed it a lot, but it’s not a book (or series) for everyone. I didn’t see it as odd that she wanted to belong to a different world since all of the characters there did, but I can see where the choice of what world she wanted to belong to would be a bit… off, given her being canonically ace.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I wish Katniss had been ace in the books. That would’ve been a brave choice. I’d love for YA books to get away from the idea that you need a husband and kids to be happy.
LikeLike
I can definitely see that for Katniss! Keladry from The Protector of the Small series (by Tamora Pierce) is supposed to be ace apparently? I’d say she’s more aromantic maybe, but either way, I love her so much!
LikeLike
It’s been so many years since I read The Hunger Games books that they are now hopelessly intertwined with the movies in my mind.
LikeLike
Great choice this week! Several of these are on my tbr, and now I’m even more excited for them. 🙂
LikeLike
I have to agree with you about Juniper!
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/12-books-with-orange-covers-pick-a-color/
LikeLike
Katherine from Dread Nation is my favorite character from that series. (Especially in book two.) I love her so much and I liked how Justina depicted her character for the time period!
LikeLike
I didn’t like the epilogue of Mockingjay either. =/
LikeLike
I definitely saw Katniss as aroace. I read Vespertine last month (I think) and really, really enjoyed it and Artemisia. I’ll be keen to see what you think of it 🙂
LikeLike
Great post and choice of topic, Jess! I have quite a few of these on my TBR and I can’t wait to get to them—especially Vespertine, Raybearer and Dread Nation! 😃
LikeLike
Great post and topic! I agree about Juniper and Vedero, and can see reading Kaz as ace too, although it’s hard to tease apart how much of his aversion to contact has to do with his trauma as a boy. I’d recommend checking out So Many Beginnings by Bethany Morrow (a Little Women retelling), because by the end it’s clear that there’s a character who’d also fit this list, and it’s a wonderful depiction.
LikeLike
Happy Ace Week! I adore Claire Kann and can’t wait for The Romantic Agenda. I didn’t know Vespertine has an aroace lead. That has me so excited!
LikeLike
I want to read Alix Harrow even more now. Plus I still have Ten Thousand Doors to read…
LikeLike
Great post. I agree with you about Juniper and I hope you love Artemisia when you meet her in Vespertine. I thought she was such a great character.
LikeLike
If you think of more ace characters you like (canonically or otherwise), I’d love to read another post on this topic.
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday.
LikeLike
I just finished The Once and Future Witches and definitely agree with you on Juniper!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I recommend Bloody Spade if you haven’t read it. It’s the best ace rep I’ve read all year. Great list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m excited to find and read more ace characters, so really appreciate this list. I knew about Dread Nation, and totally agree about Katniss, but am excited to add some more of these to my TBR. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I love your use of the freebie topic, this is an excellent post!
I love Claire Kann and need to read more of her books, I loved Let’s Talk About Love, the MC was ace in that book too!
I also agree that Kaz seems like he could be read as being ace and I really like the thought of that~
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ling is one of my favorite characters from the Diviners series – her friendship with Henry is just the best!
Plus, I agree with you on both Kaz and Katniss.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I couldn’t agree with your characterization of Katniss more. That epilogue should have never happened.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-halloween-picture-books/
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, this was such a good post!
LikeLiked by 1 person