mcm – Page 3 – Zakiya N. Jamal

Man Crush Monday: Charles Carrington “Chubs” Meriwether IV

Posted on June 1, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Photo Courtesy Of imgbuddy.com — Photo Courtesy of imgbuddy.com

Oh Chubs. I feel for Chubs. He’s given so many nicknames in The Darkest Minds trilogy I won’t dare try to list them all.

There’s so many reasons to love Chubs. First of all, he’s a cute nerd with his glasses and random knowledge. He knows how to sew because his father, a doctor, taught him just in case Chubs or someone he knew got wounded on the road. Besides that, Chubs just knows a lot of medical stuff in general, which makes him a very useful friend to have when you’re on the run, which is almost all the time for kids in this dystopian trilogy.

Additionally, Chubs is sassy and overprotective. When newcomer, Ruby, joins his tight knit group, Chub’s is the opposite of welcoming. He doesn’t want anything to do with her and would prefer their group leader, Liam, toss her back on the road where she came from. Unfortunately, or luckily depending on how you look at it, Chubs is ignored and Ruby becomes part of the group.

Chubs sass is unparalleled, however. He let’s his opinions be known throughout the novels and rarely sugarcoats things. If Liam is an optimist, Chubs is a realist. He knows his dystopian world is jacked up and he fully acknowledges that. All the same, Chubs provides comic relief throughout the books dropping the best one liners I’ve ever read.

Lastly, Chubs is my MCM this week because not only can he make people laugh, he’s also the glue that holds his group together. Chubs doesn’t have time for the drama, all he cares about is the survival of his newly constructed family. Chubs is brave when he needs to be and speaks up when he knows one (or two) of his friends are in the wrong. Although he’s often not seen as the leader of the group, I don’t think their group would’ve survived if they didn’t have Chubs.

To see Chubs sass in all it’s glory read, The Darkest Minds trilogy ASAP.

‘That is physically impossible,’ Chubs groused. ‘He’d be–‘
‘Actually,’ Liam began, ‘Cole once did try to–What?’
‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ Chubs said, ‘apparently the middle of my sentence interrupted the beginning of yours. Do continue.’ – Never Fade

Man Crush Monday: Raffe

Posted on May 25, 2015May 24, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Books

Stoic, brooding, and cocky are just three words to describe the angel, Raffe. A warrior angel, Raffe has been through some things in his immortal life. Being in charge of The Watchers, angels living on Earth, he is forced to deal with their half human/half angel children, the Nephilim, who are seen as abominations that eat human flesh.

Besides that Raffe is an archangel putting him a step above other angels and in line to become the next Messenger of God. In summary, Raffe is a boss with a lot of enemies. He’s courageous and strong but he also has a sense of humor and a soft spot for a certain human. He likes crack to corny jokes and knows exactly what to say to make people feel better when they’re moping.

What makes Raffe great is even though he tries to hide his feelings he can’t help but care. This is best evidenced by his friendship/something else with Penryn. He doesn’t want to care about a human but he just can’t seem to help himself.

More than that, Raffe is just plain attractive. He’s got the body of an angel, literally. With abs, strong arms, dark brown (black?) hair, and a hint of danger, he’s the definition of hot. Who wouldn’t want to jump in his arms and have him fly you away?

You can fall in love with Raffe by reading the Angelfall trilogy and trust me you really want to.

Man Crush Monday: Adrian Ivashkov

Posted on May 18, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

When I think about Adrian Ivashkov I immediately picture a hot guy with a bad boy attitude who’s too cool for school leaning against a wall, smoking his cigarettes. Adrian is the definition of swag. He’s a rich boy who’s basically had everything handed to him his whole life.

Normally, this is the kind of guy I would hate but Richelle Mead doesn’t make one-dimensional characters so there’s more to Adrian than first meets the eye. The truth is Adrian is a very caring guy who loves hard. He’s an artist who sometimes lets his emotions get the best of him but it’s his inability to keep his feelings in control that makes him so lovable. When he falls for someone it’s not an easy fall. He gives the person he loves everything he has and then some and that’s both breathtaking and heartbreaking, depending on how it works out for him.

Besides that Adrian is a funny guy. He brushes off serious topics with little quips and is always flirting. Even so, when it’s time to step up and help his friends and family, Adrian is there doing what he needs to do. He goes above and beyond to help out when he can, sometimes pushing himself too far in terms of using his abilities (he’s a vampire with an affinity for spirit; if you don’t know what that is read the books!).

Overall, Adrian is an attractive guy with a great, loving personality who provides comic relief in serious situations. He often speaks in poetry and is one of the most loving characters I’ve ever read about. Check him out in the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series.

[Adrian] was too perfect, despite being one of the most imperfect people I knew.’ – The Indigo Spell

Man Crush Monday: Dimitri Belikov

Posted on May 11, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

If you haven’t figured this out yet I’m obsessed with the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. It’s no surprise then that the male lead in the series, Dimitri Belikov, is today’s man crush Monday.

He’s hot, strong, protective, and extremely loyal. As a dhampir guardian he’s considered a god with his great strength and speed. Beside that he’s the quiet, brooding type of guy. He walks around wearing a cowboy duster and loves old westerns but he’s also fierce and a force to be reckoned.

What I love most about this character, however, is underneath all of that is this really sweet, loving guy who cares deeply about people. This is most clear in his relationship with Rose Hathaway but it’s also seen by how fiercely he tries to protect the people he guards. Dimitri is also the kind of guy that wants to be married and have a family. He’s the only boy in a family of women and he’s protective of his family and loves them dearly.

I could go on and on about how perfect Dimitri is but honestly you should read these books and see for yourself. Trust me, you’ll be in love with by the end of the first book if not sooner.

“My immediate associations with Dimitri were always intense and fierce; it was his sexy, battle-god persona that came to mind. Yet, it had been Dimitri’s gentleness and thoughtfulness mixed with that deadliness that made him so wonderful.” – Blood Promise

Man Crush Monday: Liam Stewart

Posted on May 4, 2015May 21, 2015 by Zakiya N. Jamal in Blog

Try to picture the sweetest guy you know. Now multiply that by 100. That’s Liam Stewart. He’s sweet, caring, strong, and the male lead in The Darkest Minds trilogy.

As a Psi kid, a teen with a superhuman ability (in Liam’s case, telekinesis), Liam has gone through a lot including having to leave his parent’s home to escape being put in an internment camp for Psi kids. He was then a soldier for the Children’s League before he left and was then put in a camp that he later breaks out of, causing a lot of casualties that he hadn’t anticipated.

Liam is a natural born leader who believes the best in everyone and he always does his best to protect those he cares about, which is almost everyone. Plus, he’s the perfect southern gentleman. Although his naivety can sometimes be annoying, in this dark series of books, his positive outlook is illuminating.