Character Spotlight: Mina

In case you haven't been around lately, we're starting a new series where I'm highlighting a character each week from my Rising Elements series. Today we're learning about everyone's favorite character, Mina!

Mina is a gentle genius who loves coffee and all things human. She has a propensity for wearing leggings and eighties band T-shirts, and she's a whiz at creating new weapons and inventions for the team.

But she's not all sunshine and rainbows.

She has a tragic past that she doesn't speak about often, and she's not from Thios or Reya. She also failed the Rite, so she's one of very few Fae who don't have magick.

When we first meet Mina in Sparks and Shadow, she does what she does best: she doctors Everly up after she gets injured when she first arrives in Faery.

But one of my favorite moments, one that truly shows the kind of Fae she is, happens early on in book 1, shortly after Everly meets Mina for the first time. Here's a snippet:

***

“Aki is meeting with Senan, I’m sure. They’ll both be here later,” Mina said. “Senan will want to meet you. Gideon and Shadow should be here soon too, so I’ll get dinner started.”

I stood awkwardly by the table as Mina started banging pots and pans around in the kitchen. I thought about offering to help, but I had no idea how to cook. It had been years since I’d had a kitchen of my own, and even then, I’d mostly eaten stale pizza and peanut butter sandwiches.

I watched Mina chop strange vegetables, then slide them into a pot on the stove. The stove was metal, with ornate designs. Fire burned steadily from the burner. Glancing around the kitchen, I was struck again by how modern-ish it was. It had all the fixings of a gourmet kitchen, but the appliances were slightly off. A toaster sat on the counter, but it didn’t look like any toaster I’d seen in stores. It was metal, with gears and pulleys, and I didn’t see a cord to plug it in anywhere.

“Where did you get all this stuff?” I asked, moving to stand behind the counter so I was out of Mina’s way. “I didn’t see a Walmart on our way through town.”

Mina glanced back at me. “What’s a Walmart?”

I tried not to smile. “It’s like… a shop. A really big shop, where you can buy pretty much anything you can think of.”

“You humans think of everything.” Mina tossed some herbs into the pot and gave it another stir. “We don’t have that in Thios, though I wish we did.”

“Then where’d you get all these fancy gadgets?”

“I created them.” Mina beamed with pride.

I gaped at her and gestured at the toaster. “You made this?”

“I don’t have a Gift like the others, so I create my own conveniences.” Mina picked up the toaster and set it on the counter in front of me. Her blue eyes sparkled. “It’s been ages since any of us have been to the human world, but I read a lot of your books. I love learning about all the new inventions your kind is creating. Senan and I take inspiration from that to improve life here in Thios for those who don’t have Gifts.”

“Why don’t you use magic like Aki and the others?”

“It’s called elemental magick.” Mina’s face fell. “Not everyone can use it. Seraphine only Gifts it to those she deems worthy. I performed the Rite, but I didn’t pass her trial so I couldn’t bond with an element.”

I searched her face, feeling a pang of sympathy that I didn’t appreciate. She was a monster like the rest of the fairies here, but… she’d been nice to me. She was also clearly an oddball. She couldn’t use magic like the others and she seemed more interested in dressing in human clothes instead of what everyone else wore. Come to think of it, I had gotten a lot of strange looks today, but so had Mina. And those protesters had targeted her, not me. Was she an outcast here? I knew what that felt like, and it made my heart ache.

That was not a feeling I was comfortable with.

Clearing my throat, I picked up the toaster and examined it. It didn’t have a power cord. “How does this work?”

Mina visibly shook off the gloom and pointed to a shiny disk near the back of the toaster. “I built a power source to heat a cell and toast the bread. I set it in the window and it stores sunlight to use as a power source.”

I had to admit, I was impressed. She had created her own solar battery. “Wow. So you’re like a fairy version of Elon Musk.”

***

So many readers have told me how much they love Mina's character, and I understand why. I love her too! She has a major role (and a lot of development) in book 3, and I can't wait for you to see what Seraphine has in store for her!

Haven't read the series yet? Now is a great time to start! Grab book one now. Book two is also available, and book three will be here in January. <3

If you've read any of the books, drop a comment below and let me know what you think. I love hearing from my readers!