Stoic characters have always fascinated me. I’m a chronic oversharer and an all-around incredibly open person. My heart is on my sleeve, and I don’t hide my emotions very well.

So these characters that can avoid the lure of truthfulness are really interesting to me. It leaves a lot more to my imagination and forces me to consider their actions a bit more closely.

This was one of the things I liked best about Jaral in Torn and Seduced. He was hidden – both physically and emotionally – and because of that he wielded such power. He seemed so in control to me, because he kept his hand hidden. His reasons, his purpose to doing the things he did wasn’t outright stated, and I absolutely love that.

Books that spark my own creativity are always ones I enjoy the most. I don’t read to numb my thoughts – I read to coax them out. To make me think in new ways, consider new reasons and motives, and to come up with interesting backgrounds for the characters.

I always want to know more, and I love that. The feeling of curiosity, of thoughtfulness, is so powerful to me. It makes me feel youthful and alive once more, transporting me back in time to when I first discovered my love of reading.

I think part of it, too, is that I tend to be a really empathetic and compassionate person, so a stoic character is harder to connect with. That, in itself, is a bit refreshing for me. It takes me longer to warm up to the character, but in the end I feel like I know them a bit more personally. That because I had to wait to find out their motives and purpose that it’s more private when I finally do get a glimpse into their life.

It makes me think a bit of Caleb from the Dark Duet series. He was such a personal and private person, so when you got to see more and more of his personality, you were absolutely hungry for it. It’s like a treat after a long and delicious meal.

Jaral seems to be something, but there’s so much more going on beneath the surface. Torn and Seduced can’t even touch on all of that and more about him will be revealed in the next segment, and I can’t wait for that. He makes me want to learn about him, inside and out, because he makes me work for it.

And in the end, the wait will be worth it.