In Her Shoes (23): Ariana from Shift

In Her Shoes is a weekly bookish meme hosted by Vanya at YA Story Teller. To participate, simply put yourself in the shoes of a heroine you've recently read about, and then talk about what you would do in her place, or what you've learned from her.

Featuring this week:

Ariana from Shift

Ariana is one of the secondary characters in the YA fantasy/romance (Firstborn trilogy) by Raine Thomas and a very important character in Shift which is the 2nd installment in the trilogy. She is one of the most complete heroines I have come across by in Young Adult literature because her journey has been really tough and her determination to overcome, very inspiring. In Defy the book where we originally meet Ariana, she is in a way kidnapped and forced to be a slave of sorts, to the worst type of villains that you could think of. Ariana is subjected to a lot of cruelty and put under a lot of mental strain and trauma. When we meet Ariana again in Shift she is highly hesitant to face her previous captors because of how deranged they are but it is in her necessity to face them again as part of the plot, where she becomes a heroine that is really easy to admire.

Personality wise, I would say that Ariana is a very caring person, observant to the needs of others, kind and cautious. Would I change a thing about Ariana? not really. She came across as such a realistic character in the sense that her reactions to things felt very real when it comes to a person who has been put under immense pressure and trauma. She really for a while there is just in complete refusal to face the people who caused her such harm but as Ariana makes new friends, she realizes that facing her previous captors is not only necessary to save those around her but for her piece of mind as well because if she lets her fear control her, then it's like her captors won and still have a hold of her, even though she is not in their possession anymore. 

What really made me love Ariana as a character was her bravery and seeing her realize how strong she is and how important it was that she faced her fears and moved on. Definitely a character to look up to.