A story cannot revolve around its heroes alone. There must be a counterpart, an opposition, and in the Lunar Chronicles, wicked Queen Levana was more than happy to fill that role. Of course, like most villains, she would never admit to being the bad guy. She had her own dreams and ambitions- and who was that pesky cyborg mechanic to try to take it all away from her anyway? Levana's story grew simultaneously beside Cinder's- ever expanding and changing until their paths were so tightly knotted together that their fates became inseparable. As I learned more and more about Levana, her past and secrets and the truth she kept hidden beneath her glamour (for years, a truth she kept hidden even from me!), I became fascinated by her story. From the start, Queen Levana was one of my favorite character to uncover.

And then there are those "minor" characters who are constantly catching me off-guard (and would no doubt hate being called minor at all). it's not uncommon for a character to arrive on the scene as soon as someone who is there merely to move the plot along and then get out of the way so the heroes can take over. But it's also not uncommon for some of the secondary characters to develop stories of their own, and sometimes I can't help but find myself falling in love with them... or loathing them, as the case might be. Secondary characters can be blatant show-stealers, and they often add a richness to the story in ways I never would have expected.

Cinder and the crew meet a lot of people in the course of their travels- some who offer help, protection, and guidance, and other who do everything in their power to throw them off course.

Here are some of my show-stealers.