Match #27: Katniss (Seed #2) vs Alex (Seed #23) goes to Katniss!

And the winner is... 


Katniss!


Welcome to The YA Sisterhood and round 3 of The Tournament of Heroines, The Extraordinary Eight! Can you guys believe we're already down to eight heroines? Crazy! 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 31st.

And now for the match....

My name is Penelope, and I run the book review blog: The Reading Fever. I am honored to be Katniss’ advocate, and will be blogging and tweeting about Katniss’ progress throughout the tournament. You can follow me using the links below for #TeamKatniss updates.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook

It's a #TKBLACKOUT!

1. About Katniss

The bird, the pin, the song, the berries, the watch, the cracker, the dress that burst into flames. I am the Mockingjay. The one that survived despite the Capitol's plans. The symbol of the rebellion.

-Katniss, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (pg. 386-387)

Credit: Entertainment Weekly

Katniss is the main character in The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. She is described as having long, straight black hair, which she usually pulls back into a tight braid. She has olive skin and gray eyes. She is an amazing hunter who has deadly aim with a bow, and has been using these skills to put food on her family's table--keeping them from the starvation that is so widespread in their district.



She is fiercely protective of those she loves, and has proven she will go to any lengths to ensure their safety. Not one to be easily swayed or broken, she proves to the Capitol that no matter their methods, they can't control everyone.



Also known as: Catnip, the Mockingjay, and The Girl On Fire.

2. Best Attributes

A mockingjay is a creature the capitol never intended to exist. They hadn’t counted on the highly controlled jabberjay having the brains to adapt to the wild...They hadn’t anticipated its will to live.

-Katniss, Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (pg. 92)

As tempting as it is to name Katniss' hunting skills and her innate sense of survival as her best attributes, that just wouldn't be completely true. Everything Katniss does in the series can be attributed to one of these: love, compassion, fear.



Her first act--entering the Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Prim--was done out of her incredible love for Prim, and fear for Prim's safety. She is pushed to survive by fear of dying and leaving her family without a provider; called into action by compassion for Rue and Peeta (competitors in the hunger games); compelled to accept the title of The Mockingjay (symbol of the rebellion) by compassion for those enduring the destruction the Capitol brings. She takes what the world gives her and reacts to it in a way that benefits those around her; letting love, compassion, and fear guide her. These are her best attributes.

3. What makes Katniss a true heroine?

I’m moving in toward the camera now, carried forward by my rage. “President Snow says he’s sending us a message? Well, I have one for him. You can torture us and bomb us and burn our districts to the ground, but do you see that?” One of the cameras follows as I point to the planes burning on the roof of the warehouse across from us. The Capitol seal on a wing glows clearly through the flames. “Fire is catching!” I am shouting now, determined that he will not miss a word. “And if we burn, you burn with us!”

-Katniss, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (pg. 99-100)

The quote above is from Katniss. At this point in the story, Katniss has already been through the hunger games, has witnessed the pain, torture, and death, of loved ones, has been forced to kill, seen her home destroyed, and has witnessed the extreme lengths the Capitol will go to in order to have total control--and yet these things only empower her to act.



To me a true heroine is someone who rises above her circumstances, who keeps going despite being knocked down, and most importantly: a heroine inspires others to keep going as well. Katniss is a true heroine.

4. Why should you vote for Katniss instead of Alex?

Credit: kara-lija on DeviantArt

*PLOT SPOILERS AHEAD*

Why wouldn’t you vote for the Mockingjay? She is the driving force behind the entire rebellion; the very hope of the oppressed; the one who brought an end to the devastating war.



So she doesn't exactly have a winning attitude. We can't all be perky and upbeat. She's only human, and would like nothing more than to be left in peace with her family for the rest of her life. But life rarely goes in the direction we hope, and when Katniss is forced down the path that leads to her becoming the Mockingjay, she accepts the title with respect, and recognizes the honor in being the Mockingjay.



It takes stamina and determination to be a symbol to the oppressed. It takes knowledge, cunning, and good instincts, to make good on the hope such a position gives to others. After a while, Katniss sees that she can no longer be a mere symbol; when an opportunity comes, she bravely takes matters into her own hands, risking her life--and sadly, losing some friends--to carry out the plans to bring an end to the war. And she succeeds.



*END PLOT SPOILERS*



Because when it comes down to it, Katniss comes through. Whether her plan is legit, risky, or completely crazy, you can bet she knows what she's doing, and that she will come through for you.



So I ask again: Why wouldn't you vote for the Mockingjay?




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

My name's Momo and I'm the blogger behind Books Over Boys. I got the honor of being the advocate for the awesome Alexandria Andros from Jennifer L. Armentrout's Covenant series for this tournament. You can connect with me via twitter and facebook to stay up to date with the #HalfBloodLegion as we support our girl, Alex!





About Alex Andros:

First off, according to Aiden, this is what he thought of Alex when he first saw her...after those three years:

Long, thick chestnut colored hair fell past a chest that had grown in the last three years. Her face was oval shape; lips full like a pure-blood’s. Cheekbones high and eyebrows delicately arched over two wide, brown eyes. Even with the faint purplish bruises marring an otherwise flawless complexion, she was… unbelievable.

Beautiful.

And in Alex's own words:

With all the dirt and overall grossness gone, I looked just like my mom. Long dark hair fell down my back; I had those high cheekbones and full lips most pures did. I was a bit curvier than Mom's willowy frame and I didn't have her amazing eyes. Mine were brown, homely old brown.

