CAUTION: MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

“We don’t fall in love with the characters’ appearance; we fall in love with their words, their thoughts, and their hearts.”

RELATED: Come and Mend Your Broken Hearts Here, A Review of Entwined

Oh Prince Charming, you impossibly perfect, handsome man. I have been dreaming about you since I was an innocent youth. No, I don’t mean the Disney character. In fact, most of the time I’m not even thinking of an actual prince. I’m just thinking of all of those “too perfect” gentlemen that I’ve met throughout my literary life. I mean the “Prince Charmings” that became my literary crushes. You are the measuring stick that I use to judge the ‘crushability’ of boys I meet, the daydream I go to when things aren’t going quite how they should. I don’t love these characters because they are handsome or make a lot of money; I love them because of their words and actions and complete unattainability.

Everyone has different literary crushes but we all have them and moments that made us love them.  So here is my list of favorite “Prince Charmings” and their most romantic moments.

MY 10 FAVORITE PRINCE CHARMINGS

#1 Captain Bradford

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Mr. Bradford, or as I like to call him Captain Bradford, always rushing to rescue Azalea. He is my favorite Prince Charming largely because he is not really a prince and certainly is not interested in the heroine because she is a princess. Bradford is a wonderful literary crush. So noble and brave and thoughtful of the girl he loves. If you read Heather Dixon’s Entwined you will see exactly what I mean. I could talk about him and his merits all day but I don’t want to ruin the book for you.

#2 Captain Carswell Thorne

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

This one I mentally cast as Tom Hiddleston so you can understand my devotion.

I’ve always loved a good scoundrel especially when he is handsome and charming; Han Solo, Flynn Ryder, and Captain Thorne. There’s something so sexy about a character who throws caution and responsibility to the wayside especially when they fall in love with a girl they don’t deserve and set off to prove they do. That’s probably why I just love Thorne. He is the embodiment of that trope. It may take him a while to actually fall in love but when he does it is all passion and nobility. I love it.

#3 Michael Moscowitz 

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

Michael, of The Princess Dairies, was one of my earliest literary crushes. The best friend’s older brother, a crush most all of us can relate to. Why did we root for him so much in the early 2000’s? Perhaps it was because we loved Mia and anything she wanted we wanted her to have. Or, maybe, we just knew, even back in Junior High, exactly what love looked like. Love is intelligent and respectful of boundaries. Michael loves Mia for the entirety of the Princess Diaries series, 11 books if you include Royal Engagement which came out last summer, but holds back allowing Mia to be her own person. He almost never pressures her and lets her make her own choices. That’s what love is. Why wouldn’t we love him?

#4 Percy Jackson

Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

Eventually, I might actually have a prince on my Prince Charming list.

I was already an adult when I first met Percy Jackson. But, as his books have progressed and the character has grown from a sarcastic 11-year-old into a heroic young adult, I cannot help but wish that more young men were like this character and I cannot help but crave a relationship like the one he has with Annabeth. It’s a real relationship. Not just an imaginary all too perfect man and an imperfect girl, like so many of my literary crushes.  In fact, it’s practically the opposite, Annabeth is almost too good and Percy is delightfully imperfect. We love him even more for those imperfections. They make him more real to us.

#5 Minister Fair Weller

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Minister Fairweller is one of those characters who is more of a friend I would like to marry than a real crush. He’s so good; I just want him to be in love. So I root for him. I love that throughout the book he is honorable and aloof but when he falls in love he is willing to give up his noble image, his whole life, just to be with her. Forbidden love is one of my favorite romantic tropes. It melts my frozen heart to see two people decide to be together no matter how hard it is going to be.

#6 Jason Grace

Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan

The mere fact that nothing is known about Jason’s past makes him a mystery. He’s an enigma, that attractive stranger you just want to save. That’s part of what makes us love him so. To me as a reader, Jason Grace is the literary equivalent of the mysterious new kid at school. I already know the other characters who live at camp half-blood and I already have my opinions about their “dateability” and then I look up and there he is something new and exciting that I get to learn to love.

#7  Emperor Kai

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

I don’t know if I have ever made the acquaintance of a more charming literary character than Prince Kai (look at that there’s finally a character who is both charming and a prince). He is the most perfect character in a series filled with perfect characters. I simply adore the way he seeks out and flirts with Cinder for no other reason than she makes him feel like a normal young man, well for the first book at least. I think he is both confused and amused by Cinder. That’s kind of the dream, having a handsome, charming, heartthrob being interested in us for who we are, that’s probably why I love him.

#8 Galen

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Galen is one of my absolute favorite Prince Charmings mostly because he isn’t a prince at all. Galen is a soldier and a gardener, just a common guy who met a pretty girl. Of course, then he used his experience as a soldier and his incredible knitting skills to save that pretty girl from unspeakable danger. Can I just talk for a minute about how much I love that Galen knits and uses knitting to save his one true love? Let’s just destroy a few gender stereotypes in one fell swoop. I love it. Mostly, though, I love that Galen is just a regular guy who loves a girl and decides to do whatever he can to help her and her sisters.

#9 Wolf

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

It’s said best in Cress, the third book of the lunar chronicles, Wolf is a tragic romantic hero. He is the brooding bad boy on the covers of teen romance novels. I don’t usually go for the brooding characters but Wolf is so much more than that. He’s a smart, intriguing, oh so sneaky. I could hardly look away from him while reading Scarlet because he was so interesting. Another mystery to be solved. And then, another tragic hero to yearn for a happy ending.

#10 Ron Weasley

Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

Weasley is our king!

No matter what JK Rowling or Rupert Grint try to tell me I will never believe that Ron is not meant to be with Hermione and I will never believe that Ron is not one of the best characters in the Harry Potter series. Ron Weasley is a hero but even more than that he is a great friend. He’s the friend we all grew up with that for some reason we love despite knowing all of their flaws. I love him because he is loyal and brave even when he believes he is not as good as his friends. We see it best when he sacrifices himself so his friends can go on in the very first book. Basically, I believe that loving Ron is not a matter of opinion or taste, it is a matter of fact. Ron Weasley is the best.

After all the time I’ve spent thinking about my favorite Prince Charmings it’s hard to know how to conclude. I want for everyone to love these men the way I do, maybe not as much as I do. If you haven’t met these men yet, make sure to check them out in these fantastic books!

Who are some of your favorite “Prince Charmings” in YA Literature? Let me know in the comments below!

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