Match #28: Tessa (Seed #3) vs Izzy (Seed #6) goes to TESSA!

And the winner is...

Tessa!

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....

 Hey y'all! My name is Avery I review primarily YA paranormal books at my blog Avery's Book Nook. I have been a long time stalker follower of YA Sisterhood and their tournaments so it should come as no surprise that I am super excited to be advocating Tessa from Cassie Clare's Infernal Devices series! You can follow me during the tournament at:

BLOG/ TWITTER/ FACEBOOK

 

 About Her:

Tessa
Gray, a sixteen year old American is sent to live with her brother in
England after her guardian, her Aunt Harriet, passes away (both of
Tessa's parents passed away when she was three years old). Upon arriving
in England she learns that things are not what they seem- her life
especially.



Her world is turned upside down when she is
kidnapped and discovers that she has the ability to shapeshift. Upon
being rescued from her kidnappers she befriends the London Institute's
Shadowhunters including, but not limited to, Will, Jem, Charlotte, and
Henry, alongside the Institute's staff including Thomas, Agatha, and
Sophie.



Alongside the British Shadowhunter's Tessa
attempts to thwart the Magister, a man hellbent on destroying the
Shadowhunters through the use of clockwork creatures.  



Best Attributes: 



Tessa is by far one of the most genuine and modest female YA characters in my opinion, especially when it comes to her looks:

"Nate,
with his fair good looks, was the one in the family generally agreed to
have inherited her moth's beauty, but Tessa had always been perfectly
content with her own smooth brown hair, and steady gray eyes. Jane Eyre
had had brown hair, and plenty of other heroines besides. And it wasn't
so bad being tall, either..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 17)

She
is inquisitive and open-minded. She loves to read just as much, if not
not, than all of us and she can often be found quoting all of her
favourite books:

"He didn't know what books meant to her, that books were symbols of truth and meaning..." (Clockwork Angel, pg. 97). 

She is by far one of Cassie's most unique and mysterious characters
(In "Clockwork Angel" we are told that she appears to be a warlock,
however her true identity- or a better approximation of her identity- is
revealed in "Clockwork Prince").



She can outsnark even the snarkiest of characters, Will Herondale included:  

"Perhaps she's a girl who's fallen madly in love with me and persists in following me wherever I go." 

"My talent is shape-shifting, Will, not acting" (Clockwork Prince, pg. 87). 

Speaking of Will Herondale, she has two of the most swoon-worthy YA
male characters vying for her attention (and she never lets that
knowledge go to her head).



She takes everything in
stride. Her clockwork angel pendant is one of the most kick-butt pieces
of jewelry in the world of YA books (see "Clockwork Prince").



Let's pretend that the Dirty Sexy Balcony Scene is an attribute ;) 

What Makes Tessa a True Heroine?

 She
is genuine and always remains true to her character. She is kind and
has a big heart. She's still able to love those who aren't always worthy
of being loved. 

She
is selfless beyond belief- she is willing to do the right thing even if
it means hurting herself in the process. For instance, in the case of
her brother: 

"Nate
was not like other people... He had a beautiful innocence about him
that had to be protected at all costs. And Tessa had tried. She and her
aunt had hidden Nate's own weaknesses from him, the consequences of his
own flaws and failings. Never telling him of the work Aunt Harriet had
had to do to make up the money he had lost gambling, of the taunts Tessa
had endured from other children, calling her brother a drunk, a
wastrel. They had hidden these things from him from being hurt" (pg. 352).

She
is eager to learn about the new world that she is thrown into. She
doesn't jump into things without any thought- she isn't careless, nor is
she afraid to ask for help.



Why should YOU Vote for Tessa instead of Izzy?

While their is no denying that Izzy is kick-butt and that she could most certainly take Tessa down in a fight, I do believe that Tessa is more of a heroine than Izzy for a number of reasons:



Unlike Izzy who looks down upon people (especially Mundanes and Downworlders), Tessa doesn't look down upon anyone (ie. Sophie occupying a lower
social status than herself, Jem being ill)- she gives everyone the
benefit of the doubt without doing so in a naive way.



Tessa doesn't pout when things don't go the way that she wants to, furthermore, she is willing to do what needs to be done without complaint, unlike Izzy who has a habit of locking herself in her room, throwing temper tantrums, and throwing things at people when things don't go her way.



Tessa is not dependent upon the males in her life (nor is she careless). She doesn't play on the
boy's feelings for her- manipulating them to do what she wants, whereas Izzy has been known a time to two to manipulate the males in her life, Simon especially, to do what she wants (which usually has disastrous consequences).  



Anything You'd Like to Add? 

Letters Inside Out and myself, both being members of Team Cassie, actually teamed up (alongside Stuck in Books, Clary's advocate) at the beginning of the tournament to host a fantabulous giveaway for everyone who votes for one of Cassie Clare's characters- Izzy, Tessa, or Clary. Because in this round of the tournament two of Cassie's characters are going head-to-head it is actually a Win-Win situation for everyone who votes in this round as you ALL qualify to enter the giveaway and win one of four amazing prizes (includes a copy of CP, winner's choice of CC book, a Hebel Design bookmark and a CA angel pendant)! Find out all of the
details HERE!

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Intro

Hi! *waves* I'm Amanda from Letters Inside Out. I'll be most active on Twitter - @lostalice7, follow me there for updates, giveaways. Our hashtag is #TeamIzzy!

1. About Her

Isabelle "Izzy" Lightwood is a 16 year-old Shadowhunter. She is stunningly beautiful, which works to her advantage - afterall who thinks the pretty ones are dangerous? Her weapon of choice is a whip, but she also uses daggers (and her charms). While she's out defending the world and keeping peace among the downworlders. She is a lover of fashion and is often seen fighting in boots with heels. She is a bit boy-crazy, but has her sights set on one lucky Simon. She's a bit insecure though, after seeing her brothers get hurt so often.

"Nothing less than seven inches. That's my motto." - Isabelle Lightwood (City of Ashes)

2. Best Attributes

For starters, she's written by Cassandra Clare! How can you not love her characters?

Izzy can kick ass and do it in style.

She has spunk and a fun, snarky sense of humor.

She has a bit of a tough exterior, but also a soft side for those she loves her family and would do anything for them that she only lets those close to her see.

“Isabelle," she said, lightening her tone with an obvious effort, "your loyalty to your friend is understandable --"
"He's not my friend." Isabelle looked over at Jace, who was staring at her in a sort of daze. "He's my brother.” ― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes: Deleted Scene

3. What makes your girl a true heroine?

Izzy is a great heroine, she shows teens that even the "pretty" girls have doubts and personalities beyond the stereotype. She is fierce in every aspect. She is loyal to those she loves. Like I've already hinted at, sometimes she may at times be a bit harsh, she always does what is best for her loved ones. When harm comes to them and she is unable to do anything, she is guilt-ridden. Yet she perseveres and is stronger for it.

4. Why should we vote for Izzy instead of Tessa?

Honestly, I am not going to be like "IZZY IS BETTER", because uhm...it's Tessa! Attitude wise they are two completely different characters, but Clare has a knack for writing incredibly strong female characters.

Because of that either way that this match goes, I will feel incredibly good about losing (or defeating) one of my co-Team Cassie characters/advocates.

I will say that, personally, of the two characters I prefer Izzy! She has more spunk and a personality that is a bit more like my own...or at least the type of person I'd prefer to be.

"I’m pure at heart. It repels the dirt.” -Isabelle Lightwood

5. Anything else you’d like to add?

Be sure and check out Letters Inside Out for giveaways and additional buttons to support Izzy!

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*VOTING IS NOW CLOSED*