Alex is irrational, unstable, out of control, wild, crazy, rash, and stubborn but that makes her everything that she is, which is a fighter. She is unpredictable and very quick to act but she believes strongly in what is right versus what is wrong. She hardly ever lets anything faze her and that makes her high lariously funny. She says the darnest things at the most inappropriate times, lol, but what's life without some humor? She's uber sarcastic and tough and edgy and all-out fierce. She lives in this world where all that matters are the pures and their safety. She doesn't want to be forced into servitude so she is in the process of training to be a Sentinel - one who fights and kills daimons → the scary, looking things that will suck the life out of you. Alex isn't a fighter just physically, but she's also a fighter internally...if you get what I mean. She won't take anyone's B. S and she won't ever give up, you can count on that. Plus, Aiden said this ↓ ↓ ↓ about Alex's...qualities that I had listed above:

...I always thought your irrational nature was a flaw. It's not. It's what makes you so strong.

*nods* Uh-huh, what he said.

Alex's Best Attributes:

Alex stands out to me among all the other female characters because she's funny. I know, anyone can be funny. Okay, not anyone but it doesn't take a mad scientist to crack a joke here and there. Alex is such a smart mouth; she speaks without thinking and that totally comes with its consequences, haha, but you can't help but think, "Omg, I was so thinking that!" She says stuff that you wouldn't say out loud or stuff that you would bite back. She's definitely hard to forget because she has such a character; that's why when the nominations for this tourney began, Alex immediately came to mind. You won't be able to forget her if you tried. Also, she stands out to me because she can definitely hold her own. She'll take things into her own hands when needed; she won't back down and she indubitably won't take no for an answer. Alex is rebellious and at times, that might sound like a bad thing but like I've mentioned, she believes in what's right and if a little rebellious-ness is needed, where's the harm in that?!

What makes Alex a true heroine?

As defined by...dictionary dot com, a heroine is:

1. a woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for her brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. the principal female character in a story, play, film, etc.

In my opinion, a true heroine is someone who isn't afraid to be heard, someone who speaks up and fights back when they see something that is unjust; someone who isn't afraid to dive head first into a difficult situation. Also, a true heroine is courageous and brave and strong; someone who will step up when needed. And according to that, Alex is all of the above. Alex is a fighter, she's resilient and always bounces back after a horrible tragedy occurs. Like they say, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Because of what she's been through, it has shaped her into the kind of character that she is. You can count on her to save your butt whenever you're in a dire situation, that's for sure. Alex is a true heroine to me because she doesn't need a man to get her out of a ditch when she falls into one. She'll tire out all possible chances of saving herself before she'll resort to a man. Did I forget to mention that Alex can stab stuff? Oh yes, absolutely! She's a feisty little thing! Heck, she don't need no dagger or blade, she'll take you down with a garden spade! (OH WHAT?! That rhymed right there! I'm a genius! ;))

Why should we vote for Alex instead of Katniss?

Alex and Katniss are both survivors. They do what it takes to survive and get the eff outta...whatever horrible situation they are in. I mean, Katniss is the queen when it comes to a bow and arrow and Alex is a straight up boss when it comes to daggers so I wouldn't want to mess with either one of them because I don't even have to be in close proximity for them to harm me.

You should vote for Alex instead of Katniss because Alex was born a fighter. She was born into a world where having a tough skin was necessary. Alex is fierce, stable, strong-willed and her determination will never waver. Strip Alex of everything she has, and she will still fight to the death if it means that she will survive. I mean, that's basically Survival Skills 101. ;)

Alex has so much potential to be the top heroine of the whole tournament. Half-Blood has only been out in the world for two months and twelve days and already, any bookworm who has picked up a copy has immediately fallen in love with Alex's character and that's not for nothing. As we follow her throughout the series, I believe she will rise and be one of the most top-notch, butt kickin' heroine ever because she has what it takes to go over and beyond it all to survive.

Vote for Alex because....well, basically because I'm telling you too. What else?! Oh and because Alex is like...the underdog of all underdogs!

Anything else you'd like to add?

Now you know the #HalfBloodLegion went wild with their incentives last time and well...we're bringing it ten times more for this round because our passion for our gal, Alex, is just a fierce, burning fire (ha, that made me laugh a bit) that we can't seem to put out. Some might think this has come down to a bribery sort of thing instead for the character herself, but once someone is ignited with passion, you can't stop 'em. ;) If you haven't read Half-Blood...well then, you've kind of, sort of been deprived. I'm just sayin'. For this round, the brilliant JLA has offered up:

250 votes: a teaser from Pure

500 votes: a teaser from Onyx

750 votes: a teaser from Pure and Onyx

1,000 votes: a POV from Daemon (Obsidian)

And that's not all.

1250 votes: a teaser from Seth's POV in Pure 

1500 votes: a teaser from Shadows 

Winning votes: a teaser from Pure, Shadows, Onyx, and Cursed 

Aaaaaaaaaannnnd 

For every 1000 votes, JLA will give away an ARC of Pure, up to 6000 votes 

-ARCs will be given away on Twitter

• Follow Jennifer L. Armentrout on twitter.

ARE YOU SURE YOU READ THE INCENTIVES? THEY WEREN'T BOLDED AND CHANGED TO A DIFFERENT FONT COLOR JUST BECAUSE. ;)

Also, don't forget that my giveaway for a copy of Daimon, Half-Blood and Pure is still going on. Head on over to this post to enter for a chance at devouring this amazing series quicker than you can say:

UNDERDOGS FTW!

VOTE ALEX. VOTE ALEX. VOTE ALEX.

*VOTING IS NOW CLOSED*